Vegan Shackburger
A Vegan Smash Burger like Shake Shack is easy when you know how to properly smash and make the amazing Shack Sauce! It’s a simple but delicious creation!
Today we are making the famous Shack Burger but Vegan! Shake Shack’s signature burger is all about simplicity. It’s just a cheeseburger, some lettuce and tomato, and a very simple but delicious sauce to round it all out!
It’s very easy to make, but there are a few things that will help make this a SMASH BURGER success!
how do I make a vegan smash burger?
In the past when I’ve made Smash Burgers with Beyond or Impossible, I found that the patties dry out. This is for 2 main reasons.
The first is that the fat in these burgers burns off faster than the fat in animal based burgers. The second reason is because I was smashing them too thin. I would usually use 2 oz. to get that real flat burger patty. This recipe calls for 3-4 oz., and I smashed it so it was the same thickness as a normal 1/4 pound patty (about 1/2 inch thick).
Ingredients for a Vegan ShackBurger
- Hamburger Buns – Shake Shack uses Martin Potato Buns which aren’t vegan. Use a Vegan Potato Bun, or any Vegan Burger Bun. Heck you make some Homemade Burger Buns!
- Meat – I like using Impossible Meat for these, but you could also make a Homemade Burger Patty too!
- Cheese – I recommend using some Vegan American Cheese, I like using the Follow Your Heart slices.
- Lettuce & Tomatoes – Roma Tomatoes and Green Leaf Lettuce are what Shake Shack uses, so opt for those if you can!
- Shack Sauce – A tangy and delicious sauce made with just a few ingredients!
how to make a vegan shackburger
This is very simple! First make the Shack Sauce by combining everything in a bowl. Taste for seasoning and refrigerate.
Get a cast iron or carbon steel skillet up to medium high heat. Toast the burger buns until golden brown and set aside.
Next, weigh out your meat into 3 – 4 oz balls. Add a little oil to the skillet. Then add a ball of meat to the skillet and smash with a spatula or burger press.
Don’t smash it too thin so the patty doesn’t dry out. You can use some burger or parchment paper to ensure the spatula / press doesn’t stick too.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes or until you can see that the patty is browning.
If your skillet is seasoned well and the patty is browned, it should release relatively easy. You may need to scrape it up with a spatula.
After you flip it, add a slice of cheese, a few drips of water, then cover to steam and melt the cheese.
Add to the toasted burger bun along with the sliced tomatoes, lettuce and Shack Sauce and enjoy!
how to make a vegan smoke stack burger
This is probably my new favorite combination of toppings! We’re gonna start with some Vegan Bacon.
Then we’ll do some diced up Hot Cherry Peppers!
Then simply top the burger with a healthy amount of the Vegan Bacon and Cherry Peppers along with the Shack Sauce!
tips for vegan SMASH BURGER SUCCESS!
- Use a cast iron skillet, or something that can handle high heat. This is necessary to achieve that golden brown crust!
- Don’t over heat the pan though as this can burn the burger very quickly.
- Add some high smoke point oil to the pan and spread it around with your spatula.
- Use 3 – 4 oz. of plant-based meat and don’t smash it too thin (about 1/2 inch is good).
- To smash, use a burger iron or sturdy, flat, metal spatula.
- Cook for 2 minutes (or less), you should see a deep brown layer at the bottom where the patty is touching the pan, that’s a good time to flip, so use your spatula to carefully, but confidently remove it from the pan and flip.
- Add Vegan American cheese, a few squirts of water, and then cover to steam and melt the cheese.
- Always toast your buns!
Oh and if you wanna make the Cheese Fries, I got a recipe for that too!
CHEESE FRIES RECIPE HERE!
handy dandy video here!
other recipes you will dig!
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Vegan Shack Burger
Ingredients
ShackBurger
- 1 Burger Bun
- 3 – 4 oz. Plant-Based Meat (like Beyond or Impossible)
- 2 – 3 Slices of Roma Tomato
- 1 Leaf of Green Lettuce
- 1 Slice Vegan American Cheese
Shack Sauce
- 1 cup Vegan Mayo
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 – 2 Tbsp Ketchup
- 1 1/2 tsp Dill Pickle Brine
- 1 tsp Vegan Worcestershire
- Dash Onion Powder
- Dash Garlic Powder
- Dash Cayenne
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Shack Sauce
- To make the Shack Sauce, combine everything in a bowl. Taste and adjust for seasoning and refrigerate.
Shackburger
- Next get a cast iron (or pan capable of high heat) skillet up to medium heat. Brush some vegan butter or oil on your buns and then toast them until golden brown. Remove from pan and let them rest on a wire rack so they don't steam.
- Next, get the pan smoking hot, add a little bit of oil to the pan, spread it around with your spatula, then add a 3 – 4 oz. ball of plant-based meat. Smash it with a sturdy metal spatula or burger iron to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Cook for around 2 minutes. You can check and see if there’s a deep brown crust forming where the patty is touching the pan, once you see that, use your spatula to free it from the pan. It will wanna stick, but if your cast iron is seasoned well, it’ll let go with enough coaxing.
- Flip the patty, add a piece of vegan cheese, squirt a few drops of water, and then cover the pan immediately to steam and melt the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from the pan.
- Dress the bottom bun with Shack Sauce, add the smashed cheeseburger, a few slices of tomato, season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then some green lettuce, more sauce on the top bun, and ENJOY!
