Veggies Don't Bite

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Butternut Squash Apple Burgers

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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

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 1/2 cups diced butternut squash , about half of one small sized squash
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  • 1 cup diced granny smith apples , about one small apple
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt , divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds , unsalted or adjust salt

Serving suggestions:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400F/ 205 C. 
  • Place diced squash on a parchment lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with 1/8 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 1/8 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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Comments

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Hi Sandy! Sorry your burgers stuck. I don’t use oil when cooking on my own pan because it isn’t needed with mine. I make sure to keep the pan covered like I say in the directions and don’t flip until brown. If I find that they are hard to flip I let them keep cooking. When they are done they should come up fairly easy. That being said, all pans are different. You can most definitely use a little oil to make it easier. It won’t hurt the taste of the burger. Hope it works better next time!! Let me know.

      Reply

      • Sandy says

        Thanks for the quick reply! I ended up using a non-stick pan at the low setting. I did keep them covered. I’m going to try to bake them next time.
        The kids liked them and that’s the best part!

      • veggiesdontbite says

        SO glad to hear the kids liked them! Isn’t that the best?? So, they stuck even in a non stick pan?? That’s ironic, lol! Yes, try baking them. I bake my burgers sometimes and they turn out pretty good. Put them on parchment if you don’t use oil, and try baking at 350 for 20 minutes on one side and another 10-15 on the other. Just keep checking them to make sure they don’t burn. Let me know how it works!

      • Bev says

        I made these in the oven . They were nice and firm but the taste was not very good. I only had frozen butternut squash and didn’t have pumpkin seeds ! I will try again with fresh!!! It worked fine in oven on parchment paper! Kinda tasteless!

      • veggiesdontbite says

        Hi Bev! I’m not sure why yours were tasteless if you followed all the directions. Was your frozen butternut already cooked? Roasting the veggies is key with flavor as it gives them an amazing taste as they roast. I’d definitely recommend fresh butternut squash and maybe a tad more salt? They have lots of flavor and have been made by readers with success.

  2. Cheryl says

    This recipe looks absolutely amazing! I am a huge fan of vegan burgers and I am always trying different ways to make them. The pictures are amazing!

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Thanks so much Cheryl! It’s a great burger. The flavors are truly unique for a burger so a nice alternative to the norm. We enjoy these every fall with all the fresh butternut squash and apples we find. Hope you like it!

      Reply

  3. Jenn says

    Dang, this looks so good! I love butternut squash and apples together. I have a soup with these flavors I’m planning to make soon. I definitely am going to try this burger and I just happen to have a squash on my counter right now! 🙂

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Thanks so much Jenn! The flavors are so good in it! I make them into sliders for fall parties too. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply

  4. Kristin says

    These look great and I can’t wait to try them!
    I have a pumpkin seed allergy. Can you suggest a substitution for the pumpkin seeds? Do you think sunflower seeds would work?

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Thank you so much Kristin! Yes, sunflower seeds would work just fine! It just adds an extra layer of texture so any seed that would do that will work. Let me know how they turn out! I love hearing follower feedback!

      Reply

  8. Kyra says

    Yum! Love the addition of granny smith apples! And the caramelized onion aioli – my mouth is watering already! Thanks for an awesome burger recipe 🙂

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Thank you!! Yes, I really try and use fresh local organic produce for my recipes. And fall is just so delicious! I’ve got a great fall soup and sandwich coming in the next few weeks and currently working on a baked pasta dish with some fall touches. Thanks for following!

      Reply

  12. angelica says

    Perhaps I’m over thinking a bit. As I’m about to add the rice to the food processor…is it 2 cups of cooked rice or 2 cups uncooked rice? Can’t wait to try them… Thanks!

    Reply

      • angelica says

        They turned out great! I did cook 2 cups of a brown rice/bean mix I had on hand, using 5 cups stock… when it was done it seemed like a lot to me so only used 2 cups of the cooked rice to mix with the squash. It made 7 patties and the flavors were perfect. Looking forward to making these several times this season… Thanks again!

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