These vegan chickpea burgers are full of the spicy taste of falafels, including cumin, coriander and chilli.
Perfect for a vegetarian or meat free option, these chickpea patties are made from store cupboard ingredients, so you always have a meal to hand when there seems to be nothing in the fridge.
Delicious in a burger bun, or just with a salad, these falafel burgers make a great family meal.
Tasty and filling and so easy to make too, and it won't break the bank either.
And, even better served with a vegan coriander pesto sauce, which takes just minutes to make.
Bon appétit!
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I have always loved falafels. These bite sized spicy balls, with their crunchy outside and soft inside.
I decided to make the vegan falafels burger sized. This makes them easier to make and cook into a main meal rather than a snack.
Surprisingly, they are extremely satisfying and my meat eating family love these vegan falafel burgers.
The great thing is that, by using store cupboard ingredients, you can make a nutritious and tasty meal without spending a fortune, or being tempted by a takeaway, if there seams to be nothing in the fridge.
Perfect for watching the food budget!
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Store cupboard ingredients.
- Budget friendly.
- Easy to make.
- Satisfying and protein packed.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Chickpeas - a tin of chickpeas rinsed and drained. Retain the juice for furture use, (see FAQs). Chickpeas have 14 grams of protein per 100g, so are a preat source of healthy protein.
- Garlic - a clove of garlic. Powdered or granulated garlic doesn't have the same flavour.
- Cumin - ground cumin. This adds an earthy warm flavour.
- Coriander - ground coriander for the falafel burgers and fresh coriander for the pesto sauce.
- Ground turmeric -for colour and flavour.
- Chilli powder
- Shallot - I prefer to use a banana or long shallot for this recipe. They are sweeter than onions and the long shallots are easier to peel than the smaller round ones.
- Flour - plain or all purpose. This helps to bind the burgers together.
- Oil - vegetable or sunflour oil for frying and extra virgin olive oil for the pesto
- Salt -cooking or kosher salt.
- Lemon juice - from a bottle is fine if you don't have fresh lemon.
- Pinenuts
- Vegan Parmesan - this is widely available in most supermarkets.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- food processor or potato masher
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- blender for the pesto
- kitchen paper
- medium scoop - optional
- baking parchment
🔪 Instructions
Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas then pat dry with kitchen paper.
💭 Top Tip
- It's important to dry the chickpeas on a few sheets of kitchen paper on a tray and use more to blot any moisture from the top. If the chickpeas are too wet they will fall apart when cooking.
Peel and chop the garlic and shallot.
Add the garlic, shallot, fresh coriander, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, salt, turmeric, flour and olive oil to a food processor with the chickpeas and pulse until combined.
I find it's better to leave a few lumps for texture.
Wet your hands and divide the mixture into 8 portions for small burgers or 4 larger ones. I use a medium scoop to get even burgers.
💭 Top Tip
- Wetting your hands before forming the burgers will stop your hands from becoming sticky with the mixture.
Start by rolling them into a ball then flattening them out into a burger shape.
You can leave them in bite sized balls as traditional falafel, especially if you are serving them on a buffet or as a starter. I prefer to make them into a burger shape because it makes it easier to get a nice even crust when you fry them if we are having them in a main meal.
⏲️ Baking Time
💭 Top Tip
- Using a food processor heats up the ingredients, which can make the burgers quite delicate to fry. Place them on a sheet of baking parchment and place them in the refrigerator to firm up before cooking.
Heat oil over medium heat and fry for a few minutes each side until a light crust forms.
🥗 Side Dishes
I like to serve this with a coriander pesto to compliment the flavours in the falafel. Simply whizz the coriander, salt, pine nuts and vegan Parmesan in a blender and serve.
Serve with pitta breads, burgers buns and salad dishes or try some of these recipe:
- Old Fashioned Pea Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Tomato and Onion Salad
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Courgette Salad
- Mushroom Salad
- Fennel and Pear Salad
- Tarragon Potato Salad
- Cherry Tomato and Feta Salad
- Broccoli and Edamame Salad
- Carrot and Celeriac Remoulade
- Baked Halloumi Fries
🥙 Substitutions
- Shallots - use any onion, preferably sweet.
- Coriander - I keep some frozen coriander in the freezer for recipes like this.
📖 Variations
- Child friendly - leave out the chilli powder for children or anyone intolerant to spice.
- Herbs - if you don't like coriander use parsley or basil as a change.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - freeze cooked burgers for up to a month. and freeze uncooked burgers for up to 3 months.
- To reheat - reheat in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 until piping hot. Alternatively, heat in a frying pan over a medium heat with a little oil.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Prepare the vegan chickpea burgers a day in advance and keep them covered in the fridge before cooking.
