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These Outrageous Veggie Burgers Make Us Forget that Meat Exists

Beef? Never heard of it.
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Photo by Martin Nordin

Not so long ago, vegetarian options at cookouts were bleak. Maybe there were a few "veggie burgers" stashed in the back of the cooler—but how could those strange, semi-thawed amalgams of beans and random vegetables compete with their complex, meaty cousins? Well, we're in a new, vegetable-loving era, and no one is more aware of it than Martin Nordin, the former creative leader at IKEA Food Services (a.k.a. the guy who was in charge of those iconic meatballs) and the author of Green Burgers: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for Burgers and Sides. Honestly, we could just stare at these fantastical burger creations all day (we've already made them our iPhone backgrounds, of course), but we figured we'd get a few tips from Nordin too. Here are his five secrets to nailing your veggie burger technique once and for all.

  • Image may contain Burger and Food
    Photo by Martin Nordin
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    Reimagine your patty

    What I love with the veggie burgers is that there's no real classic. It's less restricted, especially compared to the traditional meat burger with its very set rules. For patties, I use salt-roasted beets or coal-roasted root vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, and onions. I'll also use mushrooms like king oyster and shiitake, and legumes like chickpeas and peas often goes into my patties as well. I'll even use leftover mashed sweet potato and twirled summer squash—like in this burger above—or the baba ganoush that I had as a side dish yesterday.

  • Photo by Martin Nordin
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    Take extra steps to keep patties intact

    Most patties improve if they're left to rest in the fridge for a few hours before you cook them, and patties for deep-frying are best if you freeze them first. I also rely on a metal food ring to make patties with a lot of loose ingredients, like this burger made with salt-roasted beets. This patty is also held together with a bit of reduced mushroom jus—nut butter and panko breadcrumbs also act as great stabilizers.

  • Photo by Martin Nordin
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    Replace lettuce with herbs

    Forget everything you've heard about lettuce always having to be at the bottom of a burger—totally immaterial, if you ask me. I'd much rather use pea shoots or herbs, which provide so many more flavors to balance the dish. If the herb is in flower, make use of that! This zucchini burger uses grilled spring onions and wild garlic in place of lettuce, and the wild garlic flowers add an extra layer of texture and visual interest.

  • Photo by Martin Nordin
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    Go bold with condiments

    You can’t go wrong with caramelized onions—sometimes it feels like I’m eating burgers just for that. But, of course, there are loads of toppings you can add to create more nuanced burgers. This pulled sweet potato burger with feta uses a black vinegar sauce, made from broiled scallions, red wine vinegar, black garlic cloves, and roasted-pepper seasoning. The combination of the tender sweet potatoes and the powerful acidity of the black vinegar mix is a real hit. Black vinegar can be used for a lot of things, but it's particularly good for counterbalancing raw ingredients that are on the sweet side, like sweet potatoes, parsnips, and Jerusalem artichokes.

  • Photo by Martin Nordin
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    Let the patty pick the bun

    Bun choice should be based on the patty’s flavor. A slightly sweeter brioche bun goes excellently with a salty bean patty, while a patty made of Jerusalem artichokes, which are slightly sweet, would go better with a crispy, crusted bun like a ciabatta roll. Buns can also make an aesthetic impact, like this Brussels sprouts and purple potato burger, which comes on a jet black charcoal bun. It’s surprisingly easy to add in charcoal when making buns from scratch—just thoroughly stir in the charcoal powder when adding milk to your yeast. (Ed note: You're probably not making your own bun; neither are we. But how cool is this bun?!)

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