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    Home ▸ Vegan Main Dishes

    Butternut Squash Apple Burgers

    Last modified: October 5, 2022. Originally posted: October 25, 2018 By Sophia DeSantis

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Butternut squash burgers made with 7 ingredients and as easy as roast, pulse, shape and cook! Switch up your regular burger with this flavor bomb of fall. #veganburger #fallrecipes #glutenfree #plantbased

    Butternut squash burgers made with 7 ingredients and as easy as roast, pulse, shape and cook! Switch up your regular burger routine with this flavor bomb of fall flavors. Mix and match the toppings for your favorite combos every time.

    Front view of butternut squash burger on a pretzel roll with ranch, caramelized onions and lettuce

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    There is nothing like a burger and fries, but the best part about veggie burgers is that you can mix up the flavors so easily. As you can see in my cookbook, Vegan Burgers and Burritos, there is no stopping with the flavor combinations! I literally have 27 burger recipes in it!

    This burger is similar to the autumn burger in my book, but with a few slight differences. So for those of you who don't have it, it's a little sneak peek at what you will see there. If you enjoy the recipe, I'd love it if you bought the book and checked out all the other recipes!

    I usually keep my burgers pretty simple, roast some veggies or cook rice if needed, pulse in a food processor, shape and cook. They all freeze well and keep in the fridge so prepping them before the day you need them is key to a fast dinner.

    Hand holding a butternut squash burger on a pretzel bun with onions, lettuce and ranch

    This butternut squash burger is customizable and so flavorful on it's own, you don't even need much. You can eat it in a bun, or even with a lettuce wrap or on a salad. Drizzle on a bit of dressing, side of baked fries and you're good to go!

    You can also pair it with the avocado and kale salad for a whole well rounded meal!

    How to make easy butternut squash burgers

    Although there is some cooking time involved here, the active prep part is quick and easy. Prep the day before and take all the manual labor out of dinner for a smooth meal time.

    1. Roast veggies and cook rice. Collage of roasted butternut squash and apples and cooked wild rice
    2. Pulse veggies and then rice in the food processor. Collage of butternut squash mix and wild rice mix in food processors.
    3. Mix together using your hands and shape into patties. Raw butternut squash and wild rice burger patties on a wooden surface
    4. Cook and top with all the things! Top view of open faced butternut squash burger on a while plate

    More Vegan Burgers and Sandwiches You Might Like

    • Low Fat Gluten Free Black Bean Burgers
    • Down Home BBQ Burger
    • The Ultimate Mexican Nacho Burger
    • Buffalo Wing Sliders
    • Sweet and Spicy Black Bean Burgers
    • Buffalo Chickpea Burgers

    This recipe was originally posted in October of 2015.

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    Front view of butternut squash burger on a pretzel roll with ranch, caramelized onions and lettuce

    Butternut Squash Apple Burgers

    Sophia DeSantis
    Butternut squash burgers made with 7 ingredients and as easy as roast, pulse, shape and cook! Switch up your regular burger with this flavor bomb of fall.
    4.67 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 250 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups cooked rice (I use brown or a wild blend) , about 1 cup dry (cook according to package directions)
    • 1 ½ cups diced butternut squash , about half of one small sized squash
    • ½ cup chopped shallots
    • 1 cup diced granny smith apples , about one small apple
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt , divided
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
    • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds , unsalted or adjust salt

    Serving suggestions:

    • Caramelized Onion Sage Aioli
    • Vegan Ranch Dressing
    • Caramelized onions
    • lettuce or arugula
    • burger buns , I used pretzel rolls

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 400F/ 205 C. 
    • Place diced squash on a parchment lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt and bake for 15 minutes. 
    • At the 15 minute mark, add apples and shallots to the cookie sheet and sprinkle with the other ⅛ teaspoon salt. Bake another 30 minutes. Set aside to cool while you assemble everything else.
    • Put the veggie mix in a food processor with the thyme and pulse until chunky. Do not puree into a mush or paste. Add to a large bowl.
    • Next add the cooked rice and pumpkin seeds to the food processor and pulse until chopped a bit but still chunky. Add to the bowl.
    • Mix everything well. Add more salt if preferred. 
    • Shape into 4 patties, then cook on stove top in a pan over medium heat for 7-9 minutes on each side or until browned. Keep pan covered to help the burger cook throughout and not dry out. If you're mixture was on the wetter side, then leave uncovered. Let sit for a few minutes after cooking to help the burger get more stable before eating.
    • Serve with toppings of choice!

