Homemade Vegan Burger

Personally, I'm not a vegan, however I love to experiment with new and healthy recipes. I enjoy following recipes and like to take my own spin on them. After trying many homemade burger recipes, this is my best yet. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes + 15-30 minutes to set

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 Tin Chickpeas (drained)

1 Red Onion

Handful Parsley

1 Clove Garlic

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

Handful Cashew Nuts

Handful Sesame seeds

Salt & Pepper

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Method

1. First, you want to pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees/356 Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 4. Prepare the 2 sweet potatoes by setting on an oven tray then make a small cut down the middle of each. Place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until they're soft right through.

2. Begin the burger mixture by placing drained chickpeas, chopped red onion and garlic clove in a food processor. The chickpeas will separate and bulk up so add a bit of olive oil to make it easier to bind together. Add the parsley and apple cider vinegar and blend until the mixture is thick.

3. You then want to place the mixture into a bowl. Add a handful of cashew nuts and sesame seeds to the food processor and blend until fine, this acts like flaxmeal (my own little idea since I couldn't find flaxmeal anywhere) where it binds all the mixture together to make it easier to form into burger patties.

4. Add the cashew and sesame seed blend to the mixture, adding salt, pepper and paprika. Mix together well.

5. Once the sweet potatoes are ready, gently peel off the skin (this should be easy as the potatoes will be soft) and add to the mixture. Mash the potatoes down and mix everything together. I like to add some garlic powder at this point to boost the flavor but that is entirely up to you.

6. Form the mixture into patty shapes, this mixture should make 5-6 patties altogether. Place in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes, by then the mixture will have cooled down and firmed up, to make it easier to fry.

7. Fry the burgers with some olive oil when firm, cook for about 15-20 minutes or when they are brown on both sides. The patty will be a little soft however this is normal, if you don't like this, you can cook them in the oven until brown.

8. I like to make my burger with a wholemeal bap, patty, salad, tomato, pickles and vegan burger sauce (which is quick and easy to make)

Vegan Burger Sauce

Mix together vegan mayo, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, garlic power and a bit of mustard. Easy!

Veggie Fries

If you're wondering what would pair best with a burger like this, I like to make veggie fries. You can make them with whatever vegetables you wish, this time I have used courgette, aubergine and carrots. But you can use potatoes or sweet potatoes too. Chop them to similar sizes to fries, not too thin as bear in mind they will shrink in the oven. Sprinkle a little olive oil, salt and pepper, oregano and garlic powder over all of the veggies, mix together well so everything is covered. Place in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, taking it out and mixing around every 10-15 minutes to allow every part to be cooked well. The fries should be brown when ready, make sure you keep checking on them as they can quickly burn.

Something like this does take time to make, however it is a lovely treat to have and you don't have to be calorie conscious! Let me know what you think about this recipe, if you have tried it, tweet me at @Sophiee_durand and let me know what you think!

Soph x