Mushroom Walnut Burgers are the best! I’m a big fan of veggie burgers in general, but let’s face it —there are a lot of bad veggie burgers out there. This Walnut Mushroom Burger recipe is my idea of a GREAT veggie burger.
My fave Mushroom and Walnut Burger delivers everything that pleases me in a veggie burger. It’s fatty and juicy, it has a nice hearty texture and a rich, meaty flavour from all the mushrooms. Plus: They can easily be made vegan and/or gluten-free by using egg substitutes (eg. flax, chia, Just Egg) and gluten-free bread crumbs.
What you’ll need to make this recipe
Mushrooms: I use cremini mushrooms, but button mushrooms or portobellos would be fine too. If you’re using portobello mushrooms, I’d recommend scraping away the gills first or your patties will be quite dark in colour.
Onion: The ultimate savoury ingredient that really pumps up the flavour in these burgers.
Garlic: Again, added savouriness and a good base flavour.
Walnuts: I love walnuts in these burgers because they offer a really buttery texture. I don’t toast them because I’m not really looking for a pronounced nutty flavour, but feel free to toast them if you’d like.
Bread crumbs: I like to save up my bread scraps in a tub in the freezer, and when I’ve collected enough—I grind them into bread crumbs. Use GF bread crumbs if needed.
An egg: There are plenty of ways to bind a veggie burger mixture, but an egg takes the cake as the most reliable binding ingredient, hands down. This recipe also works well with egg substitutes like chia eggs, flax eggs, or Just Egg.
Black beans: These add a lot of hearty oomph to the burgers, plus some protein and fibre.
Worcestershire sauce: Use the vegetarian version if you’re a true veggie. This delivers the beefiest flavour you can get without beef.
Salt: For flavour.
Vegetable or olive oil: For frying.
How to make these Mushroom Walnut Burgers
Follow these steps to make what are possibly the best veggie burgers you’ve ever had. 😳
Step 1 – Load up your food processor with the walnuts, chopped onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Pulse until you have a coarse—yet evenly chopped mixture.
Step 2 – Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Transfer the mushroom walnut mixture to the pan, and fry, while stirring, for 7-9 minutes.
Step 3 – Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for several minutes. While it cools, grind the black beans in the food processor until they are coarsely chopped. Add the bread crumbs, the chopped black beans, the Worcestershire sauce and the egg to the cooled mixture. Mix well to combine (I use my hands), and chill the burger patty mixture for 20 minutes to an hour.
Step 4 – Divide the mixture into six portions, and form into patties. You might need to wet your hands for this part so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.
Step 5 – Add a drizzle of oil to a large nonstick or cast-iron pan or griddle, and heat over medium-high. When the pan is hot, lay the patties into the pan (be careful not to splash hot oil on yourself). Cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, then flip them and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Step 6 – Doctor up your bun of choice with whatever toppings you fancy, and you’ve got burgers!
Success Tips
- Follow these handy tips to ensure your Mushroom Walnut Burgers turn out perfectly.
- If you decide to wash your mushrooms before cooking them (a highly personal and situational choice) there might be a bit more water trapped inside the mushrooms and the mixture might take a bit longer to cook in the pan. It’s ready when it looks like a juicy paste—but with no liquid coming out of it.
- Making a big batch? Great idea. This recipe makes the maximum amount most food processors can handle, but you can easily make a bigger batch by blending the mixture in batches.
- Make sure the mushroom walnut mixture is no longer hot before adding the egg, or it will cook as soon as it hits the mixture. We don’t want that.
- Make sure you chill the mixture well before frying the patties. If you prefer, you can shape the patties and then chill those, but either way, the patties should be cold when they hit the pan. This will ensure they keep their shape and don’t fall apart on you.
What goes well with these Mushroom Walnut Burgers?
There are so many possibilities. Anything you’d serve with a burger is fair game for these Mushroom Walnut Burgers. A big crisp salad, caesar salad, oven fries, you name it. Throw a few pickles on the side while you’re at it!
These burgers are also great with a bowl of soup on the side. Perfect for chilly evenings!
A few ideas to get you started
The Creamiest Kale Caesar Salad
Kohlrabi Salad OR Kohlrabi Fries!
