I understand that the eternal quest for the veggie burger is to find one that doesn’t fall apart but I think you might be missing out. Sure, this burger might fall apart while you are eating but the flavors are not to be missed. This burger is an imitation of my favorite veggie burger from Tower Cafe. While I love beans, it’s nice to have a veggie burger option that doesn’t include them.
As stated, this burger may fall apart but I included a couple of ingredients to aid in the cohesiveness. Short grain brown rice has a bit more starch than long-grain brown rice. This helps create a bit more binding. The egg is also important for this same reason. The nuts can be changed out based on what you have on hand. If a burger isn’t your thing, a simplified crumble is also delicious!
As for buns, I loosely used the Kitchn’s recipe but used half whole-wheat and half unbleached all purpose flour, honey instead of the sugar, and did an egg wash (1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water) then sprinkled sesame/poppy seeds on top of the buns right before baking.
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PinIngredients
- 3/4 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
- 1/2 cup unroasted pecans
- 1/2 cup unroasted walnuts
- 1/2 unroasted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon brown miso
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- In a pot, combine the brown rice with at least 3 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook until rice is just tender, 30-35 minutes. Remove from heat and drain well (press the rice down if need be to remove water.)
- In a large skillet, combine pecans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Stirring frequently, lightly toast the mix over low heat, 4-5 minutes. Nuts should be fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a food processor, pulse oats until resembling a coarse flour. Add in the nuts/seeds and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles a nut meal-like texture. Next, measure in the tamari, miso, chili paste, spices, cooked and drained brown rice, red onion, parsley, and egg. Continue to pulse until the mixture is well combined.
- Wet your hands and divide mixture into 6 pieces. Pat the pieces into patties, approximately 1/2″ thick.
- Heat a skillet or grill pan over low heat. Cook patties on each side for 6-8 minutes (see note). Burgers should be crisp on the outside and warm in the center. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
*These burgers freeze well. Simply separate leftover burgers with wax paper and seal in a freezer-safe container. Let thaw slightly before cooking. Also, because of the make-up, these burgers are better cooked on the stove top than tried on the grill.
* Upon recent testing, the burgers are amazing fried. Use a pan with about 1/4″ of sunflower oil. Heat over medium-low heat until water sizzles. Add the burgers and fry for about 4 minutes, until brown. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Place on a paper towel to absorb the oil and serve.
* While not quite as moist, these burgers do work without the egg. Try pulsing the mixture a bit more to make it cohesive without the egg.
Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I make homemade burgers all the time, but have never even thought to put rice in them – good call!! I need to try this soon!
cheri says
Erin, These sound delicious and I will try them soon. Glad you three were able to get away from everything. Any release date on the book yet? I’m really looking forward to it. Cheri
elalderson says
Hi Cheri!
June 1st, 2014! Still have a bit but you can preorder it on amazon already! (http://www.amazon.com/The-Homemade-Flour-Cookbook-Nutritious/dp/1592336000)
[email protected] says
These look wonderful! I agree it isn’t necessary for the veggie burger to stay perfectly together. My kids don’t love beans,so I know they will appreciate this alternative, Thanks!
Dishing Up The Dirt says
These look delicious. I am one of the rare people who loves to eat my veggie burgers with a fork and knife so I don’t care if they fall apart. This sounds fantastic!
Joanne (eats well with others) says
I’m so happy you guys got the break you deserved and that it was so lovely! Your pictures of the surrounding area are gorgeous! So peaceful.
Dearna @ tohercore says
Your weekend away looks lovely – what a beautiful spot! 🙂 Im always on the hunt for new veggie burger recipes, will have to give this one a go!
Jennifer says
I used almonds and Bob’s 5 grain hot breakfast cereal, because that’s what I had and baked them at 400 for 15 minutes on each side. They were fantastic! Plus I have lunch in the freezer for several days!
April says
Erin, these are awesome – my new go-to veggie burger for sure! They stuck together with no problem after about 15 mins in the fridge. The flavor is just right – I also added some cumin and coriander. I made the WW(what what)/honey buns too – also fantastic! We should go to Sunflower Drive In in Fair Oaks and do a taste comparison… I think yours may be better!
Natalia says
In an attempt to make Sunday Night Football healthier, we made these burgers, but served them as challah bread sliders with american cheese, sauteed onions, and mayo. They were SOOOOO good, especially paired with the breaded cauliflower. We were supposed to have the jalapeno poppers from your site too, but the dog knocked it to the ground just before it was going in to the oven for the second time 🙁 We will try the poppers again next week.
Marissa Cohen-Barashi says
It looks like you have red onion in the burgers, but they arent listed in your ingredients?
erin says
Good eye- recipe updated to include the onion!
Thea @ Baking Magique says
The photos in this post and a couple of other post look a little bit weird after the redesign… I’m using google chrome. Just wanted to tell you so that you can check it up! If you want to of course. 🙂
erin says
Thanks! I had to disable part of the site and have to slowly work my way back through each post to fix 🙂
Jana says
I just made these with a few variations… SO yummy! Even my picky little grandma who had never heard of a veggie burger loved them. She told me to save what she didn’t eat for lunch tomorrow! Thanks! <3
Sukhi says
Do you have any suggestions for how the egg in the recipe could be replaced?
erin says
I’m sorry, I don’t- the egg is pretty much the only binding in this recipe. The organic authority list a few ideas that might work: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/egg-substitutes-vegan-baking.html
Carrie says
I made these *exactly* as written–minus the egg, as we’re rounding the corner to vegan. They were really good, held together beautifully, great texture, super caloric and, well, meaty. My teenage sons loved them. So did I!!
Thanks for all your recipes!
aneelee says
about how much cooked rice would you say ¾ cups uncooked makes? trying to work from my leftover rice stash! 🙂
Erin Alderson says
About 1 1/2 cups!
Anna says
Hi Erin,
I just love your recipes. These look so good and I can’t wait to make them!! I am wondering if there is anything I could sub for the chili paste? Would fresh jalapeno, sriracha, or red chili flakes work? What would you recommend? Thanks!!
Erin Alderson says
Sriracha or you could leave it out!