These tofu burgers are amped up with white button mushrooms and black beans for an easy and economical way to make veggie burgers at home!

Many vegetarian burger recipes have you reaching for all manner of soy proteins. This one is easy and straightforward—extra firm tofu.

An Easy and Hearty Veggie Burger Recipe

These are thick tofu burgers that have the addition of mushrooms, black beans, and hemp seeds to make them extra hearty and flavorsome. They also cook up brown, which feels more enjoyable to me than eating a green veggie patty. Dare I say, they look beefy.

We made these around the time that I developed my Yum Yum Sauce recipe, and the combination was fantastic!

But feel free to use mayo, ketchup or your burger sauce of choice. Load these up with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and cheese just like you would with a regular burger!

Are These Vegan?

These tofu burgers are not vegan, but they can easily be. The recipe does call for 1 egg, but you can substitute a flax egg. The substitution goes: 1 regular egg = 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water.

If you are merely flexitarian or looking to reduce your meat intake (rather than eliminate it entirely), I recommend using regular oyster sauce in place of the vegetarian oyster sauce for extra flavor. The vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce is good, but the regular oyster sauce undoubtedly provides more flavor!

Can I Make These in Advance?

Sadly, these burgers are not suitable for making in advance and cooking later. The salt draws moisture out of the mushrooms and leads to a very soggy burger. Don’t let the mushrooms sit too long, and make sure you cook these right after making the mixture.

Don’t worry though! You can still make these ahead. I recommend cooking them and then freezing them flat.

You can then store them with a piece of parchment paper in between each patty in a resealable bag or container.

From there, they can be reheated in a frying pan over medium-low heat until warmed through. (You could also probably do this in an air fryer at a lower temperature like 325°F/160°C, but keep an eye on them, as I find the air fryer can burn food quickly.)

Can I grill these?

Unless you have a grill pan, these are best cooked in a skillet. The more oil you use, the crispier they’ll be, as you’re in effect shallow-frying them. You can also get away with just a couple tablespoons of oil.

Tofu Burger Recipe Instructions

Remove the block of tofu from the package. Over the sink or a bowl, gently squeeze it between your palms a few times until no more water drips out of it.

squeezing water out of block of firm tofu

Next, gently press it between a folded clean kitchen towel to reduce the remaining moisture. In a large bowl, use your hands to break up the tofu into small pieces.

Rinse the mushrooms of any dirt, and pat dry. Add the mushrooms to a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. The mixture may look fairly wet, which is okay at this point. Add the mushrooms to the tofu.

Pulse the onion and garlic until it is finely minced. Add that to the tofu and mushrooms.

Rinse and drain the black beans in a colander, shaking the excess water off. You can also opt to pat them dry on a clean kitchen towel (perhaps the same one you used for the tofu!). Add the beans to the food processor and pulse them until there are no pieces larger than half a bean—it should be partially or coarsely pureed.

Add to the tofu mixture along with the egg, flour, hemp seeds (if using), (vegetarian) oyster sauce, salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper.

Mix everything together with a rubber spatula.

Form the mixture into 8 equal patties, about ¾ inch (2cm) thick. While you’re shaping the patties, preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the pan (using more oil will yield a crispier burger). Gently place 4 of the patties in the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let the patties cook for about 6-7 minutes per side until they’re crisped and browned on both sides. You may need to reduce the heat to medium if the burgers brown too quickly. Repeat with the remaining 4 patties.