Veggie burgers could be scrumptious—however they’re not all created equal. The lovingly crafted plant-based patties you get from a restaurant that is aware of what they’re doing are so satisfying and scrumptious. And should you’re prepared to place within the time to make your personal from scratch (a enjoyable undertaking!), they are often superior too.
However at occasions frozen veggie burgers is usually a little… missing. As somebody who hasn’t eaten meat for nearly 20 years, I’ve had loads of experiences with store-bought frozen veggie burgers which might be bland, mushy, and dry—particularly if their solely type of preparation consists of getting tossed into the microwave.
That stated, I additionally write about meals for a dwelling and understand how handy frozen meals could be when you could have a full-time job/household/typically busy life, so I refused to jot down store-bought veggie burgers off solely. Certainly there needed to be not less than a number of tasty choices on the market, proper? I set off on an at-home style take a look at to search out out. Because it turned out, I discovered some new faves.
What are veggie burgers made from?
First, earlier than we get into among the most scrumptious frozen veggie burgers on the market, let’s take a second to speak about what veggie burgers truly are. Veggie burgers are principally any form of burger-shaped patty made with plant-based components as an alternative of meat. The O.G. variations and their descendants sometimes star greens (typically finely chopped), beans (not less than partially mashed), and entire grains, plus a binder to carry the patties collectively. In lots of circumstances, eggs function this binder, however for completely vegan burgers, components like flaxseeds, nut butter, oats, or breadcrumbs play the position, plant-based diet professional Rhyan Geiger, RDN, tells SELF. (No further liquid wanted, as it might probably simply make the patties mushy or soggy.)
Veggies aren’t all the time the primary occasion although. Some newer plant-based patties, that are designed to have the style and texture of meat, are sometimes made with a soy- or pea-protein base, together with added starches or thickeners and flavors or seasonings.
Each varieties of veggie burgers could be tasty, Geiger says. It simply will depend on what sort of burger expertise you are in search of.
How will you make store-bought frozen veggie burgers style good?
Retailer-bought variations positively could be tasty, however you’ve bought to prepare dinner them the straight away. Including toppings, sauces, or seasonings is vital too.
Rule primary for prep: Do NOT microwave your veggie burger, Geiger says. Even should you’re in a rush, and even when the field provides directions for doing so. Nuking will handle to make your patty each mushy and dry on the similar time.
As a substitute? “One of the simplest ways to prepare dinner veggie burgers is in a skillet on the range or in an air fryer,” Geiger says. Each strategies will reward you with a crisp crust on the skin whereas maintaining your patty moist and juicy on the within. Some sturdy burgers may maintain up on a grill, however others will stick with the grates or simply crumble. Determining which is able to do which may generally take some trial and error, so on the cookout entrance, you need to be prepared to experiment. (For my style take a look at, I cooked all my burgers the identical approach for consistency’s sake: I adopted Geiger’s skillet suggestion, utilizing only a drop of olive oil and flipping midway by way of.)
