Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers

March 9, 2015

Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers


I have to give full credit to Alan for this idea.
He’s so THE man — not only he "invented" this cauliflower crust hamburger but he's a triathlete and he's training for the Ironman too. Hello?
Basically Alan took my recipe for cauliflower crust grilled cheese and made it into a burger.
When he first posted it two weeks ago on Instagram I was like “Whooooooa, that’s awesome!

Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers




And I knew I had to try it right away.
I mean, I’ve made burgers using tomatoes and mushrooms as buns, why not cauliflower crust?
It should have occurred to me before.
Thank Gawd there’s Alan for making me see the light!

Making Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers




Anyways, you guys know I’m completely bias when it comes to cauliflower crust.
So you can’t be surprised if I tell you that this Cauliflower Crust Hamburger is pretty solid.

Making Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers




You can think of it as some sort of ramen burger — not in the taste but rather in the texture and overall feeling of a beef patty tucked between two breadless and dense “buns".
If you haven't had a chance to try a ramen burger (and you don’t know what I’m talking about), good for you.
It means you didn’t bandwagon on the ramen burger hype. You should be proud of yourself (HA!)

Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers




Anyways, the cauliflower crust “buns” are moist and delicious, but unlike their flour-made counterparts they do not absorb the sauces, so don’t expect that.
On the other hand they’re so flavorful I can guarantee you won’t miss the bread.
And if you do miss it, just think about that you’re eating two servings of cauliflower.
Now that’s something, right?

Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers


Cauliflower Crust Hamburger                                                                                     Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Makes 2 hamburger

Cauliflower crust “bread” buns

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets (should yield 3 cups of cauliflower rice)
1 free-range organic egg, lightly beaten
½ cup / 1.7 oz / 50 gr shredded mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Hamburger

2 hamburger patties
Your favorite burger toppings

Directions

Cauliflower crust “bread” buns

Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and liberally grease it with oil. Set aside.
In a food processor rice the cauliflower florets (it should be evenly chopped but not completely pulverized).
Transfer cauliflower rice (about 3 cups) to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 8 minutes, until cooked.
Place the cauliflower rice in a kitchen towel (or cheesecloth or tea towel) and twist it to squeeze as much moisture as you can (I usually squeeze out over a cup of liquid). This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy dough, impossible to use as hamburger buns.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to a mixing bowl, add egg, mozzarella, salt, pepper and mix well.
Spread cauliflower mixture onto the lined baking sheet and shape into 4 rounds.
Place in the oven and bake for about 16 minutes until golden.
Remove and let cool 10 minutes before peeling them off the parchment paper (be careful not to break them!)

Assemble cauliflower crust hamburger

Grill the burgers until cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Assemble burgers with your choice of toppings (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.)

Nutrition facts

One cauliflower crust bun (i.e., 2 slices) yields 158 calories, 8 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein.

Cauliflower Crust Hamburgers

52 comments:

  1. Oh yes, this sounds like a total winner!

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  2. Looks incredible Mike!

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  3. Oooh I am totally trying this soon. I just devoured a half a head of cauliflower yesterday, turns out I love cauliflower.

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  4. Replies
    1. I do too, ramen burger are totally overrated imo...

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  5. What the what? You amaze me brother! This looks all sorts of hella good.

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    1. I'm all sorts of amazing Kev, you should have realize already by now! ;)

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  6. Oh my this looks delicious! I was just looking at your cauliflower grilled cheese the other day because I saw some chick on The Today Show making a similar version. I need to try both now! :-)

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    1. Wait, who was doing what? The Today Show you said? I need to investigate...

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  7. I finally managed to make cauliflower crust for an appetizer and loved it. These look so innovate, amazing as usual.
    Wow.