    Notes

    • You can use any rice you prefer, just make sure it's hearty and not too mushy.
    • If you want to roast the squash/apples/shallots with a drizzle of oil you can, however I did not and it turned out great.
    • I like these with both the aioli or the ranch with caramelized onions on top. Mix it up however you choose!
    • If your mixture seems dry, you make not have cooked the rice enough. If it is too wet, you probably overcooked the rice or used too much water to cook it. 
    Tips to prep ahead:
    • Roast the veggies/fruit, make the rice and/or sauces ahead of time.  You can also make the patties and store in the fridge until the next day.
    Baby/Kid Food Ideas:
    • Form these into small nugget sized pieces or even balls. Serve ranch as a dip.

    Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 269mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5680IUVitamin C: 15.3mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1.1mg

    Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

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    1. Crystal

      May 29, 2021 at 9:54 am

      I know I’m late to the game (this post is from 2015) but I had to say how much we loved these. I’ve made them twice now and wonderful both times. I topped them with Brie cheese (somewhat melted), carmelizef onion and and a touch of bourbon peach jam (on brioche bun). Divine. I was dreaming about them the next day. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        May 29, 2021 at 3:13 pm

        Thank you so much for letting me know Crystal! That all sounds amazing!

        Reply
    2. Amanda

      November 07, 2019 at 6:07 pm

      Can I freeze these? I have to make these ahead of time and freeze them because I’m leaving for 4 days and want my ingredients to go bad.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        November 07, 2019 at 8:38 pm

        Hi Amanda! Yes, you can. You can freeze them before you cook them or after. If you freeze them before you may have to shape them back up a bit once they defrost. Either way wrap in plastic, then foil and then store in an airtight container.

        Reply
    3. Cynthia A Robinson

      July 24, 2019 at 5:46 am

      Love this recipe because of adding the apple, have not tried it because I don't eat grains... they seriously make me bloat. So... asking... what would you suggest in place of?
      Please note... I am on Keto so that makes a HUGE difference I know!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        July 24, 2019 at 9:24 pm

        Hi Cynthia! The rice is what keeps this together and gives it texture. Taking it out would really change the recipe especially because you don't eat grains. You could try quinoa (it's considered a pseudograin) but not sure how texture would be. I don't know much about Keto and what's allowed. So sorry!

        Reply
      • Pauline

        July 28, 2019 at 4:09 am

        I used chickpea instead of rice as have effect. I also threw in some sweet potato it was great. Served with camerlised onion hummus, Delia Smith’s cheat camerlised onion & either sour cream or creme Fraise if not vegan ☺️

        Reply
        • veggiesdontbite

          July 30, 2019 at 3:15 pm

          Glad you liked them Pauline!

    4. Sharoyn

      January 02, 2019 at 3:57 pm

      Have you tried scrambling the mixture instead of forming into patties? I was wondering about how this would do as a yummy substitute for ground beef for tacos and such?

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        January 02, 2019 at 10:47 pm

        Hi Sharoyn! I haven't tried that but I bet it would be delish!

        Reply
    5. Grant

      December 23, 2018 at 9:57 am

      Amazing, delicious patties.

      I used a mix of seven grains (emmer, barley, durum wheat, buckwheat, red rice, black rice and oats) plus toasted sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and because the mixture was a little loose I bound it with some gram (chickpea) flour.

      They cooked up a dream in a fry pan with a little rapeseed oil, lovely and crunchy on the outside but moist (not mushy) on the inside. A real variety of textures and perfect flavour from the roasted butternut squash, apple (I used Russet rather than Golden Delicious) and red onion (rather than shallots).

      Thank you for the great recipe, it will definitely be used again and again.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        December 23, 2018 at 3:30 pm

        Thank you so much Grant! I am so happy you liked the recipe. And I really appreciate the great review!

        Reply
    6. Elizabeth

      November 06, 2018 at 4:57 pm

      These look amazing1 Going to have to try them I think. 🙂

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        November 07, 2018 at 11:09 pm

        Thank you Elizabeth! Let me know if you do!

