These easy chickpea burgers are going to be your new favorite plant based burger! Top with cashew chipotle aioli for a real treat. Vegan recipe and gluten free friendly too – just use your favorite bun.
I feel like this goes without saying but… If you’re new to veggie burgers, keep in mind these will not be like your traditional burger made with meat… nor will they resemble a store bought Beyond Meat or Impossible burger.
We’re using basic whole food plants here.
Simple ingredients.
Something anyone can make!
But that’s not to say plant based burger patties aren’t delicious! Personally, I love adding them into our menu for something a little different.
Chickpea Veggie Burgers
I really wanted to give you a guys a super easy veggie burger recipe, that could be made with minimal ingredients but still packed with flavor.
There are loads of plant based burger recipe combinations but ultimately I settled on a super easy chickpea burger. Most of what you need you likely already have on hand!
Plant Based Burger Ingredients
- diced yellow onion & minced garlic – cook down the onion and garlic together for more flavor.
- canned chickpeas – Super easy. All you have to do is drain and rinse. Of course if cooking your own chickpeas at home is your jam, go for it.
- fresh cilantro or parsley – I’ve made these with both cilantro and parsley, pick your favorite.
- tahini or sunflower seed butter – helps add some stickiness to the mixture while providing a hint of flavor but also holding the burgers together.
- cumin, chili and red pepper flakes – don’t skimp on the spices!
- salt & pepper – enhances flavor!
- flour – a gluten-free flour blend, all-purpose, whole wheat or something similar works well here. This also helps hold the burgers together.
Tips for Making Chickpea Burgers
I’ve been making these chickpea veggie burgers for the past month, just to make sure the mixture is the best combination of flavor and texture.
Here are my top tips…
Mash the mixture very well
Whether you mash by hand or use a food processor, make sure to mash pretty well. If you have a food processor handy it will be quicker and easier.
Shape the patties evenly
I like to use a measuring cup (about a 1/3 cup) to get an even amount, then shape into about 3/4 ” thickness. Make sure to pat well and shape around the sides too.
Cook until golden
Use a grill pan or a cast iron skillet if you can. You’ll get a nice coating with using oil. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side, OR until nice and golden. Different pans will cook differently, so keep an eye on heat and adjust as necessary.
Don’t press the patties down too hard
Don’t press the patties into the pan as you’re cooking or they’ll start to separate. Just gently flip and allow them to cook on their own.
After you’ve finished cooking all of the chickpea patties, it’s time for the amazing condiment that really takes these veggie burgers up a notch…
Amazing Vegan Chipotle Aioli
Using cashews! Along with water, lemon juice, maple syrup, adobo sauce, oil, and salt. Just six ingredients for this creamy deliciousness.
A recipe slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker.
Even Mr. FMK (who often turns his nose up at plant based alternatives, mind you) said it was really good.
I couldn’t believe how smooth and creamy it was.
Cashew chipotle aioli is pure magic and I am forever addicted.
It’s actually really quick too. All you have to do is:
- Place cashews in bowl of boiled/hot water for 15 minutes for a quick softening, then drain and rinse.
- Add the rinsed cashews along with the rest of the ingredients into a small food processor; blend until smooth!
Have I convinced you to try these chickpea burgers yet? I hope you do!
Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
PrintEasy Chickpea Burgers with Chipotle Aioli
Super easy Chickpea Burgers! A vegan and gluten free recipe that comes together in no time. Top the burgers with a cashew chipotle aioli for the most flavor. These are a must for your next dinner!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 medium burgers 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Chickpea Veggie Burgers
- oil, for cooking
- heaping ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 (15 ounce) canned chickpeas, rinsed/drained well
- 4 TBSP tahini or sunflower seed butter
- 1/2 TBSP crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro or parsley
- 3 TBSP flour (gluten-free blend, as needed)
Cashew Chipotle Aioli
- 3/4 cup raw soaked cashews in boiled water, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 2 TBSP chipotle adobo sauce (or 1 chipotle chili in adodo sauce)
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 TBSP avocado oil or light olive oil
toppings
- green leaf lettuce
- sliced avocado
- sliced tomato
- sprouts
- toasted hamburger buns (gluten-free as needed)
Instructions
- Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat; cook down onion and garlic for about 5-7 minutes, until onions become translucent. Remove from heat.
- Add cooked onion and garlic, drained chickpeas, tahini (or sunflower butter), crushed red pepper, spices, salt and pepper and fresh herbs to large bowl; mash well with potato masher then add in flour and mash again. If using food processor – first process onion through herbs by pulsing until mixture is broken down well. Then pulse in flour until combined. Remove S-blade before taking mixture out and shaping burgers.
- Heat large cast iron skillet to medium heat; add about one tablespoon olive oil.
- While the skillet warms up, scoop about 1/2 cup of mixture to make 6 large patties, or 1/3 cup to make 8 medium burgers (size of patties could depend on what kind of bun you’re using). Place shaped patties into hot skillet and cook until dark gold on one side, about 5 minutes, before flipping to the other and cooking another 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and place in oven on “warm” function if you’d like.
- Make the cashew chipotle sauce: Make sure cashews have soaked in boiled water for 15 minutes. Add all ingredients to blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Taste test to see if you prefer more heat (add some more adobo sauce) or salt.
- Assemble burgers with favorite toppings and sauce; enjoy!
Notes
If making larger patties, you’ll end up with about 6 burgers. If you’re just cooking for one, you can use 1 can chickpeas, 2.5 TBSP tahini, 2 TBSP flour and adjust spices to your liking.
Vegan Chipotle Aioli recipe slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker.
Nutrition approximate per patty only; does not include chipotle aioli.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 3g
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 8g
Keywords: plant based burger recipe, chickpea burger, veggie burger
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