Vegan Rice Burger (Mos Burger Copycat)
This vegan rice burger recipe is a spin on a popular Japanese burger. It’s really tasty and features a vegan lentil patty between two sticky rice burger buns.
This vegan rice burger is made with a sticky rice ball shaped like a bun and stuffed with nori (toasted seaweed) and root vegetables sautéed in a sweet sauce.
I have tried the kinpira rice burger before at the popular Mos Burger in Japan but later discovered that they are not vegan. They are said to contain eggs and dairy.
As far as I know, none of the burgers at Mos are vegan. Even their soy patties contain eggs. Also, all their burgers are cooked on the same grill, if that’s a concern for you.
After learning all of this, I decided to make a vegan version complete with a meatless patty. And I’ll show you how easy it is to make them.
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Key Burger Patty Ingredients
- Green or Brown Lentils – They have a nutty, earthy flavor and hold their shape well without becoming mushy.
- Oyster and shiitake mushroom – These give the patties that umami or meaty flavor they need.
- Liquid Aminos or soy sauce – They also help to enhance the umami flavors of the patties.
- Almond flour – This gives the patties a rich, buttery flavor with a subtle sweetness. Try not to leave this out to get the best flavor.
You can also blend whole almonds to make almond flour. I haven’t tried it with almond butter but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work as well. Let me know in the comments if you do try it!
How to Make Sticky Rice Buns
Making the sticky rice buns will require 2 ingredients: rice and soy sauce. Sounds simple already, right? Sticky rice is also called short-grain or mochigome (glutinous rice).
Short-grain rice is less sticky than glutinous rice. But this can be improved by not washing the rice before cooking. Leaving the starchy coating behind will help the rice stick together better.
Glutinous rice binds together well after cooking whether or not it has been washed. Now that we have the rice covered, here’s how to make the buns:
1. With wet palms, scoop out 3 tablespoons of cooked sticky or glutinous rice.
2. Press firmly together into the shape of a patty about 4 inches wide. Keep wetting hands to prevent the rice from sticking to them. You could also use a circular mold. Brush each buns with soy sauce and set aside.
3. Heat a large frying pan or griddle and lightly oil. Add rice buns and cook until golden brown and crispy on each side.
4. Remove from pan.
How to Make Kinpira
Kinpira is a Japanese method of cooking that involves a combination of sautéing and simmering. This method is often used to cook root vegetables and tofu, usually with a sweet sauce.
In this recipe, kinpira will be made by lightly sautéing sliced carrots and daikon radish with garlic, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce.
If you can’t find daikon radish, then try using thinly sliced red radishes or turnips. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve between rice buns with nori.
Gluten-free Alternatives
Many soy sauce brands aren’t gluten-free as they can be made with wheat. However, Bragg’s liquid aminos and tamari are gluten-free alternatives to soy sauce.
Many brands of teriyaki sauce are also not gluten-free due to the addition of soy sauce. However, Ocean’s Halo makes a gluten-free version you can try.
Soy-free Alternatives
Try coconut aminos as a soy-free alternative to soy sauce. Ocean’s Halo teriyaki sauce is also soy-free.
More sandwich recipes
- Baked Tofu Sandwich
- Vegan Tempeh Bacon Sandwich
- Vegan Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
- Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
Vegan Rice Burger
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
Rice Buns
- 1 cup (175 g) cooked short grain or glutinous rice
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Oil for frying
Vegan Mushroom Lentil Patty
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 3 king oyster mushrooms, chopped
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) oregano
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) basil
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free soy sauce or liquid aminos
- ½ cup (40 g) cooked lentils, drained
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup (50 g) almond flour
Kinpira
- 1 medium carrot
- ½ (½) daikon radish
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) soy sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) teriyaki sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil
Garnish
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Sesame seeds
- 4 Nori sheets, toasted seaweed
Instructions
Rice Buns
- With wet palms, scoop out 3 tablespoons of cooked short grain or glutinous rice.1 cup (175 g) cooked short grain or glutinous rice
- Press firmly together into the shape of a patty about 4 inches wide. Keep wetting hands to prevent the rice from sticking to them. You could also use a circular mold. Brush each buns with soy sauce and set aside. Make about 4 buns.1 tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free soy sauce or liquid aminos
- Heat a large frying pan or griddle and lightly oil. Add rice buns and cook until golden brown and crispy on each side.2 tbsp (30 ml) Oil for frying
- Remove from pan.
Vegan Mushroom Lentil Patty
- Heat oil in a pan and add mushrooms and onions, cooking until browned. Turn off heat.1 tbsp (15 ml) oil ,3 fresh shiitake mushrooms ,3 king oyster mushrooms ,1 small onion
- Next, add lentils to a bowl and mash with a fork until the mixture starts to clump together. Try not to mash until completely smooth to add texture to the patties.½ cup (40 g) cooked lentils
- To mushrooms, add herbs, garlic, liquid aminos/soy sauce and lentils. Heat through and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in almond flour.1 teaspoon (5 g) oregano ,1 teaspoon (5 g) basil ,1/2 teaspoon (2 g) thyme ,2 cloves garlic ,1 tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free soy sauce or liquid aminos ,½ cup (50 g) almond flour , Salt and pepper
- Shape into 2 equal patties (2-3 tbsps of the mix) and place on a plate. Heat a frying pan and add 1 tablespoon oil. Fry the patties for about 5 minutes until nicely brown on all sides.
- You can also bake the patties. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C), place them on a tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until even and brown on the outside.
Kinpira
- Slice carrot and daikon into matchstick pieces.1 medium carrot
- Heat oil in a pan and saute carrot, daikon radish and garlic for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens.½ daikon radish ,1 clove garlic ,1 teaspoon (5 ml) soy sauce ,¼ cup (60 ml) teriyaki sauce ,1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil
To Assemble
- Take one rice bun and top with 2 nori sheets, lentil patty, kinpira, sesame seeds and another bun.4 Nori sheets ,1 tbsp (15 g) Sesame seeds
Notes
- Don’t rinse short grain rice before cooking. It will hold together better.
- Bragg’s liquid aminos and tamari are gluten free alternatives to soy sauce.
- Ocean’s Halo makes a gluten and soy free teriyaki sauce.
- Try coconut aminos as a soy free alternative to soy sauce.
- More Asian recipes: Vegan Thai Red Curry with Tofu, Vegan Tofu Teriyaki Stir-fry