Indian-Style Vegetable Burger Recipes To Tantalise Your Taste Buds

Also a great way to utilise leftovers in your refrigerator.

Published On Mar 30, 2022 | Updated On Mar 06, 2024

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An Indian-style burger combines locally-available vegetables and desi spices to make a delicious snack. This veggie burger variation is a widely relished street food snack available in almost every nook and corner of the country. Here’s how to make easy veggie burgers at home.

This rajma burger recipe from chef Pankaj Bhadouriais healthy and easy to make. The best part? It just takes 20 minutes to prepare.

  • 250 gm boiled kidney beans
  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • 4-5 crushed garlic cloves
  • ½ inch garlic
  • Handful coriander leaves
  • 1-2 green chillies
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala powder
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1-2 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 4 burger buns

For dressing: 

  • 3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp crushed black pepper
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • 1 or ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  1. In a bowl, add the boiled kidney beans and mash them. Then, add onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, coriander leaves, ketchup, chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, salt, and pepper. Mix it well and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
  2. Take a small portion of the mixture and make a small ball with your hands. Flatten it out with your palms. If the patty looks too soft and crumbly to hold shape, add some more breadcrumbs.
  3. In a pan, add a small amount of oil and cook the patty on medium heat.
  4. Take a bowl and add 3 tsp vegan mayonnaise, crushed mustard seeds and pepper.
  5. Mix it well, and then add lemon juice and ½ tsp apple cider vinegar.
  6. Lastly, add a few drops of olive oil and season it with ½ tsp sugar and salt as per your taste.
  7. After frying the patty, take the toasted bun and spread the mayonnaise seasoning on one side. Then place the pipping hot vegetable patty on it.
  8. Top it up with some freshly cut cucumber, onion, and tomatoes. You can also place lettuce over the burger. Drizzle some more mayo seasoning if you like.
  9. Place the remaining half of the burger on top.
  10. Your Indian-style veggie burger is ready to serve.

In this recipe by Chef Kunal Kapoor, paneer is marinated in Indian spices to make a spicy vegetable burger. Check out the recipe here.

For Crispy Paneer:

  • 150 gm slice of paneer 
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tsp green chilli, chopped 
  • 2 tsp coriander powder 
  • 1 tsp chaat masala 
  • ½ tsp kasoori methi powder 
  • 1 tbsp coriander chopped 
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paste

For smoked chilli mayo: 

  • ½ cup mayonnaise 
  • 1 tbsp chilli sauce  
  • ¼ cup ketchup 
  • A cinnamon stick
  • 2 tbsp ghee 

For coating:

  • Flour – for dusting
  • ½ cup flour (all purpose) 
  • Salt to taste 
  • A pinch of pepper powder 
  • ¼ cup water 
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (panko) 

For assembling 

  • 2 burger buns
  • 2 tbsp butter 
  • 1 tbsp mustard sauce 
  • 2 leaves of lettuce 
  • 6 tomato slices
  • 2 onion slices
  • 6 pickled gherkin slices
  • A pinch pepper powder 
  • 2 cheese slices
  • Handful of French fries or potato wedges
  1. Take a bowl, add the sliced paneer, salt, chilli powder, green chilli, coriander powder, chaat masala, kasoori methi, ginger paste, garlic paste, and chopped coriander. Rub it all on to the paneer to coat it evenly and leave aside for some time. 
  2. Then, start preparing spicy smoked mayo mix. Take a piece of cinnamon stick and burn it till it catches fire and smoulders. Place the smoking cinnamon stick in a bowl, add chilli sauce and mayonnaise. 
  3. Pour some ghee into the bowl. Close the lid for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and give everything a good mix— and your smoked chilli mayo is ready.
  4. Next step is coating the paneer, for which, we need plain flour in one bowl, all-purpose flour, salt, and water in another, and breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. 
  5. Coat the marinated paneer slice in the plain four and dust off the excess. Then dunk it in the all-purpose flour, salt, and water mixture. Finally coat it with bread crumbs and deep fry it till golden brown. 
  6. Now cut burger buns into equal halves and heat on the pan with some butter. 
  7. Now place the base bun on a chopping board. Smear some mustard sauce and then place lettuce leaf. 
  8. Place the paneer patty, slices of tomato, onions, gherkins and a generous spoon of smoked mayonnaise, pepper powder, a cheese slice, and cover it with the top of the burger bun. Press it slightly and our spicy paneer burger is ready. Serve it with hot fries.

