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Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking + A Cookbook Giveaway!

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If this vegan simple korean kimchi BBQ burger isn’t a delicious plant-powered burger, I don’t know what is…

Vegan Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers

This tall stack of saucy goodness is the Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burger from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by Annie and Dan Shannon. They’re also the brilliant and compassionate minds behind the vegan blog Meet the Shannons.

Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking contains over 200 thoughtfully-crafted vegan recipes, each equipped with a price estimate per meal as well as creative ways to repurpose leftover ingredients to get the most bang for your buck. Besides these burgers, which I already know I’ll be making again and again, I’m looking forward to trying the Butternut Squash and Beer Poutine Party (Beer Poutine Party?? Can I come?), Chai Spice Cheesecake, and Ginger Plum Oatmeal… and about 196+ other recipes in the book.

Annie and Dan’s lighthearted charm and wit is woven throughout each recipe in a way that feels as if a longtime friend is standing beside me in the kitchen, both guiding my (sometimes clumsy) culinary craft and entertaining my spirit. I literally laughed out loud at a point in the kimchi burger recipe when you’re instructed to mix the burger “meat” with you hands, because just as I winced at the thought of manually combining veggie protein, molasses, and the like with my hands, I read the next line in the recipe…

“The molasses is really sticky, so this is kind of messy and weird, but it’s totally worth it. Promise.”

Dang, they’re good. Providing that nudge of encouragement just when I was about to break the rules and bust out my mixing spoon.

Annie and Dan, you in here?

Wherever they are, they clearly know what they’re talking about, because that burger up there? It was effortless to make and came together in under 30 minutes. The recipe actually makes 4 burgers, but they looked and smelled so good that one of them didn’t survive the 30-foot journey from kitchen to makeshift photography studio (aka the guest bedroom). And then there were three…

Vegan Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers

These Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers are hearty, tangy, and offer just the right amount of kick from a drizzle of sriracha that gets folded into the homemade BBQ sauce. Trust me when I say that they’re even better than they look and rank within the top 3 best vegan burgers I’ve ever eaten. Yes, that good.

Be sure to checkout the recipe for the burgers below and scroll down to the very end of this post for a chance to win a copy of Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking, which is also available for purchase here.

Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking

Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking

Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking
4.67 from 3 votes
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Simple Korean Kimchi BBQ Burgers

MAKES 4 BURGERS $2.68 PER SERVING Years ago, I had a vegan Korean BBQ burrito in Los Angeles. The burrito had jackfruit to replace the steak, and I still think about it when I’m figuring out what to have for lunch. Jackfruit is pretty pricey and hard to come by in Brooklyn, but whenever I get nostalgic for that burrito, I make these spectacular burgers. They combine the signature sweet Korean BBQ sauce with a “beefy” veggie burger and spicy kimchi (a sort of hot Korean sauerkraut usually made with napa cabbage, radishes, and green onions) to create a dinner just as good as those burritos. Plus, you’ll hopefully have some leftover kimchi as a side for lunch the next day.

Course Burger
Servings 4 burgers
Author Annie and Dan Shannon | Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking

Ingredients

Burger

  • 2 cups Lightlife Gimme Lean Burger or Match Vegan Meats Burger
  • 1 green onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
  • ½ teaspoon ginger paste
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • Dash of vegan liquid smoke
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

BBQ Sauce

  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • Dash of vegan liquid smoke
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha or Thai chili sauce
  • ¼ cup applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons agave nectar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger paste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

To Assemble:

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
  • 1 cup vegan kimchi (read labels to make sure yours is vegan; some contain fish sauce)

Instructions

  1. Make the burger: In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the vegan beef, green onion, molasses, ginger paste, soy sauce, vegan liquid smoke, onion powder, and garlic until blended. The molasses is really sticky, so this is kind of messy and weird, but it’s totally worth it. Promise.
  2. Form the mixture into 4 patties about the size of your hand. Place them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all the BBQ sauce ingredients. Set aside.
  4. In a cast-iron skillet or frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the burgers until lightly crispy around the edges, then reduce the heat to low and brush the burgers with BBQ sauce. Flip and coat the burgers a few times to get a nice saucy patty, but watch out for the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining burgers, adding the remaining oil after the first batch.
  5. Toast the burger buns while the burger patties are cooking.
  6. Serve each burger in a toasted bun with lots of kimchi on top.

Recipe Notes

*Adjustments: I omitted the liquid smoke because I didn't have it, used pure maple syrup instead of agave, and used whole wheat pretzel buns.
Excerpted from the book MASTERING THE ART OF VEGAN COOKING by Annie and Dan Shannon. © 2015 by Annie and Dan Shannon. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Life and Style. All rights reserved.

Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking Giveaway

One winner will receive a copy of Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking. For a chance to win, simply enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below and comment on this post between June 26th and July 10th. Please note: this giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada.

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Comments

  5. I love all the creative recipes and beautiful pictures on your blog! Thank you for all sharing! Thanks also for the giveaway.

    Reply

  7. That “burger” looks delicious. I would love to win the book. I’m still trying to win over the rest of my family to go meatless. I think they would enjoy these. Thanks for the give away.

    Reply

  8. These look delicious! I think I found my 4th of July BBQ meal for the family! Great giveaway too!

    Reply

  12. My husband and I are on a pretty tight budget. I like the fact that this book breaks down the cost of the meals. Also, it’s very cool the way they give options for utilizing leftovers.

    Reply

  13. I’ve pretty much ‘mastered’ vegetarian cooking. Due to recent changes in my family circumstances, I am trying to eat only plant based foods, so I need help to arrive at my ‘destination’.

    Reply

  15. I just became a stay at home mom this past Monday (terrifying) and we are sacrificing over half of our income by doing that. The subtitle stating “tips to save you money” hit me right where my heart is. Also, one of the most exciting parts of me making this transition is that I can finally be in full control of my children’s diets for now (instead of worrying that daycare is bypassing the healthy packed lunches… Again). This cookbook would be an amazing guide and motivation to shop smart in our new lifestyle, but still for the best benefit of my family’s health! And in the style I’m attracted to:)

    Reply

  29. We became vegan in February, so I’m interested in any information on vegan cooking that I can get my hands on!

    Reply

  34. Wow, that does sound and look absolutely delicious! Also a vegan cook book would be a really nice summer read… ;)

    Reply

  37. i would LOVE to win because although i do enjoy cooking and am trying to work towards a vegan lifestyle (right now we eat vegan maybe 4 or 5 nights of the week) i need help/inspiration getting there! with being a new mom i don’t have a lot of time to open up my laptop and browse blogs/pinterest for recipes. this would really come in handy i think :)

    Reply

    • You’re right — they are pretzel buns! Their recipe calls for whole wheat buns, but I used pretzel because that’s what I had on hand. No bun recipes in the book from what I can recall.

      Reply

  42. This looks super yummy, however I would recommend homemade kimchi (pretty easy to make with some planning) and also instead of the hot sauces suggested using the korean gochujang. The korean version is, in my opinion, much better and totally characteristic of korean cuisine. The pepper is not too spicy but it also has a deep, rich, sweet flavor profile. Def worth a trip to the korean market!

    Reply

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