Nutty pumpkin seed baked veggie burgers

Before I get on to these amazing baked veggie burgers, I have some exciting news to share: I’m going to America!

Well, it’s exciting for me… not so much for you. I’m just going on holiday, you can’t come (sorry). But I hope you’ll be excited on my behalf, anyway!

If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll have already heard a little about my trip, but for those of you who don’t subscribe (meanies), my husband and I are spending 3 weeks in February travelling around New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, and New York. It should be amazing, and I absolutely can’t wait.

Our plans involve:
– partying it up at Mardi Gras (woop woop!)
– taking a boat ride across a swamp (if I don’t come back, I probably got eaten by an alligator)
– watching loads of live music and eating loads of amazing food
– seeing a show at the Grand Ole Opry (I’m a total closet country music fan)
– singing along to Les Mis and Wicked on Broadway (quietly…)
– seeing the Knicks play at Madison Square Garden (I think that’s basketball, right?!)
– … and lots more!

I already know it’s going to be one of the best holidays ever. I’ve only been to the US once before (not the same cities, though), and I absolutely loved it.

I know I have a lot of American readers, so if you’ve got any other ideas for things we should do / see / eat in any of these places, I’m all ears – let me know in the comments or drop me an email!

I apologise in advance if the blog gets a bit quiet for a few weeks in February. I’m going to try to have a few posts scheduled to go up when I’m away, and might be able to do a little bit of work while I’m there too… but to be honest, I’m looking forward to just having some time off! When you’re self-employed, that’s not a common occurrence. Hope y’all understand!

(yes, I’m now officially adopting the word ‘y’all’ in preparation for my trip across the South. It does sound a little odd in my British accent, but I like it all the same)

Anyway, I wanted to share something that was vaguely American in celebration of my trip, and when I think of the US, I think of burgers. So burgers it was.

Of course, these aren’t just any old burgers. These nutty pumpkin seed burgers are quite possibly the best baked veggie burgers I’ve ever made – they may not look like much, but I’m still dreaming about them weeks after I actually made them (that’s how organised I am with this blog, cough cough…).

These veggie burgers are thick and dense, hearty and filling, super tasty with a really lovely texture. Since they’re baked, you don’t need to cook them in loads of oil. They’re vegan and gluten-free. And, they’re really high in protein too – the oats, nuts, seeds and beans all add up to give about 15g of protein per burger!

Since I can’t seem to do anything by the book, I served my burgers in lettuce cups rather than in the usual bread bun. I just broke the burgers into a few pieces, and served them with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, coriander… oh, and a really good drizzle of burger sauce. The veggie burgers are so hearty that they work just fine without the bun (though if I’m entirely honest, I did serve the leftovers in bread, which was just as delicious). Plus they look really pretty this way!

Print Recipe

Nutty pumpkin seed baked veggie burgers

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main meal

Servings: 6 burgers

Calories:

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, per tin when drained)
• 50 g walnuts (~ 2/3 cup)
• 50 g peanuts (~ 1/3 cup)
• 45 g pumpkin seeds (~ 1/4 cup)
• 85 g oats (~ 3/4 cup) - use gluten-free oats if required
• Small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Spray oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6 / 400°F).
• Add all the burger ingredients (everything except the spray oil) to a food processor, and blitz until the nuts and coriander are all chopped well, and the mixture has reached your desired consistency. Try not to over-process - it’s nice if some parts are left a bit chunkier than others (you can hold back a few pumpkin seeds to add whole, if you prefer).
• With clean hands, separate the mixture into six equal portions, and form each into a thick burger shape. Place on a lightly greased lined baking sheet, and spray lightly with oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crispy, and serve warm.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.

You should definitely serve your baked veggie burgers topped with some homemade burger sauce – it’s the best ever!