Labor Day

Miso Veggie Burgers

by:
June 22, 2023
4.4
14 Ratings
Miso Veggie Burgers
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Prep time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • makes 6 burgers
Author Notes

In this burger, everything is fresh. It’s all ingredients that you can get at your grocery store and that you’re going to feel really great about eating. Plus, we’ve got a couple extra things in here, like miso and gochujang.

The miso is going to give us that really deep, caramel-y, umami flavor. That’s going to basically simulate a burger being seared over an open fire on a grill and being smashed. The gochujang is going to give us a little more umami, but it’s also going to give us some really deep, spicy notes too. —Rick Martinez

Test Kitchen Notes

Adding quinoa to these veg-forward plant-based "burger" patties adds depth of flavor and welcome texture that's sure to satisfy both vegetarians and meat-lovers alike at your next cookout. —Food52

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Miso Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
  • For the Miso Veggie Burgers With "Cheat" Aioli
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang
  • 1 pound sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms
  • 1/2 pound summer or winter squash
  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup dried red or white quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 6 hamburger buns, toasted
  • Pickled radish and onion, for serving
  • Lettuce leaves, for serving
  • Sliced tomato, for serving
  • Pickled Radish & Onion
  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons (8 grams) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 pound radishes, sliced
  • 2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Directions
  1. For the Miso Veggie Burgers With "Cheat" Aioli
  2. Make the aioli: Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic together in a small bowl until completely combined. Set aside until ready to use.
  3. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 475ºF. Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, miso, and gochujang together in a large bowl. Toss sweet potato, mushrooms, squash, and onion in the miso mixture until completely coated. Arrange in an even layer on a foil-lined sheet tray and bake, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, cook quinoa in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender and you see the curly tail separate from the individual grains, 14 to 16 minutes. Drain quinoa through a fine-mesh strainer and shake off as much excess water as possible. Spread out in an even layer on a sheet tray or large plate to dry. Set aside until ready to use.
  5. Make the patties:Place oats in a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Add roasted vegetables, garlic powder, and salt and purée until smooth. Add quinoa and pulse to combine.
  6. Lightly oil your hands to prevent them from sticking, then form the mixture into 6 patties, about ½ cup (150 grams) each.
  7. Do Ahead: Patties can be made 2 days ahead; wrap tightly and chill. Or, freeze in a single layer, then wrap tightly up to 3 months. Thaw before cooking.
  8. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook patties until dark brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil and patties. Serve on buns with aioli, pickled onion and radish, and your choice of additional toppings.
  1. Pickled Radish & Onion
  2. Toss onion and half the salt in a medium bowl, cover with hot water, and stir to dissolve salt. Let sit 15 minutes. This will take the harsh edge off of the onion.
  3. Rinse and drain onion, transfer to jar. Add radishes and serrano chiles, and top with orange juice, lime juice, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and shake to combine and dissolve salt. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
  4. Do Ahead: Pickled vegetables can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
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  • Taylor Stanton
    Taylor Stanton
  • OPTOMontheEdge
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  • Mark R. M. Corcoran
    Mark R. M. Corcoran
  • JTDaddio
    JTDaddio
Rick Martinez

Recipe by: Rick Martinez

Rick Martinez is currently living his dream—cooking, eating and enjoying the Mexican Pacific coast in Mazatlán. He is finishing his first cookbook, Under the Papaya Tree, food from the seven regions of Mexico and loved traveling the country so much, he decided to buy a house on the beach. He is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, New York Times and hosts live, weekly cooking classes for Food Network Kitchens. Earlier this year, he was nominated for a James Beard Award for “How to win the Cookie Swap” in Bon Appétit’s holiday issue.

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13 Reviews

Taylor S.
Taylor S. July 30, 2023
Great flavor but the texture…. not so much. A fun way to use miso and vegetables.
 
Mark R.
Mark R. July 23, 2023
Loved the flavor; the texture not so much. Made the recipe as written and the burgers squeezed right out of the bun, despite chilling the mixture overnight and getting a good crust from the frying. Way too squishy; no body. The mixture does make a good sandwich spread.
 
