Bulgur Burger {Vegan}

Ingredient Notes

Gather your green lentils, coarse bulgur wheat, vegetable oil, finely chopped onions and celery, minced garlic, sliced cremini mushrooms, raw cashews, veganaise, regular bread crumbs, vegetable stock, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

To make burgers, you will need burger buns and your desired burger toppings, such as tomato slices, red onion slices, and salad greens. 

Substitution and Variations

• Types of Bulgur: There are several different types of bulgur that would work well for this recipe. Coarse, extra coarse, or even regular red bulgur would all work for these Vegan Bulgur Burgers. Red bulgur is the easiest to find in American Supermarkets, such as Bob’s Red Mill brand. Can’t find bulgur? Use one of the many substitutes for bulgur wheat (quinoa and millet are our favorite.)
• Broth: I use vegetable stock for my recipe, however if you are non-vegan you could substitute chicken broth or stock in place of the vegetable broth. 
• Mayo: If you are non-vegan, you can substitute regular mayo in place of the vegan mayo (aka veganaise) for these burgers.

How To Make

Below are the steps to making these bulgur wheat burgers:

1. Cook the Lentils: Add your lentils, one cup of water, and salt in a small saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain the lentils. 
2. Cook the Bulgur: Meanwhile, bring vegetable stock and salt to a boil in a second pot. Once it is boiling, add in your bulgur wheat, top with a lid, and remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 20 minutes so that the bulgur absorbs the broth. After 20 minutes, drain bulgur through a fine-mesh sieve until all the excess broth is removed and set the bulgur aside in a medium bowl.
3. Cook the Vegetables: In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil, chopped onions, celery, and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain the vegetables and set aside in a bowl to cool. Clean the skillet with paper towels, but no need to wash the pan.
4. Cook the Mushrooms: In the same large skillet, add olive oil and mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the mushrooms and set aside in a bowl to cool.

5. Chop up the Cashews: In a food processor, add your cashews and pulse 10-12 times until they are finely chopped. Do not over pulse!
6. Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, add your cool lentils, bulgur, onion mixture and mushrooms, cashews, bread crumbs, veganaise, salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together completely. 

7. Pulse Burger Mixture: Divide mixture into four portions. Add ¼ of the burger mixture to the food processor. Pulse 15-20 times until it has a smooth texture. You may have to stop the machine and scrape the sides of bowl a few times to ensure evenness. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and repeat the process for the rest of the mixture, ¼ at a time. 
8. Form the Patties: Form your mixture into patties in 12 equal portions, approximately inch-wide patties that are 4 inches in diameter. Each patty is about 1/2 cup of the mixture. Place patties on a baking sheet until ready to cook.
9. Pan fry Patties: In a hot skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and allow to warm thoroughly. Add 3-4 bulgur wheat patties to the skillet at a time, and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and transfer burgers to the baking sheet in a preheated oven set at 250 F degrees to keep warm until you are ready to eat.
10. Assemble: To build your burger, place a slice of tomato on a bottom burger bun. Top it off with a bulgur wheat patty, salad greens, and sliced red onion. If using garnish it with my cucumber yogurt or tahini sauce. Put the top bun on and serve.

How to Serve

• As Burgers: To serve as traditional meatless burgers, warm up your 12 whole grain or whole wheat vegetable buns. Serve your veggie burgers on a bun with red onion, tomato, and salad greens, or whichever toppings you desire. If you are looking for a new spread to dollop on your patty, my Tzatziki Sauce (aka Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce) is a tasty addition! For non-vegans, try a dollop of my Tahini Yogurt Sauce for a creamy topping. 
• As Patties: If you are looking for an alternative way to eat these patties, try serving as a filling protein source on your favorite salad! My Butter Lettuce Salad is a great green salad for these patties, or if you are looking for a hearty, veggie packed salad to add to, try my Asparagus Salad or Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe. 

How To Store, Freeze, and Thaw

What I love about this bulgur veggie burger is that it is easy to store. Below are the storage, freezing, and thawing instructions for the bulgur wheat patties.

• Storage: These patties are great for meal planning and heating up throughout the week. Be sure to allow the patties to come to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. Store for up to four days in the refrigerator. 
• Freezing: Allow the patties to come to room temperature before storing. Layer the patties with small squares of parchment paper in between to avoid them from sticking together. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer. 
• Thawing: When you are ready to eat these patties, simply take the burgers out, let them rest on the counter for 30 minutes or so and warm up in a preheated oven at 275 F degrees for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly warmed throughout. 

