Spicy and smoky BBQ eggplant burgers are a great vegetarian dish for summer. Gluten free, low carb and keto-friendly too.
Many vegetarian eggplant burger recipes will have breadcrumbs to hold the patty together, but I have used a combination of lupin flour and oat fiber for a low carb recipe.
Is eggplant keto?
Eggplants are a great low carb vegetable being 3g net carbs per 100g and are suitable for keto. High in fiber and full of antioxidants, eggplant is a healthy choice.
It's a great versatile vegetable and can be made in dips, chips, stuffed, grilled and baked.
Low carb BBQ sauce
To give these eggplant burgers flavour I used a sugar free bbq sauce. The sauce is added to the eggplant burger mixture but you could also serve the burger with the sauce smeared on top of it.
You only need a few tablespoons of the sauce so if you make a batch of it, store it in a jar in your fridge for other recipes.
If you don't want to make your own BBQ sauce, try a sugar free store bottle instead.
How to make eggplant burger
This is a simple recipe and can be tweaked to your own tastes. The BBQ sauce could be omitted and other spices added to the burger mixture.
Chopped and peeled eggplant are fried with onions and garlic. Blended in a food processor with the smoky sauce. To bind the mixture, low carb flours are used and eggplant patties are formed. It's that simple!
Recipe Tips
Almond flour can be substituted for the lupin flour and oat fiber. Coconut flour could be used too, but it would give a slightly different flavour and I'd be inclined to increase the BBQ sauce.
The burgers freeze well and can be frozen before or after cooking the patties. Place them in a ziplocked back and defrost thoroughly when ready to reheat or cook.
Try serving this vegetarian burger in a portobello mushroom bun.
More low carb vegetarian eggplant recipes
Cheese & Walnut Stuffed Eggplant
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BBQ Eggplant Burger
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- ½ cup lupin flour
- ¼ cup oat fiber
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion peeled & chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Trim the eggplant top and bottom and peel the skin off.
- Cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the eggplant cubes and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the eggplant is golden. Stir occasionally for even cooking and add any additional oil if needed.
- Place the cooked eggplant mixture into a food processor with 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce.
- Process until the mixture is smooth.
- Remove the eggplant mixture from the food processor and pour into a medium bowl.
- Add the lupin flour and oat fiber and stir until you have a soft dough. Add more oat fiber if the mixture is too wet.
- Using damp hands form the eggplant into patties. The size is up to you.
To Fry:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes each side until golden.
To Bake:
- Place on a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 180C/350F degrees for 30 minutes, turning the patties over after 20 minutes.
Notes
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nikki K says
Hey Angela,
First and foremost I want to say that it is so refreshing to find keto and vegetarian recipes! Thank you so much! Just one question, I was wondering what the cup size or ounces might be for the eggplant. The size tends to vary.
Angela Coleby says
Welcome and hope you enjoy the recipes! An 8 inch long eggplant is about 5oz which is about 2 cups of cubed eggplant.
Ramya says
Will be making this soon i never had burger before glad this doesnt have lettuce as am not a big fan of lettuce perfect for my home snacks while i work on the computer and phone will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Angela Coleby says
Hope you enjoy the recipe.