Hearty mushrooms and tofu in a vegan patty and baked to perfection. These protein-packed vegan mushroom burgers with tofu are the PERFECT dinner option. Smother in a delicious “secret sauce” for an epic plant-based burger!
This post was originally published in June 2018. New photos and video has been added.
For those vegans and vegetarians, I think we all have had a love-hate relationship with veggie burgers. Some restaurants throw them on the menu as a “token vegetarian” dish, but more of the time they are pre-made frozen crap – giving veggie burgers a bad rep!
This burger is to die for on a toasted bun, piled with fresh veggies, and smothered in a “secret sauce”. Really the sauce is just Red’s Hot Sauce mixed with vegan mayonnaise.
But hey, “secret sauce” sounds more life-changing, right?
Ingredients for vegan mushroom burgers
- Tofu
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Onion
- Olive oil
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce (most brands use anchovies so make sure to read the labels!)
- Whole wheat breadcrumbs
- Nutritional yeast
- Ground flaxseed (also known as flax meal)
What is nutritional yeast?
As off-putting as the name sounds, nutritional yeast is a common substitute for cheese in vegan dishes. It packs some serious health benefits. It can be found in all health-food stores, or online.
How to make mushroom tofu burgers
Start out by adding garlic, onion, shallot, and baby bella mushrooms to a food processor. If you do not own a food processor, you can dice everything very finely.
Sautee mushroom mixture in a cast iron or non-stick skillet with a small amount of olive oil. Cook until most of the liquid from the mushrooms is absorbed.
Note: It’s important there’s not a lot of liquid content as this will result in a flimsy, mushy burger patty!
Transfer mushroom mixture to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients – Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, flaxseed, salt, pepper, and pressed extra-firm tofu. Let cool slightly before crumbling the block of tofu with hands. Mix well.
The mixture should be like mushy yet pliable.
Place them on a baking sheet and bake! You can also cook them in a pan with a little bit of oil over medium heat.
How to make a veggie burger stick together
As I mentioned before getting the liquid out of the mushroom mixture is key to making these patties stick. Here are a few more tips:
- Add more breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, or flax seeds aka dry ingredients if your burger mixture is too mushy
- For my vegetarian friends, eggs and cheese can help bind veggie burgers
- PRESS the tofu! Get as much liquid out of your tofu as possible. To press, wrap the tofu block in paper towels or a kitchen towel and sandwich it between two plates. Place a heavy object or pile of cookbooks on the top plate and let sit while you prep the rest of the ingredients
Variations of veggie burger:
- Add seasonings: Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning would taste best in my opinion!
- Mix in some red chili flakes for a delicious spice kick
- Substitute the bread crumbs with a GF blend or ground oats for a gluten-free burger
- Sautee burgers on the stovetop with olive oil for a slightly crispier patty
- Use parmesan cheese instead of nutritional yeast as a cheesy binding agent
- Serve in lettuce cups for a low carb meal
Veggie burgers are a great way to bring Meatless Monday’s to the table. They are typically a crowd-pleaser and are one of those foods that people are typically not too scared to try.
What to serve with veggie burgers:
If you tried these vegan mushroom tofu burgers, let me know in the comments below and share a photo using #mindfulavocado. I’d love to hear from you! Want to see more recipes? Let’s get social! CONNECT WITH ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest to see what I’m currently cooking up!
If you like these tofu burgers you’ll love:
Italian White Bean Veggie Burgers with Pesto
Vegan and GF Black Bean Burgers
Vegan Black Bean and Corn Burgers
“Cheesy” Broccoli Vegan Burgers
Vegan Mushroom Tofu Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 8-ounce package baby bella mushrooms
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 small shallot peeled and cut in quarters
- 1/2 yellow onion quartered
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil can substitute with another neutral oil such as avocado or grapeseed oil
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Topping Suggestions:
- lettuce
- tomato sliced
- red onion sliced
- avocado sliced
Secret Sauce:
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2-3 Tablespoons Red's Hot Sauce more or less to taste depending on how spicy you like it!
