These satisfying vegan kale burgers are made with a flavorful mixture of white beans, crunchy sunflower seeds and lots of garlic. They’re as delicious as they are healthy.
I couldn’t let July 4th go by without posting at least one veggie burger recipe, and this is just about the veggiest of veggie burgers. I post a lot of veggie burger recipes, but not a whole lot of them are actually veggie burgers.
These are some serious veggie burgers.
They’re big, green and full of kale. They’re delicious though! It’s about time if you asked me. I realized that over the last year or so I hit a bit of stride with sharing vegan comfort food recipes, and my burger recipes have been no exceptions. Falafel burgers. Guac and chips burgers. Meatloaf burgers. Can you blame me? They’re all reasonably healthy though, so no biggie. But I did figure though it was time to share something seriously veggiefied, so here you go. I’m giving you my kale burgers.
You know what too? Kale burgers are just as hearty and sloppy good as all those other burgers I’ve been sharing. They’re green, but whatever. Kale is delicious, and even more delicious when mixed up with lots of garlic, white beans, basil, and crunchy little sunflower seeds.
I wondered if adding kale to my burgers might mess with the texture or make them not hold together, but I think it actually helped, because these were super sturdy, with a fantastic bite. I’m betting they’d even withstand some grilling, but if you go there be sure to put down a layer of foil, just to be safe.
Garlicky Kale Burgers
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. curly kale, about 1 small bunch or 1/2 of a large bunch
- 1-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (or more, if you want your burger very garlicky!)
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil, for grilling
For Serving:
- 4 to 6 burger buns
- 4 to 6 lettuce leaves, or a few handfuls of shredded lettuce
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced (I like mine sautéed too)
- vegan mayo
Instructions
- Clean and remove stems from kale, then tear the leaves into 2 inch pieces. Place into a steaming device of your choice (stovetop or microwave), and steam until leaves are just wilted and bright green, about 5 minutes.
- Place kale leaves into food processor bowl, along with beans, 1 cup panko, sunflower seeds, basil, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse a few times until well blended, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add up to an additional 1/4 cup of panko if mixture seems too soft. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties.
- Lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, place patties into skillet and cook until browned on bottoms, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on opposite sides, about 4 minutes more.
- Stuff into buns and top with toppings of choice. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information includes lettuce, tomato, onion and 1 tablespoon of vegan mayo.
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