High-Protein Vegan Burger Bowl (Single Serving)

Everything you love about a smash burger, deconstructed into a bowl. Crispy paprika fries, smoky seasoned crumbles, cool special sauce, and all the fresh fixings piled high.

Some nights you want a burger, and some nights you want a big, colourful bowl you can feel good about. This one gives you both. We took the flavours of a classic burger and turned them into a single-serve bowl that comes together in about 25 minutes, no bun required. It is the kind of meal that feels indulgent while quietly doing the work of a high-protein dinner.

The star is our Natural Plant-Based Ground, seasoned with tomato paste, garlic, and a hit of smoky chipotle so every bite tastes like it came off the grill. It is made with as few as five ingredients, with pea protein and oyster mushroom doing the heavy lifting, so you get that rich, satisfying texture without a long label to read.

This is also a great one to keep in your back pocket for meal prep. Cook a bigger batch of the seasoned ground and the fries, whisk up extra sauce, and you have burger bowls ready to assemble all week. Fast, filling, and endlessly customisable to whatever greens and toppings you have on hand. If you are new to plant-based grounds, our guide to cooking plant-based ground meat is worth two minutes first.

Recipe Card

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes
• Total time: 25 minutes
• Serves: 1
• Diet: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free

Ingredients

For the fries

• 1 medium potato, cut into fries or wedges
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Paprika, salt, and pepper to taste

For the burger crumbles

• 100g The Better Butchers Natural Plant-Based Ground
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• ¼ tsp smoked chipotle
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the special sauce

• 1 tbsp plain plant-based yogurt (or vegan mayo)
• ½ tbsp ketchup
• ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder

For the bowl

• Greens of choice
• Cherry tomatoes, halved
• Avocado, sliced
• Pickled red onion

Instructions

1. Crisp the fries. Toss the potato with olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Air fry at 350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, shaking halfway, until golden and crisp. No air fryer? Roast on a lined tray in the oven at 425°F (220°C) for about 30 minutes, flipping once.
2. Season the ground. While the fries cook, stir the tomato paste, minced garlic, smoked chipotle, salt, and pepper into the Natural Plant-Based Ground until well combined.
3. Cook the crumbles. Heat the seasoned ground in a skillet over medium heat as per the package instructions, breaking it into craggy crumbles and cooking until warmed through and a little caramelised at the edges.
4. Whisk the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt (or vegan mayo), ketchup, Dijon, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder until smooth. Taste and adjust.
5. Build the bowl. Lay down a bed of greens, then add the fries, warm burger crumbles, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and pickled red onion. Drizzle the special sauce over everything and dig in.

Tip: Season the ground while the fries are already in the air fryer. By the time they are crisp, your crumbles are cooked and everything lands in the bowl hot and fresh.

Substitutions & Notes

• Swap the base. Not in a fries mood? Trade them for cooked rice, quinoa, or roasted sweet potato to change up the bowl.
• Dial the heat. Love it spicy? Add extra smoked chipotle to the ground, or a splash of hot sauce to the special sauce.
• Make it mayo. Vegan mayo gives the sauce a richer, more classic burger-sauce feel, while plant-based yogurt keeps it lighter and tangy.
• Make the full pack. This recipe uses 100g, which is a third of a pack. To feed the whole table, use the full 300g pack and triple the rest of the ingredients for 3 burger bowls.
• Prep ahead. The seasoned ground, fries, and sauce all keep well, so double the batch and store components separately for grab-and-go burger bowls all week.
• Add crunch. Shredded lettuce, quick pickles, or a handful of crispy shallots all make great extra toppings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a burger bowl?

A burger with everything except the bun, served in a bowl. You get the seasoned crumbles, the sauce, the pickles and the fresh toppings, usually over greens or a grain, with fries either on the side or piled straight in.

What is plant-based ground made from?

Ours starts with oyster mushrooms and pea protein, with as few as five ingredients. The mushroom fibre is what lets it brown and crumble the way ground meat does instead of turning soft.

Can I make this without an air fryer?

Yes. Roast the fries on a lined tray at 425°F (220°C) for about 30 minutes, flipping once. They take longer than the air fryer but crisp up just as well.

Can I scale this recipe up?

Easily. The recipe uses 100g, a third of a pack. Use the full 300g pack and triple everything else for three bowls.

Is this good for meal prep?

Very. Cook the ground and fries in a batch and whisk up extra sauce, then store the components separately and assemble when you eat. Keep the avocado and sauce until the last minute.

Do I need to season the Natural ground?

For this recipe, yes. Natural is the blank-canvas flavour, which is why it takes the tomato paste, garlic and chipotle so well. If you want the seasoning built in, use our Chorizo or Italian instead.

More Recipes to Try

• High-Protein Vegan Korean Beef Bowls
• Vegan Chorizo Tostadas with Cilantro Lime Crema
• High-Protein Vegan Stuffed Shells
• How to Cook Plant-Based Ground Meat

Shop The Better Butchers Natural Plant-Based Ground →

Inspired by a recipe from Anne-Sophie Roy.