Vegan Eggplant Burger Patties

This vegan eggplant burger may very well be the best veggie burger ever. Filled with flavors and a great texture, you might even find your favorite meat lover changing sides.

When I started on this journey to becoming a vegan, I imagined myself sitting around eating carrot and celery sticks and complaining about all the things I could not have.

The reality is – there is some amazing options out there that are filled with flavor and are so much healthier for you. This vegan eggplant burger is proof of that.

While this vegan burger is probably my favorite so far, I still equally enjoy these tasty Baked Chickpea Broccoli Patties too.

Vegan Eggplant Burger Ingredients

The ingredients below are all vegan friendly and should be enough to make 4 large sized burgers. I make them large enough to really cover the roll, I hate when a burger is in the middle of a roll with all this bread around it! You can of course make smaller eggplant burgers if your rolls are smaller or if you want smaller portions.

Double or triple the recipe to be able to freeze some for those busy weeknights too!

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 14 ounce can cannellini beans
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 an eggplant, about 1 cup
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup classic hummus (or your favorite flavor hummus)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Are these ingredients paleo friendly?

While this is vegan recipe, it is not paleo friendly due to the use of the panko breadcrumbs. Since this burger would not be the same without the panko you would need to find a replacement if you follow both a vegan and paleo diet.

Some panko breadcrumb options include coconut flour, almond meal, or you can even try and make your own paleo bread crumbs. Remember, these changes will change the flavor a bit. You might want to test a smaller batch of the burgers first to see which of the options taste best to you.

Of course hamburger rolls are not paleo friendly either, so you can either eat the eggplant patties plain or place them on some Nordic Stone Bread which is paleo friendly!

Preparation

You will need a food processor for this recipe to ensure the ingredients are well blended and can easily form patties that do not have huge chunks of ingredients.

Time for preparation is about 20 minutes and baking is about 45 minutes.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

Step 2

Cut eggplant into 1/4″ thick slices and brush each side with olive oil

Step 3

Bake for 10 minutes on one side then flip the eggplant and cook an additional 5 minutes. When it has a nice brown texture it will be done. Remove from over and turn oven down to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 4

Place red onion and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook over medium heat. Stir often and cook until the onions soften.

Step 5

Place eggplant, onion, beans, bell pepper, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, sea salt, and cumin into a large bowl. Add hummus and stir well.

Step 6

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for about 15 seconds or until everything is well blended and smoother in appearance. You can have small chunks of ingredients, just not big huge chunks.

Step 7

Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs and mix well. Make 4 large patties that are about 3/4″ thick.

Step 8

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. If using foil you might want to spray it with a non-stick spray. Place patties on baking sheet and place in oven.

Cook for 45 minutes, turning burgers halfway.

So, now you have your patties ready! How you serve them is totally up to you.

The servings here are shown as a classic burger with some tomato, lettuce, and pickles. I added some tahini sauce to them to give them an additional burst of amazing flavor. But consider adding an avocado crema or maybe a roasted tomato sauce to change it up.

Vegan cheese can also be added to the top – or in the mixture.