        Reply
    7. Laura

      November 03, 2018 at 5:42 pm

      The flavor on these was awesome! So tasty on toasted sourdough with caramelized onions aoli. My mix was super dry and there was no way it would form patties so I added a flax egg. It helped but they were still pretty crumbly so I guess next time I'll try cooking my rice longer? Or adding more flax egg.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        November 03, 2018 at 10:41 pm

        Hi Laura! So happy you liked them! I love sourdough so I bet it was amazing. Yes, I am guessing your mix was dry because you didn't cook the rice long enough and didn't have enough liquid. I'm curious what kind of rice you used? Long grain rice is more al dente and not as chewy as short grain, so it may not hold together as well. Also, your butternut should be roasted well enough to blend a bit in the food processor and help keep the burgers together. You can definitely use a flax egg if you want!

        Reply
    8. Samantha Cabaluna

      October 31, 2018 at 8:29 am

      I made these last night — wow! Simple and divine. I did do the veggie and apple roasting in advance, which males these super quick from pulsing to chowing. 😊 My husband and I devoured them. Probably the best homemade veggie burger I have ever had. I used red rice and we ate them on our burger bun of choice — english muffins. If you haven’t tried that, I recommend it. Texture and bread ratio is ideal. Thanks!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        October 31, 2018 at 11:02 am

        Thank you so so much Samantha! Yes! I too prep the dat before to make them quick and easy the day I want to eat them. It does take some time to roast all those yummy veggies, and roasting really does bring out the best flavor. But it's a good thing I can get a lot of other stuff done while the oven takes care of that! I am LOVING the idea of the English muffin. Totally trying that next time!

        Reply
    9. Tami

      October 30, 2018 at 6:02 pm

      So I saw this recipe and thought how good it sounded. It was - but so time consuming that I wouldn’t try to make it again. Too bad, as my husband really liked it and getting him to eat vegan is a miracle! I just added chopped garlic to regular mayo to save time.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        October 31, 2018 at 11:00 am

        Hi Tami, I am happy to hear how much your husband liked the recipe. As mentioned in the recipe, it does take about an hour cooking time. Unavoidable as you need to roast the veggies that go in it. I (along with a bunch of others that have made this) like to roast the veggies and cook the rice the day before (and even prep any toppings you like to use), this helps with keeping them pretty quick the day you make them. Unfortunately some delicious recipes do take longer to make!

        Reply
    10. Cassie Thuvan Tran

      October 30, 2018 at 8:29 am

      I love a deliciously flavorful veggie patty that contains all types of various veggies and ingredients. I never really had a burger that was mainly composed of rice, but hey, I'm down to try new things! Combining butternut squash and apples sounds remarkable--I'd totally pair them with barbecue sauce and caramelized onions!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        October 31, 2018 at 10:52 am

        Thank you so much Cassie! I love the idea of the bbq sauce!!

        Reply
    11. The Vegan 8

      October 27, 2018 at 8:41 pm

      I love this recipe of yours girl and totally need to try them! I love how hearty the texture looks and on a pretzel bun?? I know these babies are good! My mouth is watering!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        October 28, 2018 at 8:37 pm

        Thanks so much! Pretzel buns are so so yum!

        Reply
    12. Emily Kemp

      August 28, 2018 at 9:05 am

      These look so delicious, I can't think of a better burger to celebrate Autumn!

      Reply
    13. Wendy

      August 10, 2018 at 7:04 am

      Can I substitute quinoa for the rice? Should the measure be adjusted

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        August 11, 2018 at 9:21 am

        Hi Wendy! I wouldn’t suggest using quinoa as the texture will be much different. Quinoa tends to be really mushy in burgers and it takes a lot of trial and error to get that right texture with quinoa. You’re welcome to experiment but I’d definitely reduce the liquid a bit to start.

        Reply
    14. Allison

      October 14, 2016 at 12:51 pm

      Just curious, how well do these freeze? I live alone and don't want to eat the same thing for multiple meals in a row

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        October 15, 2016 at 12:48 pm

        Hi Allison! They do freeze. The only thing would be that when they defrost they have a little more moisture from the freezing so texture may be affected a bit but other than that they are great! I would wrap them well with saran wrap, parchment and/or tin foil! put in a freezer safe container too.

        Reply
    15. Clara

      March 28, 2016 at 10:02 am

      I've only been vegan three months and have tried several bean burger receives,all have ended up really dry,well these.....are amazing,so moist and easy to make. All my family loved them. Yummy ?X

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        March 28, 2016 at 10:25 pm

        Thank you so much Clara!! I so appreciate you telling me! And I am so happy you loved them!

        Reply
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