5 vegan burgers packed with vegetables, beans and grains

We live in the age of tech meat, a time when eerily accurate beef alternatives are easily spotted in supermarket refrigerators and lab-grown meat isn’t a far-fetched sci-fi plotline. Burgers, in particular, have become a popular ground for experimenting, with brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods conjuring up uncanny alternatives that have even captured the attention and taste buds of vocal meat-eaters. But for vegetarians such as myself and food writer Alicia Kennedy, who wrote for The Washington Post about the tensions between the two, the ubiquity of these copycats has inspired the question: Where are the veggie burgers that are actually made from vegetables?

Despite the buzz we’ve been hearing for the past few years, alt-meat fever has cooled, and I hope this means a renaissance for vegetarian cooking that centers on plants and their infinite preparations, including veggie burgers packed with grains, beans and, of course, vegetables. Whether or not you eat meat, I believe there’s a veggie burger out there for everyone. These options from our archives are all vegan and delicious — find even more by searching our Recipe Finder.

Above. These burgers are simple, budget-friendly, and, most important, delicious. What more can you ask of a veggie burger — or any meal? Get the recipe.

Apple sauce is an unlikely but effective binder in these black bean burgers. Don’t worry — you can’t taste it. Get the recipe.

Mushrooms have long been a veggie burger go-to, thanks to their firm texture and earthy, umami flavor. Portobello mushrooms are the star of the show in these burgers and rise to new heights thanks to a simple homemade barbecue sauce. Get the recipe.

The concept of a veggie burger may feel incompatible with pantry cooking if you’re using alt-meat, egg replacers or seasonal ingredients, but staff writer Aaron Hutcherson will help you rethink that perspective. These burgers are packed with shelf-stable canned mushrooms and beans and get their bold flavor from balsamic-glazed onions, soy sauce and spices. Get the recipe.

Take a page from Barbie Chef and think pink with these beet-tinged quinoa and black bean burgers. Beyond giving the dish a rosy hue, the root vegetable also provides a subtle sweetness. Get the recipe.