These garlicky kale burgers are a hearty, satisfying, and delicious way to get your greens — bursting with texture and wholesome ingredients, they're perfect for everything from summer cookouts to easy weeknight dinners.
These burgers are big, green, and full of kale! You might be inclined to think that they'd be not that tasty. You know, these are the healthy kind of veggie burgers, unlike more indulgent ones like vegan meatloaf burgers, falafel burgers, or barbecue chickpea burgers. But you'd be wrong! These are some of the most delicious, indulgent veggie burgers I've ever tasted. The fact that they pack some nutritous greens is just a bonus.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Kale. The recipe calls for good old curly kale, which is the most common variety. Pretty much any type of kale will work, though! Feel free to use another variety like Tuscan or red kale.
- Cannellini beans. I don't recommend swapping these out with any other type of beans. Cannellini have just the right texture for these burgers!
- Panko breadcrumbs.
- Sunflower seeds.
- Fresh basil. Definitely, definitely use fresh basil for this recipe. Dried won't cut it.
- Garlic.
- Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is crucial. Please, don't use bottled.
- Salt & pepper.
- Vegetable oil. You can use any neutral, high-heat oil to grill your burgers. Olive oil, coconut oil, corn oil, and canola oil are all fine!
- Toppings. Use whatever you normally like to top your veggie burgers with! Try vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, avocado, pickles, onions, and/or sliced vegan cheese.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Prepare the kale. Cut the stems from your kale leaves. The easiest way to do this is by folding the leaves in half, then running a knife along the edge of the stems. Next, roughly chop the leaves.
Step 2: Steam the kale. Place the chopped kale leaves into a steamer basket, then place the basket into a saucepan of boiling water. Cover and let the kale steam until the leaves are nice and wilted.
Tip: If you don't have a steamer basket, you still have options! Boil your kale in water, or steam it in the microwave, wrapping it in a wet paper towel and zapping it for a few minutes.
Step 3: Load the food processor. Place your steamed kale into a food processor bowl, along with all of the remaining ingredients (except the buns!).
Step 4: Blend. Run the machine in short spurts, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and move the ingredients around.
Tip: Make sure you're using a nice, big food processor for this recipe. If yours is small, blend the ingredients in batches, then mix them in a bowl.
Step 5: Shape the patties. You can make as many as six smaller patties, or as few as four large ones.
Step 6: Cook the patties. Cook them in a lightly oiled skillet for a few minutes, until the bottoms brown.
Flip them and cook them for a few more minutes on the other sides.
Step 7: Serve. Your kale burgers are ready to enjoy! Stuff them into buns, along with your favorite burger toppings.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover kale burger patties will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days, or in the freezer for about three months.
For a make-ahead option, follow the recipe through step 4. Store the mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months. When you're ready to serve them, thaw the mixture (if frozen), then shape into patties and pick up where you left off with the recipe. They may require an extra minute of cook time on each side if you're using the mixture straight from the fridge.
Variations
- Swap out the greens. Other types of leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard will work in this recipe. Just reduce the steaming time to about a minute for spinach, and to about three minutes for chard.
- Baked kale burgers. Instead of pan-frying your burgers, place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Spicy kale burgers. Turn up the heat by adding some of your favorite hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes to the burgers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Replace the panko breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs (make sure they're vegan), or oat flour. Also, make sure your buns are gluten-free.
You can! Thaw it out and squeeze any excess water from it. Skip the step of steaming it, since frozen kale is partially cooked.
Yes, with a slight modification to the recipe. Veggie burgers tend to fall apart on the grill. Bake them at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes to firm them up, then finish them on the grill.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Garlicky Kale Burgers
Ingredients
- 8 ounces curly kale, about 1 small bunch or half of a large bunch
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For Serving:
- 4 to 6 burger buns
- Toppings of choice
Instructions
- Clean and remove stems from your kale leaves, then roughly chop them up.
- Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place it over high heat. Place your kale into a steamer basket. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat so that the water is simmering, place the steamer basket into the pot, and cover. Steam the kale until wilted, about 4 minutes (Note 1).
- Place kale leaves into a large food processor bowl fitted with an s-blade, along with the beans, breadcrumbs, sunflower seeds, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Run the machine briefly, then stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and redistribute the ingredients with a rubber spatula. Repeat this until the ingredients are finely chopped and well combined, but the mixture still has some texture (Note 2). Taste-test the mixture and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties.
- Lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet and place it over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, place the patties into skillet and cook them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
- Stuff the patties into buns and top with toppings of choice. Serve.
Notes
- You can steam the kale in batches if it won't all fit into the basket. Alternatively, you can boil the kale for 3 to 4 minutes, but make sure to blot it dry when it's done. Another alternative is to simply place the kale on a microwave-safe dish, cover it with a wet paper towel, and microwave it for 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful when handling the dish and wet paper towel, which will be hot.
- My food processor has an 11 cup capacity, and it's just large enough to accommodate the ingredients. If you have any doubt, blend the ingredients in batches, transferring each batch to a large bowl when done, then mixing them by hand.
