Dinner doesn’t get much easier than these scrumptious tofu burgers! They’re so delicious and easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. These burgers might just become your new favorite weeknight meal!
I love a good veggie burger, and I’ve got no shortage of recipes for them on this site. But most of my veggie burger recipes are made from beans. I’ve got black bean burgers, kidney bean burgers, lentil burgers, and chickpea burgers. Beans are great, but it’s nice to switch things up once in a while. And since I always have a pack (or three) of tofu in the fridge, it seemed like a great ingredient to base a veggie burger recipe on.
This is a great recipe to try if you’re looking to switch things up from the usual bean burger. It’s full of plant-based protein, super easy, and so tasty.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tofu. Extra-firm tofu works best for this recipe. Super-firm tofu can be substituted, but it’s not as easy to break up with a food processor.
- Red onion.
- Garlic.
- Vegan barbecue sauce. I love this recipe with my homemade vegan barbecue sauce, but feel free to use store-bought to make life easier.
- Flour. We’re using all-purpose wheat flour as a binder. Could you use other types of flour? Possibly! I suspect something like whole wheat or an all-purpose gluten-free blend would work, but I haven’t tested the recipe with either.
- Soy sauce. Alternatives include tamari or liquid aminos, if you need one.
- Spices. We’re using ground cumin and smoked paprika.
- Salt.
- Olive oil. This is optional and can be omitted if you prefer to cook without oil. It helps the tofu patties to brown, but isn’t strictly required.
- Burger buns.
- Toppings. I highly recommend putting some extra barbecue sauce on your patties. Aside from that, it’s up to you! Try lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, mayo, pickles, avocado, and/or sliced vegan cheese.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by placing all of the patty ingredients into a food processor bowl: tofu, diced red onion, minced garlic, barbecue sauce, flour, soy sauce, spices and salt.
Pulse the machine on and off until the ingredients are mixed and chopped pretty finely, but don’t overdo it and turn things to mush!
Tip: Don’t have food processor? Chop your onion super finely, crumble the tofu by hand, and stir the ingredients together in a large bowl. Or make my barbecue tofu sandwiches instead!
Shape the mixture into four patties, then arrange them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. You have the option of brushing the tops with olive oil, which will help the patties to brown.
Bake the burgers until their surfaces dry out and crisp up. They’ll also darken in color quite a bit by the time they’re done. I like to let them sit for a few minutes when they come out of the oven. This gives them some extra time to firm up.
Stuff your tofu burger patties into buns, then pile on the toppings! I like to use some extra barbecue sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Vegan coleslaw would also be excellent on these. But pretty much anything goes!
Make Ahead Option
The burger mixture can be blended up to three days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then when you’re ready, shape it into patties and bake them according to the recipe.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover tofu burger patties will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days, or in the freezer for about three months. You can reheat them in the microwave, or by placing them in an oven preheated to 400°F for a few minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can. I’ve tested this out, and while it works, the burgers will have a better texture if you bake them according to the recipe. If you want to fry them anyway, place the patties in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook them for about four minutes per side. They are very delicate and have a tendency to stick, so handle them carefully.
Possibly! You might be able to substitute the wheat flour with an all-purpose gluten-free blend. I haven’t tried this though, so no promises! You’ll also want to swap the soy sauce out with gluten-free tamari and make sure your buns are gluten-free.
I don’t recommend cooking them fully on the grill. They’ll probably fall apart! What you can do is cook them according to the recipe, but shave ten or fifteen minutes off of the bake time, then finish them on the grill. And I recommend placing them on foil or a grill topper, just to be safe!
More Tofu Recipes
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Barbecue Tofu Burgers
Dinner doesn’t get much easier than these scrumptious tofu burgers! They’re so delicious and easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. These burgers might just become your new favorite weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce/497 gram) package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least 20 minutes
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup vegan barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Olive oil, for brushing (optional)
- 4 burger buns
- Toppings of choice, such as lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, and vegan mayo
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Break the block of tofu into a few pieces and place them into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Add the onion, garlic, barbecue sauce, flour, soy sauce, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt.
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Pulse the machine, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue until the ingredients are well mixed and finely chopped, but the mixture still has some texture to it.
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Shape the mixture into four patties, and arrange them on the baking sheet. Optionally, brush the tops with a bit of olive oil. This will help with browning, but isn’t required.
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Bake the burgers for about forty minutes, until they’ve darkened slightly and crisped up a bit.
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Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the patties rest on the baking sheet for ten minutes.
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Stuff the patties into buns and top with extra barbecue sauce and toppings of choice. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition information does not include toppings.
Nutrition
Serving: 1burger (with bun) | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1065mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 184IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 4mg