Simply bake the spicy chickpea burgers instead. Place on a baking sheet in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for 15-20 minutes turning once.
Aquafaba is the cooking juice from beans such as chickpeas.
It is often used as an egg substitiute for vegans. Use it to bind ingredients together or whip it to use in meringues and icing.
It can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
For cooking there is no need to use anything other than plain olive oil, but for salad dressings and pesto sauces, I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is known as EVOO and is formed from the first press of a batch of olives. In this way it retains the most flavour, aroma and nutritional value possible.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More burger recipes to try
- Minted Lamb Burgers
- Pork and Apple Burgers
- Venison Burgers with Bacon
- Thai Fish Burgers
- Stuffed Burgers with Stilton and Black Pudding
- Vegan Black Bean Burgers
📋 Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Burgers
Equipment
- food processor or potato masher
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- blender for the pesto
- kitchen paper
- medium scoop – optional
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
- 400 g tin chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil for frying
For the pesto
- 20 g fresh coriander rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 75 ml olive oil
- 40 g pinenuts
- 35 g vegan Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the pesto by putting all of the ingredients into a liquidiser and blend until smooth.
- Pat the chickpeas dry on kitchen paper then add to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients, (except frying oil).
- Pulse until the mixture is well combined.
- Divide the mixture between 8 or 4 and form into burgers with damp hands.
- Chill in the fridge on baking parchment for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes each side.
- Serve with the pesto.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
More vegetarian recipes
🍲 Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Kate
Really gorgeous flavours and easy to make too - a big hit in our house! Thanks.
Katherine
Such a great way to enjoy falafels! Great pesto too.
Dannii
These are such a budget staple in our house. Really delicious.
Natalie
Finally a vegan meal my kids enjoyed! So healthy, and simple to make, thank you!
kushigalu
Love the combination of flavors in this burger recipe. SO delicious.
Amanda
That's a great idea. I always used to soak them, as you say, it's so much cheaper. Unfortunately, I work full time so find it difficult to remember to soak and cook when I get time! Thanks for the tip.
Momandkidsis
Great recipe but have you thought of buying dried chick peas and soaking them? Much cheaper and taste even better. Also if your JS has an ethnic aisle, they have tinned chick peas (Pride brand) there for .
Amanda
Thanks Sheryl. The photography is a much tougher struggle than making the recipe work!
Sheryl
They look yummy. The presentation is wonderful. I really like how you composed the photos.
Amanda
Thanks Megala. They really are!
Amanda
Thanks Mary. I hope you like them as much as we do!
Amanda
Thanks Danielle. We really love these at home.
Amanda
Thanks Jill. Definitely great for lunch!
Amanda
Thanks Natalie. I really hope you like them.
Amanda
Thanks Julia. There’s so many combinations for veggie burgers that are so good.
Amanda
Thanks Gretna. The sauce is really vibrant
and a really fresh flavour.
Amanda
Thanks Patty. They are a favourite at
home now.
Amanda
Thanks Brian. The dressing goes really well with the falafel or with something else.
Amanda
Thanks Caroline. We are using the sauce as a dressing on lots of things now.
Amanda
Thanks Lesli. I really appreciate the comments. We make these regularly now.
Lesli Schwartz
These falafel burgers look so tasty, and this is a beautiful shot! I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I would never, ever pass this up! Yum!
Caroline
I'm big fan of falafel and that pesto sounds such a tasty accompaniment.
Brian Jones
They look superb and I have never served falafel with pesto but it sounds like a wonderful idea!
Patty
These falafel burgers are going to be a hit in my house, we love all the flavors and that coriander sauce simply looks amazing, thanks!!
Geetha Priyanka
These falafel sounds super delicious and healthy too. I am loving the coriander pesto. Can't wait to try these
Amanda
Thanks Danielle. The coriander pesto is so fresh tasting with the burgers.
Amanda
Thanks Jill. There's plenty of flavour in these.
Amanda
Thanks Natalie. They are so tasty too.
Amanda
Thanks Julia. They are so quick and easy.
Julia
I like trying new veggie burgers. Your recipe looks delish and I love that it only takes 20 minutes to make them.
Natalie
YUM! These falafel burgers look amazing and healthy! Can't wait to give these a try ♥
Jill
I'm loving all the flavors in these burgers. These would make a terrific lunch!
Danielle Wolter
the flavors in these...so yum! i love how easy they are to make, and so perfect to bring for a healthier lunch or an easy dinner. that coriander pesto sounds incredible!
Mary Bostow
This veggie burger recipe looks absolutely scrumptious. I can’t wait to try this! Sounds delish!
Megala
These look splendid! I'm sure they taste delicious with coriander pesto.