Homemade veggie burger successful people, help me!

[BertieBotts]

I just tried to make the 9p Jack Monroe burgers, but not very successfully. They ended up raw and squishy in the middle, and burnt on the outsides. It maddens me! I can never get things like this right. Where did I go wrong?

I can think of a couple of things - firstly I made the mixture, intended for four burgers, into three. But they weren't massively bigger for it.

Secondly I was doing them on a (cheap, portable) induction hob with a cheap frying pan and I'm not convinced this is a great combination. I did it on 1000 watts, which usually equates to about a 5 on a normal gas/electric hob. The first side got nice and crispy enough but the second side just sort of stubbornly refused to cook at all, it's like once it gets hot enough, it stops applying any more power and then it doesn't cook. I did put some more oil in which immediately heated up and swirled this around to contact all of the burgers, but then it got absorbed quickly so I didn't want to keep putting more in. Gave up in the end and just ate them, but they didn't taste cooked, and they didn't have the right consistency.

Any tips?

[Yuleloglatte]

I find burgers tricky. I usually fry for colour and then bake them for about 20 mins. Helmsley and Helmsley's black bean and feta burgers are my favourite though cost more than 9p.

[Yuleloglatte]

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/feta-and-black-bean-burgers

[BertieBotts]

I can't eat cheese, so anything with cheese in is out which is a shame as it would help stability, probably!

DH and DS were unimpressed, so I'm going to bake the leftovers and see how they end up!

[Yuleloglatte]

You could leave the cheese out easily :)

[EmberRose]

I avoid burgers with carrots they always go wrong. I think the carrot makes them too watery. I make spicey bean burgers instead- whizz up kidney beans, add cumin, salt/pepper, chili flakes, parsley, slice of bread and egg yolk. Grill for 5 mins on each side. Always work perfectly. Serve with pittas, salad, and hallomi cheese if I have it.

[Onykahonie]

You need a burger press (Lakeland) and breadcrumbs.
The breadcrumbs stick the veggies together...make a dough-like mixture. The burger press squashes the air out to make them even firmer. An egg/yolk also helps, but not necessary if you're vegan. Cook the veg first too.

This is my best attempt so far: bean burger recipe.

[perfectlybroken]

Coat in oil and bake I'd suggest. I use Delia smiths chillada recipe, make into burger shapes, skip the egg and breadcrumbs but coat with oil and cook in over until crisp

[BertieBotts]

I'm not vegan :) Only cheese which is the issue. It was the fact it wasn't really cooked inside at all. I wondered if a frying pan was a bad way to do them, especially as the induction hob sounds as though it turns off once they get to a certain temperature and does nothing more. It's hard to cook pancakes on it, too.

[whois]

Try these. Amazing. Smokey. Moiste. Held together pretty well.
www.thekitchn.com/recipe-best-ever-veggie-burger-96967