The Best Eggplant Patties

May 23, 2014

The Best Eggplant Patties


Today I want to be obnoxious and snobby.
So I labeled these patties as “the best”.
To be honest, I always think it’s very pretentious to name a recipe “the best” of anything.
Best means “of the most excellent or desirable type or quality”; so who can actually claim that something they’ve made is the best?
Unless you’re Daniel Boulud or Ferran AdriĆ , then you probably can. Running a bunch of Michelin starred restaurant grants some of sort of authority in that department.
But for the rest of us - commoner cooks - it’s better to take a more understated approach.
Something can be good, amazing, awesome, mouthwatering, but the best? That’s too much.
However, sometimes you make something and you just knock it outta of the park. Just like that.
And there’s no better way to describe what you’ve just made than “the best!”
This situation here is sort of the best eggplant patties I’ve ever had . Like, ever. So here we are with this super pretentious recipe title. Sorry folks.


The Best Eggplant Patties

Since we have already settle that they’re the best, let’s just get right to it, okay? No need to brag.
Eggplant, onion, garlic, cheese, almond meal and some herbs.
Wait, no eggs?
Nope, no need.
The patties hold together perfectly, trust me.
This means that if you are vegan (or have a vegan friend) you can sub the Dubliner cheese with vegan cheese. And voila’, “The Best Eggplant Patties” become “The Best Vegan Eggplant Patties”.
I know, I’m pretty bratty today.
The Best Eggplant Patties


These patties are very versatile (not only the best): great as an appetizer with a beer (or a glass of wine) or as a main meal with a good salad. Or, they can be a wonderful vegetarian burger alternative. I’m not sure about grilling them though...
Okay, it’s go time!

The Best Eggplant Patties
The Best Eggplant Patties                                                                                     Print this recipe!

Ingredients

Makes about 8 medium size patties


1 large eggplant (or 2 medium), peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion (or 2 scallions), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 gr grated Dubliner cheese (or sharp Cheddar)*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup / 3.4 oz / 96 gr breadcrumbs (or GF breadcrumbs or almond meal)

*use vegan cheese to make them vegan

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large (preferable non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and salt and saute’ for 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and saute’ for 1 further minute, until fragrant.
Finally add eggplant cubes and saute’ - stirring every now and then - until browned and soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl and puree/mash with an immersion blender (you can also use a food processor or a blender to do this).
Add cheese, parsley, black pepper and stir until well combined.
Add breadcrumbs (or GF breadcrumbs or almond meal) ¼ cup at a time and mix with your hands until it reaches a firm consistency and will hold up as patties (you might need to use more or less almond meal).
Transfer mixture to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs (or GF breadcrumbs or almond meal)  to suck up some of the moisture.
Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and with dampened hands form 8 medium size patties (or 4 larger ones).
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet you used before over medium-high heat.
When sizzling, add patties (in batches if necessary) and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until browned.
Serve warm with some marinara sauce on the side.

Nutrition facts

One patty yields 175 calories, 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs and 7 grams of protein.

75 comments:

  1. 1 - I am a sucker for anything labeled "Best"
    2 - it has eggplant in it so I need this in my belly soon. Pinning this!!

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  2. I love eggplant! These are right up my alley.

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    1. That's fantastic Lauren, I still have to make your firecracker chicken...

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  3. These look sooooo good!

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  4. Hi Mike, wow... I like your "inferno tower" patties. It really awesome.
    Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Have a nice day, regards.
    Amelia

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  5. Mmmm love eggplant. I also love that there's no egg in here as a binder. These look fantastic and crunchy and perfect with a glass of wine. I'm happy you're so enthusiastic about them because I don't want to read about "Eggplant Patties, they're just okay" -I'd much rather have "the best!" :)

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    1. What about labeling a recipe as "Nice"? How awful would that be?
      So yes, "Best" is deffo better!

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  6. It's not bragging when it's the best! Ever since I started eating mostly paleo, I've been looking for creative ways not to eat meat with every meal, and these veggie patties look like crispy perfection! These also seem like an ingenious way to have eggplant parmesan flavors without all the deep frying!

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    1. It's so true Kari, they do taste a lot like eggplant parmesan. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should have called them "The Best Eggplant Parm Patties". Well, too late now for that!

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  7. These are definitely the best eggplant patties I've laid my eyes on in a long time. Great job Mike. As always your photography is amazing|

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  8. Love how simple this recipe is Mike, they look amazing and seriously may just be the best. On my to-do list this summer. Have a great weekend!

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  9. I am LOVING these! I never really know what to do with eggplant, other than plain grill it, make ratatouille, baba ganoush or eggplant parmesan. These patties look friggin' amazing, and I happen to have not one, not two but THREE eggplants sitting in the fridge. One of 'em just found its purpose!

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    1. Well my friend, it seems to me that you know quite well that to make with eggplant ;)

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  10. You are such a snooty brat, Mike! But you know what? I would trust anything coming from you labeled as "the best". Yup, that's how the wolfpack rolls. No questions asked. You say it's the best? Then it's the best. And I'll beat up anyone who tries to disagree. Nice job man...and of course the photography is amazing!

