Avocado Toast-Inspired Veggie Brunch Burger Recipe

Brunch burgers are often overflowing with breakfast meats and extras like cheese, eggs, hash browns, and sauce. While this may be a meat lover's delight, non-meat-eaters might feel left out. Whether you're following a vegetarian or vegan diet yourself or just want to provide inclusive options for friends who are, adding a special veggie burger to your brunch menu can be a tasty choice.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created this brunch burger recipe inspired by avocado toast. The mushroom and chickpea-based burgers, which are bound with a flaxseed egg, breadcrumbs, and oats, hold together very well under a variety of toppings. A garlicky and tangy avocado spread is layered on top, which provides a light and fresh contrast to the earthy burger. A freshly fried egg is placed on top of this spread, although you can simply leave the egg off for anyone who wants a vegan version since the rest of the recipe is plant-based. Finally, crispy baked onions top the whole thing off with their moreish flavor.

Even though this is a long recipe, most of the components can be prepped ahead, making it more convenient to serve for brunch early in the day. An added bonus is that the avocado spread and the crispy onions are delicious recipes-within-a-recipe that can be made by themselves and used for other purposes if desired. Don't miss this recipe for a unique brunch option that will both enhance your menu and make it more inclusive.

For the avocado spread, you will need ripe Hass avocados, lime juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper. For the veggie burgers, you will need a few more ingredients. The vegetables called for are mushrooms, garlic, carrot, and red bell pepper. You'll also need 2 cans of chickpeas and some sun-dried tomatoes. You'll use flaxseed, oats, and breadcrumbs for binding. The final ingredients are olive oil, cilantro, paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper for flavor.

For the crispy onions, grab a couple of medium yellow onions. It's important to slice them into pieces that are all the same width so they cook evenly, to avoid some burning before the others fully cook. In addition, gather panko breadcrumbs (which make the onions extra crispy), all-purpose flour, olive oil, and salt. Finally, for the fried eggs you will need olive oil, eggs (the fresher the better), and salt. Make sure you have hamburger buns and spinach leaves for serving.

To make the avocado spread, place the mashed avocado, lime juice, and garlic in a medium bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

To make the veggie burger mixture, first combine the flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of hot water in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside to gel.

Gently clean the dirt off the mushrooms with a damp paper towel before thinly slicing them.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high in a saute pan large enough to spread out the mushrooms so excess liquid evaporates. Otherwise, cook them in batches.

Once the pan is hot (when a drop of water thrown into the pan sizzles), add the mushrooms and saute them for 4-5 minutes until tender, stirring infrequently to allow them to brown. Transfer the mushrooms to a large bowl and set aside.

Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to the pan and once it's hot saute the garlic for 1 minute.

Add the carrot and bell pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened and any released liquid has evaporated. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Place the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, oats, cilantro, paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a food processor and pulse until well combined but medium pieces are still visible.

Add the mushroom mixture and pulse until the vegetables are chopped into small but still visible pieces and just combined with the rest of the mixture, scraping the sides as necessary. Do not overprocess into a paste.

Transfer the contents of the food processor to a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs and flaxseed mixture, and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the burger mixture chills, start preparing the fried onions. First, preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place the onions, breadcrumbs, flour, oil, and salt in a large bowl and toss well to coat.

Spread the onions evenly on two large baking sheets lined with greased parchment paper. If you don't have two large sheets, bake them in batches to avoid overcrowding them.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until browned and crispy, tossing the onions several times during baking. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Remove the burger mixture from the refrigerator and shape it into 8 patties or, if you prefer, 6 larger patties.

Place on a greased baking sheet, drizzle olive oil on top, and bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time, until browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the fried eggs. Heat ½ tablespoon oil on medium-high in a large nonstick frying pan or cast iron skillet until a drop of water thrown into the pan sizzles.

Carefully crack 4 eggs into the pan and season with salt.

Cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes until the whites are opaque with browned and crispy edges. If you don't like runny yolks, flip the eggs and cook for 1-3 more minutes. Repeat the process with the other 4 eggs.

Serve each burger on a hamburger bun with spinach leaves below and top with avocado spread, a fried egg, and crispy onions.

Veggie burgers are a fun addition to our diets, and there are a few simple steps home cooks can follow to make sure they turn out right. To avoid soggy burgers it's important to prevent them from getting too moist. Make sure any vegetables you use are already cooked, especially the ones that tend to release a lot of liquid, like mushrooms. Use enough breadcrumbs or other dry ingredients to soak up liquid and get the texture just right, and cook the burgers long enough until the inside is done.

Another problem is the opposite — sometimes they are too dry and crumble apart, which is disappointing when you're trying to eat them on a bun. You'll need something to bind them together. While vegetarian burgers can use an egg, vegans will need to choose one of the best binders for vegan burgers. Some options are breadcrumbs, oats, chickpea flour, flaxseed "eggs," potatoes, beans, and quinoa flour.

Don't skip the resting stage either. At least 30 minutes in the fridge before forming and cooking the patties will allow the dry ingredients like oats to soak up extra moisture and will also help all the ingredients stick together so the burgers don't crumble. Finally, remember a simple tip to keep your veggie burgers together: don't move them in the pan or flip them prematurely. Wait for them to get a solid sear before flipping so they don't break apart.

We think these burgers are delicious, but we know that they are not a quick meal to assemble. Since they're meant to be served early in the day at brunch, it may be more convenient to prep some parts of the recipe in advance. Luckily, this is a recipe that can be made ahead quite easily.

All four of the recipe's components can technically be made ahead, but we recommend making the fried eggs right before serving. They will have a better texture and they are quick to make. The avocado spread can be made ahead and refrigerated too. The surface will likely brown over time, but after a good stir it won't be noticeable, and if you cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface, it will discolor less. The spread can also be made quickly in just a few minutes before brunch.

You can save the most time by making the veggie burgers and the crispy onions ahead of time. You can store the onions in an airtight container on the counter for a couple of days, but if you refrigerate them, let them warm up on the counter for 30 minutes before serving. You'll need to reheat the burgers, just let them come to room temperature on the counter, then place them on a baking sheet, cover them with foil, and bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes until heated through.