These vegan Reuben burgers are made with savory mushroom and chickpea patties, piled high with creamy vegan Russian dressing and tangy sauerkraut!
Can we talk about sauerkraut? I really, really love the stuff. I eat it with a fork, which usually results in my husband looking at me like I’m nuts. It’s so good though. A couple of weeks ago I snagged a jar of curried sauerkraut from the farmer’s market. It was heaven. Again, husband thought I was bonkers, which I can forgive. It is kind of weird, but in a delicious way.
So it’s not surprising that I’m all about the vegan Reuben, in it’s many forms, all of which are totally weird, but in delicious ways.
I think I was shoveling curried sauerkraut into my face one day when it occurred to me that I needed to incorporate more of it into my cooking. Time for more Reubens. Vegan Reuben burgers this time!
I didn’t use the curried kraut for these. (It was long gone and I figured it wouldn’t be available to most of you.) Regular old sauerkraut does the trick. For the patty component of this recipe I went with blend of mushrooms and chickpeas, with a pretty similar seasoning blend to the one used in my Reuben bowls. The cashew Russian dressing is a new blend, and it’s delicious, but if you forgot to soak the cashews, feel free to take a shortcut and go with the vegan mayo-based dressing on I used for my vegan Reuben sandwiches.
Vegan Reuben Burgers
Ingredients
For the Patties
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
For the Vegan Russian Dressing
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
- 3/4 to 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp. pickle relish
- salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- 4 to 6 burger buns, sliced open
- sauerkraut
- lettuce
- sliced tomatoes
Instructions
Make the Patties
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place over medium heat. One oil is hot, add mushrooms in an even layer. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, flip and cook 5 minutes more, until nicely browned on both sides. Add onion and cook 5 minutes more, flipping occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, until very fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Transfer mushroom mixture to a food processor bowl and add chickpeas, panko, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, liquid smoke, cumin and pepper. Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped and well blended. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties.
- Place the same skillet that you cooked the mushrooms in over medium heat, adding a dash more oil if needed. Working in batches if needed, place patties into skillet and cook about 4 minutes on each side, until browned.
Make the Vegan Russian Dressing
- Place cashews, 3/4 cup water, onion, ketchup, vinegar, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce into blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Thin with up to an additional 1/4 cup of water, if needed. Add pickle relish and pulse just until mixed in. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve
- Stuff buns with patties and top with vegan Russian dressing, sauerkraut, lettuce and tomato. Serve.
Have you tried freezing these? I am the only person in my house that will be eating them!
I haven’t, but I think the patties and the sauce would freeze just fine. One thing I really like to do with veggie burgers like this is divide the mixture up before shaping it into patties, and then freeze in in single-serve portions. Then you can thaw out as many portions as you like, shape into patties and grill them up.
These were awesome. My husband has recently gotten into fermenting his own sauerkraut so he searched out this recipe to make for dinner the other night. He made the burgers, i made the sauce and then we stuffed them in pitas with a much sauerkraut as possible. I can’t even tell you. It was a treat. Messy and creamy and tangy and awesome. And guess what else? He made a double batch!