This burger was a FAVORITE at our cafe. Laura and I decided that to make a GOOD plant-based burger, the intention should be to keep the elements of a classic burger in mind without trying to replicate meat. Like all our recipes, each ingredient, texture, and flavor compliments each other. And of course, it looks pretty too!

The base of this burger is wild rice and sunflower seeds. The best experience of this burger is with our lemon tahini dressing, pickled shallot, avocado, and fresh greens. We like to use lettuce as the bun and find that bread takes away from the flavors, but we will let you decide!

Also, like many of our recipes, there are a few steps involved and for simplicity, it’s a good idea to prep some things in advance, or even prep and freeze your burgers in a batch.

Elements of the Burger:

Lemon Tahini Dressing
Quick pickled shallot
Fresh avocado
Sprouts, arugula or fresh herbs
Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce Buns
Sunburger

Lemon Tahini Recipe

Yeild: 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

⅓ cup tahini

¼ cup lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp water

1 tsp lemon zest

1 clove garlic

½ tsp sea salt (more to taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender, and blend until smooth. Add water to desired consistency.

Quick Pickled Shallot

Ingredients:

4 shallots, finely sliced

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp beet water (for pink color) or water

Directions:

Add sliced shallot to a jar with water and ACV. Place the lid and store in the fridge for up to 3 months, or more!

Sunburger Recipe

Yield: 10-12 patties

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups raw unsalted sunflower seeds, ground

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp thyme

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt or to taste

Wet Ingredients:

3 cups cooked wild rice

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

Directions:

Cook wild rice in salted water, following the directions of your preferred rice. This step can be done in advance. Set aside or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well combined and sunflower seeds are ground to desired consistency. We like to have a little texture in our blend.
Pour the dry ingredient mixture into a large bowl.
Add wet ingredients to the food processor and blend until well combined. We like to use the rice while it’s warm (not hot/not cold). It will be the binding agent for the burger. Blend to a textured paste. You should still see some full grains, pieces of carrot, and parsley in the mixture.
Add to the bowl of dry mix and combine with a spatula. The texture should be slightly sticky and will form a ball when squeezed together. If it’s too sticky you may need to add more ground sunflower.
Lightly oil clean hands and begin shaping your patties on a sheet of parchment paper. This recipe makes 10-12 large patties which can be stored in the fridge for 6 days or the freezer. To store, line an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper and separate the patties with wax paper, so they don’t stick together.
To cook the patty, we prefer pan frying to maintain moisture. Heat 2 tbsp oil on medium heat and add the patty. Flip over when it begins to brown. Each side takes about 3 minutes (depending on heat and pan). When evenly browned, place the patty on paper towel to remove excess oil.
Serve on lettuce bun with lemon tahini sauce, avocado, pickled shallot and sprouts or greens.

The KYN Sunburger

Recipe