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Ultimate Veggie Burger Sandwich with a special sauce tastes amazing with your favorite store-bought veggie patty. My sauce is an Indian-inspired spin on In-N-Out’s special sauce. This delicious meal takes 15 minutes to prep and is perfect for a quick and easy meal.
I always keep frozen veggie patties on hand. I love them, and my son loves them too! Let’s face it, there are days when we don’t feel like cooking and on such days I love a semi-homemade meal. Choose your favorite veggie patty and build your burger how you like it.
I paired the burger with a sauce that tastes similar to In-N-Out’s special sauce. Years ago when I first tried In-N-Out, I tried to replicate their sauce, but I ended up with something similar, not quite exact.
Hope you guys give this recipe a try when you don’t feel like cooking.
More Sandwiches You’ll Love
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Aioli
Roasted Vegetable Panini with Herb Aioli on Focaccia
Ingredients
- Veggie Patty/Burger – Use your favorite store-bought veggie burger. I love the Trader Joe’s Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burger – you can also use their Masala Burger. I place the burger in an air fryer for crispy results for 10 minutes.
- Cheese – I love Colby Cheese for this recipe, however feel free to use cheddar, Pepper Jack, Havarti, or muenster.
- Bun – A buttery Brioche bun tastes amazing with this patty.
- Special Sauce – The ingredients for the special sauce are in the recipe card below.
*See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.*
Substitutions/Variations
- Bun – Instead of a brioche bun, you may use a whole wheat bun, ciabatta bun, or sandwich bread. For a healthier option, opt for whole wheat bread which contains more protein and fiber.
- Veggie Burger Suggestions – I also love Trader Joe’s Masala Burgers, Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger, and Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Burger. Choose your favorite patty – vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
- Sour Cream – You may substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream for the special sauce. If you prefer mayo, that works too.
- Cheese – For this recipe, I used Colby Jack Cheese, however you may use any cheese you like. I recommend cheddar, smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, havarti, muenster, or pepper jack. Additionally, you may skip cheese too.
- Vegan – Make sure you choose a plant-based patty and bread. You can substitute vegan sour cream and cheese.
- Gluten-free – Use a gluten-free patty or bread. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
How to Make The Ultimate Veggie Burger?
STEP 1 – MAKE THE SPECIAL SAUCE
1. Special Sauce. Add all the special sauce ingredients in a small bowl – sour cream, ketchup, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and water – if need be. (Image 1)
2. Mix well. Adjust the consistency as needed. (Image 2)
STEP 2 – BAKE PATTY & TOAST BREAD
3. Bake Patty. Grab your favorite frozen patty. Here I’m using Trader Joe’s Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burger. Place the patty in a toaster oven and follow the instructions on the box. I like my veggie patty crispy so I decided to air fry it for 8-10 minutes. (Image 3)
4. Once baked, add a slice of cheese. Close and bake for another 2 minutes. (Image 4)
5. Your cheesy veggie patty is ready. Set aside. (Image 5)
6. Now toast a bricohe bun. (Image 6)
STEP 3 – ASSEMBLE BURGER
7. Assemble Burger. Open the burger buns. (Image 7)
8. Add a generous layer of special sauce on both sides. (Image 8)
9. Place the cheesy patty on top. (Image 9)
10. Followed by sliced pickles. (Image 10)
11. Now add sliced red onion. (Image 11)
12. Top with butter lettuce. (Image 12)
13. Top with sliced tomatoes. (Image 13)
14. Close the bun and enjoy hot! (Image 14)
Serving Suggestions
→ Enjoy a veggie burger with Masala Fries Animal Style, chips, or a small salad.
→ A side of Mexican Street Corn Chaat would be delicious.
More Burgers & Sandwiches
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger
- Chicken Kebab Burger
- Spicy Mexican Turkey Burger
- Best Vegan Hummus Sandwich
- Bombay Grilled Sandwich
Ultimate Veggie Burger Sandwich with a Special Sauce
INGREDIENTS
FOR SPECIAL SAUCE
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Lots of black pepper
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp water, if need be
TO ASSEMBLE BURGER (each burger)
- 1 veggie patty, favorite store-bought
- 1 slice cheese
- 1 brioche bun, toasted
- few slices red onion
- 1-2 butter lettuce leaves
- 2 sliced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons special sauce, spread on each side
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1 – MAKE THE SPECIAL SAUCE
- Special Sauce. Add all the special sauce ingredients in a small bowl – sour cream, ketchup, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and water – if need be. Mix well. Adjust the consistency as needed.
STEP 2 – BAKE PATTY & TOAST BREAD
- Bake Patty. Grab your favorite frozen patty. Here I'm using Trader Joe's Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burger. Place the patty in a toaster oven and follow the instructions on the box. I like my veggie patty crispy so I decided to air fry it for 8-10 minutes. Once baked, add a slice of cheese. Close and bake for another 2 minutes. Your cheesy veggie patty is ready. Set aside. Next, toast a bricohe bun.
STEP 3 – ASSEMBLE BURGER
- Assemble Burger. Open the burger buns. Add a generous layer of special sauce on both sides. Place the cheesy patty on top, followed by sliced pickles. Now add sliced red onion. Top with butter lettuce. Top with sliced tomatoes. Top with the other half of the bun and enjoy!
NOTES
- Bun – Instead of a brioche bun, you may use a whole wheat bun, ciabatta bun, or sandwich bread. For a healthier option, opt for whole wheat bread which contains more protein and fiber.
- Veggie Burger Suggestions – I also love Trader Joe’s Masala Burgers, Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger, and Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Burger. Choose your favorite patty – vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
- Sour Cream – You may substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream for the special sauce. If you prefer mayo, that works too.
- Cheese – For this recipe, I used Colby Jack Cheese, however you may use any cheese you like. I recommend cheddar, smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, havarti, muenster, or pepper jack. Additionally, you may skip cheese too.
- Vegan – Make sure you choose a plant-based patty and bread. You can substitute vegan sour cream and cheese.
- Gluten-free – Use a gluten-free patty or bread. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
Even my meat loving husband enjoyed these. We grilled them outside and they tasted amazing.
@Sherry – Oh, I wish you had used cilantro, but I'm sure it tasted great with basil too. Dr. Praeger's ROCKS!
This was amazing. Luckily, I had Dr. Praeger's on hand. I didn't have fresh cilantro, so I used fresh basil instead and it tasted great. I would love to try it with cilantro, though.
i'm not always very creative when it comes to veggie burger toppings, but this looks great 🙂 also sorry it broke on you 🙁 that happens to me a lot too. i microwave them and when i flip them sometimes they fall apart. it's so sad hehe.i'll admit that i don't really enjoy exercise. when i do i feel great and am glad i did it, but eventually i get lazy and just stop doing it. and then i dread the day i start again, it's a crazy cycle, really 😛
Thanks Prazzie… I was thinking about getting Wii Fit, but wasn't sure. It may not be a bad investment for those lazy cold winter days of going to the gym. Hope you enjoy this sandwich.
I'm going to have to give this a try.
I started exercising again last week using Wii fitness games. I generally enjoy it, but I find running really boring when I use EA Sports Active. Running on Wii Fit Plus is more fun. I couldn't go to a gym, though, I find that excruciatingly dull. As soon as the weather plays along, I'd love to go running on the beach.
Wow, it looks so good Nish…I wanna try one day!