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You are here: Home / Main Courses / High Protein Vegan Burgers

High Protein Vegan Burgers

May 18, 2020 by LarishaBernard 10 Comments

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These easy high protein vegan burgers will be your new favorite. Thick and hearty veggie burgers will wow any skeptic.

high protein vegan burger on a cutting board

Many times people say they don’t want to go vegan because they will miss out on protein. These high protein vegan burgers prove that’s simply not the case.

The average hamburger patty has around 15g of protein inside. These high protein veggie burgers have 24g.

They are made up of all plant based ingredients that are easy to make and use without any animal products actually being used.

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high protein vegan burger on a cutting board without a top bun

What ingredients do I need to make high protein vegan burgers?

Surprisingly, most of the ingredients that you need are spices and seasonings.

Full amounts listed in the printable recipe card below.

The ingredients that you will need to pull are:

  • cooked brown rice
  • TVP crumbles
  • vegetable stock
  • tapioca starch
  • olive oil 
  • onion powder
  • garlic powder
  • garlic
  • smoked paprika 
  • vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • nutritional yeast
  • soy sauce
  • beets grated
  • sea salt (optional)
  • black pepper
  • vital wheat gluten (or oat flour or bread crumbs)

What is TVP crumbles?

TVP, or textured vegetable protein, is a soy byproduct that has no fat or cholesterol. It resembles ground meat when rehydrated, making it the perfect substitute in these vegan burgers.

What can I substitute for tapioca starch?

If you don’t have tapioca starch, you could sub for cornstarch or arrowroot powder. However, the texture will be slightly different than our original recipe.

Therefore, we encourage the use of the recipe as written.

Can I use any type of rice?

We use brown rice. It holds up and soaks better.

However, any rice will theoretically work. You could even use minute rice to make things go faster.

It is best to use day old or cooled rice as that also soaks up and holds better when making a recipe like this.

close up of high protein vegan burger on a cutting board to the right of the image

How do I make high protein vegan burgers?

The first thing you are going to do is soak your TVP crumbles in vegetable stock and if you don’t have pre-cooked rice, you will want to make that as well.

Once you have those two things, you are going to add everything into a food processor. Pulse and then blend, scraping down the sides as needed.

Tip: We use a 7 cup processor and have found it easier to add half the rice and TVP, then the rest of the ingredients, then the remaining rice and TVP. This helps ensure the ingredients are well combined since it fills it pretty full.

Once blended well, remove the center of the food processor and form 6 equal size patties.

To a skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and then cook the burgers 3-4 minutes on each side until a nice sear has developed and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Repeat until all burgers have been cooked, then serve on buns or lettuce wraps with your favorite burger toppings and sauces.

horizontal image of high protein vegan burger on a cutting board

Can I make high protein vegan burgers Top 8 Allergen Free?

A main component of this dish is TVP crumbles which is soy based. We don’t have a swap for that in this burger, but encourage you to check out our other burgers before for ideas.

The vital wheat gluten can be subbed for oat flour if needed.

The Worcestershire sauce has gluten and soy. You could also purchase a gluten free version of the worcestershire sauce. 

As far as the soy, I haven’t yet found a vegan version that you can buy that doesn’t contain soy; however, you could make your own homemade worcestershire sauce, like this one, and replace the soy sauce with a no soy soy free sauce. 

Depending on the allergies you have, you can replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari, coconut aminos or a Top 8 no soy sauce (click links to see each).

How long are high protein vegan burgers good for?

These burgers will last in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can high protein vegan burgers be frozen?

Yes. Flash freeze them on a baking sheet and then you can move them from there to a freezer safe container or bag. Thaw overnight when ready to use. Best if consumed with 6 months.

chickpea burger styled on a bun

What other vegan burgers ideas could I make?

