Earth Grown Vegan Southwest Quinoa Crunch Veggie Burger

Last Updated on December 26, 2018

EDITOR’S NOTE: Read our review roundup of many of Aldi’s vegan Earth Grown products at this link

Aldi just introduced a new line of vegan products ranging from meatless burgers and meatless meatballs to “Mozzarella Style Shreds.” While I’m not a vegan, I do like a good veggie burger. When the Earth Grown product line hit store shelves, I picked up the Vegan Southwest Quinoa Crunch Veggie Burgers to try.

Earth Grown Vegan Southwest Quinoa Crunch Burger

These burgers are sold frozen, with four 3-ounce burgers to a box. They’re made with quinoa along with black beans, red peppers, and roasted corn. The ingredients list is pretty straightforward: cooked quinoa, cooked black beans, red peppers, expeller pressed canola oil, roasted corn, breadcrumbs, onions, potato flakes, green chili peppers, arrowroot powder, roasted garlic, cilantro, salt, and black pepper.

They’re advertised as a good source of fiber, with 170 calories, 4 grams of protein, 1 gram of saturated fat, 8 grams of total fat, and 2 grams of sugar per serving. They are low in saturated fat and are cholesterol free. They’re also certified vegan by vegan.org.

Overall, I liked the Southwest Quinoa Crunch Veggie Burgers. They are filling, and they have a nice crisp texture, especially around the edges. I could taste the corn and beans, and the pepper taste was not overly strong. If you’re not particularly a fan of quinoa, it blends into the rest of the burger, so this might be a good way to increase your intake of this healthy grain.

Earth Grown Vegan Southwest Quinoa Crunch Burger

The only slight drawback is that the burgers get a bit floppy when they are not frozen solid. I had to be careful when flipping them halfway through the heating process and also when transferring them from baking pan to bun. When I had eaten about half of my burger, small sections of it began falling out of the bun onto my plate. I had to reassemble my burger twice, stuffing chunks of veggie burger back into the bun and carefully holding it all together. To be fair, I think a lot of veggie burgers tend to fall apart easily, regardless of the brand. They are simply different from traditional beef or turkey burgers in that respect.

The burgers should be kept frozen until ready to use. They can be prepared in the oven, toaster oven, skillet, or microwave. The oven is the preferred method.

To prepare in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place frozen burgers on an ungreased baking pan. Bake approximately 5 minutes until browned. Carefully flip and cook an additional 4 minutes until heated through and well browned.

To prepare in the toaster oven, preheat on broil. Place frozen burgers on an ungreased tray. Broil approximately 8 minutes. Carefully flip and cook an additional 6 minutes until heated through and well browned.

To prepare in the skillet, preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook until first side is browned, approximately 7 minutes. Carefully flip and cook an additional 4 minutes. Continue cooking, flipping as necessary, until heated through and well browned.

To prepare in the microwave, place one burger on a microwave-safe plate. Cook on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook 1 additional minute. The burger should be hot throughout but will not brown.

The Verdict:

Aldi’s Earth Grown Vegan Southwest Quinoa Crunch Veggie Burgers, part of the store’s new vegan line, are winners whether you’re vegan or not. They’re a healthy alternative to traditional beef burgers, and they taste good. Just be aware that they don’t hold together as well as meat-based burgers. Recommended.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

12 Comments

  1. I tried them today for the first time. I liked the flavor a lot, but I also had the same difficulty with them not holding together on the bun. Next time I may try a longer, slower heating time in the oven to try and dry them out a little.

  2. Cooked Aldi Tai burgers in skillet on stove, yes they do fall apart easily, I cooked some frozen corn decided to mix together, absolutely marvelous 🙂

  3. LATOYA A TEIXEIRA

    I give them 2 thumbs up. Good flavor. Will buy them again.

  4. Tried them today and loved the flavor! Will be buying them again.

  5. i have been eating these for a few weeks now and have NEVER had a problem with them breaking apart at all.

  6. Favorite veggie burger, I nuke them for 1 min and than brown them in just a tsp of EVO. love them, better than beef! let, tom and mayo!

  7. Very tasty product! That is a huge compliment because I am not vegan, I really like to eat meat, not nonmeat veggie burgers and enjoy food with flavorable spices,… Very impressive product and I will definitely buy these burgers again! I cooked them in a nonstick skillet and ate them without a bun. My question is where are they produced? Is it in the USA? If not, where? Thanks!

  8. I am not the least bit vegan. And I pretty much dislike most vegetables other than corn and potatoes. I bought it on a whim. And it was discounted. I microwaved it for 2 minutes(700watts). It is delicious. Really delicious. I didn’t really treat it lkke a burger and put on a bun. So, my question is. Can I use this as counting toward my daily vegetable count?

    • I would think it counts as a serving of veggies. Some of the main ingredients are black beans, red peppers, and roasted corn.

  9. I make these in the microwave, slice the patty into four strips and put into a tortilla. Top with salsa verde, cilantro or avocado ranch sauce (or WHATEVER you would normally put on your tacos!) and it is AMAZING.

  10. My whole family loves these burgers. I am having a hard time trying to find these. I wish & hope they make these burgers permanent not once in a while. My daughter even takes them to her dorm to eat while on campus. Aldi I hope you are reading this message & can probably make this your permanent item.

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