Cheeseburger Salad — a plant-based American recipe by BOSH!
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Cheeseburger Salad

This one came about because we wanted all the joy of a cheeseburger but in something that felt a bit lighter and honestly, a bit more fun. It's got everything you love about a burger, the juicy plant-based patty chunks, those incredible homemade croutons made from burger buns, and all the classic flavours, just thrown together in a salad that somehow feels totally indulgent. The textures are unreal, crispy croutons, tender burger bites, and fresh crunchy veg all in one bowl. We make this when we want something that feels like a treat but takes less than 30 minutes to pull together. Trust us, once you've tried a cheeseburger in salad form, there's no going back.

Cook: 25 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking tray
  • Second baking sheet
  • Mixing bowl
  • Large salad bowl
  • Grater
  • Squeezy bottle (optional)

Ingredients

  • 4 plant-based burgers
  • 1 tbsp gherkin brine
  • 50g plant-based mayonnaise
  • ½ tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ tsp vinegar
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 4 large burger rolls
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 100g plant-based red Leicester cheese
  • 300g iceberg lettuce
  • 2 large gherkins
  • 1 banana shallot
  • A garnish of sesame seeds

Method

1

Prepare the burgers

  • Put the burgers on the baking tray and cook according to packet instructions
  • Take them out of the oven and cut into bite sized chunks
2

For the croutons

  • Cut the buns into 1 inch cubes
  • Put the olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine
  • Add the bread to the bowl and toss to combine
  • Tip the bread out onto a baking sheet, put the sheet in the oven and bake for 8 minutes until toasted
3

Prepare the dressing

  • Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine
  • Transfer the sauce to a squeezy bottle (if you have one)
4

Make up your fresh salad

  • Grate the cheese
  • Trim and shred the lettuce
  • Dice the gherkins and cherry tomatoes. Peel and dice the shallots
  • Add all the salad ingredients (apart from the cheese) to a large salad bowl and toss to combine
5

Prepare the warm elements of the salad and serve

  • Take the burger bun croutons out of the oven
  • Add the burger pieces. Sprinkle over the cheese
  • Put the tray back in the oven and roast for 2 minutes
  • Serve the salad into 4 bowls
  • Sprinkle over the burger pieces and croutons, drizzle over the burger sauce and eat immediately

Tips & Variations

  • Make it saucier: We love drizzling a good vegan burger sauce or a mix of ketchup and vegan mayo over the top before serving. It ties everything together and makes it feel properly indulgent.
  • Crouton upgrade: Henry always adds a pinch of smoked paprika to the crouton mix. It gives them a slightly smoky kick that works brilliantly with the burger flavours.
  • Bun alternatives: If you don't have burger buns, a thick-cut white bread works just as well for the croutons. Sourdough is also brilliant if you want something a bit heartier.

Why This Works

The real genius here is using the burger buns as croutons. They soak up the nutritional yeast and garlic powder and go perfectly golden and crispy in the oven, and they taste like the best part of a burger in every single bite. Cutting the patties into chunks rather than keeping them whole means you get a bit of burger in every forkful, which is exactly what you want.