[Ad- gifted product] Burgers feel like one of those things that people are always trying to create vegan versions of. I guess its because burgers are such a known food – so comforting and recognizable, so having something with burger in it’s name is more relatable even for those who aren’t completely meat free. Japan Centre has released a range of different Tofu Burgers, which are like tofu patties with a bunch of different flavours or vegetables added into them. We got our hands on three of the varieties to try out and see if we enjoy them!
All of these burgers are made of tofu and come two in a pack, vacuum sealed so that they stay fresh. They don’t have any real extra packaging, and are actually really small when it comes to taking up fridge space. They do need to be kept chilled, though I imagine they could also be frozen and cooked from frozen as they aren’t real meat.
Chilled Japan Centre Vegan Cheese Tofu Hamburger
Starting with the most classic burger, we wanted to create a double cheese burger with our tofu hamburger that had vegan cheese flavour. This burger, when you open the packaging, had a huge smell of cheese, which was pretty interesting. It’s pretty easy to cook up in a pan, and then we added it onto a burger bun with tomatoes, lettuce and a bit of ketchup. You don’t want to over-do it on the condiments when it comes to these tofu burgers as they have a subtle taste to them, and with a lot of toppings like ketchup, you might not be able to taste much of the flavour that’s added to them. This burger did taste a little bit of cheese and had the texture of a slightly crispy tofu. Having two on the bun made for a very filling dinner.
Chilled Japan Centre Vegan Tofu Hamburger with Miso
The next burger we tried was the tofu hamburger with miso, which again smelled a lot like miso out of the package! We wanted to do something a little different with this burger than just putting it in a bun, so made a ramen noodle burger bun to place the burger and lettuce in. We didn’t add any condiments to this burger, as miso is already a bit of a mild flavour and we knew from the previous burger that we would completely overwhelm it if we added anything else on. This burger did taste of miso, and of tofu – with a good tofu texture throughout. It is subtle, but one that you could probably use as a patty in soups.
Chilled Japan Centre Vegan Tofu Hamburger with Red Pepper
The Tofu hamburger with Red Pepper had bell pepper chunks in it, that you could see. I sort of thought this would be a big texture adventure with chunks of a different veggie in it, but the red bell pepper was actually soft and matched the texture of the burger. We had this patty cut up in a ramen, an idea inspired by the miso burger which we felt might go well in soup. I chopped it up and it sucked up my kimchi ramen. You could taste the ramen and the pepper and the tofu! It was a good texture too, getting a bit soft with all of the broth. I really enjoyed it this way personally!
I do like that none of these burgers were trying to be beef or chicken, but instead were being their own, unique experience. It felt like something completely different and new within the burger market, and Dann and I really enjoyed them all. I think my favourite way to have them was in the soup, where as Dann really liked his classic burgers!
Oh wow I’ve never heard of this! It looks like it was really good. Great review here!
I agree with you that it’s good when meat substitutes don’t try to imitate chicken or beef. These sound interesting as meat free options x
I’ve never had a tofu burger but it looks pretty great. I’d try this burger
We have been looking for healthier options to add to our meals. I have never had a Tofu Burger, but these look so delicious.
I’ve tried tofu before but burgers , now that looks yummy! I think I might give these a go