Expert Tips

• First time using bulgur in a recipe? If you are new to using bulgur wheat in your cooking, be sure to check out my post on How to Cook Bulgur to learn more about it.
• Drain Vegetables: It is essential to drain your vegetables to remove the excess liquid to ensure that the patties will cook without cracking throughout. After you make the patties, if you feel like they are still too moist, place them on a sheet of paper towel and let it absorb some of the liquid. 
• Taste for Seasoning: Although I gave my suggestions for seasoning, it is important to taste the mixture before forming and cooking the patties. Add a little salt or black pepper as needed until it meets your preference.

Other Vegan Bulgur Recipes You Might Also Like:

• Bulgur Pilaf
• Vegan Chili
• Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Bulgur

Need some more vegan cooking inspiration? Check out all our easy vegan recipes.

This recipe is adapted (with some changes) from Cook’s Ilustrated’s The Ultimate Vegan Burger Recipe.

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Bulgur Burger Recipe

5 from 2 votes

By: Aysegul Sanford

Yields12 burger patties

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ready to up your burger game? Then try this Vegan Bulgur Burger recipe. Most vegetarian burgers are made with a bean base. This recipe is different because it is made by using bulgur wheat, lentils, cashews, and mushrooms as a base instead of your usual beans. Make a batch enjoy some and freeze the rest for later.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3/4 cup dried green lentils picked over and rinsed.
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt + more as needed
• ▢ 3/4 cup coarse bulgur wheat
• ▢ 2 cups of vegetable stock
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking burgers
• ▢ 2 medium onions chopped finely
• ▢ 1 celery rib chopped finely
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 pound button or cremini mushrooms sliced 1/4 inch thick
• ▢ 1 cup raw cashews
• ▢ 1/3 cup vegenaise
• ▢ 2 cups regular bread crumbs
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ▢ 12 whole grain hamburger rolls

Optional Burger ingredients

• ▢ 1 sliced tomato
• ▢ Salad greens
• ▢ ½ sliced red onion

Instructions 

• Place lentils, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer, transfer to a bowl and set it aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, place the vegetable stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Stir in the bulgur, cover the lid and take it off the heat. Let it sit for 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed by the bulgur. Drain it in a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the excess water, if there is any left. Place it in a small bowl and set it aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet pan over medium heat and add onions, celery, and garlic. Stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, for 10 minutes. Off the heat, let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel, no need to wash.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, in the empty skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until they are softened. Drain and set aside and cool for 10 minutes.
• While lentils, bulgur wheat, and veggies are cooling, place the cashews in a food processor. Process them until they are finely chopped, for 12-15 pulses. Do not over pulse, they may turn into cashew butter. Do not wash the bowl of the food processor.
• Place lentils, bulgur, vegetables (onion mixture and mushrooms), cashews, bread crumbs, vegan mayo, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Give it a mix.
• Place ¼ of the mixture into the food processor and pulse until it is coarsely chopped, between 15 and 20 pulses, stopping the machine and scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Transfer it to a large bowl and repeat the same process for the rest of the mixture.
• Divide it into 12 portions (about ½ cup each) and shape them into burgers, about 4 inches in diameter. (I used my clean hands to do this) Place them on a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
• To cook, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 3-4 burgers at a time, 4 minutes on each side until they are brown. Repeat the same process for the rest of the burger patties.
• As you are cooking the burgers, you can put them in low heat (250 F degrees) oven to keep them warm. I warmed the burger buns in the oven while I was cooking the burger patties as well.
• To build your burger, place a slice of tomato on a bottom burger bun. Top it off with a bulgur wheat patty, salad greens, and sliced red onion. If using garnish it with my cucumber yogurt or tahini sauce. Put the top bun on and serve.

Notes

• Drain Vegetables: It is crucial to drain your vegetables to remove the excess liquid to ensure that the patties will cook without cracking throughout. After you make the patties, if you feel like they are still too moist, place them on a sheet of paper towel and let it absorb some of the liquid. 
• Taste for Seasoning: Although I gave my suggestions for seasoning, it is important to taste the mixture before forming and cooking the patties. Add a little salt or black pepper as needed until it meets your preference.
• Storage: Be sure to allow the patties to come to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. Store for up to four days in the refrigerator. 
• Freezing: Allow the patties to come to room temperature before storing. Layer the patties with small squares of parchment paper in between to avoid them from sticking together. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 964mg | Potassium: 500mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Sandwiches

Cuisine: American

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