Vegan burgers are becoming so easy to find and so mainstream that many fast-food chains and restaurants are beginning to offer them on their menus. It’s gloriously challenging to find a grocery store that doesn’t have at least one vegan burger option now, if not multiple. It seems that there is only growth happening in the category of the food market. Articles are popping up regularly now sharing new companies that are developing burgers as well as new chains that are testing them out. It’s a great time to be vegan. And it’s amazing that there is a mass public appeal in eating less meat and swapping it out for alternatives.
There are so many options on the market, from whole foods based to more processed and more meat-like. That's why we reviewed our absolute favorites to help you make a decision next time you’re out shopping. We have also found some of the best vegan burger recipes if you’re more of a DIY kind of person. So no matter what your vegan diet or what your tastes preferences, we’ve got the down-low on the very best brands and recipes to help you find the vegan burger of your dreams.
The Best Vegan Burger Brands
Brand: Hilary’s
Flavors Available
World’s Best, Adzuki Bean, Hemp & Greens, Root Veggie, Spicy Thai, Black Rice
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
These burgers all contain a base of millet, oil, flaxseed, apple cider vinegar and spices. Depending on the flavor, they have a variety of vegetables, seeds, beans or grains also included.
Why We Love It
These burgers use mostly whole foods, are gluten and soy-free and are sold at an amazingly affordable cost. We love how tasty every single flavor is and how they feel nourishing but not too dense (which thankfully leaves enough room in our stomach for the French fries we have to eat with it!). The World’s Best burger has a great texture, is lightly oily and is reminiscent of a hash brown patty, which makes it the perfect palate for adding spices while cooking such as chipotle or brushing on a bit of barbecue sauce. If you prefer a more neutral flavor with lots of flavorful condiments, then this is also a fantastic choice!
Brand: Sunshine Burgers
Flavors Available
Garden Herb, Black Bean Southwest, Barbecue, Falafel, Shiitake Mushroom and Quarter Pound Original
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
These burgers all contain a base of cooked brown rice, sunflower seeds and spices. Depending on the flavor, they have a variety of vegetables, beans or grains also included.
Why We Love It
This brand offers a great oil-free, whole-food-based burger that is dense and filling but not oily. We love the combination of rice and sunflower seeds that provide a nice neutral base that is quite filling. The Barbecue flavor incorporates delicious pinto beans as well as a variety of smoky and savory flavors to make an absolutely delicious burger that is great alone or served with your favorite condiments.
Brand: Engine 2 Plant-Strong
Flavors Available
Italian Fennel, Tuscan Kale White Bean, Pinto Habanero, Poblano Black Bean
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
These burgers all have a base of brown rice, beans and a variety of vegetables, seeds and spices depending on the flavor.
Why We Love It
This brand, based on the book of the same name, is an excellent line of whole-foods-based burgers that are exceptionally flavorful. We love that these are certified organic and use a variety of whole foods that keep the fat content relatively low compared to most burgers which is great for those who want to keep their fat lower or just want to pile on the fatty toppings (avocado and cashew cheese anyone?). We love the Italian Fennel flavor as it’s extremely flavorful with spices as well as roasted garlic and sundried tomatoes. It uses quinoa in addition to the brown rice for an extra boost of protein and nutrients. This is a great burger to enjoy with cashew nut cheese slices with tomato on a bun or simply crumbled over a salad.
Brand: Field Roast
Flavors Available
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
This burger is made from a base of vital wheat gluten, water, palm fruit oil, barley, vegetables, spices and mushrooms.
Why We Love It
Everything from Field Roast is absolutely delicious, and this burger is no exception. This burger is a bit more processed but not overly so, making it a great middle of the road option for those who want a more traditional burger experience without a thousand ingredients. We love the savory flavor and just how fatty and filling it is, thanks to the high fat and protein content. This burger is a great option to serve or enjoy when you want a “real” burger feel and black beans and rice just won’t cut it.
Flavors Available
Quarter Pound, Sonoma, California, California Low Sodium, Black Bean, All American
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
These burgers range in ingredients from soy protein, vital wheat gluten, oats and quinoa depending on the variety. All have oil, a variety of vegetables or mushrooms and spices
Why We Love It
Amy’s has long been a health food store staple burger and we love that they have so many vegan options that range in flavor and can accommodate allergies to soy and gluten if needed. The soy and gluten-free Sonoma burger is absolutely delicious. It relies on quinoa, oats, a variety of vegetables, chickpeas, potatoes and walnuts along with spices. This burger is filled with mostly whole, filling plant foods and tastes absolutely delicious. We love having this burger with some microgreens, avocado and onion to keep it tasting light and fresh.
Brand: Gardein
Flavors Available
Black Bean Sliders, Black Bean, Garden Veggie, Beefless Slider, Ultimate Beefless as well as Chickn patties and sliders
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
These burgers range in ingredients depending on variety such as soy protein, vital wheat gluten, rice, and beans. All contain a combination of binders, vegetables, spices and flavorings.
Why We Love It
Gardein has been putting out amazing vegan meat alternatives for years and their burgers are absolutely delicious. We love that these not only taste great but are relatively easy to find in the United States. The burgers are a bit more processed than most other options but pay off in flavor and texture. That's why they're a great option for vegans and nonvegans. We love the ultimate beefless burger as it’s full of flavor and a great stand-in for a traditional style burger with a respectable amount of protein per burger at 9 grams each. They’re filling but not too dense and are made even better because they’re non-GMO.
Brand: Beyond Meat
Flavors Available
Beyond Burger
Our Pick
Primary Ingredients
This burger is made from water, pea protein isolate, canola and coconut oil. A small percentage is composed of a variety of binders, flavors and natural colorings.
Why We Love It
This burger had an incredible amount of buzz before it’s release and was so popular upon release that stores were having a hard time keeping it in stock. We believe the buzz was totally worth it, as this burger is the real deal and will satisfy ANY eater, vegan or carnivore. It’s fatty, dense, looks and smells like a burger and cooks like one. What more could you really ask for? Oh wait, we forgot to mention it’s also GMO-free, as well as soy and gluten-free while also packing in 20 grams of protein. So it’s really the complete burger package.
The Best Vegan Burger Recipes
Recipe: Best Darn Veggie Burgers
Where to Find It:
Why We Love It:
These burgers are absolutely delicious, incredibly savory and not too hard to make. They require quite a few specialty ingredients but once you have them, these burgers come together quite easily. They’re loaded with healthy whole foods like brown rice, flaxseeds, walnuts and mushrooms. This recipe includes a wide variety of flavors to make a complex and delicious tasting veggie burger. We love that these are grill-able and that makes them pretty much a summer essential in our book.
Recipe: Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers
Where to Find It:
Why We Love It:
These chickpea burgers are incredibly unique and worth trying for any lover of flavorful food. They use mostly whole foods such as chickpeas, vegetables, peanut butter and oats and use a unique combination of spices to give a flavor profile that is a mix of Mexican and Thai flavors. We love that they use simple and easy-to-find ingredients and they’re cheap to make. This makes them a great filling option for any burger night without having to spend too much.
Recipe: White Bean Veggie Burgers
Where to Find It:
Why We Love It:
These burgers have just a handful of ingredients and come together rather quickly. They’re whole foods based using nut butter, cannellini beans, oats, vegetables and spices to make a tasty plant-based burger. We love that these can easily be modified by swapping out the cannellini beans for another variety or adding in more herbs like smoked paprika or chili powder for a unique flavor. This is a great go-to recipe for an easy yet healthy burger night.