Veggie Burgers Are More Filling And Flavorful With One Canned Addition

Like their carnivorous counterparts, veggie burgers are a dump-it recipe that can feature all kinds of unexpected ingredients. You can fashion them out of pretty much any combination of beans, grains, veggies, and starches, as long as there's some form of binding agent to help them maintain their form. If you're looking for an unexpected addition to your next plant-based burger, pumpkin purée is a canned ingredient that'll bring a hearty, rich taste of fall.

With a texture and flavor similar to butternut squash and sweet potatoes, pumpkin purée will enhance an otherwise savory burger with just a hint of sweetness. It'll also bolster the consistency of your veggie burger, bringing plenty of moisture to bind the other ingredients together, as well as a velvety texture. As a starchy squash variety, pumpkin purée will also make for more filling burgers.

Canned pumpkin purée is a convenient addition, already cooked, mashed and ready to stir in with the other veggie burger ingredients. The amount you stir in depends on the other ingredients you're using. You can plan on between half and three quarters of a cup of pumpkin purée per four veggie burger patties made with one 15 ounce can of beans and a cup of oats. The pumpkin purée and beans are moist and sticky enough to bind the patties without eggs, making pumpkin burgers vegan-friendly as well.

Just as you pair pumpkin with baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a classic pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread recipe, savory herbs and spicy aromatics will help enhance and balance pumpkin purée's sweetness in a veggie burger. Herbs like sage, oregano, thyme, and tarragon will bring sophistication to pumpkin purée in a white bean and oat burger. Minced garlic, chipotles in adobo, cumin, chili powder, or a can of hatch green chiles would complement pumpkin purée with a spicy smokiness in this black bean burger recipe. For a meatier, umami-rich veggie burger with lentils and diced mushrooms, paprika, curry powder, and celery salt would work well alongside the pumpkin.

Toppings and condiments will also help round out the flavor of a sweet and savory pumpkin burger. For a spicy, plant-based condiment, slather your burger with sriracha mayonnaise and garnish with a tangy Asian slaw. A pumpkin black bean burger would taste delicious with this recipe for vegan chipotle mayonnaise, smashed avocado, pickled red onions, and Pepper Jack cheese. Top a sage, pumpkin, and cannellini bean burger with a rich melty cheese like Gruyère, baby spinach, and a slather of sun-dried tomato pesto.