With so many veggie burger options out there, it can be overwhelming to find something that is kidney friendly and actually good for you!
Unfortunately, many of the “plant based” burgers and meat substitutes are packed with sodium and phosphorus additives. And, have just as much protein as beef.
Sodium in Popular Plant Based Burger Patties
- The Beyond Meat Burger Patty: 350mg of sodium per 4oz patty (+potassium food additives)
- Impossible Meat crumbles: 370mg of sodium per 4oz (no potassium or phosphorus additives)
- Morning Star Grillers: 400mg of sodium per patty (no potassium or phosphorus additives)
- Dr. Praeger’s “Perfect Burgers”: 380mg sodium per patty (no potassium or phosphorus additives)
Plus, these veggie burger options can be pretty pricey too!
What is a burger lover to do!?
As always, the best way to control sodium is make your own at home! These low sodium veggie burgers only have 114mg of sodium per patty. This leaves plenty of room in your sodium budget for your favorite burger toppings!
These homemade low sodium veggie burgers are a wonderful plant based meal option for people with kidney disease.
They are much lower in protein than many commercial plant based burgers (and definitely beef, turkey or chicken burgers!). A diet lower in protein can help stop kidney disease from getting worse.
How to Serve Low Sodium Veggie Burgers
Enjoy this low sodium veggie burger with your favorite toppings! Pair it with a whole grain bun for some extra fiber. I also love these patties by themselves without a bun too. Seriously so good!
If I decide to go with a bun, here are my favorite burger toppings:
- Romaine lettuce
- Quick pickled veggies
- Fresh tomato
- Avocado
- Caramelized onions
Add some creaminess and extra tang to your low sodium veggie burger with these tasty condiments:
- Mashed avocado
- Hummus
- A dollop of mayonnaise (try a plant based mayo if you prefer!)
- Dijon mustard (I’m obsessed with this Horseradish mustard!)
- Melty cheese! (learn more about low phosphorus cheese, or try a plant based cheese option)
Low Sodium Veggie Burger Ingredients
- Mushrooms – for a “meaty” texture and flavor!
- Low Sodium Canned Black Beans – even better, look for “no salt added” black beans
- Broccoli – to sneak some extra veggies in there!
- Red Onion – tons of flavor!
- Eggs – to hold everything together
- Stale White or Wheat Bread – to give the burger body and to hold it together! Making your own breadcrumbs is always the best way to go to keep it low sodium. You can also sub 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs here. Panko breadcrumbs tend to be the lowest sodium option.
- Garlic Powder & Black Pepper – for more flavor!
- Worcestershire Sauce – for even more flavor! Look for low sodium Worcestershire to bring the sodium down even more
- Olive Oil – to make these tasty patties nice and crispy
Happy Eating!
Melanie
Low Sodium Veggie Burger
Ingredients
- 2 cups mushrooms chopped
- 1 15oz can low sodium black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 cup broccoli minced
- 1/2 cup red onion minced
- 3 eggs beaten
- 2 slices stale white or wheat bread (or, 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a food processor, process bread until crumbs are created. Making your own breadcrumbs usually is the best way to keep them low sodium. Panko breadcrumbs are usually the lowest sodium commercial option.
- In a large bowl, add 3/4 of the black beans and mash them using a fork. Add remaining whole beans, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, egg, garlic powder, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Shape mixture into 8 3-inch patties.
- In a medium non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Place patties onto heated skillet and cook 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown and crust has formed on each side. Enjoy!
Made these several times and love them but… am I the only one who has a hard time making the burgers? they are so hard to keep together. I have to almost burn them to keep together. help!
These are so good! The only change I made was to use shredded Swiss cheese instead of Parmesan. I actually made 10 burgers
Ah! I’m so glad you liked them. I also love Swiss cheese – I love this swap!
How about a vegan burger with lower K level beans?
You could use most any bean to make this burger! In general, ALL canned beans are going to be lower in potassium. Also, we don’t recommend a low potassium diet for everyone with kidney disease. Each patient is different!
I recently made the low sodium burgers and they turned out great! They had the best texture of any veggie burger I’ve made to date and didn’t crumble. I froze the burgers I didn’t use the first night. They cooked up later beautifully.
Because I find well cooked vegetables easier to digest, I did saute the mushrooms until all liquid was cooked off and steamed the broccoli for two minutes before following the rest of the recipe as written. This, of course, added time to make the burgers so I wouldn’t bother with these extra steps unless you need to.
I love it! Thank you so much for sharing how it went. I agree the texture of these is REALLY wonderful. YAY!
