Easy Home-made Tofu Burgers
These are simple to make and really good. Serve on rolls or in pitta bread as the photo here shows. Add salad, relish and vegan mayo as preferred. Also nice with baked potatoes.
For a bigger batch, just double up or more! They freeze well too.
Gluten-free option
- use GF oats
- use tamari – GF soya sauce
With all vegan burgers, it’s best to form them then chill in the fridge for half an hour or more before cooking – this helps them keep their shape. If you make burgers quite a lot, it might be worth buying a burger press – about a fiver from good hardware or kitchen stores. Otherwise use a cookie cutter or a lid from a jar with good height and a firm edge.
The burger press pictured here uses waxed paper rounds but it’s easy enough to make them using baking parchment or greaseproof paper.
Total time
60 minutes
Cuisine
Mexican, Central and South American
Meal
- mains
- lunches
- sides-light-meals-and-salads
- vegetable-side-dishes
Servings
3-4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil – if you’re on a very low-fat diet, replace with oil spray and a splash of water or stock
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 225g/8oz firm plain tofu
- 3 tbsp oats (porridge oats are fine). Use GF if appropriate
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour ( also called gram or besan flour), available from big supermarkets, ethnic food shops or health food shops. It’s GF
- 1-2 tbsp shoyu or tamari style soya sauce – tamari is GF
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet, smoked or a mixture)
- 1 tsp mixed herbs or marjoram
- ½ tsp allspice
- More oil or oil spray to fry burgers
Options
Vary the herbs and spices. These could be made with curry flavour or Mexican spices, eg paprika, chilli and cumin – or a mixture of Mediterranean herbs such as parsley and basil. You choose!
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil or use oil spray. Sauté (gently fry) the onion and garlic until onion is translucent, adding a splash of water if it starts to stick. Turn off heat, add tofu and mash the mixture with a potato masher until soft.
- Add all other ingredients except for frying oil. Mix in until everything is thoroughly integrated.
- Make 4 or 6 burgers – see notes above. If you aren’t using a burger press you may wish to chill the burgers for a few minutes to make cooking easier.
- In a frying pan – preferably non-stick – heat the oil or spray. Gently fry the burgers for a few minutes until golden brown on each side. Serve hot, with accompaniments of your choice.
Optional extras / notes
-
30 minutes prep and frying + 30 minutes minimum chilling time
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