Quick Veggie Slaw with Maple Miso Vinaigrette
How to store, freeze, and reheat
These burgers are best eaten right away, but they also freeze really well, and they do ok for a few days in the fridge too.
The best way to freeze these Mushroom Walnut Burgers is in patty form before they hit the frying pan. If your freezer is big enough, place the patties in an even layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once they’re solid, transfer them to a plastic bag or a sealed container and keep them frozen for up to a month.
Once these burgers are fried, they can be kept in the fridge for up to four days and reheated in a frying pan over medium heat until warmed through and slightly crispy. To help this process along, cover the pan with a lid for the first few minutes and the patties will heat through faster.
When cooking patties from frozen, allow them to partially defrost at room temperature for 20-25 minutes before placing them in a pan over medium-high heat to cook. Cover the pan with a lid to help them heat through faster. They will take about 6-7 minutes per side.
Frequently asked questions
Should I wash mushrooms before cooking with them?
This is a very contentious issue and you’ll get a different answer depending on who you ask. Washing mushrooms doesn’t harm them, it only causes them to soak up a bit of water. In this application that’s ok because we’re cooking out the liquid before shaping the patties. If your mushrooms are water-logged, that process might take a bit longer. No biggie.
Personally, I only wash mushrooms if they look really dirty. Most of the time, there is only a little fleck of dirt here and there, and I kinda just brush that away.
If you choose to wash your mushrooms, My favourite method is to place the mushrooms in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Swish the mushrooms around for 5 seconds before removing them from the cold water and looking at all the dirt you’ve left behind. (Very satisfying). Spread them out on a tea towel to allow them to dry somewhat before cooking with them.
Can I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
Yes. I love garlic powder. I’d use about a teaspoon here.
What about other seasonings? Can I jazz these up?
Sure! I love the pure, mushroom flavour of these as-is. But you can definitely make them your own by adding some herbs and spices to suit your mood. Fresh or dried thyme is always a good combo with mushrooms. Coarsely ground black pepper is always welcome, and chili powder could be a great little addition for some added kick.
Can these be made vegan?
Yes! You can make these burgers vegan pretty easily. Just swap out the Worcestershire sauce for a vegan version (a splash of soy sauce would work too). And although I’ve never actually tried yet, I’m fairly confident that you could replace the egg with a flax egg without any trouble.
What are some good toppings?
I’m pretty basic with my burger toppings. Lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions—those are my go-to’s. These burgers would also be incredible with caramelized onions. Really, the world is your oyster.
As far as condiments go, I’m a big fan of the classic mustard, mayo (homemade mayo that is), and ketchup. This burger would also be super delish with my Zucchini Miso Butter – which is an amazing vegan, low-fat spread.
Can these be made be made gluten-free, egg-free, onion-free, etc?
Yes indeed. My mom wrote a companion article sharing her experience modifying this burger recipe with great success. Check it out here!
I hope you love these burgers! Let me know if you make them by leaving a comment here, or tagging me on Instagram @howtomakedinner. Enjoy!
Mushroom Walnut Burgers
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 275 grams mushrooms (7-8 large)
- 80 grams walnuts (3/4 cup)
- 185 grams black beans (1/2 can)
- 100 grams fresh bread crumbs (1 cup) Use GF bread if needed
- 1 egg Or egg substitute like Just Egg
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce *vegetarian optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons oil for frying
Instructions
- Load up your food processor with the walnuts, chopped onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Pulse until you have a coarsely but evenly chopped mixture.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Transfer the mushroom walnut mixture to the pan, and fry, while stirring, for 7-9 minutes. While that’s cooking, grind the black beans in the food processor until they are coarsely chopped.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for several minutes before stirring in the bread crumbs, the chopped black beans, the Worcestershire sauce and the egg. Mix well to combine, and chill the burger mixture for 20 minutes to an hour.
- Divide the mixture into six portions, and form into patties. You might need to wet your hands for this part so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Add a drizzle of oil to a large nonstick or cast-iron pan or griddle, and heat over medium-high. When the pan is hot, lay the patties into the pan (be careful not to splash hot oil on yourself). Cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, then flip them and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Dress up your bun of choice with whatever toppings you fancy, and you’ve got burgers!
