Vegan Pizza Burger Recipe

Burgers or pizza? If you’ve ever shuddered at the thought of being asked to take sides on this age-old question, then this is just the recipe for you! These vegan pizza burgers from Minimalist Baker will hit the spot while proving that you can indeed have both at the same time!

I’ve been a fan of the Minimalist Baker for years. Through this website, husband-wife team Dana and John share unique, plant-powered recipes that require no more than ten ingredients, 1 bowl or pot, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. Their website has gained tremendous popularity and you can imagine how excited their fans (myself included) were when they released their first cookbook this year!

As a minimalist in the kitchen myself, I prefer to work with a core staple of easy-to-find ingredients using hard-to-mess-up recipes, so it’s no wonder the Minimalist Baker recipes resonate so well with me. I also eat with my eyes first and need to be wooed by tantalizing photos before I’m drawn to actually make a recipe. I adore that their recipes are always coupled with vivid photos that I want so badly to reach through the screen and devour.

What Makes a Vegan Pizza Burger?

While a typical burger features toppings such as tomatoes, onions, pickles, lettuce, and a slice of vegan cheese, pizza burgers require a different set of core elements:

• Italian Seasoning – Flavoring your burger the right way is essential to making an authentic and delicious vegan pizza burger! Classic Italian herbs include: marjoram, thyme, oregano, basil, and parsley. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, dried will work just fine!
• Tomato Sauce – Move aside, ketchup! This burger calls for ketchup’s chunkier cousin, the Mighty Marinara. Filled with spices and herbs, marinara will take your burger from tasty to tantalizing in about five seconds. For a homemade version, check out this delicious recipe from our very own Gina House!
• (Vegan) Cheese, Please – So sure, you can have a vegan pizza burger with just those first two components but I think we can mostly agree that some vegan cheese will only make your burger better. Like a little kick in your parm? Then you’ll love our Chipotle Vegan Parmesan Seasoning!

Can Burgers Be Healthy?

While you may wonder what kind of nutrients can be offered by vegan pizza burgers, rest assured that there’s no lack of protein, vitamins, or minerals over here!

The basis of these burgers is the creamy, chunky chickpea, which boasts a variety of nutritional benefits in addition to amazing flavor. For every 1-ounce serving of chickpeas, you’ll be getting:

• 46 calories
• 8 grams of carbs
• 2 grams of fiber
• 3 grams of protein
• 12% of the RDI for folate
• 14% of the RDI for manganese
• About 5% of the RDI for iron, phosphorus, and copper

Chickpeas have also been known to help with blood sugar management, which is great news for those managing diabetes!

And while antioxidants may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of pizza, tomato sauce is full of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to a decrease in the risk of cancer and inflammation. Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C, folate, potassium, and vitamin K, making them quite the powerhouse of sauces!

How to Serve Up Your Vegan Pizza Burgers

The wonderful thing about these pizza burgers (aside from how delicious and cute they are) is how creative you can get with creating a meal with them. Below are just a few suggestions on how to best enjoy your brilliant burgers.

• Switch Out the Sauce – If tomatoes just aren’t your thing but you refuse to miss out on this delightful burger, put on some pesto instead! Presto!
• Pasta, Please! – Fresh pasta will pair perfectly with your vegan pizza burger and you can even toss some beneath the bun for the ultimate Italian experience. Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo, Easy Lentil Bolognese, or Vegan One-Pot Pasta are all excellent choices!
• A Side of Polenta Fries – If you want to stay true to the Italian roots of this recipe, then these Herbed Vegan Polenta Fries are a must-make! They’re crunchy, herby, and an absolute delight to enjoy alongside your vegan pizza burger.
• Plenty of Potatoes – Sometimes the answer to your burger dreams is simple and starts with the letter “p.” Potatoes are a burger’s best friend, whether in the form of a hasselback, salad, wedges, or even grilled skins with guacamole.
• Gimme Greens – Looking to add some color to your plate? Go for some asparagus with tahini drizzle, roasted peas, or just a simple salad!