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  8. oh yeah baby this is a keeper, looks delish

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  9. Gosh, Mike, yet another cauliflower temptation coming from you and now Alain, training for Iron Man! You guys are too much!

    but, I know how to make you just a tiny bit jealous... do you have any idea where I am sitting while reading your blog? At the balcony of our hotel room overlooking the ocean at the North Shore of Oahu.. ;-)

    not to worry, though - leaving tonight back to civilization and unfortunately work. Once I get home I shall make a huge burger with a cauliflower crust, as I'm living on seafood for the past 5 days... ;-)

    ALOHA!

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    1. Sally, Sally, Sally, you little Brazilian jet-setter. Words cannot express how much do I envy you right now...

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  10. This is so clever Mike, looks delicious!!

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  11. Awesome idea Mike! So much better than ANY burger bun.

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    1. I think it's a great alternative to regular burger buns, when you feel like you want to have a different kind of burger!

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  12. Last night I roasted an entire head of cauliflower (it was massive) with olive oil, parmesan, garlic and salt and thought it would last 3 meals. Mate, I polished the whole thing off. No shame. This is another genius cruciferous recipe of yours.

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    1. Welcome to the cauliflower insanity zone my friend. Once you're in there's no going back, I hope you're ready because it's one hell of a ride!

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  13. How Cool! I have never thought of this. Thanks, this will be on the menu this week.Great idea!

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    1. Please report back when you make it, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

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  14. It looks interesting and mouthwatering

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  15. Okay, so I saw this on Pinterest and got so excited because my dad eats low carb and I'm always trying to come up with new ideas. So gonna try this!

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    1. That's awesome Tori.
      TBH it's worth trying even if you're not eating low carb, because it's just delicious.

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  16. The cauliflower crust guru strikes again! Mike, these burgers look seriously awesome. We clearly must be channeling the same kinda of thinking b/c we both posted burgers on the same day. Maybe we're just ready for warmer weather and beers + burgers on the back porch. I think you should bring these cauliflower burger buns to our next Howl. mmmkay? #WolfpackBurgerClub

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    1. I was hoping to going for cauliflower king/emperor/monarch/sultan, but I'll take guru if that's what you're giving me.
      Not my fave but I'll take it... :/

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  17. Thank you so much for that recipe. I am a French lady, very careful about my weight and healthy food. I love cauliflower but I never tried to use them for making buns. I'll try it to morrow for lunch ! Great idea !

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    1. A real French lady? That's amazing.
      Thanks for stopping by Marie!

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  18. Ahh this looks amazing! The last thing I made with cauliflower were your cauliflower fritters (which were a-MAZING, by the way), and these "buns" look great, too!! Thanks, Mike!

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  19. These buns or discs are a BRILLIANT idea indeed! I make a beet version that totally rocks - just saying...

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  20. You're killing me with this, I've been having the most intense burger craving lately and these pictures are not helping! Burgers are going on the menu for next week!

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  21. Oh my these look delicious! any suggestions on what I could use instead of cheese? I can't have it, but thinking it might be necessary to keep it all together?

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    1. Try ground flaxseed. I use it all the time instead of cheese for lots of baking and cooking. Enjoy. (Got to try these buns--look great.)

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  22. I don't have a microwave to heat up the cauliflower...what can i do?

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  23. Made these last night with turkey burgers instead of beef because i ran out! SO tasty. Definitely going to become a staple.

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  24. Is the mozzerella cheese necessary?

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  25. Hi Mike, just found your page yesterday and i am already a huge fan :)
    Is there any other way to cook the c. rice, i don't like microwaving food

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  26. Hi Mike, the food sounds great but only problem is that I do not have microwave in my place and haven't that the microwave for over six years. So can you steam it or what?? Don't want to boil it. So what do you recommend it?

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  27. These look awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  28. can you replace the cheese with something else to hold it together?

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  29. Hello, I am looking to try this recipe. Hopefully will like it as much as everyone says. Is it possible to freeze the cauliflower crusts before or after cooking them, so they are always ready to use.
    Thanks. Love you blog.
    Dani

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  30. It was great! Love my hamburgers this way. Thanks from the Netherlands
    Jeanine

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