Recipe Our Favourite Healthy Plant-based Burger Toppings
Make a meal everyone will love with a top-your-own-burger station and 7 deliciously fun and healthy veggie burger topping combos.
May 16, 2022
Finding a healthy meal that will make every member of the family happy can feel like a challenge. But it doesn’t have to be this way—and you don’t have to become a short-order cook to please everyone, either. Instead, take simple meals everyone loves and find ways to make them healthier.
Believe it or not, burgers are a picky-eater-pleasing way to pack in extra nutrition! Don’t stop at swapping in a veggie burger patty that adds some sneaky greens. Put out a pile of the best plant-based burger toppings, toast up some sprouted whole grain burger buns, and let everybody put together their own perfect combo!
Healthy Plant-based Burger Toppings:
Beyond Lettuce and Tomato
A lot of kids won’t touch a tomato, and a big leaf of lettuce is asking too much for the ketchup-only crowd. But there are other ways to encourage kids (and veggie-avoidant adults!) to reach for healthy toppings to put on burgers.
Spiralized veggies make eating healthy fun for kids, and best of all—it’s a fast and easy trick! We know kids who won’t touch carrots cut any other way, but will eat spiralized carrots by the happy handful. (And if turning veggies into colourful noodles inspires picky kids to eat them, it doesn’t need to make sense to mom or dad!). Try skinny spirals of bright red beets, paper-thin sheets of mild radish, or whatever veggie helps you bring more of the rainbow to your table. (See Tips)
Or get your kids to grow something green themselves! Making your own sprouts at home is more than a nifty STEM activity for summer break. Connecting with food by watching it grow from a seed has inspired more than a few kids to get over a mistrust of all things green. (Download our FREE Why Sprouted Handbook and find a complete how-to sprout at home guide in Part 3).
(Sprouts and microgreens make fantastic burger toppings for adults, too!)
Build Your Burgers on a Better-for-You Bun
Plant-based burger patties and plant-based toppings are just the beginning—swap out your buns for an Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Hamburger Bun and enjoy the added benefits of 15 grams of sprouted whole grains and four grams of fibre!
Why pick a better burger bun? This simple swap gives you more than just an extra helping of healthy whole grains on your plate. Sprouted whole grains are easier to digest. And because sprouted grains are packed with prebiotic fibre1, our sprouted burger buns (and breads!) are an excellent way to help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. (You can boost the gut health benefits of these veggie burgers even more with a fermented plant-based topping like kimchi or sauerkraut).
Ideas to Try: Healthy Burger Topping Combos You’ll Love
When a delicious and nutritious meal is this easy, it’s the obvious choice! Especially when there’s a plant-based burger topping combination for just about anyone. There are so many ways you can customize your veggie burgers to make them healthier and suit any taste preference. But how do you know where to start?
These seven plant-based topping combos give you something to try on your next burger. Because what topping order is “the best” is totally up to the eater, these combos are more suggestions than recipes. Use these as a starting point, then make them yours!
Check out our list below for inspiration, and have yourself a healthy plant-based burger party at home with your family today!
A Tale of Two Spreads
Packed with loads of fresh flavour and just the right amount of crunch, this unique burger topping combination is perfect for someone who likes the classics with a touch of adventure.
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): Lettuce, plant-based burger, hummus, guac, tomato, ketchup, pickle.
Korean Fusion Burger
Tantalize your tastebuds with the exotic taste of this Korean Fusion Burger. The addition of guac and sprouts adds a deeper texture and fresher, more balanced flavour.
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): Sprouts, plant-based burger patty, carrot, guac, mushroom, vegan kimchi.
Fresh and Crunchy Pickle
For the lover of all things pickled—this plant-based burger is for you. Vegan kimchi and pickles are a fresh and zesty combination!
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): Sprouts, veggie burger, pickle, celery, vegan kimchi.
The Classic
You can’t go wrong with this popular choice—they’re called the classics for a reason!
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): Veggie burger, vegan cheese, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard, ketchup.
Sweet Heat Burger
Get a kick of heat with the soothe of sweet—this burger will take your taste buds to a tropical paradise.
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): Plant-based burger, spicy vegan mayo, pineapple, sprouts.
The Loaded Burger
Can’t decide what to put on your veggie burger? Just pile on as many plant-based as you can fit!
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): vegan cheese, onion, carrot, tomato, veggie burger, sprouts, mushroom, spicy vegan mayo, pickle.
Greens & Guacamole
Much like the classic, you can’t go wrong with this option. Enjoy the added freshness and flavour that comes from guacamole and celery—best enjoyed outdoors!
From bun-to-bun (bottom-up): lettuce, plant-based burger, cheese, tomato, onion, guac, celery.
Ingredients
For the veggie burgers:
- 6 – 8 Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery Organic Hamburger Buns (or Silver Hills Bakery Sesame Sprouted Hamburger Buns)
- 6 – 8 plant-based burger patties (use your favourite store-bought or homemade veggie burger patty (we used Field Roast for these photos, but check out some of our favourite recipes to DIY!)
For the healthy plant-based burger toppings (amounts as desired):
- tomato , sliced
- pickles
- vegan kimchi
- carrot , grated or spiralized
- onion (sweet or red), thinly sliced or diced
- celery , finely chopped
- vegan cheddar-style cheese slices (or your favourite plant-based cheese)
- mushrooms (button, crimini or portobello), sliced and sautéed
- pineapple , cut into rings (grilled if desired)
- spicy vegan mayo
- guacamole
- hummus (homemade or store-bought)
- ketchup
- mustard (classic yellow, Dijon, or grainy—it's up to you!)
Featured Product Burger Buns
Instructions
- Prepare plant-based burger toppings of your choice, and set up a simple station for your family to top their burgers as they like.
- Grill your plant-based burger patties for 3 – 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the patty if store-bought (or cook according to the instructions for your favourite homemade veggie burger recipe!)
- Toast your sprouted burger buns if desired.
- Add buns and cooked veggie burger patties to the topping station, set your family loose to dress theirs up, and enjoy the deliciously messy chaos! (Put out extra napkins!)
Try these handy tips!
- You don’t need to splash out on an expensive spiralizer to find out if carrot noodles make mealtime magic for your child. Test it with a cheap and cheerful handheld version, borrow from a friend, or look for a lightly-used one before investing in pricier models.
- Have a spiralizer already? Let your kids pick the perfect carrot in the produce section and turn the crank—the I-did-it-all-by-myself principle can help encourage kids to try foods that are suspicious otherwise. (Finely spiralized beets are surprisingly sweet (and well worth the momentary magenta fingers and faces!))