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    1. I am totally a snooty brat David, I've been in denial up to know but it's about time I come clean.
      And since we're being honest here I think we should rename our wolfpack as "The Best Wolfpack!" Thoughts?

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  11. I cooked your turkey burgers , wonderful on a bed of spinach. I will try these soon! Thanks for the recipes!

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    1. That's fantastic Joanne, lemme know how you like these patties as well!

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  12. Hah, I label recipes 'the best' all the time. I guess I am a brat though, so that makes sense. These look delicious! I usually just saute eggplant rounds, so I'm happy to have something else to try with it!

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    1. You are a total brat Lauren, there's no point denying it! ;)

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  13. I love the idea that these are sans eggs--what?--and can be made vegan--double what? I'm willing to buy your idea of "the best." And yeah, I don't use that term lightly, either. Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Superlatives should be never used lightly, but in this case it was justified.

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  14. Never eaten eggplant patties before! These look so good and delicious!

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    1. You should totally give 'em a try then; you won't be disappointed, I promise!

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  15. I know that's not in your recipe, but I have some (organic, grass-fed, altruistic etc) "aubergine" puree sitting in the cupboard and will try your recipe with it.
    Cheers, Lisa

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    1. Aubergine sounds way more sophisticated than eggplants, I'm sure your patties will turn out so much better than mines Lisa! ;)

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  16. I tried this recipe and once again loved it. I did cook them in the oven since I had trouble browning them. I cook with cast iron and they were sticking to the pan. I also had left over lemon yogurt sauce from the turkey burgers and decided to serve theses on a bed of spinach with the lemon sauce. Wonderful dinner!!!! Thanks...

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    1. That's fantastic! I probably should have mentioned to use a non-stick pan/skillet.
      Thanks for reporting back Joanne!

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  17. These were really good! Thanks for the recipe! I did have some difficulty getting the "dough" to be firm enough to form into patties by hand, even after adding some extra almond meal and refrigerating them. I suppose it has to do with the size of the eggplant you start with. But rather than adding a ton more almond meal, I gave up on the patty idea and just used an ice cream scoop to drop them into the hot skillet, then flattened them slightly with a spatula--it worked surprisingly well! Perfect patty shapes and maybe even slightly easier than pre-forming patties. Next time I think I will also let the eggplant puree cool a bit before adding the cheese because it started to melt while I was stirring it all together. These were tasty and easy, and I will definitely be making this recipe again!

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    1. Amy, using the ice-cream scoop is a brilliant idea. I'm definitely going to try it myself and maybe even add it to the recipe directions as a suggestion.
      I love that you thought on your feet and came up with such a great solution. Awesome!

      I also think that letting the eggplant puree cool a little bit is smart thing to do - although the cheese is supposed to melt in order to work as a binding agent.

      Thank you so much for your precious feedback and have an awesome day!

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  18. I had my doubts about these being the "best" but tried them anyways. They live up to the name and more! Seriously, amazing!! Can't wait to make them again!

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  19. I bet these would be good with some Lebanese/Middle Eastern spices added and dipped either in yogurt or a tahini sauce like falafel :) I love eggplant and always looking for new ways to eat it!

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  20. Hi!

    These look so good, I will be making them shortly. Even if I never seem to be very lucky in my attempts to cook eggplant... Would you happen to know what quantity (in cups or other) of eggplant corresponds to one big eggplant? I see all eggplants of all sizes (and colors, some of them are a very bright and vivid purple, while other are deep dark purple colored...), I wouldn't know what is a medium or a big one...

    I look forward to give those a try anyway!

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    1. I don't know about cups ,but a large eggplant (the purple one) should weigh about 1 pound or 453 grams.

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  21. These were delicious! I used the ice cream scoop idea and it worked perfectly. It was a #20 but these would be wonderful using a #50 to make little appetizers for a party. So easy to make and they can even stay nice and warm in the oven until guests arrive. So glad I found them!

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    1. That's fantastic Elizabeth, I'm so happy you enjoyed them so much!

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  22. Looove eggplants! How'd you make your patties look so even? Did you use rings?

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    1. Nope, but I played with Play-Doh a lot as a kid...so I'm quite good at shaping!
      :)

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  23. what about using feta instead of cheddar?

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    1. The problem I have with feta is that it doesn't melt that much, hence I don't know if it will act as a binding agent as cheddar does.

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  24. These look great! Does the almond meal add to the flavor of these? I only have plain bread crumbs and wanted to substitute. Would regular breadcrumbs work?

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    1. Almond flour definitely adds flavor, but you can sub it with regular breadcrumbs. It'll work just fine!

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  25. Looks fantastic! Is there anything I can sub for the cheese?

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  26. MIke, I LOVE EGGPLANT...so I was super excited for this recipe...they are very tasty but mine came out very sticky in the middle and not like a patty....Any suggestions on what I can do to firm them up?

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  27. I love it! I'm cooking it just now to dinner!

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  28. made these with a few tweaks: used thyme instead of parsley and parmesan instead of cheddar. they were great! I baked them in the oven for 30 minutes at around 370 degrees and they were still very soft when they came out (i was so hungry i didn't want to leave them longer) but firmed up after a couple of hours. so delicious and what a great way to use eggplant. thanks for the recipe

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  29. Just made these! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I will be making these again, and again.

