What is a veggie burger? To some people, it's something they put on a bun and use as a vehicle for ketchup, a pickle and onion. But is that all there is?
In fact, the term "veggie burger" means many things to many people. What do we expect of those veggies? And do we want a veggie burger to be as close as possible in looks and taste to a beef hamburger?
We tasted 10 different veggie burgers with expectations that were decidedly low, certain that a majority of these frozen, meat-free patties would be bland echoes of the meat burgers. We couldn't have been more wrong.
The first thing we learned: read the list of ingredients. If you want something that simply looks like a hamburger and has no taste of its own, then a list headed by soy is right for you. But if you want something that actually looks like the vegetables with which it is made, that has texture, taste and appeal, look for an ingredients list that has lots of vegetables and maybe a little rice or cheese as a binder.
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Time after time, when we took these burgers out of the oven or flipped them out of the frying pan they were good. Did they taste like a hamburger? No. Did they taste like a mushroom saute or a potato latke or a vegetable samosa? Yes. Would your kids want these on a bun with ketchup? No. Would you want one for a quick dinner? Maybe yes.
Here's another hint: Take a look at the burger pictured on the packaging. If it's dark brown and streaked with fake grill markets, be careful; it's probably trying too hard to be a "real" burger.
EXCEPTIONAL
DR. PRAEGER'S CALIFORNIA VEGGIE BURGER The packaging on this brand of "quality, sensible foods" includes so many health endorsem*nts that we figured the patty would be an utterly flavorless disk. But it was great. Think of a potato pancake with some peas and corn thrown in for good measure and you're close to the taste where, as the packaging brags, you really do "recognize all the ingredients." (About $4.50 per 11-ounce package.) Available at Giant.
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GARDENBURGER VEGGIE PATTIES One bite sent us straight to the ingredients list to find out if our taste buds were giving us the right signals -- and they were. A combination of mushrooms, onions, brown rice and mozzarella was exactly what we were tasting. A fine patty, but maybe not your choice if mushrooms aren't high on your favorite foods list. (About $3.70 per 10-ounce package.) Available at most supermarkets.
NATURAL TOUCH FROM MORNINGSTAR GARDEN VEGGIE PATTIE Going into the oven, this one looked like a flattened piece of carrot cake, complete with raisin-looking dots that turned out to be bits of mushroom and black olive. Thirteen minutes later, we cut into a patty that was long on moisture and texture, with a taste that was first-rate. A winner. (About $3.70 per 9.5-ounce package.) Available at Fresh Fields.
ACCEPTABLE
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BOCCA GARDEN VEGETABLE BURGERS Look past the fake grill marks and you'll find a burger with a nice texture and a peppery taste. (About $4 per 10-ounce package.) Available at most supermarkets.
DR. PRAEGER'S VEGGIE ROYALE Chutney would be the perfect condiment for this burger, which tastes a lot like an Indian samosa. We loved the complicated spiciness -- as opposed to the singular pepper taste so common with other brands -- but weren't crazy about the texture, which was a little mushy. Overall, though, a decent, healthful alternative. (About $4.50 per 11-ounce package.) Available at Giant.
TRADER JOE'S BURGER CHAMPIGNON If your French extends to knowing that champignon means mushroom, then you'll have an essential clue to the taste of this burger. In other words, if you hate mushrooms, stay away. We loved the bits of melted cheese within this well-priced choice, but found the patty itself a little anemic-looking. (About $2.50 per 10-ounce package.) Available at Trader Joe's.
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TRADER JOE'S NIRVANA VEGETABLE BURGERS We had our doubts when we opened this package and found four rock-hard disks knocking around without benefit of cellophane wrapping; ice crystals had already formed on the outside of each patty. But the finished product was pretty good -- a lot like the vegetable-packed patties from Dr. Praeger. (About $3.50 per 13.5-ounce package.) Available at Trader Joe's.
UNACCEPTABLE
AMY'S ALL AMERICAN BURGER This burger was trying so hard to look like beef that we somehow knew it wouldn't taste good, and it didn't. Even an abundance of pepper and spices couldn't disguise this patty's blandness. (About $3.50 per 10-ounce package.) Available at Fresh Fields.
MORNINGSTAR HARVEST BURGERS The package boasts that each patty delivers 18 grams of soy protein but, surely, there's a better way to load up on soy. These greasy little burgers, which have the texture of a pencil eraser, are just awful. (About $3.70 per 12.8-ounce burger.) Available at most supermarkets.
365 MEAT FREE GOURMET BURGER We promise: it wasn't this patty's resemblance to a cellophane-wrapped Gaines Burger that led us to give it a thumbs down. The taste and texture took care of that. The worst of all 10, easily. (About $2.50 per 10-ounce package) Available at Fresh Fields.
