Food Recipes Dinner Vegetarian Main Course Ultimate Veggie Burgers 3.8 (6) 6 Reviews These veggie burgers hit every satisfying, savory note with a hearty mix of pearl barley, chickpeas, mushrooms, and crispy panko. For the sturdiest patties, evenly distribute the panko by stirring the patty mixture until very well-combined. By Kelsey Jane Youngman Kelsey Jane Youngman Kelsey Jane Youngman is a New York–based cook, baker, writer, and editor for Food & Wine with over 7 years of experience in food media. Kelsey has developed recipes, worked in culinary production, starred in cooking videos, and baked cookies for Cookie Monster.Expertise: recipe development, cooking, baking, food styling.Experience: Kelsey Jane Youngman has spent her life in kitchens, and began her professional training at the San Francisco Cooking School before moving to New York City to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute. She completed an externship in the Good Housekeeping test kitchen and cooked on the line at several city restaurants before joining Food & Wine's test kitchen editorial team. There, Kelsey has managed the kitchens, tested and developed recipes, written feature stories, worked as a culinary producer on multiple video series, and starred in her own series, "The Best Way," as well as several episodes of "F&W Cooks." Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 23, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Servings: 8 Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 4 cup water 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/3 cup uncooked pearl barley, rinsed 1 dried bay leaf 1 pound fresh button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup) 2 small beets, peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup) 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup gluten-free panko (such as 4C Gluten Free Panko Plain Bread Crumbs) or regular panko 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon whole-grain or Dijon mustard Toasted hamburger buns, vegan mayonnaise, butter lettuce, pickles, sliced red onion, sliced tomato, and vegan cheese, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add barley and bay leaf; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, undisturbed, until barley is al dente, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain well, and transfer to a large bowl; remove and discard bay leaf. Let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. While barley cooks, toss together mushrooms, tamari, 2 tablespoons oil, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt on a large rimmed baking sheet; spread in an even layer. Place garlic head halves on a sheet of aluminum foil, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Tightly wrap foil around garlic, and place on baking sheet next to mushrooms. Roast in preheated oven until mushrooms are browned and beginning to dry out, about 40 minutes, stirring twice during cook time. Remove from oven; let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. (Do not turn oven off.) Remove and discard foil from garlic; squeeze garlic cloves from skins, and set aside. Discard garlic skins. Transfer cooled barley to a food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, about 15 pulses. Transfer to a large bowl; add carrots, beets, cumin, and paprika. Transfer roasted mushrooms to food processor; pulse until finely chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer mushrooms to barley mixture. Add chickpeas to food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer 1 cup chopped chickpeas to barley mixture. Add roasted garlic cloves to remaining chickpeas in food processor; process until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer chickpea-garlic mixture to barley mixture. Add panko, walnuts, and mustard to barley mixture, and stir until well combined. Shape mixture into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) patties (about 1/2 cup each). Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add 4 patties; cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer seared patties to a large baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining 4 patties. Bake patties at 400°F until tops and sides are crispy, about 10 minutes. Serve on buns with mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles, red onion, tomato, and vegan cheese, if desired. Make Ahead Patties can be frozen up to 1 month. Thaw frozen patties overnight in refrigerator before cooking. Note Barley contains low levels of gluten. Suggested Pairing Juicy, berry-scented rosé: Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Originally appeared: August 2021 Rate It Print