My original vegan burger has been such a hit that everyone has been asking me if I could create a whole line of them in a variety of flavors. Well, here you go! This is the first in that line: This vegan burger is gluten-free to boot! I make it with forbidden black rice (seriously that’s what it’s called, you can find out more about it here!) and sautéed eggplant–everything else is the same (so I still have my beloved lentils and oats in there!)— and it is outrageously delicious! The black rice is rich and nutty in flavor (it’s also beautiful, it’s a deep dark purplish black) and keeps the perfect chewy texture that I love in my original vegan burger. The sautéed eggplant is almost “smoky” and keeps that umami “meaty-ness” that is essential for a great burger. I like to serve it with my homemade BBQ sauce for an extra kick! I have to admit David and I can’t decide which of these 2 vegan burgers we like the best…I guess that means we’ll just have to alternate…until I create more, that is!
Watch me make it in my kitchen Here! It comes out perfectly every time!
- Chewy Base:
- ½ cup dry forbidden black rice
- "Meatiness":
- 1 cup canned black lentils, rinsed and well drained (packed!)*
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1 small eggplant, rinsed and diced (makes 2 cups raw diced)
- Binding:
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- GETTING EVERYTHING READY:
- Preheat a shallow medium pan and when very hot, add the 2 cups diced eggplant and 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and cook until tender for 12-15 minutes and transfer to a cup and set aside. You will end up with 2/3 cup cooked diced eggplant.
- Meanwhile, place ½ cup dry black rice in 1¾ cups boiling water and cook uncovered, until water has evaporated (about 20 minutes). Transfer to a cup and set aside to cool. You will end up with 1 cup cooked black rice.
- Place the rolled oats in the bowl of a small food processor and grind until medium fine (it shouldn't be a powder) and set aside.
- Place the canned (or cooked) lentils (make sure they are well rinsed and drained and they are well packed in that cup!) in food processor and grind, scraping the sides to form a paste.
- Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil and grind again until smooth. Transfer to a cup and set aside.You will end up with about ¾ cup pureed lentils.
- ASSEMBLING:
- Place the cooked eggplant, ground oats and pureed lentils in a medium bowl and stir gently with a spoon.
- Add tomato paste, dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and stir again.
- Add the cooked black rice last and, using your hands, "dig in" and work the mixture so that it forms a ball.
- Form into 4 equal patties (I like to use a big ice-cream scooper to make them more regular & compact and finish forming the patty with my hands). you can refrigerate or freeze at this point until ready to grill.
- When ready to grill, drizzle a little olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and heat over high heat. When the pan is very hot, place the patties on the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Optional: Use a pastry brush to coat each patty with BBQ sauce (if using) on both sides (about 1 Tbsp per patty) and serve on soft wheat buns with garnishings.
You can find ready-cooked organic black beluga lentils HERE and HERE!
Also, here is the Black Rice I used. There are others, and you can find this one on Amazon or at your health food store.
Here is a grill pan I like to use!
I think this is THE most perfect plant-based burger. I’ve tried many recipes and this one is the best I’ve ever made. I didn’t have eggplant so I subbed mushrooms. And I only had dried lentils, so I cooked some in my instant pot and used them instead of the canned lentils. I grilled it on our outdoor bbq grill. It was outstanding. This will, for sure, be a staple in our house. THANK YOU!
I made these burgers and they are absolutely delicious – plan to make them again and again and to try all the other vegan recipes on this site.
I also find the videos very helpful. Thank you for all you do.
Dear Fraida! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I am so glad that you loved them and just delighted to hear that you will make them again and again, the best compliment there is!! 🙂
Catherine,
I made these vegan burgers for dinner tonight. My husband and I both thought They were WONDERFUL! I did not have an eggplant but I had zucchini and it worked great as a substitute. They were the best vegan burgers I’ve ever had. Your recipes are so delicious! Thank you for this one, it will be a staple at our house! I only cooked two so we will be having the other two tomorrow night for dinner. Can’t wait 🙂
Thanks for another awesome recipe.
-Laurie
YAY Laurie!! That makes me so happy! and WOW I had never tried with zucchini and I love that it worked for you just the same! I will add that to my options as well, thank you so much for that and for your absolutely lovely comment!! 🙂
Do you think you could use wild rice to substitute for the black rice?
Hi Diane, I am not sure if wild rice would work the same way because of its texture but it is certainly worth a try! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Just wondering…have you ever grilled these burgers outside?
Hi Susie, I actually have not tried grilling this particular burger outside but have done so with my regular vegan burger, if that helps!
I grilled mine outdoors and it came out perfect!!!
Dear Cathrine,
I finally got around to making these. I am glad I made a double batch, they were so delicious! Consistency was slightly off though. I guess I didn’t grill them long enough or the fresh onion and garlic I used in lieu of powder introduced too much extra moisture…
Will definitely make them again!
Sibylle
Thank you Sibylle! and yes, you are absolutely correct about the sautéed garlic and onion substitution as I am extremely careful with exactly what ingredients and how much I put in this particular recipe so that the texture is just right but if you love sautéed onions I created another vegan burger you may also love here: https://cuisinicity.com/caramelized-onion-walnut-burger-vegan/
I always love your feedback 🙂
Hello Catherine, it’s important to NOT to put this delicious gluten free burger on a wheat bun. Right?
Hi Bo, It’s only important if you are gluten-sensitive, so by all means, there are lovely gluten-free buns you can find. Otherwise, I personally love it on my soft wheat bun! 🙂
y a que vous pour me faire sortir de mon jardin! je vais de ce pas acheter et du riz noir et un eggplant bio , non mais ! à mes fourneaux ensuite! super recette! ah , les lentilles hmmmmmmm !! est-ce que ça donne du fer sérique? drôle de question non? merci pour ces belles recettes et photos tout aussi appétissantes! bon appétit bien sûr!
HAHAHA ça en vaut la peine!!! J’irai demander à mon mari pour le fer sérique!!! Oulala…vous vous y connaissez encore mieux que moi!!! Mer ci Martine!! 🙂
Yum!!!!
coucou! du riz noir? je ne vois pas? ça a l’air incroyablement bon et même Colombo ne saurait s’y retrouver ! thanks for your genial creativity !!
C’est super bon! Demandez à votre épicerie BIO peut-être qu’ils sent ont! C’est DE-LI-CIEUX!!!
Wow I just made this tonight and it was excellent! I used Mt. Byron Lentils which are Australian small black lentils similar to beluga. At the last minute I realised I didn’t have any barbecue sauce so I substituted pizza sauce and it came out so delicious! This is my favourite veggie burger recipe I have tasted so far. Thanks for all you do!
Can. Not. Wait. Thank you so much for this recipe! I make your original vegan burger for us every single week and it’s our favorite meal. I have been rotating a different kind of bean lately (white and black mostly) just for some variety because we eat them so darn much! So, needless to say, we are super psyched to try another of your amazing creations.
-Susanna
WOW!!! I LOVE to hear that Susanna!!! That made my day!! 🙂 let me know how you like (LOVE!) this one too! 🙂
Do you peel the eggplant?
No!!! 🙂