This vegan butter burger is absolutely delicious. It can be made as greasy, gooey, cheesy comfort food … there’s also a healthier option without butter or oil and it’s still delicious. Both versions are simple to make using commonly available ingredients.
First, cook the rice. Short grain rice is what helps this burger stick together and stay firm in the center. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice to use in the recipe.
After the rice, the rest of the ingredients are also super simple, staring with sauteed mushrooms. I didn’t use oil at this point because I wanted the mushrooms kind of dry for the burger mixture and this step releases and evaporates most of the moisture.
The other major ingredient is black beans. They add protein, flavor, and some texture. I use canned and drain and then rinse them and pat quite a bit of the moisture off with a paper towel.
Pulse the rice, mushrooms, and black beans together, along with oats and yummy spices in a food processor until incorporated but not overprocessed. Then form into patties and let sit for about 20 minutes.
Now …
… this brings us to the fork in the road. You can continue as we have and saute the burger without oil or even bake them in the oven. It turns out delicious and can be topped with lots of onions and vegan cheese.
Or … if you chose the other road you take the way that leads to a tasty plant-based burger that’s also a bit of a calorie bomb.
We can cook it all in a mound of vegan butter. This makes it greasy and delectable. I use Earth Balance and first sauteed about 2 cups chopped onions with 2 tablespoons Earth Balance. It will look like a lot of onions, but they sautee down to less than half that.
Saute the onions in the vegan butter for several minutes over medium heat, until they’re brown and tender. Remove from the pan. There should be quite a bit of butter left, but if not add a little more.
Saute the burgers in the butter over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side.
Add cheese on top of the burgers and, optionally, butter your buns and steam them for a minute or two with the pan lid on while the cheese melts.
This vegan butter burger is absolutely delicious. It can be made as greasy, gooey, cheesy comfort food ... there's also a healthier option without butter or oil and it's still delicious. Both versions are simple to make using commonly available ingredients.
CourseMain Course
CuisineVegan
Keywordburger
Prep Time5minutes
Cook Time30minutes
Resting Time20minutes
Calories275kcal
Ingredients
1 1/2cupcooked short-grain white or brown ricecooked according to package
Cook the rice according to directions and set aside 1 1/2 cups to use in the recipe.
Saute the mushrooms in a dry pan to brown and remove most of the moisture. Optionally, use a bit of butter for this step, if desired.
Drain the beans well, rinse them, and pat as dry as possible with paper towels.
Add the rice, mushrooms, beans, oats, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to a food processor. Pulse several times to mince and combine the ingredients. Don't overprocess.
Let the burger mixture rest for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the onions in a large skillet with 2 tbsp vegan butter over medium heat until brown and tender.
*(Optionally, this burger mix can easily be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge overnight which allows everything to really meld together)
Remove the onions and set aside. Fry the burgers in the remaining vegan butter, adding more if necessary. Cook about 4 minutes over medium heat on each side. Turn once.
Add a slice of your favorite vegan cheese to the tops, if you like. Steam some buttered vegan buns in the pan with the lid on for a minute or two while melting the cheese.
Serve on the buns topped with the buttery onions.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Butter Burger
Amount Per Serving
Calories 275
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
XO Lisa
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Lisa Viger Gotte
Hello! I’m Lisa, a vegan artist, photographer, author, Vegan Life Coach Educator, and RYT 200 yoga teacher. I love showing others how simple and delicious a plant-based diet can be. I draw and paint, cook, write, take lots of pics, eat lots of chocolate, and practice gratitude daily.
Eggs are the most common and effective binder, and egg replacers are an excellent alternative for vegan burgers. Other common binders include wheat germ, bread crumbs, oats, and ground flaxseeds.
Adding flour or oats can help the burgers stick together, without using eggs. Mash everything together well. The more pulverized the veggie burger mixture gets, the better the patties will stick together. (But don't puree them, or the final texture will be off.)
Mashed avocado or white miso make great vegan burger binders, with egg replacers, wheat germ, bread crumbs, oats and ground flax seeds also being effective choices.
Panko breadcrumbs: breadcrumbs help the burgers bind together and create a nice firm texture. You can use gluten free panko if needed! Regular or Italian-style is great. Flax: ground flaxseed is our egg substitute to help the patties stick together so they don't fall apart when you cook them.
Ground flax – for binding, like a vegan egg! Flour – also for binding, but use GF flour if you wish. Breadcrumbs – another binder! Or use oats for gluten free! Start with about 1 cups worth and add more until the mixture comes together.
For a tried and true flax egg ecipe that will replace one regular egg, simply mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxmeal with 2 ½ tablespoons of water. Stir to combine and let sit for 15 minutes until thickened. I bake with “flax eggs” quite often, as they are an excellent binder.
Combine a tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water, stir to combine, and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken. Ground flaxseed emulates eggs' binding qualities in breads, cakes, muffins, cookies, burgers, and vegan meatballs.
Alternately, you may get a bit squeamish when working with raw eggs, or you might be out of eggs at the moment. Thankfully, mashed potatoes work as an excellent egg substitute for meatballs.
Finely chopped garlic and shallots add depth of flavor. Crushed walnuts give them a meaty bite. Short grain brown rice, panko bread crumbs, and ground flaxseed help these burgers hold together. DON'T use long-grain brown rice here.
If you're going for a leaner meat or adding bulky ingredients (eg spring onions, onions, chillies), add an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs to bind the burgers.
Refrigerate the whole burger mix in a bowl for 30 minutes or so, bring them out and come close to room temperature and then make the patties when you're ready to cook them. They will be firmer and hold together better while cooking.
To replicate 1 large egg, mix 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 2 to 3 tablespoons water and let sit for a few minutes. Add to the veggie burger mix just as you would an egg.
The burgers are not vegan, as they contain eggs and dairy, but are suitable for vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs, being made mostly of plant matter (vegetables), along with salt.
Chia seeds act in the same way as flaxseeds in a recipe. They can help bind ingredients and are best used in recipes such as breads and wholemeal cookies. Mix 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water, then leave to sit for around 20 minutes.
One of the most common substitutes is breadcrumbs, but sometimes the breadcrumbs can fall off when the burgers are cooking if there are too many or they are too dry. Other popular substitutions for eggs include cornstarch, flour, ketchup, porridge oats, cracker crumbs, and ground flaxseed.
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.
If you're going for a leaner meat or adding bulky ingredients (eg spring onions, onions, chillies), add an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs to bind the burgers.
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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