Vegan Miso Mushroom Burger Recipe

Why You’ll Love Mushroom Veggie Burgers

One of my “resolutions” for the new year was to share more savoury recipes because just looking at my blog and my Instagram feed, it’s primarily sweet treats. Thanks, sweet tooth! I’m really excited to share this savoury miso vegan mushroom burger with a creamy miso tahini sauce to top. It’s the first of many homemade veggie burgers going up on my blog and combines some of my all time favourite flavours.

Miso adds really beautiful savory flavor to dishes, and paired with mushrooms, makes for a perfect “meaty” replacement with a great texture. It’s also probiotic! In many of my recipes, I like to incorporate miso as it adds umami flavors to the dish, which can be hard to come by when you’re cooking vegan sometimes. When it comes to “burgers” in particular, I think pumping up the flavour and also nailing texture is the most important part. Along with the miso, the caramelized onions and roasted garlic are a-m-a-z-i-ng if I do say so myself.

For texture, I recommend using semi-hydrated dried shiitake mushrooms (see recipe card for more info). They add a nice chew and are common in Asian dishes like stocks and stir-fries. 

Black beans are another key ingredient in this recipe, but you could use a substitute bean if need be. We’ve also got flax and tahini, holding the burger together and coming through with the healthy fats. We also use tahini in the burger sauce instead of vegan mayo. This sauce acts as sort of a sub for mayonnaise, but its way better, and better for ya!

These burger patties can be made in advance, frozen, and meal-prepped. Whenever I make a batch, I like to make a double batch and freeze patties for future use just like any other frozen vegan burger patty. Great for collard wraps, sandwiches, or even in wraps. Oh, and if you’re looking for a gluten-free bun, check out my post on the Best Gluten Free & Vegan Bread options (several of the brands I listed offer burger buns!).

Vegan Mushroom Burger

• rolled oats
• almonds: I used raw.
• red onion sliced
• roasted garlic
• dehydrated shiitake mushrooms*
• black beans or beans of choice*
• tahini
• ground flax seed: This is our egg replacer for the recipe that helps bind the burger patties together– also known as a flax egg. 
• nutritional yeast
• miso paste*
• coconut aminos or soy sauce, tamari, etc.
• onion powder
• maple syrup
• optional: shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice seasoning), black pepper

Miso Tahini Sauce

• miso paste
• coconut aminos/soy sauce/tamari or equivalent more as needed
• tahini
• garlic powder
• water as needed
• shichimi togarashi: Optional

Please see exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

Burger

Step 1: Remove stems from dried shiitake mushrooms and allow to soak in warm water to soften for about 10 minutes. Usually, soaking time is 20 minutes, but you want them to be about halfway softened (still somewhat tough, as they’ll rehydrate further when cooked later). Remove from water, strain, and pat dry.

Step 2: Sauté onion slices in a large skillet over medium heat until caramelized and fragrant using a little olive oil, or veggie stock to keep it oil-free. They should be slightly golden brown and translucent in colour.

Step 3: In a food processor, pulse oats and almonds until crushed (careful not to over-process them).

Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients (including the onions and mushrooms) and pulse until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the food processor. If the mixture is too wet, you can add a little more rolled oats to the mixture. The texture should be workable and not too sticky.

Step 5: At this point, you can go ahead and give the mixture a taste if you’d like, because none of the ingredients are unsafe to eat raw! 🙂 

Step 6: With moist hands, form dough into burger patty shapes about 1 inch thick and transfer to a lined baking sheet.

Step 7: Bake for about 20-25 min at 375F until golden brown, flipping at the halfway point.

Secrets to Success

• Mushroom substitutions: You can use dried porcini mushrooms instead or regular fresh button mushrooms, but you may need to add additional oats to compensate for added moisture.
• You can use fresh mushrooms, but I would highly recommend dehydrated ones because they provide a chewier, meatier texture. You can find shiitake (and miso) at Asian grocery stores. If shiitake isn’t available, dried porcini or fresh mushrooms will work but dried shiitake is best if you can get it.
• Tahini substitutions: Opt for another seed butter or neutral nut butter.
• Shichimi togarashi substitutions: Remove altogether or use chili flakes to add a little spice.
•  If you’re allergic to soy, there are a variety of miso pastes on the market that are soy-free, including miso made from brown rice, chickpeas, and more.
•  I do not recommend using chickpeas instead of black beans because the texture is very different, but something like a navy or kidney bean should work fine! 

Serving Tips

Serve this vegan mushroom burger warm with your favorite burger bun and any of your desired burger toppings like avocado, lettuce, or tomatoes! These burgers also pair super well with my Gochujang Potato Chips.

Storage Tips

Store any leftover mushroom burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap them well if freezing to avoid freezer burn!

When ready to eat, take them out of the fridge and re-heat on the stove over medium-high heat or preheat your oven to 350F and bake for about 15 minutes.