What are fresh bread crumbs? Is it fresh(-ish) bread in fine pieces? Or bone-dry bread in fine pieces (but “fresh” as in “not a few years old”)?
I’m sorry if this question seems weird but in Poland we have only “breadcrumbs” (and maybe Panko in Asian stores).
Just a tip: the list of ingredients is missing an egg.
AHH thank you for catching that! By fresh bread crumbs I mean crumbs made from bread that isn’t dried out. Normally when you buy ready-made bread crumbs in the store, they are dry bread crumbs. I think either version would work, but I had only made this with fresh so I didn’t want to make any promises I couldn’t stand behind! I’ll try them with dry bread crumbs ASAP and add that note to the recipe! Thanks for checking in! – Paula
Awesome recipe Paula! I made these with store bought bread crumbs and it worked great. I didn’t have any Worcestershire sauce, so I substituted 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke and 1 teaspoon of tamari. These patties held together nicely while cooking and had a great taste. What I really liked was that the black beans didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients–so many other veggie patties rely too heavily on beans or legumes and that’s all you can taste.
Ooh liquid smoke! That would be such a nice twist. I’m so glad it worked well for you Alan! Thanks for your comment 🙂 – Paula
These burgers are excellent! The recipe is easy to follow and the video is very helpful.
I didn’t have enough mushrooms so threw in a few carrots and 1 stalk of celery to the food processor. The bread crumbs absorbed the liquid nicely. Te best part is – they taste great! My burger-loving husband agrees. He was surprised at how good they are. We did the standard burger topping thing – relish, onions, ketchup, mustard. Definitely a “make again” recipe. Thanks Paula!
This is music to my ears Chris! So glad they were a hit for you. The consensus on this one has been very positive overall, so I’m happy 🙂
This is a GREAT burger! Even with a bunch of substitutions, they looked like a “burger” and tasted really yummy.
So glad you love them mom! And glad but not surprised my mushroom-loving dad liked them too 🙂
These were so good! With some toppings, it was like McDonald’s 😋
Can I freeze them? Either cooked or raw?
Yes! I’m so glad you liked them. Yep, freeze away! I normally do them raw. Lay them out on a plate or a sheet pan to freeze, then transfer them to a container to store. I’ve got a stack in my freezer right now!
Can you tell me if I can oven bake these please?
Many thanks,
Sue
I’ve never tried, so I can’t say for sure. But I believe it would work well, as long as you brushed them with a bit of oil and baked them at a fairly high temperature!
One of THE BEST burgers I’ve had. The consistency is perfect 👌. Not too dry or moist and the flavor is delightful. I added plant based cheese and onion with pickle 😋. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!!
Yes!!! This is music to my ears. Thanks for sharing your success story Kaylah!
I made twice. It was the best veggie burger.
This is the best news!
Hiya ! What can I substitute for egg to make these burgers vegan ? Ever tried ? Anyone ?
Hi! Yes! My mom makes them with flax eggs all the time. She even wrote a little swap-out guide for them here.
Easy, delicious and a new family favorite. Doubled the recipe “just in case” for a family of 4 …and I’m glad we did because having seconds was NECESSARY. Love!
I’m so glad to hear that!
I’m with Konrad on this, if there is a way to convert the amount of fresh breadcrumbs to dry, and most likely add some more liquid, I would appreciate to get that. I read “fresh” too late, and the comments but 100 g seemed like far too much so I reduced it to 60 g. It feels a bit dry and I will consider adding 40 g of water before frying them.
Soo looking forward to lunch tomorrow, mushroom burgers/patties are my favorite. Had a place nearby that served them with a slice of chèvre on top. I cried when they stopped serving them 😀
These were delicious! I’m vegan and trying to eat only whole foods and not add salt or oil so I did not include the egg and I omitted bread crumbs and substituted with about 1/2 cup – 1 cup of rolled oats, half of which I blended with a couple of chipotle peppers in poblano sauce. Instead of worcestershire sauce, I used a teaspoon of Bragg’s liquid aminos. I air fried these and they held together even without the egg so that’s good. 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that!
