Vegan cheeseburger

This vegan cheeseburger with yoghurt & mayo dill sauce is lip-smacking good and will satisfy all your cravings for your favourite junk food burger! If you’re looking for a super-easy, ready-in-10-minutes, vegan version of a fast-food cheeseburger, this is the recipe for you! It takes less time to make than going out to a burger joint or ordering in. Plus, if you make it yourself, at least you know what’s in it and that it hasn’t been cooked on the same grill as meat.

About this recipe

This “homemade” vegan cheeseburger recipe is what it is – fast food – so it’s made with a shop-bought vegan burger. It’s not for everyone, but most people love to indulge in something that’s not strictly healthy and let their cravings go wild sometimes. I know I do, and now that I’m vegan, I can do it without feeling guilty! No animals have been harmed here, and this cheeseburger is soooo tasty! It’s really quick and easy to make – just 7 ingredients, plus sauces, and it only takes 15 minutes to make!

So, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to bite into a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger, read on or jump straight to the recipe card!

We love burger nights and when we have one, we make a big do out of it. I make the basic ingredients, and then everyone assembles their burger the way they like it. To each their own: raw onion or fried onion, with or without lettuce, and everyone chooses their own favourite sauces. I make a big pan of homemade chips or roasted potato wedges for everyone to dive into and serve it all with some ice-cold beers! Even our friends say this vegan cheeseburger is great and that they don’t miss the meat!

How to make vegan cheeseburgers

Ingredients

Vegan burger buns

Use your favourite brand of vegan burger buns or bread rolls. If you live in Switzerland, Coop Naturaplan Bio Hamburger Buns are easy to find and very good. They might not be very healthy, but at least they’re vegan and organic.

Vegan burgers

Use shop-bought vegan burgers or make your own. My favourite used to be the Meatless Farm burger. The only place that sold it here in Switzerland was the Coop, but they decided to remove it from their assortment for some reason. I was pretty cut up about that because I LOVED it, and the ingredients were better than most too. Now, I just make do with what I can find, usually either Beyond Meat, Green Mountain or Garden Gourmet. The last two are made in Switzerland.

This time, though, I tried a different make of burger, and I actually liked the taste better than some of the others. They’re also larger (and a bit thinner), so they’re perfect for making burgers like these. I bought them in Italy, and they’re made by an Italian company, so I doubt they’re available elsewhere, unfortunately. If you live in Italy, you should give them a try: Unconventional Burger Vegetale Classico (see photo below).

Onion

We usually fry slices of yellow onion along with the burgers, but thin slices of raw red onion are also a great alternative.

Vegan cheese

Look for a cheese that melts well. If it’s already cut into burger-sized squares or rounds, even better. I used Aldi vegan cheese. This vegan cheeseburger is one of the few instances where I’ll actually eat shop-bought vegan cheese, but I must admit that Aldi cheese does the job.

Tomato

Use the largest tomatoes you can get your hands on and cut slices from the centre outwards. You can use the smaller slices for something else.

Gherkin

I like a couple of slices of gherkin in my burger because it reminds me of the gherkin in a Big Mac.

Lettuce

Crispy iceberg or green leaf lettuce leaves are the best for burgers.

Sauce

I made a delicious yoghurt, mayo and dill sauce for this vegan cheeseburger. It goes so well with the other ingredients, and it’s really easy to make. I just mixed equal parts of soya yoghurt and vegan mayonnaise and then added a little mustard and some dried dill. You’ll find the exact quantities for the sauce in the recipe card below. If you don’t fancy that, go with the classics like ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard. Or be more adventurous and opt for tartare, aioli, horseradish or barbecue sauce. You can usually find vegan versions of all of these in supermarkets.

How to assemble your vegan cheeseburgers

For step-by-step instructions with photos, see the recipe card below.

Make the vegan cheeseburger sauce

Put the soya yoghurt, vegan mayonnaise, mustard, and dill in a small bowl or cup and mix with a spoon until amalgamated. Set aside.

Fry the onions and burgers

Rub a little olive oil into both sides of the onion slices and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Toast the buns

Cut the burger buns open and lightly toast the tops and bottoms.

Why should you toast the burger buns?

Lightly toasting them ensures they will hold together well and not crumble and fall apart while you’re eating them. Secondly, toasting prevents the bun from becoming soggy when it comes into contact with the burger’s juices and toppings. It also restores the interior to its original softness and provides a crispy exterior which enhances the burger-eating experience by improving the overall texture. Last but not least, warm buns help retain the burger’s heat.

Fry the onions and burgers

Heat up a non-stick pan (without oil) on a medium heat. When hot, add the burgers and onion rings and gently fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. This will take about 3 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat to finish cooking them once they have browned.

Melt the cheese

Immediately add the cheese slices to the top of the burgers while they are still in the pan and very hot. I used two slices of cheese per burger. Don’t allow the cheese to melt completely and liquefy – the slices should be soft but still hold their shape. If you struggle to get the cheese to soften, put a lid on the frying pan to keep the heat in – this should help to melt it faster.

Assemble the cheeseburgers

Top the cheese with the fried onion, a slice of tomato and a couple of slices of gherkin. Next, add a leaf or two of crispy lettuce and the yoghurt dill sauce. Put the tops on and enjoy!

What to serve with vegan cheeseburgers

Homemade oven chips (fries) or paprika potato wedges with vegan sour cream are the perfect accompaniment for this vegan fast-food cheeseburger recipe. For something different, you could make sweet potato chips (fries) or a side salad.

I hope you like this vegan fast-food cheeseburger recipe! If you do, it would be great if you could give it a star rating and leave a comment below! It helps other readers to find my content and posts and ultimately makes my blog more successful! Thanks so much for your support! Deborah xx

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