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These vegan pumpkin burgers are packed with hearty pecans, toasty spices, and topped of with creamy hummus and a dollop of apple relish!
I’m my family’s trusted vegan burger provider for summer gatherings. We’ve got plenty of plant-based eaters at this point, and what is a summer gathering without a good veggie burger? My black bean burgers, Greek chickpea burgers, and zesty lentil burgers are all in heavy rotation at cookouts through the warmer months.
But alas, summer is over, as is burger season. Not. There’s always room in my heart for a good old veggie burger, regardless of the time of year! So now that we’re into fall, I went and reimagined the trustee veggie burger, and totally fall-ified it. I also invented the verb “fall-ify.” I’m on quite a roll.
Pumpkin is basically the ultimate fall recipe ingredient, so I created a vegan pumpkin burger recipe for the autumn months. We’re also including some beans (for binding), pecans, for texture, and a mix of warming spices in these savory burgers.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Cannellini beans. Cannellini beans have a nice mellow flavor and smooth texture, making them great for pumpkin burgers. Having said that, you could substitute another type of bean, such as black beans, chickpeas, or red kidney beans.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Need a gluten-free alternative? Try oat flour.
- Pumpkin puree. Don’t confuse this with pumpkin pie filling, which is sweet. You just want regular old canned pumpkin for these burgers. Or fresh! If you want to use fresh pumpkin, you’ll need to cook and puree it. Try this homemade pumpkin puree recipe.
- Pecans. Pecans add texture to our burgers, and they go great with pumpkin. You can absolutely substitute a similar nut though, such as walnuts or hazelnuts.
- Spices. We’re using a warming spice blend of cumin, cinnamon and ginger.
- Salt and pepper.
- Vegetable oil.
- Apples. You can use pretty much any variety of apple for the relish. I’m particularly fond of Granny Smith for a touch of zing!
- Red onion.
- Fresh cilantro. You can leave this out if you’re not a fan.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Lettuce.
- Hummus. We’re slathering hummus on our burger buns. You can use just about any variety, but I’m particularly fond of my roasted garlic hummus or roasted red pepper hummus on these burgers.
How They’re Made
These pumpkin burgers are super easy to make.
- Place all of the burger ingredients into a food processor bowl: onion, garlic, beans, pumpkin puree, pecans, spices, salt and pepper.
- Shape the mixture into patties and grill them in a lightly oiled skillet.
- Combine the relish ingredients: diced apple, red onion, chopped cilantro, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Slather burger buns with hummus and stuff them with the patties. Top the patties with lettuce leaves and relish. Dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover pumpkin burger patties will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The apple relish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Meal-Prep Tips
- The burger mixture can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. On the day of serving, thaw the mixture (if frozen), shape into patties and cook them according to the recipe.
- The apple relish can be mixed in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
