Vegan Butternut Squash Burgers

Butternut squash burgers capture all the flavors of the fall season. They're loaded with squash, apples, leeks, brown rice, and pumpkin seeds. Slather your veggie burgers with Lemon Thyme Mayo for the ultimate sandwiches! Serve them for lunch or dinner. This easy recipe from Vegan Burgers and Burritos by Sophia DeSantis is vegan and gluten-free.

Butternut Squash Burgers

Autumn is my favorite season, and and as soon as the temperature starts to dip, I find myself craving apples and squash. I'm always looking for new ways to prepare my favorite fall ingredients, and that's why I love these veggie burgers Vegan Burgers and Burritos so much.

Butternut squash burgers take a little bit of time to prepare, but most of it is inactive – and it’s totally worth it. This burger is incredible! The first time I made these, a few hours after dinner Dennis said, “That burger was so good. The more I think about it, the more I love it.”

I made my burgers BIG, and I was able to get five out of this recipe. We ate two for dinner, and I froze the rest for future meals. If you want even more burgers, just make them slightly smaller.

What You Need

• Butternut squash
• Vegetable broth 
• Sea salt
• Apples
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Dried thyme
• Cooked brown rice
• Pumpkin seeds
• Raw cashews 
• Water
• Distilled white vinegar
• Ground mustard seed
• Lemon juice
• Buns
• Arugula

See recipe card for exact amounts.

How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash Burgers

This recipe might look a little intimidating, but it's really easy to prepare.

• First you preheat your oven to 400°F
• In a large mixing bowl, you mix the squash with 5 tablespoons of broth or a drizzle of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. 
• You place the squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, you place the apples, leeks, garlic and thyme in the bowl and mix well with the other 3 tablespoons of broth or a drizzle of oil. You add this mixture to the baking sheet with the roasted squash, mix around to incorporate and roast for 30 minutes.
• While the vegetable mixture is roasting, you place the rice, pumpkin seeds and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt into a food processor. Pulse until everything is chopped well.
• To make the Lemon Thyme Mayo, you combine Healthy Vegan Mayo, WHAT?, lemon juice and thyme in a small bowl and mix well. 
• Once the veggie mix is done roasting, allow it to cool a few minutes, then you add the mix to the processor and pulse only a few times to incorporate. Don’t overpulse.
• Next you place the mixture into a bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes; an hour is best. Making this the day before and letting it sit overnight is optimal. This helps all flavors marinate and leads to a sturdier burger.
• To cook your burgers, shape the mixture into patties. If you’re not using a nonstick pan, then you may want to prepare the pan by brushing it with a tad of oil to avoid sticking. Place your patties in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat for 15 minutes on each side. Since pans and stovetops vary, begin to check your patties at 10 minutes. If you try to slide your spatula under a patty and it won’t give, then it isn’t ready and needs to cook longer.
• You can also bake the patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375°F for about 20 to 25 minutes on each side. Allow the patties to cool and set for 5 to 7 minutes. 
• Serve your burgers on buns with the Lemon Thyme Mayo and toppings of your choice.

Serving Your Butternut Squash Burgers

The Autumn Burger is paired with Lemon Thyme Mayo, which is really easy to prepare. It’s loaded with flavor and is the perfect compliment to this delicious burger. (I made a little extra so I can enjoy it on sandwiches, too.)

These butternut squash burgers are topped with arugula, which is another cool weather favorite. You can top them with any of your favorite veggie burger fixings.

If you're making the burgers for kids, you can make them into smaller sizes or nuggets and serve the mayo on the side for dipping.

Vegan Burgers and Burritos

While I have been known to throw a Field Roast burger on the grill, I know that there’s nothing quite like the taste of a veggie burger made at home by hand. Sophia DeSantis’s cookbook Vegan Burgers and Burritos is devoted to, well… handmade burgers and burritos. And they’re so much tastier than anything you will find in the grocery store.

The recipes in Vegan Burgers and Burritos are fun and easy to make, and they use flavors you might not necessarily find in a burger or burrito, such as the Thai Peanut Perfection burger and the Kinda A Sushi Burrito. They recipes are all made with easy-to-find whole food ingredients that are readily available at any grocery store. They’re all gluten-free, too, which is a bonus for those with gluten-intolerance

There are 75 recipes in total, and each one has its own mouthwatering photo. Each burger also has its own pairing sauce, because what would a burger be without some sort of dressing? Sophia’s sauces are almost as drool-worthy as her burgers and burritos. I plan on making a few of them, such as the Ultimate Onion Dip and World’s Best Roasted Salsa, to serve with snacks at an upcoming holiday party.

