QuickTake
Here are 15 of our favorite healthy toppings for veggie burgers.The verdict is in, our Mama’s Burgers rock. How do we know? Well, we have taste buds.And whilethese vegan burgers are delicious on their own, we love to dress them up, too.
If you’re new to whole food plant-based eating, you might be wonderingwhat to put on your veggie burger without using cheese and sugary processed sauces. Start with our whole food plant-based (no refined sugar) Original BBQ Sauce.(Seriously, you won't miss the sugary stuff.)
Then gourmet it up with the surprising list below for best toppings for veggie burgers (and all these options are 100 percent vegan!):
Feeling gourmet? Make your burger sing with 15 of our favorite veggie burger toppings:
1. Grilled tomatoes
Yes, lettuce and tomato are the classic veggie burgertoppings of yore, but it’s 2021. Time for an upgrade! The simple act of grilling your sliced tomatoes will bring your cookout to the next level, we promise.
How to grill tomatoes without oil:
Slice tomatoes and toss in veggie broth or balsamic vinegar and your favorite no-salt seasonings.
Grill dry! You can toss them in the marinade after grilling. Seriously, try it!
2. Easy homemade pickles
A great way to “gourmet up" any plant-based sandwich, but we’re especially keen on adding homemade quick pickles to burgers. Crunchy, zesty, and so easy, they make a refreshing veggie burger topping.
To quickly pickle cucumbers:
- Slice a cucumber and soak in the vinegar of choice (balsamic or apple cider are both awesome choices).
- Add a ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Store in a mason jar in the fridge.
3. Easy homemade pickled red onions
Another upgrade on a classic veggie burger topping, pickled red onions are both sweet and tangy, and keep much longer in the fridge than regular old raw onion slices.
To pickle red onion
- Slice up a red onion and toss in a wide-mouthed mason jar.
- Pour 1 ½ cups of vinegar of choice (apple cider works great here, too).
- Let them pickle in the fridge for at least a day.
4. Portobello mushrooms
Portobello mushroom burgers are a delicious plant-based meal, in and of itself, but we say go big or go home! Make it a double-decker and top your veggie burgers with hearty grilled Portobello.
To grill Portobello mushrooms:
- Marinate mushrooms for at least 30 minutes in equal parts Tamari and whole food plant-based sweetener of choice (we love date syrup), plus a little garlic powder and ginger powder. (You can definitely omit sweetener if you prefer a less sweet marinade.)
- Take mushrooms out of liquid and place on heated grill to grill each side for 4-5 minutes.
- Use leftover marinara to brush on as you grill.
5. Sliced avocado
Is there anything a sliced avocado can’t make tasty? We don't think so either. Make sure you grab a ripe one with our guide tofinding the perfect avocadohere.
Want to jazz it up? Try "frying" your avocado with this oil-free fried avocado recipe.
6. Roasted and sliced Brussels sprouts
To roast Brussels sprouts:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse, remove the outer leaves, chop off the stem, then halve your Brussels.
- Space them out evenly on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and roast for 15 minutes.
- Flip then roast for another 15 minutes.
- Toss roasted Brussels sprouts in a splash of balsamic vinegar for a sweet zip then top that veggie burger!
7. Homemade no B.S. (you know bad stuff) oil-free dressings and condiments
Burgers and condiments go hand in hand but store-bought ketchup andBBQ sauces are often laden with processed sugar and oil, among other things. We’re happy to report some of our favorite creamy oil-free dressings double nicely as burger condiments! Grabthe ultimate guide to oil-free salad dressings and sauces here.
8. Mango salsa
Image from MyPlantBasedFamily.com
Get tropical with mango salsa! You can sometimes find sugar-free versions at the grocery store but making your own is quick and easy with this yummy mango salsa recipe.
9. Fresh baby spinach
Lettuce us tell you a secret; it’s time to ditch the iceberg. Go for fresh baby spinach instead for a nutrient-packed upgrade. Worried it’s a little "too green" for your burger? Spinach is mild as all get-out so it won’t overpower your meal, making it a great choice for plant-based beginners. Plus, it goes well with all the other vegan burger toppings on this list.
10. Sliced apple
An apple a day...you know the rest. Slice your apples thin and add to your burger in place of tomatoes for a healthy way to add texture. Pro tip: pair with caramelized onions and you’ve got yourself one rockin’ plant-based flavor explosion.
11. Fig Jam
Jam makes everything fancy. And we’re currently loving fig jam, especiallywhen it comes to vegetarian burger toppings! Figs have a sweet almost maple-like flavor, which means you don’t need to add sugar when making jam from this fruit. Here’s a quick and easy refinedsugar-free fig preserves recipeto whip up at home for your next veggie burger night.
12. Grilled pineapple
The ultimate secret weapon for your plant-based cookout? A grilled pineapple! This fruit can jazz up any salad, take your side dishes to the next level, or, you guessed it, make that veggie burger really sing!
To grill pineapple:
- Slice and core pineapple into rings.
- Heat up a grill pan and add pineapple rings.
- Grill on each side for 2-3 minutes, until you see some cool grill marks.
13. Hummus
Get Mediterranean inspired with your vegan burger toppings and spreadoil-free hummuson your 100% whole grain bun. Want to really run with this theme? Add a few tablespoons oftabouliand roasted red pepper, while you’re at it.
Key Takeaways
Whether you’re cooking up your own black bean burgers or dressing up ready-made Mama’s Burgers, the rightvegan burger topping can really up the ante. Keep these on hand for your next veggie burger night:
Grilled tomatoes or Portobello mushrooms
Pickled cucumbers or red onion
Sliced avocado
Oil-free condiments, dressing, hummus, or mango salsa
Healthy greens: baby spinach or roasted Brussels sprouts
Fruit: grilled pineapple, sliced apples, and sugar-free fig jam
By Ali Brown
Ali is a mom wife, and nutrition and lifestyle writer and editor, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.
