This recipe is one of the most popular FoodGeek posts I’ve ever made, and with good reason, these burgers are excellent. It always surprises me that a simple veggie burger can trump such things as macarons and the multitude of pastries on this website. For all the fans of the original recipe, here’s another look at the best.veggie.burgers.ever.

The first time I made these burgers I wasn’t sure what to expect. Oats and nuts with a little bit of spice and some eggs just doesn’t sound like much of a burger to me. Believe me when I say this, I was very wrong. The combination of oats and nuts, first fried, and then boiled, make one of the meatiest, non-meaty burger you will ever have.

There were many questions last time around, hopefully this post will answer all the questions. First off, here’s the recipe.

Walnut Oatmeal Burgers
Adapted from The New Laurel’s Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition

burger mixture:
2 cups walnut pieces
2 cups rolled oats
4 eggs
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

for cooking burgers:
oil to brown patties
3 cups vegetable stock or water

Grind walnuts in blender and combine with the rest of the burger mixture ingredients.

Let the mixture rest in refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld together.

Form the mixture into patties. The entire mixture will make 8-12 burgers depending on the size patty formed. It is recommended to use half of the mixture now, and reserve the rest for use in another recipe or for more burgers later.

Brown patties on both sides in a lightly oiled skillet, then pour the stock into the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Compared to the old recipe, I’ve made a few changes and was able to get the same results. This time around I skipped the breadcrumbs and the milk; I didn’t realize it until after I cooked them, but they came out great as well. I also settled on two cups of walnuts instead of a “cook’s choice” sort of recipe. I left out the sage, too, since you can take it or leave it. I left it out and they were still fantastic. I figure if there’s a spice you want in your burgers, you’re going to add it in anyways. Feel free to add whatever you’d like here; I think I used oregano this time and it worked nicely.

The recipe suggests first browning the patties on both sides and then simmering in veggie stock for another fifteen minutes. This is not a mistake and really does work. The burgers will hold shape and do not get soggy, wet, or fall apart. A few readers mentioned they just fried them and it worked well, too. I fried a bit by itself without steaming and I can confirm it works; the texture is slightly less meaty, but in a pinch it works like a charm.

I’ve yet to try a vegan version of this recipe but I believe you can substitue silken tofu for the eggs. It should work as a binder and have the added bonus of extra protein in the burger. You’ll have to change the name to Super-protein Walnut Oatmeal burgers though.

Has anyone else made these burgers? Have any suggestions? I’d love to see what everyone is doing with these burgers. Maybe we should have a veggie burger cook-off?

The other day, the foodie decided to dig through some of my vegetarian cookbooks for veggie burger recipes. After perusing a few he asked me “TVP or Walnut Oatmeal?” Although I do often really like the way textured vegetable protein works in recipes, walnut oatmeal just sounded too good to turn down. I hadn’t tried either recipe before, because despite my many recipe books, I really have never been much of a cook.

After a quick trip to the store for a few needed ingredients, the burger assembly began. When he got to the browning of the patties, I was amazed at how meaty the burgers smelled. The house filled up with their irresistible aroma and I couldn’t wait to try them.

I was definitely not disappointed when they were complete with these very flavorful burger and their nice meaty texture. They were nutty and delicious and the best veggie burgers I’ve had the pleasure to eat, which is saying quite a lot considering the many many varieties of veggie burgers I’ve eaten in the past. I hope to see this recipe again soon.

The leftover mixture got to make a second appearance as surprisingly convincing meatballs in a spaghetti and meatball dish a few days later.

Walnut Oatmeal Burgers
Adapted from The New Laurel’s Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition

burger mixture:
1½-3 cups walnut pieces
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup breadcrumbs
3 or 4 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup skim milk
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

for cooking burgers:
oil to brown patties
3 cups vegetable stock

for serving:
hamburger buns and any desired burger fixings

Grind walnuts in blender and combine with the rest of the burger mixture ingredients.

Let the mixture rest in refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld together.

Form the mixture into patties. The entire mixture will make 8-12 burgers depending on the size patty formed. It is recommended to use half of the mixture now, and reserve the rest for use in another recipe or for more burgers later.

Brown patties on both sides in a lightly oiled skillet, then pour the stock into the skillet and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.

Serve on buns with all your burger fixings.