Cauliflower Burger

Craving a veggie burger with a delectable twist? My cauliflower burger has lots of bold, zippy flavor, prepared with crispy-fried cauliflower steaks, a spicy hummus mayo, plus provolone cheese and roasted red peppers!

A Mouthwatering Veggie Burger Made With Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of those delectable vegetables that works so well in so many dishes, and can be prepared in a myriad of ways.

If you peruse The Cozy Apron, you'll peep my cheesy cauliflower casserole, my cauliflower cheese soup, my cauliflower mac and cheese, my spicy harissa cauliflower steaks, plus so many others... I just love this veggie!

And when we're hungry for a delicious burger with a vegetarian slant, instead of one prepared with beef, I often like to use this tasty little cruciferous veg as the star and pair it with lots of zippy flavors.

My cauliflower burger is prepared with panko coated cauliflower steaks that are shallow fried until golden and crispy, then layered onto a soft bun with zesty hummus mayo, provolone cheese and roasted red peppers.

Healthy yet a little bit decadent, bite after bite of this mouthwatering veggie burger is absolutely delectable!

My Recipe for Cauliflower Burgers with Hummus Mayo

What I love about this burger recipe is that there's no “mixture” to put together to create a veggie patty, but rather I use cauliflower steaks cut from the center of a small head of cauliflower.

The way that I do this is to use just the stem portion of the head to keep the “steak” shape and help hold the burger together (I reserve the rest of the cauliflower for another use).

I also like to blanch my cauliflower steaks very lightly in salted boiling water to take away some of the raw, crunchiness, and create a softer texture.

Next, I season the blanched steaks, coat in a bit of flour, egg, panko breadcrumbs, then shallow fry for a few moments until golden-brown and crispy.

This creates that perfect bite for the cauliflower burger, with that mildly crisp cauliflower as the star, along with the melted provolone over top, plus the zesty hummus mayo and the sweet-earthy roasted red pepper—so tasty!

Here's a sneak peek at my recipe for cauliflower burgers: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, prepare my hummus mayo to have ready.
2. Then, I lightly blanch the cauliflower steaks for 2 to 3 minutes, just to take away the raw crunch and flavor.
3. I gently pat the steaks dry of water, and coat them in flour, dip in whisked eggs, then dip in panko breadcrumbs.
4. Next, I shallow fry the steaks for a couple moments on each side just until deeply golden, then drain on a wire rack for a moment.
5. I top each cauliflower steak with a slice of provolone cheese, and place it under the broiler just until melted.
6. To build the cauliflower burgers, I spread some hummus mayo generously on both top and bottom buns, add a little lettuce, a crispy cauliflower steak, then a couple of slices of roasted red pepper, and cover with the top bun.
7. I serve the cauliflower burgers nice in hot with some chips or one of our other favorite sides...

Recipe

Cauliflower Burger

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This cauliflower burger takes crispy cauliflower steaks and layers them with provolone cheese, hummus mayo, and roasted red peppers!

Category: Burgers & Sandwiches
Cuisine: American

Yield: 2 cauliflower burgers

Nutrition Info: 840 calories per burger

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Cauliflower Burger Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, green leaves removed from bottom, but stem left intact
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 slices provolone cheese
• 2 potato bread buns, toasted
• Leaf lettuce
• Sliced roasted red peppers (from jar)

Spicy Hummus Mayo Ingredients:

• ½ cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mayo
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch or two red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your preference)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your spicy hummus mayo ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To prepare the hummus mayo, add all the ingredients up to and including the red pepper flakes into the bowl of food processor, and blend until smooth. With processor running, drizzle in the oil until well blended. Set aside for a moment.
3. Next, gather and prep all of your burger ingredients according the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
4. To make your cauliflower steaks, place the cauliflower head in front of you with the stem down. Cut the parts of the cauliflower head on either side of the stem off, and reserve those for another use. Cut the remaining part of the head (with the stem still intact) in half, creating two, steak-like pieces.
5. Blanch the cauliflower steaks by gently placing them into simmering water for about 2 to 3 minutes, just until crisp-tender. Remove and shock in ice-water to cool. Drain and pat the steaks dry with paper towel, carefully.
6. Combine the panko breadcrumbs with the grated parmesan cheese in a large bowl, along with a pinch of salt and some black pepper, and set aside for a moment.
7. Bread the cauliflower steaks by dipping them in the flour, then into the beaten eggs, then into the panko/parmesan mixture. Set aside on a plate while you heat your oil for frying.
8. Heat enough oil in a large non-stick pan to shallow fry, about 1-2 inches. Once oil is hot, add the breaded cauliflower steaks into the oil and fry for roughly 2 minutes per side, or until golden-brown. Drain the steaks on a wire rack or paper towels.
9. Top each cauliflower steak with a slice of provolone cheese, and place it under the broiler (or small toaster oven) just to melt the cheese.
10. To assemble the burgers, spread some of the spicy hummus mayo onto both top and bottom toasted buns, then add some leaves of lettuce. Place the cheesy cauliflower steak over the lettuce, then top it with a few slices of the roasted red peppers, and cover it with the top bun. Serve while hot with choice of sides.

Tips & Tidbits for my Cauliflower Burger recipe:

• Cut cauliflower steaks with the stem attached: When making cauliflower steaks, you must use the portion of the head of cauliflower where the stem is present. The stem is what keeps the cauliflower intact, and allows the “steaks” to be made. Since this is a relatively small part of the head, you can reserve the rest of it to make other tasty recipes, which you can find below.
• Blanch the cauliflower steaks first: In order to take some of that really raw crunch out of the cauliflower, and prepare it for the shallow frying, take a couple of minutes to blanch them in salted boiling water just until tender yet still a little crisp—not too long, or they will be too soft.
• Panko breadcrumbs for crispy texture: Panko is pretty much always my breadcrumb of choice, as it creates a really crispy-crunchy texture when fried. However, you can certainly substitute traditional breadcrumbs, if you prefer.

Craving more delectable cauliflower recipes? Check out this Cauliflower Rice Bowl, this Cauliflower Casserole, this Cauliflower Cheese Soup, this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, my Cauliflower Curry, or my Roasted Cauliflower!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2014, and has been updated with even more love!