If you are looking for other vegan burger recipes to try, then we think you should check out these:

  • Vegan Black Bean Burgers
  • Vegan Chickpea Burgers
  • Vegan Lentil Burgers

Also, a few other ideas you may be interested in are:

  • Walnut Meat Vegan Sloppy Joes
  • Vegan Fish Sandwich
  • Vegan Hot Dogs

Pin these high protein vegan for later:

high protein vegan burger on a cutting board with title at the top
high protein vegan burger on a cutting board
Print Recipe
4.72 from 7 votes

The Best High Protein Vegan Burgers

These easy high protein vegan burgers will be your new favorite. Thick and hearty veggie burgers will wow any skeptic.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy free burgers, dairy free main course, vegan burgers, vegan main course
Servings: 6 patties
Calories: 308kcal
Author: LarishaBernard

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked yields 3 cups cooked; cook in vegetable stock preferred)
  • 2 cups TVP crumbles
  • 1 3/4 cups boiling vegetable stock (could sub for boiling water)
  • 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten (can sub oat flour or bread crumbs – see post notes)
  • 1/4 cup +1 tbsp tapioca starch (see post about subbing cornstarch)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp grated beets (raw or roasted)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Soak TVP crumbles in boiling vegetable stock. Let soak for 5-10 minutes.
    *If you don't have pre-cooked rice, make that as well.
  • Once TVP crumbles are rice are ready, add everything into a food processor. Pulse and then blend, scraping down the sides as needed.
    Tip: We use a 7 cup processor and have found it easier to add half the rice and TVP, then the rest of the ingredients, then the remaining rice and TVP. This helps ensure the ingredients are well combined since it fills it pretty full.
  • Once blended well, remove the center of the food processor and form 6 equal size patties.
  • To a skillet* over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and then cook the burgers 3-4 minutes on each side until a nice sear has developed and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  • Repeat until all burgers have been cooked, then serve on buns or lettuce wraps with your favorite burger toppings and sauces.

Video

Notes

*These can also be baked in the oven, cooked in an air fryer or on the grill. 
*See post for notes about Top 8 Allergy Free variation 
**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger | Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1221mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 310IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 5mg

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Share to Instagram and tag us @makeitdairyfree so we can see and share it!

high protein vegan burger on a cutting board with title at the bottom

Filed Under: Main Courses, Recipes Tagged With: main course, recipes

Previous Post: « Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes
Next Post: Vegan Hamburger Buns »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon

    May 18, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Greetings from D.C.! I watched the video on your YT channel this morning, but came here to check for the ingredients…I’ve most of them, but have to get TVP. I was so hoping you would take a bite of the burger or slice in half just so we could see the inside…but it’s okay, I trust anything that you two make will be DELICIOUS! 😋
    PS: I also put in a request for a tasty DIY sausage recipe (if possible). Thanks in advance!
    Sharon

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      May 19, 2020 at 7:15 pm

      You’re totally right, we should have sliced it open! Duh! Sometimes it’s hard to remember shooting so late at night lol. I do have a non-professional pic of the inside. If you email us at makeit[email protected], I will send you the photo! Or DM us on IG at @makeitdairyfree

      Reply
  2. Eugene

    August 1, 2020 at 10:55 pm

    5 stars
    I just tried it, loving it so far!! I like how the burger patty stays bound together and doesnt fall apart. Thank you for the awesome recipe!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      August 31, 2020 at 3:44 pm

      we’re so excited to hear that, thanks for taking the time to leave a review, have a great day!

      Reply
  3. Helayne

    August 9, 2020 at 10:28 am

    5 stars
    My family loved this burger! I’ll definitely make this again, the recipe was easy to follow and I had all of the ingredients in my cupboard. I was able to make 6 good sized thick burgers.

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      August 11, 2020 at 8:47 pm

      So happy to hear that, we appreciate you taking the time to leave a review!

      Reply
  4. Anjali

    January 15, 2022 at 1:28 am

    May I know the airfrier settings for this burger?

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      February 8, 2022 at 9:36 pm

      350 degrees F. 10-12 mins or until 165 F internal temp

      Reply
  5. Angela Clemmons

    June 7, 2022 at 8:45 am

    5 stars
    So delicious! This burger recipe will be a staple at our house! Haven’t tried making the burger buns yet but looking forward to that. You’ve also got me looking forward to lunch today. I’ll be throwing one of those burgers on the grill. . . and topping it with G. Hughes BBQ sauce, by the way. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      June 7, 2022 at 3:59 pm

      We’re so glad you loved the recipe

      Reply

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133 shares