These Plant-Based Burger Bowls will make burger night better for you! Served with a special sauce, they are a very satisfying meal. Who needs the bun when you can have all that yumminess in a bowl?
And if you’re looking for more vegan recipes, make sure to also check out my Veggie Pub Sliders, Vegan Croquettes and Chipotle Veggie Burger Wrap Sandwich.
What are you giving up for Lent this year? Meat? Carbs? Boring meals?
Well, these plant-based burger bowls have you covered either way! They are low carb, very satisfying and bursting with flavor.
Gee, even if you’re not giving up meat and carbs for Lent, I highly recommend you give them a try!
But what exactly is a burger bowl, you might be asking yourself. Well, a burger bowl is all the delicious parts of a burger, minus the bun, served in salad form.
What’s not to love about that? ❤️
Ingredients
To make these plant-based burger bowls, you will need:
- Vegan Burgers – My current favorite: Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger. The patties are 1/4-pound each and look, cook, smell and satisfy like real meat.
- Lettuce – You can use either romaine or iceberg lettuce.
- Tomatoes – I like using cherry tomatoes, but you can absolutely use any other kind you like.
- Red Onion
- Avocados
- Pickles
And to make the special sauce:
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup – I love using Hunt’s Classic Tomato Ketchup because of its rich flavor, plus it’s made with no preservatives and uses high-quality ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes.
- Mustard – I love to use Gulden’s Spicy Brown mustard, as its heat is more pronounced than in the other mustards, and adds a bold flavor to the special sauce.
- Paprika – I love the flavor of smoked paprika here, but sweet (or even hot) paprika works as well.
- Pickle Juice – To thin out the sauce slightly and give it an oomph!
- Salt and Pepper
All the products for this recipe were purchased at my local Walmart! But you can save a trip to the store and add the key ingredients to your Online Pickup & Delivery order HERE.
It was my first time trying Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Burger and I am impressed. Even my uber carnivore of a husband commented that the texture was spot on!
Each plant-based patty is Non-GMO Project Verified, vegan, contains no soy or dairy ingredients, and provides 19 grams of protein per serving. We’ll be definitely buying more in the future!
As for the condiments to make the special sauce, I decided to stick with the classics!
- Hunt’s Classic Tomato Ketchup – Tasty, thick, made with delicious vine-ripened tomatoes and no preservatives. Really, you can’t go wrong with Hunt’s!
- GULDEN’S Spicy Brown Mustard – Made with number-one grade mustard seeds, GULDEN’S mustard will give your burger bowl a delicious kick! You can also use any of their other flavors, such as Stone Ground Dijon, Sriracha, Honey and Bold Yellow.
- Vlasic Kosher Dill Pickles – Can’t have a burger bowl without crunchy, juicy pickles, amirite? Vlasic’s Kosher Dill Pickles contains no artificial dyes (they are colored with turmeric), and contain 0 calories per serving. A must try if you haven’t yet!
How to Make Plant-Based Burger Bowls
Making these bowls is as easy as making a salad! Plus grilling a burger, of course, but if you are using Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Burger, it will take you only 10 minutes.
Sometimes, if feeding a crowd, I like to make a burger bowl bar and lay out all the elements so each person can assemble their own bowl. That way my guests can customize with toppings they love!
Recommended tools and equipment: colander + a skillet or grill.
Here’s how I make this Plant-Based Burger Bowl recipe. As always, you will find the printable (and more complete) version of the recipe at the end of this post!
Step 1: Prepare all the salad ingredients.
- Chop the lettuce, halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes and slice the onions and avocados.
- The pickles can be served as is (in spear form) or cut into smaller chunks! I prefer cutting them, so it’s easier to eat the salad without a knife.
- Place the tomatoes in a colander and salt them. Let them hang in there while you make the sauce and cook the burgers. That will intensify their flavor and get rid of any excess liquid.
Step 2: Make the sauce!
- Combine all the sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste! You can increase the amount of pickle juice if you prefer a thinner sauce.
Step 3: Grill the burgers.
- The Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger can be prepared on the grill or in a skillet. For grilling, patties should be cooked over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side if frozen and 4-5 minutes per side if thawed.
- Burgers should be cooked thoroughly to 165 degrees.
Step 4: Assemble the Plant-Based Burger Bowls!
- Start with a layer of lettuce.
- Place a cooked vegan burger in the middle.
- Arrange the remaining toppings around the vegan burger.
- Drizzle with lots and lots of special sauce! Serve more on the side, because it is THAT GOOD!
Olivia’s Tips
- The vegan burgers can be cooked and crumbled, to make it easier to eat the salad with just a fork.
- Make sure to only assemble the bowls when ready to serve. You don’t want the hot burger to sit on the lettuce for too long, or the lettuce will get soggy.
- Transform this recipe into a cheeseburger bowl by adding cheese when cooking the patties!
What to serve with Plant-Based Burger Bowls?
Well, these burger salads are already a very satisfying meal. But…
If you know me, you know that I love fries and burger night is not the same without them!
To keep the “better for you” theme going, I like to serve these bowls with sweet potato fries, which I cook in my air-fryer. So so good!
Other Fun Toppings
The greatest thing about these burger bowls is that you can fully customize them like you would a burger!
Here are some other toppings you can add to your bowl:
- Sautéed mushrooms.
- Sautéed or grilled onions.
- Corn.
- Grilled or roasted veggies.
- Cheese – either in shredded form or grilled with the patties.
- Sliced jalapeños or any other fresh or pickled hot pepper.
- Shredded carrots or cabbage.
- Fresh herbs or green onions.
- Crispy bacon – if you don’t need the bowl to be vegetarian.
- A fried egg!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! My favorite way of doing that is preparing all the elements and storing them separately.
The burger sauce can be refrigerated for 1 week, the patties can be cooked and then refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, and the salad elements can be prepped ahead too (minus the avocado, because it will get brown). When ready to serve, assemble the bowls and enjoy!
Reheat the patties in a skillet, over medium heat, turning every now and then, until hot. If you find that the burgers have dried out too much in the fridge, add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet, and they will be like new!
Plant-Based Burger Bowls
These Plant-Based Burger Bowls will make burger night better for you! Served with a special sauce, they are a very satisfying meal. Who needs the bun when you can have all that yumminess in a bowl?
- 4 patties Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 ripe Hass avocados, sliced
- ½ cup Vlasic Pickle Spears, or to taste
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, mixing until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reserve.
Heat a grill or skillet, over medium heat, and cook the vegan burgers according to package instructions, 5-6 minutes per side if frozen and 4-5 minutes per side if thawed.
Assemble the bowls. Divide the chopped lettuce into 4 bowls. Top each bowl with a vegan burger and add the remaining toppings around it.
Drizzle each bowl with the special sauce and serve!
Calories: 442kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 580mg, Potassium: 1220mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 14665IU, Vitamin C: 44mg, Calcium: 99mg, Iron: 3mg
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