Aloo tikki is an authentic Punjabi dish that is made by mixing vegetables and potatoes to make a crispy patty. Here is chef Kunal Kapoor’s special Aloo Tikki burger recipe.

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp cumin 
  • 1 tsp ginger, chopped
  • 1tsp green chilli, chopped
  • ½ cup beans, chopped
  • ½ cup carrots grated
  • 1 cup boiled and mashed potato
  • ½ cup green peas
  • Salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1½ tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tap chilli powder
  • Handful of chopped coriander
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tap chaat masala 
  • ½ cup bread crumbs (plus extra for coating)
  • ½ cup paneer grated (optional)
  • ½ cup cheese grated 
  • Oil for frying

For Batter: 

  • Flour (all purpose) – ½ cup
  • Salt – a generous pinch
  • Pepper powder – a pinch
  • Water – ¼ cup

Chilli & Mint Mayonnaise:

  • Mayonnaise – ¼ cup + ¼ cup
  • Ketchup – 2tbsp
  • Chilli sauce (tabasco) – a dash
  • Mint chutney (very thick) – 3tbsp

For assembling:

  • Burger buns – 2
  • Butter – 2tbsp
  • Mustard sauce – 1tbsp
  • Tomato slice – 2
  • Onion slice – 2
  • Tooth pick – 2
  • Cheese slice – 2
  • Salad leaf – 2
  • Pickled gherkin – 2
  • French fries or potato wedges – handful
  1. Heat a pan and add oil. Once hot, add cumin seeds and let them sputter. Add the chopped ginger and green chilli. Sauté for a few minutes, and then add finely-chopped beans, carrots, and cook them for 3-4 mins.
  2. Then, add green peas and toss them for a minute. Later, add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and potato and toss them. Sprinkle chat masala and garam masala. Mash the veggies and keep it aside.
  3. Add chopped coriander, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, paneer, and mix well; divide into small portions. Shape them into patties.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, and water to make into a thick batter.
  5. Dunk the patty in the batter and then coat them in breadcrumbs. Then, shallow fry the patty in hot oil on tawa.
  6. Cut the burger bun into two equal halves and smear butter on them. Toast the buns on a hot tawa until golden brown.
  7. On the base of the bun apply some mustard sauce and chilli mayo.Place the sliced gherkins, patty, cheese slice, and mint mayo. Top with the other half of the bun. Serve it with french fries or potato wedges.

Vada Pav is a popular snack consumed in Maharashtra. Chef Kunal Kapoor transforms this traditional dish into a burger recipe.

For Potato Vada

  • Oil – 5 tbsp
  • Hing – ½ tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 2 tsp
  • Ginger Chopped – 1 tbsp
  • Garlic chopped – 2 tsp
  • Green chilli chopped – 1no
  • Curry leaves – handful
  • Potato (boiled & crushed) – 2½ cups
  • Turmeric – ¾ tsp
  • Salt – to taste
  • Oil – For frying

For Besan Batter

  • Besan – 1 cup
  • Turmeric – ½ tsp
  • Salt – to taste
  • Chilli powder – 1tsp
  • Water – 1 cup
  • Pao (soft buns) – 6 
  • Green chilli – few
  • Chaat masala – a generous pinch
  • Oil – a dash

For Garlic Chutney

  • Oil – 3 tbsp
  • Garlic Cloves – 25-30 
  • Peanuts – ¼ cup
  • Sesame Seeds – 4 tbsp
  • Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 1½ tbsp
  • Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
  • Salt – to taste
  • Grated coconut (dried) – ⅓cup