JTDaddio
JTDaddio June 30, 2023
As others have said, this is delicious. But it was SO WET, SO LOOSE. It was like trying to cook soup. I used couscous instead of quinoa, because that's not a fave in this house. Whatever, I refrigerated it for about an hour before cooking, and even put the tray in the freezer for a bit.
 
OPTOMontheEdge
OPTOMontheEdge January 22, 2023
OMG the great Rick Martinez has done it again. I have an EXCEPTIONALLY picky 7 year old, and the one time I can fix a meal to please her, the 5 year old won't like it! I am telling you, EVERYBODY scarfed this one down. There were moans and groans of delight- and my husband was stoked he could have guilt-free seconds. I made the "batter" mid-day, and formed and fried the patties at dinner time. Holy hell- those crispy edges and that deep well-rounded flavor. I will definitely make this again.
 
rox L.
rox L. September 29, 2022
Question- What would anyone suggest to replace oat flour as a binder? I have an severe allergy to any oats!
 
Gillian M.
Gillian M. September 8, 2022
These burgers are incredible, I will be making them regularly. I used bulgur wheat instead of quinoa and dried it out int he oven for a few minutes just before the veggies finished roasting. I can confirm that you have to let the burgers sit for a bit after cooking them to firm up and get crispy. Delish!
 
Gillian M.
Gillian M. September 8, 2022
Oh, and I did 375 degrees F, no idea how anyone could roast them on 475 they'd be burned to a crisp in my oven...
 
Josée C.
Josée C. August 26, 2022
Hi Rick, Those Veggie burgers were absolutely delicious. My husband and I were making as much noise as on your video if not more :)) I have grilled my veggies at 375F instead of 475F as there were cooking too fast. Will be making on repeat for sure. Tks.
 
Claudia
Claudia August 24, 2022
These are so good. I used Couscous instead of quinoa (1:1 substitute). Despite having had them refrigerated overnight, they weren’t as firm as maybe other burger patties, but that didn’t take away from the flavor or overall eating experience. Definitely do not skip the pickled onions and radishes. Will double (or even triple) the recipe next time to stick extras in the freezer.
 
Sugarkitty2
Sugarkitty2 August 20, 2022
This burger is SO GOOD! A+++

We made these tonight and kept just saying "WOW" in between bites. Also, the size of this burger (if you're making 6 patties like the recipe calls for) are GINORMOUS, so the burger with all the delicious toppings and the brioche bun alone are a meal! We were so full after.

The only thing I'd say we need to improve upon, is that our veggie patties were still quite soft when done and going on the bun hot (even though they had great caramelization and crunch on the outside from the frying pan) .

After we finished dinner and checked the leftover cooked patties, I DID notice that they were holding their shape MUCH BETTER than the hot burger was, so I'd dare say that this burger might be a bit better if you let the patties sit for like, 10 minutes or so. Like, I was able to pick them up and hold them no problem, just like as store bought veggie burger.

The onion / radish / serrano chile pickled veggie mixture is TO DIE FOR and is honestly a winning recipe as a stand alone. Thanks, Rick!!
 
Sparklepants
Sparklepants August 19, 2022
This veggie burger is absolutely delicious! I made it almost exactly as written, adding a touch more of the ground oats for a firmer patty. The miso/gochujang roasted veggies were so good, I would eat them on their own. I used butternut squash. After cooking the quinoa, I threw it in the air fryer for a couple minutes to dry it out, and I think the texture was perfect. Don’t skip the pickled veggies!
The recipe is a bit fiddly so next time, I will double or triple it and freeze the extra patties, because we will definitely eat this again. My meat-loving teenagers ate them up without complaint!
 
Betsy
Betsy August 17, 2022
Very tasty flavors, I'll be using the gochujang + miso on roasted vegetables for the rest of my life! My burgers lacked full structural integrity though - I think giving the quinoa more time to get VERY dry would help with this.
 
Josée C.
Josée C. August 26, 2022
Hi Betsy, I had left my quinoa in the fridge overnight and used it the following day to make the patty and I really think it made a difference. Mine were holding their shape. Took the burgers from the fridge and cook them straight away in olive oil. If this could help.