Vegan Pizza Burgers

Author: Dana Schultz

5 from 7 votes

This Vegan Pizza Burgers recipe from the Minimalist Baker cookbook is featured on the front cover for a reason. It's dee-licious and a definite crowd-pleaser!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 burgers

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil or grape seed oil, plus more as needed, (60ml)
• 2 shallots, 4 tablespoons or 40 grams, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, 1½ tablespoons or 9 grams, minced
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, 425 grams
• ¼ cup Vegan Parmesan, plus more for serving (see recipe linked below), 20 grams
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings, or 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, 15 grams
• 1 cup vegan-friendly bread crumbs, plus more for coating, 74 grams
• 3 tablespoons marinara sauce (or pizza sauce), plus more for topping (see note), 47 grams
• ¼ teaspoon each of sea salt and black pepper, for serving
• 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce (see note), 250 grams
• 4 ciabatta buns, toasted
• Fresh parsley
• Red onion

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, sauté shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon (15ml) of olive oil until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the cooked shallots and garlic directly to a medium bowl. Add the chickpeas and use a fork or pastry cutter to mash/mix. The mixture should be dough-like with only a few whole beans remaining.
• Add 2 tablespoons (30ml) of olive oil, the Vegan Parmesan, Italian seasonings parsley, bread crumbs, marinara, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. A moldable “dough” should form. Add more olive oil if it’s too dry, or more bread crumbs or Vegan Parmesan if too wet. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
• Heat the same skillet used earlier over medium heat.
• Divide the mixture into 4 even patties. To help form them, line a ½ cup measuring cup with plastic wrap and scoop out ½ cup amounts. Press to pack, then lift them out and slightly flatten them with your hands. Alternatively, form into inch-thick patties with your hands.
• Gently coat the burgers with additional bread crumbs and Vegan Parmesan cheese on both sides for more flavor and texture (optional). Handle gently as they can be fragile.
• Add enough oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of hot skillet (~1 tablespoon or 30ml), then add the coated burgers. Brown for about 5 minutes on each side, reducing the heat if the burgers get too brown.
• Serve the burgers as is, or pop them on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for an additional 10–20 minutes to dry/ crisp them up.
• In the meantime, warm 1 cup (250g) marinara sauce, toast the ciabatta buns, and prep the parsley and onion.
• To serve, lay down parsley on the bottom half of a bun, top with a burger, onion, marinara sauce, and additional Vegan Parmesan.
• Leftover burgers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes, or until warmed through.

Notes

• To make your own pizza sauce, add 1 cup (245g) of tomato sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat. Season with 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano, dried basil, dried garlic, sweetener of your choice, and a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 967mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 648IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 3mg

Course dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Italian

Keyword chickpea burger, pizza burger, vegan burgers, vegetarian burger recipe

Storing Your Vegan Pizza Burgers

If you’re meal prepping in advance or just have leftovers, these burgers will keep well in the fridge or freezer. When kept in an airtight container in the fridge, they’ll last 3-4 days. If freezing, allow to cool completely and stick in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months. When ready to heat up, be sure to defrost beforehand and throw onto your grill or pop into the oven.

This cookbook has the power to elevate anyone’s kitchen game in minutes with recipes that remain simple without sacrificing flavor and presentation. I couldn’t be more excited that they are sharing this star pizza burger recipe from the book with World of Vegan readers. Enjoy!

More Delightful Burger and Pizza Recipes to Try

• Vegan Pizza Roll-Ups
• Vegan Rainbow Pizza
• Quick & Easy Red Bean Burgers
• Valentine’s Day Vegan Pizza Recipe
• Vegan Passover Recipe: Matzah Pizza
• Barbecue Black Bean Burgers & Homemade BBQ Sauce
• Best Vegan Burgers Guide

If you try these Vegan Pizza Burgers, let us know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more vegan recipe inspiration.

Recipe for vegan pizza burgers reprinted from Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of
Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2016, Dana Shultz. Article written by Michelle Cehn and edited by Amanda Meth. Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which help to support the work at World of Vegan.