Vegan Mini Cheeseburger Salad! Burgers + Salad = a delicious mash-up you just got to try!
This Vegan Mini Cheeseburger Salad is made with the essence of a Burger King Whopper in mind, but with plant-nourishing goodness. Mini plant-based cheeseburgers top a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and dill pickles all coated in a delicious dressing that is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Mom was all about this salad, she enjoyed an occasional Burger King Whopper back in the day. When I told her I was going to make a Whopper Salad with little burgers, she was all in.
Now, let me just say this, this salad is not going to taste exactly like a Burger King Whopper, but it will definitely give you the essence of one.
We totally licked our bowls on this one!
You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: The flavor profile of this salad gives the essence of a Burger King Whopper, but in a salad. It will not taste exactly like a Whopper, but it will give you hints of a healthy tasty Whopper burger in a salad form especially if the burgers are warm from the oven. If they cool off too much, then pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to reheat, then add to the salad.
- Burger Formation: Really pack the burger tightly in your hand to form a firm cohesive ball, then press down while still in your hands and form a flattened disk.
- Cooked and Refrigerated Brown Rice: Use cooked and refrigerated brown rice. It works best to create the burger. Using freshly made rice will create a mushy burger as it will be too sticky.
- Iceberg Lettuce: We used iceberg lettuce to give this salad a more traditional flavor; however, feel free to use your favorite salad greens.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container. Reheating of the mini burgers can be done on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave.
The mini burgers freeze well.
Pantry Products Used:
- Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
- Panko Crumbs: We used Ian’s Gluten Free Panko crumbs for this recipe. If you do not need to be gluten free, feel free to use any panko bread crumbs of your choosing.
Kitchen Products Used:
- Food processor
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
We certainly hope you give this deliciousness a try.
If you try this awesome salad, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
PrintVegan Mini Cheeseburger Salad
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 17 Minutes
- Total Time: 42 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Mini Cheeseburger Salad is made with the essence of a Burger King Whopper in mind, but with plant-nourishing goodness.
Ingredients
Mini Burger Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup cooked brown rice, pulsed *
- 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] black beans, drained and rinsed *
- 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- ¼ cup panko crumbs *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 to ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Salad Ingredients:
- Oil Free Vegan Cheeseburger Salad Dressing
- Iceberg lettuce, chopped *
- Tomatoes, diced
- Red onion, small dice
- Dill pickle slices, drained
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place all the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Place the cooked and refrigerated brown rice into the food processor to break it up, pulse for about 20 seconds.
- Then place all the remaining Mini Burger Base Ingredients and the Spice/Herb Mix into the food processor and pulse off and on until everything is blended and well mixed. Do not over-blend.
- Take a small cookie scoop or about 2 Tablespoons of the burger mixture and form a smooth ball, then flatten into a small burger and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue until all the burgers are made. (See notes on burger formation). Makes about 23 to 27 mini burgers.
- Place in the oven (center rack) and bake for 10 minutes, then flip, and bake for another 7 minutes. (See notes on baking).
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes to set up before serving. Place all the Salad Ingredients (excluding the dressing) into a salad bowl, drizzle with the Oil Free Vegan Cheeseburger Salad Dressing. Top with some warm mini burgers, toss and serve.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 4
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I had this for dinner tonight. It was delicious.
Hi there Marilyn 🙂
YAYYYYY!!!! We are so happy that you gave this recipe a try! We are thrilled that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking time to write us an awesome review!
-Ameera and Robin
This was delicious! We lived the burgers very much and will use this recipe for regular sized burgers. The combination of the ingredients are perfect, really gives that deconstructed Whopper taste. Thank you!
Hi there Betty 🙂
WOOO HOOOOO!!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us an awesome review!
-Ameera and Robin
Well I couldn’t convince my non-wfpb hubbie that this was a cheeseburger, but he still ate it! Lol
I added some smashed roasted potatoes (’cause ya need fries with a cheeseburger!) ;o)
Great recipe idea!
Hi there Sandra 🙂
HAHAHA!!!! It’s the essence of a cheeseburger! Got a chuckle out of that! We are so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with us.
-Ameera and Robin
Even though I have made and truly enjoyed so many of your recipes, I was a little skeptical of this recipe. I was intrigued and decided to try it. I couldn’t believe the deliciousness! Super easy and yummy. My husband liked the mini burgers so much that he ate a couple more after he finished his salad. For me the salad dressing really made this salad amazing. Thank you! If you guys ever decide to open a restaurant, I’ll be visiting for sure. 🙂
Hi there Lori,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the awesome review. We appreciate your lovely words and support.
-Ameera and Robin