Tools:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Press tofu: wrap tofu block in paper towels or a kitchen towel and sandwich between two plates. Set a heavy object on the top plate and set aside.
- Place mushroom, garlic cloves, shallot, and onion in the food processor. Pulse until mushrooms are in very small chunks.
- Place skillet on low-medium heat. Once warm, add olive oil and mushroom mixture. Cook until liquid is absorbed.
- Add mushroom mixture to mixing bowl. Add worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, ground flaxseed, salt, and pepper. Add pressed tofu and let cool before crumbling with hands. Mix until well combined.
- Use 1/2 cup and form into patties. It should make about 6. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before handling. This helps the patty from falling apart. Serve with toasted hamburger buns, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and secret sauce.
To Make Secret Sauce:
- Mix mayonnaise and hot sauce together until combined. Add more mayo if too spicy or add more hot sauce for a bigger kick!
Video
Nutrition
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Such a great idea for meatless Mondays! I love your step by step photos, that way I can see what it will look like every step of the way!
Thanks! Glad you found the step photos useful!
These Mushroom and Tofu Burgers are perfect for Meatless Mondays. I am always racking my brain for inspiration. These are perfect. They look like they have great flavor. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks, Katie! 🙂
Do you have to turn to the other side the hamburger when it’s in the oven?
Yes! I just updated the instructions.
This sounds like a delicious option for meatless Monday. I’m definitely trying this out. My kids don’t like mushrooms but that’s mainly the texture. This way they won’t even know they are eating mushrooms 🙂. Thanks for sharing.
The best way to get veggies into kids diet is to hide em! haha
These burgers are perfection!! What a great combo of flavor and protein. Totally have to try these.
Thanks, Julie! Def a protein boost for a veggie burger.
What a wonderful vegan burger, love the step by step pictures, they’re very helpful!
Glad you found the process shots useful!
Can you recommend a substitution for the bread crumbs to make this low carb?
I would try substituting with oats. Just put them in the food processor. May need to adjust the seasonings a bit though!
Hi! I hate to be a pain, but if you buy Worcester sauce it contains anchovies, so it’s not vegan or vegetarian. Apart from that this recipe looks great and I’ll be trying it tomorrow.
Hey! I buy Annie’s brand which is vegan 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
I made these for my husband 2 nights ago and he LOVED them. He loved them so much that he ate three patties, THREE. I shaped them into tiny patties for my kids to eat like nuggets and managed to get my mushroom-hating kids to eat them all. I am making these again tonight for Valentine’s dinner, at the request of my husband who said he wanted something really really good. I used oat flour instead of breadcrumbs and used coconut aminos instead of Worcestershire sauce. Everything else I kept the same and we loved it!
Oh I love the idea of nuggets! So glad you and your family enjoyed!
100% successful recipe! I made no substitutions and they were perfect burgers. My carnivore husband approved
Love hearing that, Jan!
What can I sub for breadcrumbs?
Thank you
You can use more flour, or oat flour (ground up oats)!
we made it last night and it was a winner! My kids and wife loved them! Glad I found a veggie recipe so good! I’ll add it to the weekly menu. 🙂
Thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed them!
These are so good! This is my second time making, so I doubled the recipe.
Do you know if they freeze well?
Love hearing that! Yes, I freeze them all the time 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Do you think mushrooms other than baby bellas work, like white button or oyster?
I think any of those substitutions would be amazing!
Loved it ! Only question I have, is how long is the shelf life for it once made? 1 week? I’m 5 days post making it and for some reason the dough is soggy (maybe from the flax?)..is this normal?
Hi Genaviv. These burgers can definitely get more “wet” especially 5 days after making. I recommend freezing the leftovers after 3 days. I hope this helps!
This recipe is AMAZING! We will definitely make this again.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe too.
Made this today. Wonderful as are all your recipes. Tks
These are delicious! I love that flavour and texture. I subbed breadcrumbs with 1/4 C coconut flour as I’m trying a lower carb diet. It worked well. I’ll be making these again and sharing the recipe with vego friends.