Sometimes you just want a dirty burger right? But not too dirty, especially if you’re on a plant based diet and want to stay within the boundaries of whole foods recipe.
However, it’s all about texture and a slight chewiness when it comes to a vegan burger, and 99% fall short of this requirement in our opinion. Our meaty textured vegan burger recipe made with soy mince is probably the best out there, and is about as good as it gets, for a homemade burger at least.
This burger is perfect for serving in a bun with oil free, fried onions and fries.
What’s So Great About This Burger?
We call this burger the best you can get, whilst still in the confines of a whole foods plant based diet, because it simply is. We’ve tried and tested many kinds, made in many various ways, and we always come back to the dried soy mince version.
The dried soy mince specifically seems to create that ‘bite’ you crave in a burger, far more than the use of other legumes and beans. Yes, soy mince is superior if a meaty textured vegan burger is what you’re craving. We recommend using the dried mince, simply because the drying process somehow changes the composition and texture of the mince when re-hydrated. Don’t ask us the science behind it because we’re just here to eat burgers!
Soy can be strange like that, changing its texture and flavour like a food chameleon. Have you ever tried freezing tofu? If so, you’ll know how this simple trick can vastly change its texture and composition, making it more likely to take on flavours and give it more of a robustness.
Is Soy Mince Healthy?
There is much debate about soy out there on the internet and social media. It really is a hotly debated topic with so much research for yay and nay. Is it good or is it bad? Well, our advice would be to always buy organic for a start. Soy is often highly processed and added to many junk foods as a filler, and this is the kind that is un-organic and highly unhealthy. This is the kind we recommend you stay away from at all costs.
Instead, buy only organic soy products, including tofu, tempeh, seitan and soy mince. The organic kind won’t be GMO, which is the notorious problem with non-organic soy and the reason why purchasing only organic is so important.
Once you have your organic soy, eating it in moderation will not be harmful and can be a great addition to a healthy, plant based diet. It’s perfect for the protein element to any meal, is low calorie, and contains lots of vitamins and minerals.
Soy Nutritional Benefits
Providing you have sourced your soy products responsibly and have gone for the organic versions, then you can make your homemade, meaty vegan burgers with peace of mind.
Soy has many health benefits, including:-
- High protein – Soy is high in protein and is one of the closest substitutes to meat in the plant based world. It has a good array of all the amino acids, making it a complete protein to cover all bases.
- High in calcium – Soy is a great source of plant based calcium and comes in at 227mg per 100g of whole beans. Calcium is very important on a plant based diet and ideally you should eat some form of calcium rich food daily from one some of the many plant sources.
- Is a great, “meaty” substitute – Soy products such as tofu, soy mince, seitan and tempeh have a great texture, similar to real meat. This is why they are used so often as a meat alternative in many dishes, including this delicious vegan lasagna.
- Takes on flavours easily – Tofu, soy mice, tempeh and other soya products are highly absorbable of flavours. Soya beans have a very neutral taste so are perfect for being able to add anything you like to flavour with. Add tofu chunks to curries, soups and stews and it will take on all the flavours of your dish.
'Meaty' Textured Vegan Burger Recipe Made With Soy Mince
Equipment
- Large, non-stick frying pan
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic soy mince You can sub for other vegan, ground mince substitutes but the dried soy works best in our opinion.
- Half cup rolled oats Not the thicker, steel cut oats as the burgers will fall apart with these.
- 1 medium finely chopped onion The finer you can get your onion, the better your burgers will stay together at the end.
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 thyme
- 1 tsp each Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Dice your onion as finely as possible and fry in a non-stick pan with splashes of water to prevent sticking until golden and translucent. You don't need oil for this process as we are trying to keep this recipe as whole foods as possible. The splashes of hot water will prevent sticking, but still allow for caramelisation. This process will take about 10 minutes on a medium heat frying pan. Add you crushed garlic to the frying around half way through to get that browned a little.
- Meanwhile, rehydrate your soy mince in boiling water for around 5 minutes. Let it steep in a heat proof bowl, fully immersed in the hot water. Don't boil it once you've added your soy mince over any heat, just make sure it's boiling when you add the water initially. Drain thoroughly. You really need to squeeze out as much water as you can so your burgers aren't too wet.
- Meanwhile, put all the rest of your ingredients in a mixing bowl and add your onions and rehydrated soy mince. Mix well with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
- Now you'll need to get your hands dirty, but first, make sure they're super clean! Flatten your mix out in the bowl and score out 8 pieces with a knife so you can get some sense of making even size burgers. Spoon out each section and roll into a ball between the palm of your hands. Push quite hard as you roll so the mix sticks together well. You now want to flatten that ball gently between your hands to about 1/3 inch thick. These burgers cook better if made thinly.
- Dry fry in your non-stick pan over a medium heat about 4 minutes each side, or until golden. If you don't have a good pan here then you may need to use a little oil in this process, otherwise it's certainly not required. Do not use water to fry these burgers or they will go soggy.2 burgers is counted as one portion.
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Thanks for visiting ZestForever today!
We hope you enjoy our famous burger recipe as much as we do. Don’t forget to check out the many other family friendly recipes on our website for more inspiration.
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