Friends, I seem to have a thing for crazy veggie burgers! I was inspired by a local restaurant to make this pineapple jalapeno teriyaki veggie burger, and it is a treat!
I recently learned something new. Nutritional yeast is high in protein! I have always used it to add flavor to veggie burgers and other vegetarian dishes, but never realized that it was adding 8 grams of protein per tablespoon as well.
Most of the time when I make a veggie burger, I feel like I’m simply putting a bunch of carbs in between a bun. My veggie burgers usually use whole grains for texture, and bread crumbs for binding. Very tasty, but not much for protein.
In the past, I have added beans to veggie burgers to amp up the protein. However, beans can also make a veggie burger soft, and there is really no way around it.
In this recipe, I used 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, adding 24 grams of protein, and loads of flavor. The texture is firm and chewy, and I loaded this teriyaki version up with all kinds of tasty toppings!
Variations to the Pineapple Jalapeno Teriyaki Veggie Burger recipe:
- I make homemade teriyaki sauce because I stock all the ingredients, so why buy the extra condiment bottle? Feel free to use your favorite brand instead. Mix it with the ginger and cornstarch and heat until thick.
- The burger recipe is gluten free. To keep the recipe gluten free, use gluten free buns, or serve this burger over greens instead.
- Reduce the spice: omit red pepper flake from the burger, sriracha from the teriyaki sauce, and jalapenos from the toppings.
- ½ cup pecans
- 8 oz mushrooms
- ½ cup onion, diced
- Splash olive oil
- 1 TBS reduced sodium tamari
- 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup freshly cooked short grain brown rice
- ¼ cup flax seed meal
- 6 TBS nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp each: cumin and salt
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flake
- 2 TBS reduced sodium tamari
- 1 TBS rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sriracha (or to taste)
- 1 tsp each: sesame oil and brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ½ inch ginger, grated (about 1 tsp)
- ¼ tsp corn starch
- 4 whole wheat buns
- 4 Pineapple slices
- Sliced jalapenos (fresh or from a jar)
- Romaine lettuce
- In a skillet, toast pecans until fragrant and starting to have slight brown spots. Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Set pecans aside for later.
- Pulse mushrooms in the food processor until coarsely diced. Do this in batches if necessary to prevent getting the pieces too small. They should be about the size of a pea.
- Combine diced mushrooms with onion and a splash of olive oil in a skillet. Saute until the mushrooms liquid has evaporated.
- Stir in 1 TBS each tamari and balsamic. Saute until the liquid is absorbed.
- In a large bowl, combine sauted mushroom mixture, pulsed pecans, garlic, freshly cooked short grain brown rice, flax seed meal, nutritional yeast, cumin, salt and red pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Use your hands to form 4 patties from the burger mixture. Place in a skillet and cook over medium heat until golden on each side, about 8 minutes.
- In a small skillet, combine all ingredients for the teriyaki sauce. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Let this simmer, whisking constantly for about 1 minute to allow the cornstarch to cook. Remove from heat.
- Serve each burger patty on a bun with romaine lettuce, a slice of pineapple, a quarter of the teriyaki sauce, and jalapenos, if desired.
