Hey all!!! My friend Ben wanted to submit this recipe for you — and once I looked the photos, I knew I had to share it!! We all know I’m a sucker for an awesome veggie burger. DROOL. Hope you love it! <3 Cheri
I’m a veggie-food-aholic. While I’m not vegetarian by any means, my mother was when we were growing up (and still is!). As a result we had a lot of vegetarian meals, like spicy quorn wraps, tofu stir fries, and lentil dahl.
However nothing has stuck with me more than veggie burgers.
There’s so much room for interpretation and experimentation with veggie burgers, from spice and herb combinations to fundamental base ingredients. So if you can get everything right, I much prefer them to meat-based burgers (there, I said it).
Today I’m sharing my favorite vegetarian burger recipes. It’s a vegan spicy chickpea pattie that strikes a perfect balance between falafel and hummus.
Like all good recipes, it’s brilliantly easy to make, taking only 20 minutes to prep and the majority of the ingredients can probably be found in your kitchen already.
What’s more is that making these yourself ensures that you’re steering clear of all the sodium and added preservatives that store-bought equivalents are loaded with.
What’s really great about it is that you can easily adapt it according to your tastes. For example, if you’re after something a bit more potent just double the amount of garlic in it. Alternatively, if you like your burgers a little more crispy without being burned, then try dusting the patties with a little oat flour prior to frying them. Or if you’re after some really interesting flavors then try a dash of tahini and turmeric in there.
One problem I’ve often encountered with DIY burgers, particular vegetarian ones, is that despite using a binding agent like egg and/or flour, they can can crumble apart one you start to fry or grill them. Not so with these. (Or these either!) The mashed chickpeas help keep everything sticking together, helping you get beautiful fully formed burger patties when you serve up.
And for those of you who follow a gluten-free diet, this can also be modified to suit your needs by replacing the flour with your choice of alternatives, like rice flour or coconut flour (both of these actually tend to make the patties slightly crispier). And rather than stick the pattie in a bun, you can serve in lettuce wraps or even on their own.
Finally, note that this recipe is extremely freezer-friendly. To freeze well, just allow them to cool after you cook them and then wrap them individually in freezer bags. When you want to reheat them, just stick them in the oven for 20 minutes at 400°F/205°C. Perfect.
Let’s get into it!
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 small zucchini/courgette, grated
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sriracha sauce or ¼ tsp cayenne powder for no salt
- 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp cilantro/coriander, finely chopped
- 1 cup rolled oats, finely chopped (gluten-free rolled oats are also fine)
- 2 tsp black pepper
- Start by heating up your BBQ grill to 400°F/205°C, or a pan over a medium heat
- Put your chickpeas in a large bowl and mash them with a fork. Mash as thoroughly as possible.
- Add all the remaining ingredients in the bowl and use your hands to combine everything.
- Once combined as thoroughly and evenly as possible, form the mix into 6-8 patties
- Place the patties on the BBQ and cook for about 10 minutes on each side. Alternatively, if you are using a frying pan then cook for about 4 minutes on each side.
- Serve up and enjoy.
About the author
Ben is a former semi-pro cyclist and big eater. Now he is just a big eater. He writes about food and drink for lazy chefs at The Online Grill.
any substitute for the peanut butter?
Hi Dr Cohen, I would think almond butter or sunflower butter would work quite nicely!
I’ve made these using tahini instead of the peanut butter and they are amazing
Can you use a food processor to blend all the ingredients, or would that just leave you with chickpea pudding?
These were fantastic. I used white onion instead of red and then cooked them in a pan with a light spray of olive oil. Next time I might try mixing in some cooked quinoa. Anyone who didnt mind some extra calories could deep fry these and I bet it would be great (like falafel). The flavors were perfect. Thanks!
Oh I’m So glad mother, and that sounds like excellent changes. And yes they would be DIVINE deep fried…as would anything else :D YYUMM! So happy these were a hit.
When the recipe calls for rolled oats, is this the same as normal breakfast cereal oats? Sorry, I’m from South Africa and don’t want to use the wrong stuff as there’s so many variations of ingredients.
Sorry this took me so long to respond Nirvana, yes, same as normal breakfast cereal oats, the flat ones. I have a post on my site about the difference between rolled oats and steel cut, and the rolled ones have pictures in there so you can compare! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOr-IhA20KE
Fry them? I thought a main part of ETL was no oil.
It is Mary, thanks. This is just the term I used for “cook them in the pan”. No oil involved. Maybe saute would work better? <3
Can I substitute the red wine vinegar for anything? Or can I leave it out of the recipe?
You can leave it out. :)
Excellent recipe. Easily feeds a family of four. I’ve made this close to twenty times since I first saw the recipe last year. It takes almost no time to prepare and is very easy to make.
Ahhhh Varun, I’m so glad to hear this!! <3 Thanks for coming back to responsd <3
Absolutely the best vegan burger I have made so far. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad! You’re welcome Darlene <3
Made this recipe from Fuhrman’s recipes. Any idea how many calories per burger?
Hi Marcy,
We don’t provide nutritional info, but there are great resources online to plug recipes into and get all the info you need. Here is one for you to check out: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I hope that helps!
I make these once a week….delicious!!! Easy to prepare. So filling and healthy.
I’m so glad to hear that Sue!! Thanks.