How to eliminate rubbery texture in pan fried veggie burgers made with vital wheat gluten I like making veggie burgers, and one recipe that I use relies on vital wheat gluten (as well as egg replacer) to have a coherent burger. Here are the ingredients for one particular burger:


  1 cup TVP 
  ¾ cup Vegetable broth 
  2 tbsp. Tamari 
  2 tbsp. Teriyaki Sauce
  1 egg Egg replacer 
  1 cup Crushed pineapple 
  2 tbsp. Brown sugar 
  ½ cup Vital wheat gluten 
  ½ cup Whole wheat flour


They are mixed together by hand and refrigerated to thicken up. Then the burgers are pan fried.

What I find is that the outer portion of the burger that makes contact with the pan on either side has an excellent texture, but the inside of the burger is very rubbery, being that it's practically raw and the gluten has that rubbery texture to it. If I pan fry the burgers much longer, they turn brown and get too crispy before the interior is fully cooked, even when I have the burner turned low. Is there a solution to this texture issue?
The rubbery texture can be from over-kneading when combining the burgers. For some recipes, I have pre-baked at a low temperature then grilled to get the right texture on the outside. This would work with a recipe with a resting period as well as one that just dries.

Also, if the egg replacer is not binding correctly (I am assuming you are using Ener-G), try using a chia or flax egg (1 tbsp of either milled, then combined with 3 tbsp water and set to congeal). This will raise the moisture in your patty, which likely already has a good amount based on your recipe, so you can use other wet ingredients instead of adding water.