Wild Rice Burgers Recipe (Vegetarian/Meatless) | Yup, it's Vegan (2024)

5 from 4 votes

For the wild rice veggie burger patties:

• 1 can white beans liquid reserved (cannellini, navy, great Northern, etc.) (or use home-cooked beans; see notes)
• 2 tbsp olive oil divided
• 1 onion diced
• 3 stalks celery thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp almond butter (or use peanut butter, cashew butter, or tahini or tomato paste for nut-free)
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup cooked wild rice (see notes)

For assembling the wild rice burgers

• 6 burger buns of choice toasted if desired
• 2 large tomatoes thickly sliced
• sliced red onion
• ketchup, vegan mayo, or other condiments of choice

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly spray or grease a baking sheet. Drain the canned beans, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the bean liquid. Spread out the cooked beans in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the beans are splitting open and starting to crisp. Remove from the oven.

• Meanwhile, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet (preferably nonstick). Add the onion and celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4-6 minutes or until translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds more. Add the paprika, black pepper, cumin, and oregano and stir; cook for 30 seconds and then remove from the heat.

• Use a spatula to transfer the saute mixture to a food processor, and add the roasted white beans and almond butter. Pulse the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until a doughy consistency is formed with the added ingredients broken down into small pieces. Add the brown rice and pulse a few more times.

• Transfer the mixture to a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the wild rice. If the mixture is too dry to shape into patties, add the reserved bean cooking liquid a couple of teaspoons at a time to bring it together. Shape into approximately 6 patties sized to the buns you are using.

• Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. When hot, add shaped patties, leaving plenty of room between them. (You may need to cook in multiple batches). Cook for about 5 minutes per side, until browned and crisp. Serve hot with toppings of choice. Leftovers can be reheated carefully in the oven.

RICE COOKING: I cooked 1/2 cup dry wild rice and 1/2 cup dry brown rice together in my rice cooker on the brown rice setting to get approximately the amount used for these wild rice burgers.

HOMEMADE BEANS: This recipe calls for reserving some of the aquafaba (bean cooking liquid) to use for binding the burger patties as needed. You get aquafaba for free if using canned beans. If using homemade beans, reserve some of the cooking liquid and then reduce it down by half to thicken it; or use a mixture of ground flaxseeds and water in a 1:3 ratio instead of aquafaba.

NUTRITION FACTS: Nutrition facts include whole wheat burger buns, tomato, avocado and red onion but exclude condiments.