Hal’s Soy Burgers ~ A great burger is the birthright of every American, and just because you aren’t eating meat doesn’t mean you have to miss out on one of summer’s great pleasures… these burgers made with soybeans are the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had.
I’ve never been a fan of any vegetarian food that pretends to be meat.
I just don’t see the point. But there’s something about the combination of these patties on a soft chewy wheat bun, slathered in mayo, topped with gooey melted cheese and crunchy sprouts that I can’t resist.
Soy burgers are one of the earliest plant based burger recipes
I discovered these at college, at the restaurant where I worked. Hal’s was the local hangout for students, professors, and townies in the know. Two brother’s, Don and John, (there was no Hal) owned it, and they served classic counter-culture cuisine…everything was homemade, from the bread to the yogurt to the granola. Sprouts of all kinds came on everything.
I didn’t work at the grill or wait tables, I was stationed in the basement kitchen making sure the vats of wholegrain pancake batter never ran dry, keeping huge jugs of sprouting sprouts watered, and making up vast numbers of these soybean patties. They were a customer favorite. But in true counter-culture fashion, one day Don and John just closed up shop. They moved on to other things, leaving behind devoted fans like me to pine endlessly for those lost meals.
This veggie burger recipe is simple but hits the spot!
I keep coming back to this recipe when I get the burger craving. If you want more of a punch you can serve them with a spicy chipotle mayonnaise, or any other burger topping you like.
what you’ll need for soy burgers:
- cooked soybeans
- breadcrumbs
- egg
- red onion
- garlic
- cumin
- flour
- salt and pepper
more plant based burgers to love
- Chickpea Veggie Burgers
- Red Quinoa and Black Bean Veggie Burgers
- Falafel Burger Recipe (copycat McFalafel)
- The Ultimate Veggie Burger
- The Ultimate Plant Based Burger Taste-Off!
Hal’s Soy Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked soybeans
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 small red onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp flour, whole wheat if you have it
- salt
- black pepper
serve with
- 4 soft wheat buns
- 4 slices of Swiss cheese
- sprouts
- mayonnaise
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a processor and pulse just a few times until the mixture holds together when you press it together with your fingers. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little more flour. Don’t process too much or you’ll get paste; you want some texture.
- Using a 1/2 cup measure, form into 4 patties, and put them between waxed paper.
- Chill until you are ready to cook.
- To cook the burgers, fry them over medium high heat in a pat of butter. When one side is golden brown flip and cook the other side till golden. Add the cheese to the burgers at the end of cooking.
- Serve on the wheat buns with mayo and sprouts.
Oh! I will have to try these they look delicious.
Sue, is it possible to freeze them successfully?
Soy burgers freeze beautifully! Wrap them well, then pop them into heavy duty zip lock freezer bags and remove any excess air.
Good to know! I want to make a double batch and freeze half. Would you recommend cooking before freezing or after? Then heat/cook from frozen or from thawed? New to veggie burgers.. 🙂
I’d freeze before cooking, but you could do either. You can cook right from frozen.
Thanks! I think I made them too thick at first so the middle was mushy, but the second batch I squished more so they had a larger diameter and that cooked better! I lowered the heat a bit as well. Delicious! We left out the cheese to avoid a trip to the store, but added pickled jalapenos and fresh tomato slices. To the burger itself we threw some fresh parsley into the mix. Sooo good and filling. Will be making again often. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad they were a hit and yes, definitely thinner is better (with all veggie burgers, if you ask me!)