I’m just starting the slow Oxford journey and I’m frustrated beyond words, and in tears most of the time. There are so many contradictory lists of food. I thought black beans were a no-no as well as almost all beans, except for black-eyed peas.
Yes, there are many contradictory lists. I touch on this in this post that I think you will find super helpful! Most importantly, remember that there are NO foods that are a “no-no”. Nutrition for stone prevention is all about learning how to put together healthy meal patterns, not totally avoiding long lists of foods.
Keep the cholesterol down by using egg whites. 😃
Dietary cholesterol actually doesn’t impact blood cholesterol much! If you love egg whites, that is totally fine! But I actually recommend the yolk for MOST people as that is also where nearly all of the vitamin D and other nutrients in eggs live.
Great recipe! The broccoli as listed is raw—not cooked—right? Thank you!
Yes! No need to cook beforehand.
Is there a recipe for making taco meat.
I don’t have an official recipe written out. I usually just brown the meat and add my taco seasoning at the end with a splash of water. Hope this helps!
I thought black beans were high ox?
I just threw out a soup loaf red with black beans because I thought I read somewhere that black beans were a no no.
It depends on the person (how much oxalate they can have) and how many beans are in your food. I provide oxalate amounts for all of my recipes (right under the instructions) to help you know how to incorporate them into a meal that works for your needs. This article about beans and oxalate might be helpful to you!
Can these be made into meatballs also.
Oh! I’ve honestly never tried, but I don’t see why not! I might suggest baking them instead of trying to cook them in a skillet. I could see the thicker balls being difficult. That being said, as I’ve never tried it, I’m not sure what baking temperature or time to try. If you do try it out, let us know how it goes!
I’m eating these as I write. They’re sooo good! I’ve been on a low-sodium diet for about 5 weeks. I love vegan/vegetarian food, but can’t buy the store-bought ones anymore because of the sodium. These are a great substitute. I may add an extra egg for additional sturdiness. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you love these! They are some of my favorites as well!
I didn’t think parm cheese was vegetarian
Hi Helen! I classify some of my recipes as “plant based” which does not necessarily mean vegetarian, rather that they are mostly made from plant foods. Feel free to try this recipe without the cheese – or a vegan substitute if you prefer. I’m sure these veggie burgers would still be delicious!
I’m lactose intolerant so I’m going to try subbing non-dairy cheese or nutritional yeast for the cheese.
Great looking recipe. I am eating WFPB due to renal and cardiac issues. Would you replace egg with flax or chia seed “eggs” for a binder? Also would nutritional yeast work in place of the Parmesan and how much to use as I know it is higher in potassium. Thanks again for a great looking recipe.
Hi Kandy! You could absolutely use these substitutions if you think they would be better options for you. I haven’t tested either of these substitutions, so I’m not sure how much you should use as a substitute. Let us know if you try it and how it works out!
Great sub ideas! I think ground flax seed would work best for burgers. And I usually sub 1:1 with nutritional yeast. It will also help bind.
Can these be frozen? Precooked or cooked? Thank you
Absolutely they could be frozen! I’d recommend freezing them uncooked in patties. When you are ready to cook them, let them thaw and cook them right before you want to eat them to make sure you have that nice crisp outside!
Melanie,
You are doing a wonderful job.
Thanks keep the good job going.
Thank you!
Not a true veggies burger of adding whipped eggs. They also increase protien content.
Thank you for your comment Bruce! This patty is not vegan, but you could definitely replace the eggs, cheese and Worcestershire sauce to make it vegan if needed. With the eggs, this patty has 8 grams of protein – 10-20% less protein than a hamburger patty.
I have type 2 diabetes and my most recent blood / urine test indicated that I needed to drastically cut back on salt/sodium and I am close to potassium being a ‘problem’.
Trying to juggle foods with being diabetic and having CKD is proving tough. I am glad that I have found your site and will endeavour to create a healthy food program. Gonna try that veggie burger !!
Many thanks.
Hi David! I’m happy you’ve found me as well! Make sure to check out this article about a diabetic renal diet in case you haven’t stumbled across it yet!
If I use white pepper, I could add more to get more flavor and have fewer oxalates. Also, if I used sprouted and boiled mung beans, or black eyed peas that too would reduce the oxalate load. What do you think of those alternatives?
I think both of those subs would work! I will say that the amount of oxalate you get from black pepper is minimal. But, if you prefer the taste of white pepper, you could absolutely swap that out! Let us know if you make it and how it turns out!
Have you ever substituted chickpeas for black beans?
I haven’t in this particular recipe, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work!
What type of mushrooms do you recommend?
Thanks!
I’ve used portobello in the past. But, white mushrooms would also work!