These yummy falafel burger patties are made with canned chickpeas and slathered with an out of this world herby tahini sauce, for a super nutritious 30 minute meal or meal prep.
These scrumptious, flavour-packed falafel burger patties are going to knock your socks off because they are SO easy to make but/and/also, they’re so delicious they’ll win over any meat eater at the table, I promise!
I mean, is there anything a chickpea can’t do? The dietitian in me loves that they’re packed with plant-based protein, fibre and a ton of vitamins and minerals. But chickpeas also have such a versatile flavour and texture that we eat them at least twice a week. You can roast chickpeas as a snack, make a chickpea scramble, smash them into chickpea tuna, blitz into an incredible dip, or you can make falafel.
I gave up meat a looooong time ago, and falafel (a staple of the Eastern Mediterranean) is absolutely one of my favourite foods. So, I wanted to create a falafel burger patty that offers the same flavours – plenty of parsley, cilantro, cumin and coriander – with a few hacks that make them a bit less traditional but a bit more weeknight-friendly.
Most traditional falafel recipes are deep-fried, and they’re made from soaked, dried chickpeas but as someone with IBS, I find that I digest canned chickpeas a bit easier because they’re a bit lower (but not low) in FODMAPs. Plus, it means that you can whip up the burger mixture in like 10 minutes flat, with no planning ahead…but if you want to try an authentic falafel recipe, Mediterranean Dish has a wonderful one!
Want to eat more beans and lentils? My newest plant-based cookbook, Plant Magic, has some INCREDIBLE recipes, like a chickpea Greek salad, coffee-roasted carrots and lentils and shawarma-spiced cauliflower and chickpea wraps
How to make these naturally vegan falafel burger patties
If you’ve had one of my plant-based burgers before, you know that A) they are NEVER dry B) they are always soft and C) they never require you to pre-cook ingredients like rice or mushrooms because honestly, I’m too lazy for that! In fact, these ones are so simple that all you need for the burger patties is 8 basic ingredients plus some oil for cooking on the stovetop. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full + detailed recipe!
Step One: Pulse the garlic, onion, parsley and cilantro in the food processor until they’re finely chopped. Then add the rest of the ingredients – chickpeas, chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper – and pulse until the mixture is about 50% blended. You still want to see some chunks here; the blended part binds the burger but the chunks give it texture and keep it firmer.
Step Two: Form the chickpea mixture into four patties by firmly pressing and shaping into patties. Make ahead: at this point, you can totally store the patties on a plate in the fridge for up to a day or two.
Step Three: Heat a drizzle of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the patties for about 5 minutes per side, so that the burger has time to cook fully as it browns. If it’s browning too quickly, just turn the heat down a touch.
Step Four: If using, blitz up the herby tahini with an immersion blender – tahini, dill, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and chile flakes to taste.
There are so many ways to serve these falafel burger patties
- as a burger (obviously!) but I wanna add a little toppings note here too. I love these with some semi-soft vegan cheese like Spread ‘Em Kitchen or Vegan Boursin, the herby tahini sauce and greens as pictured. However, the flavour of the burger patties is so balanced you could absolutely use classic burger toppings like sliced vegan cheese, some sauteed onions and mushrooms or whatever you like!
- These falafel patties are also great with grain bowls or salads for a boost of plant-based protein and fibre
- OR, you could make mini patties and top them with the tahini dill sauce as a vegan appetizer or part of a snack board.
These naturally vegan and gluten free burgers have a soft, squishy texture but they do hold together well. Want them firmer? They firm as they cool so enjoy at room temperature or cold.
More yummy veggie burger recipes
- Chorizo-spiced Kidney Bean and Oat Burgers
- Vegan Beet and Black Bean Burger
- Healthy Buffalo White Bean and Cauliflower Burger
Falafel Burger Patties with Chickpeas
Equipment
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Food Processor you could also dice everything super fine and mash by hand too!
Ingredients
Falafel Burger Patties
- 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained very well
- ½ cup packed cilantro
- ½ cup packed parsley curly or flat leaf
- ½ small yellow onion cut into chunks
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ½ lemon zest only (optional)
- avocado oil for cooking
Herby Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup fresh dill fronds and tender stems
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- dried chile flakes to taste
For Serving Burgers
- 4 whole grain burger buns
- semi-firm vegan cheese I like Spread ‘Em Kitchen
- your favourite greens or shredded red cabbage, pickled or fresh
Instructions
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In a food processor, pulse onion, garlic, cilantro and parsley until finely chopped. Add chickpeas, chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and lemon zest and pulse until mixture is about 50% blended. You need it to stay a bit chunky or the burgers won’t firm up.
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Using your hands, firmly press and shape mixture into 4 patties, about 3-4 inches wide.
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Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook burgers until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes a side. If browning too quickly, turn down the heat as you want the burgers to have time to cook through before they brown.
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If desired, whip up the herby tahini by blending the dill, tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and chile flakes until smooth with an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, you can mince the dill and garlic by hand and whisk everything together vigorously to combine.
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Assemble burgers with your favourite toppings, or add patties and tahini sauce to salads or grain bowls!
Notes
The post Falafel Burger Patties with Chickpeas appeared first on Desiree Nielsen.