- Nutrition information assumes you're making 4 burgers.
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Hey we made these and they were pretty good! It was my first time making a bean burger, it held up nice but was a little soft in the middle.
But my question is, you think I can throw the burgers in the air fryer as is, or a suggestion to modify the recipe if you think it would fall apart as is? Pan frying used more oil than I would like. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I've actually never made burgers in an air fryer. Baking in the oven generally works, though. Bake them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through. If you really want to air fry them, you could try adding extra breadcrumbs or adding a few tablespoons of flour to firm them up. I can't promise that they still won't fall apart though!
I have a bunch of kale in the garden, just waiting to be eaten, so this looks perfect! However, I don't have any cannellini beans. Wondering if anyone has tried this with chickpeas, which I always have on hand.
Looking forward to trying it. :)
I haven't tried the recipe with chickpeas, but I think they'd work just fine. Enjoy!
will this keep in the fridge or freezer and for how long? I plan to do a meal prep. thanks!
They should keep in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
Could I sub sunflower seeds for hemp seeds? I'm going to try and make the recipe tonight!
I think that would work! Enjoy!!
May I ask if I can make them and store them in a fridge? So like those days when I'm lazy I just take them out and warm them. By the way great recipe!
Yup! I'd say no more than 2-3 days in the fridge though, and freeze them if you want to keep them around longer. :)
I just made this recipe this morning, I wanted it alll ready ahead of time because I knew I was going to be busy later in the day. Tasted the raw mix in the food processor and it seemed a bit salty - really, it’s been many years since I’ve over salted something. I turned around and there was my kale still in the steamer. All was not lost, I chopped the kale separately and then folded it into the mix. Salting is now just fine. Raw mix tastes great.
Glad to hear it! I hope you enjoyed the burgers!
These are insanely good. I couldn't even disrespect them with a bun.
Yay!! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Every since I discovered this recipe, I've been dying to make it. Yesterday, the magic day finally arrived & WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT! Without a doubt, these are THE best burgers I've every had, thank you! Just their fragrance alone made me crazy. Instead of a bun, I found the largest leaves of red leaf lettuce I could, wrapped them in it with red onion & vegan mayo & mustard and was in hog heaven! They were perfect: messy, full of flavor and so magical, I had another one for lunch today! Don't tell anyone, but my husband put our dinner away last night (he had a poisonous pizza) and when I pulled out the bag of burgers, one was missing! Evidently he enjoyed it too!!! Thank you, once again, for providing me with a magical meal full of flavor. I've got 3 more to go and my mouth is watering already! One question, is there a non-flour, in any form, substitute for the Panko bread crumbs? I'm on a quest to find vegan burgers that are flour free - be it oats or bread. Not having much luck so far. Alissa, you are THE best! Thank you! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to plotting dinner!
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!! And that sounds like a delicious way to serve them! Usually what I do when I want to avoid flour or panko in a burger recipe is put some rolled oats in the food processor and grind them up. Does that count as flour if you're making it yourself? :) Using the oats whole can work too, but I find this method is a bit hit or miss because they sometimes don't soak up enough moisture to keep the burgers sturdy.
Great recipe! I used the flat kale and it was fine. I am. It a kale fan but did like these burgers.
*not a kale fan
I'm glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks Cathy!
This! I made this recipe tonight and this is why cooking was invented, haha. Amazing.
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Lilu!
Omigosh, Alissa, these were delicious. I had to put them through my lame-ass food processor in batches, but it worked out fine in the end. In Canada, they mostly have 19-ounce cans of beans, and because I didn't want to save such a tiny bit, I used them all and added a bit more lemon juice. Everyone loved them. Thanks for the recipe (again)!
Thanks so much Erin! I'm glad they were a hit!
These sound so good! Anything with kale, you can count me in!
Me too!! Thanks Aimee!
I'm always looking for new vegan burgers for the summer. These look so tasty and healthy! I'm all over "the veggiest of veggie burgers"!
Thanks Mary Ellen! I'm all about veggie burgers during the summer too! :)
These look wonderful! Love your roasted garlic white bean & artichoke veggie burgers. Would I be able to sub in flat leaf kale? I am not a big fan of the curly kale.
I think flat leaf kale would work. I almost went with that myself, so I'd love to hear how it works out if you try it. :)
These look so delicious! I've got a bunch of kale in the fridge that needs using up and now I know just what to do with it.
Perfect! Enjoy!
YUMMO! I will most certainly try these. Have you tried the Smokey Spinach Bean Burgers from Thug Kitchen? They are amazing, too and I have made them with Kale as well (even though I was also worried about the taste difference) but it was delish! Thanks for this, will Comment Back with my results.
I haven't, but they sound great. I love anything with smokey flavors! I hope you enjoy these! :)
I HAVE A QUESTION IS THE CALORIE COUNT INCLUDING BUN? OR IS IT JUST BURGER?
It does indeed include the bun. Thanks for the question! Enjoy!