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  30. Made these for the first time today. The flavor is great but mine are very mushy in the middle. Any suggestions? Did I not add enough almond meal? How much almond meal do people usually use for this? I used probably 1 & 1/4 cup.

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    1. Ok, so I've figured out that you cannot eat these when they are piping hot out of the pan (or microwave when re-heating) because they will be mushy. But if you let them sit for a few minutes or longer they will start to firm up a bit. Very tasty!

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  31. Ummmm, I just made these for my whole family and they were the bomb-diggidy!! Thank you for this awesome recipe! Served it on Daves killer Good seed bread with veganaise tomato and avocodao. In heaven.

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  32. Oh and I used my leftover almond meal from my almond milk that I froze so it may be slightly different than your recipe but still incredible, healthy and delicious :)

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  33. Made this tonight and they were very good, and are all gone!. My whole family enjoyed these. I used Tillamook sharp cheddar and guyree cheese. I also made a few with fresh jalapeno ring stuck in the center of the Pattie and those were most delicious as well. I also had some truffle salt so I put some salt on some of the parties which added another level of goodness. Will make this again and again. Thank you!










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  34. Can I just say that these were AMAZING! I made them earlier this week and am still dreaming about them. I’ve been impressed with (and am enjoying) your recipes. Great flavors!! Thanks for sharing. :)

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    1. That's awesome Brooke, I'm so glad you're enjoying my recipes!

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  35. I made these the other day and we loved them! Saved to Favourite Recipes board! I experimented with coconut and olive oil and found the coconut oil fried them better; they were crunchier on the outside and firmer in the middle, possibly because the heat was higher. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Mike.

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  36. I'm going to make a buttload of these tomorrow as I have way too much eggplant still in my garden. I'm hoping they will freeze well.

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  37. These look delicious!

    Any thoughts on using oatmeal or oat flour instead of breadcrumbs?

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  38. Just made these. Was delicious. Do check the salt content of your cheese, my cheddar was very salty added to the recipe cheese made these a little too salty by the end.

    Congrats on a successful 5 year thread.

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  39. Hi!
    These are super tasty and I love the simplicity of the recipe. I've made these three times and still can't get them to look as good as they taste, even though I let it sit in the fridge. They won't hold together well (the third time I just added an egg and that helped, we're vegetarians, not vegan). Unless I flatten them in the skillet (instead of leaving them thicker, though not as thick as in the lovely pics on this post ) the outside gets fried nicely but the insides are not so done. Any advice? Still , whatever I am or am not doing right, they come out very tasty!

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  40. Not sure what went wrong here. I added an egg just incase it wouldnt hold, and it still was way too soggy and looked nothing like yours :(

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  41. This was AMAZING!! First time really cooking with Eggplant and it did not disappoint! My whole family loved it!! I used shallots instead of onion, and I went heavy on the garlic! It was a huge hit! I paired it with a spring salad w/ lemon, and I made a sauce for on top of the eggplant - plain greek yogurt mixed with sriracha sauce. Added a little spice :-)

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  42. I have never liked eggplant. My mom gave me a few out of her garden, and I was kinda like ugh, what do I do with these. I am not one to waste food though, so I set out looking for eggplant recipes. Over and over, I kept seeing eggplant parmesan. I am not a huge fan of marinara, so I was so glad when I found this recipe. My family loves burgers, so I decided to make them as such. Oh my goodness, these were so good! I enjoyed this burger more than a beef patty. My kids were asking about when we can get some more eggplant and make more. I will definitely be making this again. I have looked over your website and have seen many things that I can't wait to try.

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  43. Can this be made in an air fryer?

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  44. For anyone who has read all the way to the bottom of the comments looking for help on the eggplant sizing, here it is. Produce is different all around the world so I struggle with recipes that call for "large" or "medium" items. Cauliflower where I live is the size of a tennis ball and eggplant is the very small, thin variety. For this recipe, I used 300g chopped eggplant, then pretty much everything else as per the instructions. I had some yoghurt in the fridge so added cumin to the patties and sriracha to the yoghurt to use as a dressing and it was great.

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  45. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We enjoyed them, but gave them a quick coat in olive oil and cooked them in the air fryer instead.

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  46. I happened to see your recipe on Pinterest today and I just bought 3 medium eggplants and had everything on had to make them, they are absolutely delicious. I saved your recipe to my eggplant recipe board on Pinterest and will definitely make it again. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe that is different.

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  47. I saw this recipe on Pinterest while searching for something different to make with an eggplant that I needed to use up. This was fun and easy to make and very tasty. I tinkered with it a bit. I used fat free shredded cheese. I also added 2 TBSP. of fresh lemon juice and 1/3C of tahini to give it a little flavor boost. Hubz and I loved these. I pinned this recipe to both my appy and veggie boards and started following you.

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  48. We have an abundance of eggplant from our garden. I’m hoping these will freeze well.

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    1. They indeed freeze very well. I hope you'll enjoy em as much as I do! :-)

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