The Best Types Of Nuts To Use In Vegan Burgers

While there are plenty of accessible veggie burger options out there, not all of them are the healthiest choice, and not all options are totally vegan, especially when ordering at a restaurant. For a truly healthy and tasty vegan burger experience, often the best bet is to make one yourself. And if you're making vegan burgers from scratch at home, there's an ingredient you can add to achieve that much-needed structure and texture: nuts.

Adding nuts to your vegan burgers provides a boost of protein, fiber, and, most importantly, healthy fats. Containing both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, nuts are a powerhouse of healthy fats — and whether you're making banana bread or coconut curry (or vegan burgers), more fats equal more flavor. The kinds of fats found in nuts just so happen to also be good for you. But, with so many types of nuts to choose from, which are you supposed to use for your burgers? One Google search will show you thousands of recipes, using everything from walnuts and almonds to pecans and peanuts. But thanks to their mild flavor and hearty texture, cashews and pine nuts are proven to be the best to use in veggie burgers. 

Cashews and pine nuts a go-to for vegan veggie burger patties because, unlike many other nuts, they strike the perfect balance of taste and texture. Varieties like hazelnuts might deliver in texture, but are far too prominent in flavor to pass as a burger. The same can be said for peanuts, walnuts, and pecans. Other types of nuts have the opposite issue, where they may have a nice mild flavor that complements the rest of your ingredients but don't add any structure to your patty, as in the case of macadamia nuts. Mild, yet crunchy cashews and pine nuts do both, adding body to your burger along with a nice, subtle, nutty flavor.

Now that you know what nuts to add to achieve the best texture and flavor with your veggie burgers, you can get creative with the rest of your ingredients. For that, simply look at your favorite veggie burger brands for inspiration. To get a nice meatiness, you can never go wrong with adding mushrooms, lentils, or eggplants to the mix. Grains can also help bring everything together, and you can use anything from oats to quinoa to brown rice. Everything else just comes down to flavor. Vegetables like spinach, onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, and sundried tomatoes are all fantastic additions, as well as seasonings like curry powder, Italian spices, garlic, or red pepper for spice.