Published: Modified: Author: Alan Bergo
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One of my all-time favorite recipes for just about any leafy green you can imagine, my wild green cakes (or green burgers if you make them large enough) are indispensable in my kitchen. Some people will know them as spinach patties. Featured on the Today Show and printed in numerous books, today I'll walk you through how to make your own.
I developed the recipe for my book after noticing that one of my favorite chefs (Jacques Chibois) and favorite foragers (Sam Thayer) shared recipes for small cakes of cooked greens that were very similar.
The golden brown cakes of greens are irresistible, easy to make, and can be made with just any leafy greens you can find. It's my go-to recipe for introducing people to new leafy green vegetables. I was a little annoyed when they were described as "weed cakes" on the Today Show segment.
How to Make Green Burgers / Spinach Patties
First the greens are washed and cleaned. Any greens with fibrous stems like mustard greens should be removed.
Next the greens are blanched in boiling salted water to wilt the greens and ensure they're clean. After blanching the greens are squeezed dry, then finely chopped.
The finely chopped greens are mixed with all purpose flour or another binder (I use gluten-free flours too). Egg, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg are added, then everything's mixed together.
After the greens are mixed you cook a small test cake to judge the seasoning. When you're happy with how they taste, the greens are formed into patties and fried golden brown.
It's important to press on the cakes gently as they cook, and to make sure the cakes are well-browned which helps them stick together.
When the cakes are cooked they can be served as a vegetable side dish if they're small, or served on a bun like a burger if they're large.
Tips
- This is a rustic recipe, making the patties is good for keeping small hands busy.
- Blanching and shocking the greens helps to clean them.
- The cakes will hold their shape the best when they're well browned, so don't be shy with the oil.
- The cakes will hold their shape better if the mixture is allowed to rest for an hour before frying.
- Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the greens after blanching.
- Other ingredients can be added for texture, like cooked quinoa or wild rice.
- Alternative flours can be used to bind the mixture as no gluten is needed.
Chef's Favorite Greens to Use
Just about any leafy green without woody stems can be used. I've never made the recipe exactly the same twice, but I do have favorite leafy green plants to use.
Spinach is fine, but robust wild greens like nettles, amaranth and lambs quarters will give you the most bang for your buck. Purslane can also be used when finely chopped. Onion greens are great too, especially ramp leaves.
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5 from 11 votes
Green Burgers / Spinach Patties
Golden brown cakes of spinach or other greens make a perfect side dish or green veggie burger. Many different leafy greens may be used.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Spinach patties recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 193kcal
Author: Alan Bergo
Cost: 2
Equipment
1 large pot for blanching greens, roughly 1.5 gallon capacity
1 Medium mixing bowl
1 Heavy chefs knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups (1lb) blanched greens without too many stems like watercress, nettles, spinach, etc
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¼ cup All purpose flour or equivalent
- 1 pinch Ground nutmeg optional
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Cooking oil plus more as needed
Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. It should be salty as if you'd use the water to cook pasta, or roughly 2-3 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. Meanwhile, wash the greens in cold water.
Bring the pot to a rolling boil and add the greens, working in batches if needed.
Cook the greens for 30-60 seconds or until they're just tender and taste good to you, then remove to a bowl of cold water. Young plants may cook in 30 seconds. Older plants may take longer to cook.
Squeeze the greens dry as well as you can, forming them into balls.
Using a heavy chefs knife, cut the greens in a cross-hatch pattern to ensure there's no long stems. You can also pulse them in a food processor.
If the chopped greens still feel wet, squeeze more liquid from them. Sometimes I drink it.
Add the egg, flour and nutmeg if using to the greens, along with a pinch of salt to taste (¼ teaspoon) and mix well.
Make a small test cake and cook it to test the seasoning, and how well the cakes hold their shape.
Eat the test cake. Adjust the salt if needed. If the cakes struggle to hold together add another spoonful of flour. Cook another test cake and repeat the process until you're happy with the flavor and texture.
Form roughly ¼ cup patties of the greens mixture and fry in a skillet over medium heat, adding a little extra oil if the pan gets dry.
To make green veggie burgers, form 4-6 oz patties (½-3/4 cup).
Working in batches, gently fry the cakes until well browned on both sides, pressing down on them with a spatula gently.
When the cakes are done, serve them with your favorite dip or simply with lemon wedges and serve as a side dish.
Video
Notes
While many recipes for green burgers or spinach burgers use lots of ingredients like garlic powder, mashed sweet potatoes or beans, I prefer the simple taste of the greens seasoned with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon, spicy condiments, sauces or dips to liven them up.
Nutrition
Serving: 4oz | Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1542IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Kelly Armor
This looks great! I actually have a bunch of nettles and cowslips already blanched and squeezed, leftover from making a spanakopita. I don't eat eggs. Would a flax egg work? We've made potato pancakes without eggs and they were fine...Thanks!Reply
Alan Bergo
Thanks Kelly. You can probably use a flax egg here. For the vegan book this got printed in I bound it with mashed cooked beans and that worked too.
Reply
Jason
Hi Alan, have you tried freezing these patties? Your site has become a deep treasure trove over the years, so thank you so much for sharing your passion and well-developed skill. A forager for over 20 years, I learn from you all the time.Reply
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Jason. What you want to do is blanch and freeze some greens. When you want to make the cakes just thaw them, chop’em up and go from there. If you freeze the mixture with egg and starch it can get watery, which will make them burn faster and you’ll have to add extra flour, which will make them heavier.
Reply
EC
Ramps are a favorite of mine. Would you please post either the recipe or the ingredients for the ramp dip mentioned in the above recipe?Reply
Alan Bergo
Hi EC. It should be up by the end of the week. Take 8 oz fresh ramps and bulbs, slice them and cook down well on med heat in 2 T unsalted butter for 10 min. Mash 4 oz cream cheese with 2 T mayo until reasonably well-blended, then work in 1/4 cup sour cream and 2 T more mayo. Add the warm ramps, 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne, sliced fresh ramp leaves for some extra punch, salt, fresh ground pepper, lemon zest and juice to taste. I add dried ramp leaves sometimes too.
Reply
Amy
This is so good. I’ve done this a lot now- anything from nettles and dandelion greens (tonight) to more mundane carrot tops and radish tops. Simple and tastyReply
Alan Bergo
Thanks Amy. I just love this recipe.
Reply
Kristy
WOW! I already had some blanched nettles and other greens in the fridge. So I made up these green patties and they were delicious. For the flour I used cold leached acorn flour I made last fall, added some puffball puree from the freezer, and seasoned it with ramp salt. Thank you for all your incredible, easy recipes that make me feel like a chef and are delicious!Reply
Alan Bergo
Hey that's great Kristy. Thanks for sharing, I"m glad it worked for you.
Reply
Thea
Brilliant reminder of an easy, excellent way to add hearty greens to your diet.Reply
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Thea.
Reply
Rachel
Thank you for sharing your wisdom.Reply
Alan Bergo
Thanks Rachel.
Reply
Cheryl Burleson
My grandpa who was Italian always made spinach patties about like these, he used a little onion, garlic and dried red peppers in them as well. Soooo good!Reply
Alan Bergo
Thanks or sharing Cheryl. That sounds great.
Reply
Indy
This is exciting! I'm so gonna try this!Reply
Alan Bergo
Let me know how they work for you. Such a fun recipe.
Reply