I love these! I’m not vegan but eat mostly vegetarian with very little meat of any kind-due to health issues. I love the consistency. I couldn’t wait to try them but I didn’t have any store bread crumbs. I made some though with left over corn bread and 2 slices of bread toasted rather dark and 1/4 cup organic oats. I also added pot liquor from a beef roast as sub for the Worchestershire sauce (on my food list) and a TBSP of Hickory BBQ sauce. Just a bit of real beef. They are to die for! Much more budget friendly that ground beef. Thank you so much!!
This is great to hear! Sounds like you made some great substitutions. So glad you like them!
Hey, I love this recipe. Just wanted to know the Macronutrients for a single serving if possible, and I would also request that you add them for future recipes, I’d appreciate it.
Hi! I just added them in. Sorry about that, I do try to add them to all my recipes but sometimes I forget! I’m glad you like the recipe 🙂
Made this per instructions. I did add black garlic sauce. Used a cast iron skillet on the bbq. Ate it straight from the heat. Crunchy outside and delicate inside. Quite yummy. Thanks for the use of metric as well. It made things much easier.
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked them.
I like that they contain walnuts, since those have a fatty acid that’s hard to get from anything else. That said, I think the walnuts need to be ground first, because mine are still crunchy after making this. I don’t mind it, but it’s unusual for a burger to have a crunch to it. I didn’t grind them as much as I probably would had I not also had the mushrooms in the processor with them. It’s nice to have an alternative to the commercial burgers I usually eat. These have so many nutrients that it’s worth the effort to make them. I’ve always been pretty disappointed by bean burgers, since they’re basically bean mush that’s been fried.
For the bread crumbs, I just used the stuff from the store that basically is panko. It’s labelled as bread crumbs, but I fail to see the difference between them. Probably the only difference is seasoning.
WOW delicious.. I only had dry red beans.. but they subbed fine once cooked !! Thank you .. a new favorite !!
Perfect then you put it on a white flour big bun. Just eat it plain and it’s healthier.
These burgers are incredible just following the recipe! This time I added a little hot pepper flakes and a 1/4 tsp of smoky paprika after I read about the liquid smoke. Divine! I like it topped with some spicy Mayo sauce. And I freeze them so I have them for a quick supper. Thanks for the recipe!
Nice little twists! Super glad you’re enjoying them. Thanks Lisa!
Great recipe! Easy, flavorful, moist, great texture. I didn’t have black beans so I substituted chickpeas. I added a little cayenne and garlic powder as well. I can see this recipe making it into my regular rotation. Thank you!
Thank you so much Chad! So glad they worked out well for ya!
DEEEEELICIOUS!!! I’ve made quite a few veggie/bean burger recipes over the years but not one that compares to yours! I may tweak it from time to time adding additional veggies but your recipe ends my search for a good veggie/bean burger. I made using flax egg in place of real egg, held together perfectly! Bragg’s amino acids in place of worcestershire. The recipe is incredible as is but I also made adding additional veggies I needed to use up, collard greens, sweet red peppers, corn. I initially saw your YouTube video making these and was a little hesitant because of the walnuts but I’m so glad I tried your recipe, it did not disappoint! Outstanding flavor, great texture with chew, handles ingredient alterations, cooks well pan fried or oven baked, freezes well. Thank you!
Ahh I love to hear this! Thanks so much for your review and happy burger making!
I’ve eaten lots of veggie burgers but this was the first time I’ve made one. Made it exactly as written. The recipe calls for 1 tsp of salt but doesn’t say when to add it so I added it along with the bread crumbs, egg etc. it was delicious with a great texture and flavour and very satisfying. Best by far of the ones I’ve eaten, will definitely be making this regularly.
Really enjoyed this recipe… I m gluten free so used oats instead of breadcrumbs I may experiment with more herbs and spices to add to the enjoyment of eating, lovely consistency … I ate 2 large with a side of grilled courgettes and broccoli with a side dip of tomato pesto … 🤤! Thank you
I already left feedback expressing my love for this recipe but had to come back after making these for my parents. Mom is not picky but Dad, that’s another story! He believes meat is necessary to complete a meal. While he’s eating, he kept calling it a burger, he never questioned what it was. After several bites, my mom and I started laughing. I let him know he was not eating a traditional meat burger. He quickly said “quiet, don’t tell me what it is, do not ruin it for me.” Too funny! When I asked if he would eat it again, he actually said “YES just don’t ever tell me what it is.” What a compliment!