I grew up eating these Soy Burgers also known as soy patties. These vegan burgers are the best way for non-meat eaters to add protein to their diet.
When I attended elementary public school, the ground beef burger had added soy protein to them. I'm not sure the reason they did that other than to maybe save money, but in all honesty, I preferred the soy beef burger to the full beef burger!
I have never been much of a meat eater. So, when one of the ladies in our church brought these plant-based burgers to potluck, I fell in love with them. I loved the flavor and the crispy edges around the outside of the patties and have enjoyed this simple recipe for over 40 years now!
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Why You'll Love Soy Burgers
Meat substitutes: these soybean burgers are an alternate way to get protein in your diet without animal protein.
Mealtime variety: If you are a meat eater, these meatless burgers are a great way to enjoy Meatless Monday.
Health benefits: soy beans are high in dietary fiber and protein, low in saturated fat, high in omega-3s.
🥘 Ingredients for Soy Burgers
This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card below for amounts and instructions.
- Soybeans
- Whole oats
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- Italian seasoning
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Grind soybeans, olive oil, soy sauce, seasonings, and nutritional yeast until well combined.
- Step 2: Transfer soybean mixture to a bowl and add oatmeal. Allow to rest 15 minutes.
- Step 3: Shape soybean mixture into patties and fry in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown.
- Step 4: Flip patties and continue to cook until mixture is cooked through and bottom side is golden.
- Place dried soybeans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside and allow beans to soak up to 6 hours. Drain water from soybeans and place soybeans in a heavy duty blender or food processor. Add the water, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Grind soybean mixture until desired consistency, scraping the sides of the blender down periodically. Transfer soybean mixture to a large bowl and stir in oatmeal. Set for 15 minutes, allowing mixture to thicken.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Scoop ¼ cup of soybean mixture into skillet and flatten out into a ½ inch thick patty. Reduce heat to medium low and fry soy burgers until golden brown on the bottom and burger has begun to set on the top, about 10 minutes.
- Carefully flip burger patties over and continue to cook for 10 minutes, until patties are firm and golden brown on both sides.
📖 Variations and Substitutions
Bean substitutions: feel free to substitute other dried beans such as great northern, pinto, or black beans. If doing so, keep in mind, soybeans have higher protein counts than many other dried beans and your protein information will change.
Veggie additions: add some shredded carrot, diced red bell pepper, grated onion, or chopped mushrooms to the burger mixture.
Flavor boosters: use different flavorings like old bay seasoning, veggie bouillon, cajun seasoning, or taco seasoning.
🥫Storage
Store any leftover soy burgers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Tip
- If you like a little more texture to your soybean patties, when grinding the soybeans, use a food processor and just hit the pulse button until you reach the desired consistency.
🙋 Things to Know
- Oatmeal is a binder in this recipe. It works with the starch from the ground beans and water to thicken the burger mixture making it easy to hold its shape.
- White or brown rice can not be substituted for oatmeal.
- The soy sauce adds sodium to these patties. I recommend tasting the burger mixture before cooking to see i you need to add salt. I did need to add a teaspoon of salt to mine but it is optional.
- If you want to boost the fiber count, stir in a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed.
Baked Soy Burgers
If you prefer to not fry your soy burgers, you can bake them by doing the following:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line baking sheet with a silpat (silicone baking mat) and place burger mixture on baking sheet, flattening the patty to burger shape and leaving the patty about ½ inch thick.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet and carefully flip soy burgers over. Return to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes, until patties are cooked through.
- Please note if baking, I do not recommend parchment paper for lining the baking sheet. The burger mixture is wet and will get the parchment paper wet as well, making them a mess to deal with in the oven.
Serve with...
Serve soy burgers with a side of vegetarian stuffed mushrooms and air fryer green beans.
📚 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Soy Burgers
Equipment
- Blender , or food processor
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Ingredients
- 2 cups dried soybeans
- 1¼ cups whole oats
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt optional (to taste)
- Olive oil , for frying
Instructions
- Place dried soybeans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside and allow beans to soak up to 6 hours.
- Drain water from soybeans and place soybeans in a heavy duty blender or food processor. Add the water, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Grind soybean mixture until desired consistency, scraping the sides of the blender down periodically. Transfer soybean mixture to a large bowl and stir in oatmeal. Set for 15 minutes, allowing mixture to thicken.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Scoop ¼ cup of soybean mixture into skillet and flatten out into a ½ inch thick patty.
- Reduce heat to medium low and fry soy burgers until golden brown on the bottom and burger has begun to set on the top, about 10 minutes.
- Carefully flip burger patties over and continue to cook for 10 minutes, until patties are firm and golden brown on both sides.
Cynthia Tripp says
I am very interested in this recipe. I used one like it 50 years ago and gradually stopped using it. Forgot about it until now. So we made it today. I like the texture and flavor was good. We added a ton more seasoning and it’s still plain. I will be working on it! Good possibilities and good protein value.
martha says
I love this recipe! i used fresh onion and garlic and added fresh chopped parsley. just delicious!! thank you for this great recipe!!
Teresa B. says
I agree with your preference for the soybean burgers we were served in elementary school. I loved them. I've also never found a recipe to replicate that meaty taste and texture. I'm not a fan of spicy food, so I'm eager to find something bland yet tasty.
I'm not terribly interested in adding the Italian seasoning you suggest or even the soy sauce. I think I'll just stick to salt, pepper and onion powder. I appreciate your processing instructions, however.