There’s also a chapter devoted to sides, because you have to have fries with your burgers! In addition to fries made with potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, there are recipes for incredible Crispy Zucchini Chips.

Vegan Burgers and Burritos is a must have!

If you like making your own plant-based foods at home, rather than relying on prepackaged products that might contain questionable ingredients, Vegan Burgers and Burritos is a must have for your cookbook library.

Autumn Burger

Sophia DeSantis

From sweet butternut squash to thyme and sea salt, the fall flavor intensity here has a “go big or go home” attitude. A little extra effort is truly worth it because these little patties are insanely delicious!

This recipe makes 4 to 5 burgers.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 5 burgers

Calories 386 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups raw butternut squash chopped (719 g)
• 8 tablespoons low-sodium veggie broth (approximately) (118 ml) or drizzle of oil, divided, for roasting
• 2 teaspoon sea salt divided (10 g)
• ¾ cup peeled and chopped apples (135 g)
• ¾ cup sliced leeks (114 g)
• 1 ½ tablespoon chopped garlic (14 g)
• 1 ½ tablespoon dried thyme (2.5 g)
• 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice (241 g)
• 6 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (55 g)

Lemon Thyme Mayo

• ¼ cup Healthy Vegan Mayo, WHAT? recipe follows (55 g)
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice (10 ml)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

To Serve

• 4 to 5 buns
• Arugula

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the squash with 5 tablespoons (74 ml) of broth or a drizzle of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the squash on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the apples, leeks, garlic and thyme in the bowl and mix well with the other 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of broth or a drizzle of oil. Add this mixture to the cookie sheet with the roasted squash, mix around to incorporate and roast for 30 minutes.
• While the vegetable mixture is roasting, place the rice, pumpkin seeds and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt into a food processor. Pulse until chopped well.
• To make the Lemon Thyme Mayo, combine Healthy Vegan Mayo, WHAT?, lemon juice and thyme in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside for serving.
• Once the veggie mix is done roasting, allow it to cool a few minutes, then add the mix to the processor and pulse only a few times to incorporate. Don’t overpulse.
• Place the mixture into a bowl, and put it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes; an hour is best. Making this the day before and letting it sit overnight is optimal. This helps all flavors marinate and leads to a sturdier burger.
• To cook, shape the mixture into patties. If you’re not using a nonstick pan, then you may want to prepare the pan by brushing it with a tad of oil to avoid sticking. Place the patties in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat for 15 minutes on each side. Pans and stovetops vary, so begin to check the patties at 10 minutes. If you try to slide your spatula under a patty and it won’t give, then it isn’t ready and needs to cook longer.
• You can also bake the patties on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 375°F (191°C) for about 20 to 25 minutes on each side. Allow the patties to cool and set for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve on buns with the Lemon Thyme Mayo and toppings of your choice.

Notes

Kids: Make patties into a smaller slider size or into nuggets. Serve mayo on the side as a dipper.

 

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Burgers and Burritos by Sophia DeSantis, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017.

Healthy Vegan Mayo, What?

Sophia DeSantis

Finally, a whole food–based, oil-free mayo you will love! Unlike the traditional variety, this mayonnaise is actually heart-healthy. So slather it on without guilt or worry!

This recipe makes 1 cup of mayo. A serving size is 2 teaspoons

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Servings 24 servings

Calories 45 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews (167 g) see note
• ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp water (192 ml)
• 2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar (30 ml)
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (10 ml)
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground mustard seed
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic freshly chopped

Instructions

 

• Put the cashews, water, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, mustard seed and garlic into a high-speed blender and purée until smooth. Refrigerate the mayo to thicken.

Notes

Note: If you are not using a high-speed blender, there are a couple of options for making your sauce smooth: You can use a coffee grinder to grind everything to a fine powder, or make sure to soak your cashews overnight, or for at least 2 to 3 hours. If you forget, you can also boil them for 30 minutes.

 

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Burgers and Burritos by Sophia DeSantis, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017.

More Veggie Burgers You Might Enjoy Include

• Hoppin' John Burgers with Tempeh Bacon and Spicy Aioli
• Teriyaki Black Bean Burgers with Grilled Pineapple
• Chipotle Lentil Burgers
• Hajiki Tofu Burgers with Ginger Miso Dressing

More recipes that use butternut squash include:

• Baked Butternut Squash Steaks
• Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese from Laura Theodore's Vegan-Ease
• Coconut Curry Noodles and Butternut Squash from One-Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson
• Garlicky Mashed Butternut Squash