For Chilli

  • Oil – 1tbsp
  • Green chilli (slit) – 6-8
  • Salt or Chaat Masala – a pinch

For Assembling

  • Pav Bun
  • Lettuce leaf
  • Cheese slice
  • Onion Slice
  • Saunth chutney
  • Mint chutney
  • Mayonnaise
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Garlic Chutney
  1. Heat some oil in a pan and add hing, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped ginger, chillies, and garlic.
  2. Once toasted, add the boiled potatoes (lightly crushed by hand), along with some haldi and salt to taste. Sauté for 2 minutes and keep aside.
  3. In another pan, heat some oil on medium-low heat and add garlic and peanuts to it.Saute till golden brown. Add sesame seeds and saute for another minute.Turn off the heat. 
  4. Add Kashmiri red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, salt, and desiccated coconut, and mix well. Allow it to cool.
  5. Form patties with the cooked potato mixture, dip it in the besan batter and deep fry. Heat some oil in a separate pan, and saute some slit chillies on high heat for 2-3 minutes and season it with salt. 
  6. Finally, slice a pav bun in half, top it with a lettuce leaf, a cheese slice and then the fried vada along with a slice of onion, saunth chutney, mint chutney, mayonnaise, the dry garlic chutney, and the top of the pav bun.

This simple recipe from chef Kunal Kapoor will surely impress you.

For Burger Patty:

  • Oil – 3tbsp
  • Cumin – 1tsp
  • Ginger chopped – 1tsp
  • Green chilli chopped – 1tsp
  • Beans chopped – ½ cup
  • Carrots grated – ½ cup
  • Boiled & mashed potato – 1cup
  • Green peas – ½ cup
  • Salt – to taste
  • Turmeric – ¼ tsp
  • Coriander powder – 1½tsp
  • Cumin powder – ½ tsp
  • Chilli powder – 1tsp
  • Coriander chopped – handful
  • Garam masala – ½ tsp
  • Chaat masala – 1tsp
  • Bread crumbs – ½ cup (plus extra for coating)
  • Paneer grated (optional) – ½ cup
  • Cheese grated – ½ cup
  • Oil – for frying

For Batter 

  • Flour (all purpose) – ½ cup
  • Salt – a generous pinch
  • Pepper powder – a pinch
  • Water – ¼ cup

Chilli & Mint Mayonnaise 

  • Mayonnaise – ¼ cup + ¼ cup
  • Ketchup – 2tbsp
  • Chilli sauce (tabasco) – a dash
  • Mint chutney (very thick) – 3tbsp

For assembling 

  • Burger buns – 2
  • Butter – 2tbsp
  • Mustard sauce – 1tbsp
  • Tomato slice – 2
  • Onion slice – 2
  • Tooth pick – 2
  • Cheese slice – 2
  • Salad leaf – 2
  • Pickled gherkin – 2
  • French fries or potato wedges – handful
  1. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds.Once they splutter, add chopped ginger and green chillies. Sauté it for a minute, and then add finely-chopped beans, carrots, and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add green peas and toss them for a minute.
  2. Add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and toss them. Add potato and mix well. Sprinkle chaat masala and garam masala. Mash the veggies, especially the peas. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Now add chopped coriander, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and paneer.
  3. Mix them and divide into smaller portions. Shape them into patties.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, water, and make a thick paste.
  5. Dunk the patty in the batter and then coat with breadcrumbs. Now shallow fry the patty in hot oil.
  6. Cut the burger buns into two equal parts, put butter on one side and cook until they get crispy.
  7. On the base of the bun, smear mustard sauce, place a salad leaf, a dollop of chilli mayo, sliced gherkin, and then the veg patty, a cheese slice, onion slice, tomato slice, and mint mayo.Top with the remaining bun.
  8. Serve the burger with french fries and potato wedges.  

Photo: Shutterstock