When it comes to combining flavor and plant power, National Veggie Burger Day every year on June 5th proclaims it can be done!

Packed with flavor, protein, and nutrients, veggie burgers show up at backyard barbecues, tailgate parties, and on the menus of even high-class restaurants. Grill them, fry them or bake them. Layer all your favorite toppings like onion, tomato, Romaine lettuce, ketchup, and mustard between a crusty roll or bun and take a big juicy bite. That’s one way to celebrate this flavorful day.

Don’t hesitate to add your favorite side dishes, too. For example, grilled cauliflower or broccoli, a zucchini noodle salad, or roasted vegetable salad with quinoa. Other options include grilled corn on the cob and sweet potatoes. Round out the meal with a crisp, cool beverage to complement your veggie burger.

National Veggie Burger Day was first established by Amy’s, an all-vegetarian food company, in 2007. But the veggie burger, a foundational food for many vegetarians and vegans, has an interesting history. According to the National Veggie Burger folks, recipes on how to make burgers without meat appear in print first appeared in 1969. In 1982, restaurateur Gregory Sams invented a veggie burger, which was introduced in London. Then in 1984, frozen versions of the VegeBurger began to appear in grocery stores. In 1992, the first branded veggie burger, the Gardenburger was launched in the frozen section of grocery story, and soon after the Boca Burger was born.

Here in 2021, veggie burgers of every kind are widely available, with taste and consistencies varying from “as much like meat as possible” to whole plant-food patties. Today’s veggie burgers offer a great variety of interesting ingredients, ranging from kelp to quinoa to mushroom to black beans.  Some think that the veggie burger, and the variety of options available, is one of the things that has helped to propel the vegetarian movement to where it is now, and the popularity of the newest meat-like veggie burgers is certainly encouraging many a meat-eater to give it a try, creating new converts all the time.

Try making some veggie burgers of your own, with this month’s recipes.