Chickpea Veggie Burgers

These Chickpea Veggie Burgers have a similar taste and texture to falafels, but are served up burger-style with a creamy tahini yogurt sauce! A great vegetarian option that’s so easy, satisfying and delicious! {Gluten-free & vegetarian}

Say hello to your new favourite veggie burger! These chickpea veggie burgers are loaded with flavour, especially when you top them up with the creamy tahini yogurt sauce and all of your favourite toppings.

Not to mention, they are super easy to whip together. The chickpea patties resemble the taste of falafels but they’re less work to prepare since you don’t have to form them into small patties. You can slap six of these burgers together in no time!

And did I mention that these chickpea burgers are also incredibly versatile? Serve them up in lettuce wraps, in a salad, on a bun or on a pita for the ultimate meatless meal.

They’re a great plant-based and gluten-free option for your summer burgers! 

For more similar recipes, be sure to try my Black Bean Burgers and Rainbow Vegan Falafel Wrap too!

Why Make this Recipe

• Quick: These chickpea patties only take about 10 minutes to assemble before they get baked in the oven.
• Healthy: These veggie burgers make a great meatless option and are packed full of fibre and protein! And with the addition of the shredded carrot, it’s a great way to sneak some extra veggies and vitamin A into your day!
• Make ahead: You can make the patties ahead of time for a quick and easy meal. They’re freezer-friendly too!

Ingredient Notes

• Chickpeas: Use no salt added canned chickpeas for ease, just drain and rinse them well before using. You can also use cooked dried chickpeas if preferred.
• Tahini: Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds, and help give these burgers their unmistakeable falafel flavour. It also helps to bind the burgers together since no eggs are used in this recipe.
• Oats: Used to bind the ingredients together and absorb any extra moisture in the burgers. You can also use almond flour if you want a lower carb option.
• Vegetables: Onion, garlic and carrot add some extra flavour and nutrients to these burgers. You could also try adding shredded zucchini, finely diced pepper or red onion to switch up the veggies.
• Parsley: Parsley adds a great fresh herby flavour. You could also use cilantro.
• Lemon: We use both lemon juice and zest for a bright and zingy flavour. Fresh is best, but you can use bottled juice as well.
• Tamari: Contributes lots of flavour to the burgers and also helps give the patties a golden colour when baked. You could also sub in low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos if preferred.

For the tahini sauce:

• Greek yogurt: I used 2% plain Greek yogurt, however, you could also sub in a dairy-free yogurt if you wanted to make these burgers totally vegan.
• Spices: Adjust the amount of paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper according to personal taste.

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place all of the ingredients for the chickpea burgers in a food processor other than the olive oil.

Pulse several times until ingredients have broken down, but still some chunkiness remains. You don’t want the mixture to turn into a smooth paste. You may need to use a spatula to fold the ingredients from the bottom of the food processor in with those at the top.

Pick up some of the mixture with your hands. It should be sticky enough to form into burgers, but not so sticky that it still feels wet. If the mixture feels too wet, fold in some additional oats. If it feels too dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until it binds together.

Using your hands, form the chickpea mixture into 6 evenly sized patties and place them spaced apart on the parchment paper. Lightly brush the surface of the patties with olive oil.

Bake in the oven for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned, flipping carefully after about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, if you plan to make the tahini yogurt sauce, combine all the ingredients for the spread in a small bowl.

Serve burgers on a lettuce wrap, bun, pita or in a salad topped with the yogurt spread and desired toppings.

Recipe Tips

• You may need to play around with the consistency of the mixture after pulsing the ingredients in the food processor. If it feels too wet, add more quick oats. If it feels too dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture sticks together.
• If you don’t have a food processor, you can also mash the chickpeas in a large bowl with a potato masher or blitz the chickpeas with an immersion blender and then add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. You may need to add some water to help the mixture stick together if it’s not binding.
• I like to bake the patties for convenience, but you can also cook them on the stove top in a large frying pan if preferred. To do so, add some oil to the pan and cook them over medium heat for about four minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the other side.
• When flipping the patties, do so very carefully as they can be fragile.
• You can also form the mixture into small patties if desired. They taste great served like falafels and the mini patties are especially great for little ones!

Recipe FAQs

How to Store

These burgers are a great make-ahead recipe. You can make the patties a day or two ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.

The cooked burgers can be stored in an airtight container or covered with saran wrap in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat them in the oven at 350F or in the microwave until heated through.

Can you freeze these burgers?

Yes, cooked or uncooked chickpea burgers freeze really well! You can store them in the freezer in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. If stacking, place parchment paper in between to prevent them from sticking together.

To defrost: Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to your liking in a skillet over the stove, oven or in the microwave. If uncooked, cook according to recipe instructions.

Can I make these burgers on the grill?

I haven’t personally tried it so I’m not sure how well the burgers would hold together. If you do try it, make sure that you grease the grill well and flip the patties very carefully to prevent them from falling apart.

You could also try freezing the burgers before placing them on the grill to help them stay together.

Topping Suggestions

These burgers are delicious topped with the following:

• Lettuce
• Pickles
• Avocado
• Red onion
• Tomato
• Yogurt tahini spread

If you want to switch up the flavours, you could also skip the yogurt tahini spread and serve these burgers with store-bought or homemade hummus or Tzatziki as well!

Serving Suggestions

These veggie burgers are great to serve on burger buns, in lettuce wraps, in a pita, on a salad or just by themselves. Serve them up with your favourite sides for a tasty and balanced meal.

Try them with:

• Greek cucumber noodle salad
• Asparagus & Tomato Salad
• Kale and sweet potato bowls
• Sweet potato fries
• Roasted turmeric cauliflower

More similar recipes:

• Falafels
• Vegetarian Quesadillas
• Vegan Black Bean Tostadas
• Healthy Pasta Salad
• Chickpea Avocado Feta Salad
• Mediterranean Lentil Salad
• Black Bean & Brown Rice Meal Prep Bowls

Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!

This recipe was originally posted in March 2017 and were updated to include better tips and photos in May 2021.

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