Trashy Vegan Burger Salad with Special Sauce

Behold: The salad for salad-haters. The crowd-pleasing, low-carb, gluten-free, vegan, keto dish that you’ll always feel safe bringing to a family get-together. This trashy vegan burger salad is that good. Make it and thank me later!

Now that I’ve sufficiently talked this salad up, you should know one thing: it’s just a deconstructed burger without the bun. Get a nice sear on a plant-based patty, throw it on a bed of lettuce, and make it rain with cheese, tomatoes, pickles, onions, sesame seeds, and whatever else you like on your burgers.

What really makes me want to keep coming back to this salad over and over again is the dressing, which is really just a basic burger sauce. Drizzle a mix of ketchup, mustard, vegan mayo, and some good old distilled vinegar over the top and call that sauce special. It really is.

What’s great about the special sauce dressing is it’s really customizable to your taste. If you like a sweeter sauce, go heavy on the ketchup. If you want a richer, creamier sauce, go in with the mayo.

Still not feeling the burger salad vibes? Try switching it up with the following toppings:

• Caramelized onions
• Sliced avocado
• Vegan queso
• Hot sauce
• Grilled corn
• Sauteed spinach
• Pickled jalapenos
• Vegan bacon
• Hash browns
• Hummus
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Pesto
• Artichoke hearts
• Grilled mushrooms
• Roasted red peppers

As long as you’ve got a tasty vegan burger patty and fresh lettuce, the rest is up to you. I prefer Beyond Meat’s burger patty for this since it gets a really nice char on it if you use a cast iron skillet. That said, I know plenty of people who prefer a more vegetable-forward burger. Even homemade veggie or bean burgers would be great for this salad!

Other recipes that barely pass as salads:

• Tortellini and Green Pea Salad
• “The” Salad (AKA Tequilaberry Salad)

Trashy Vegan Burger Salad with Special Sauce

Print Recipe

This trashy vegan burger salad is essentially a deconstructed burger drizzled with special sauce and topped with all the fixings.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

For the special sauce:

• ¼ cup vegan mayo
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

For the salad:

• 2 vegan burger patties
• 1 head romaine lettuce washed and chopped
• 4 small pickles diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• ¼ red onion small diced
• ¼ cup vegan cheddar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• To make the special sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients and chill until you're ready to serve.
• Sear the vegan burgers in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until slightly charred, approximately 3 minutes per side. (Follow package directions to ensure the patties are properly cooked)
• To assemble the salads, start by dividing the romaine into 2 large bowls. Sprinkle on the cherry tomatoes, pickles and onions. Top with the burgers. Finish with a sprinkle of vegan cheddar and sesame seeds. Drizzle with the special sauce and serve.