Best Chickpea Burgers (Plant Based!)

These chickpea burgers are an extremely filling plant-based dinner! Here they are grill painted and topped with vegan bacon and special sauce.

Eating plant-based foods doesn’t mean skipping the burger! Veggie burgers can be very satisfying, and that doesn’t mean they’re processed meat alternatives. These vegan chickpea burgers full of whole foods might be your new go-to! They’re crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with hints of smoked paprika. Coated with barbecue sauce and served with shiitake bacon and spicy mayonnaise, they’re pretty damn tasty (if we do say so myself). Ready to cook?

What’s in these chickpea burgers?

True Story: Alex and I tried a vegan burger from one of those popular plant-based meat companies that are in the news these days. It was good, but we both had stomach ache afterwards. Something about them has made us quite a number (perhaps because we don’t yet understand the effects of this processed food). So here we go back to homemade veggie burgers! Not only are these burgers delicious, they’re packed with healthy, whole foods.

Here’s what’s in these vegan chickpea burgers (nothing unusual, I promise!):

• Chickpea Paste: You will use a potato masher or fork to mash them by hand
• Onion, carrot and red onion: Rub them so that they integrate well; You can use a hand grater, food processor, or high-speed blender
• some flour: There’s a need to keep these babies together (trust us!). You can use gluten-free flour if you need to, or all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
• Tahini: This sesame paste holds it all together! (What is tahini?)
• Cumin and smoked paprika. The great flavor comes from cumin and a smoky undertone of smoked paprika.
• BBQ sauce for color (optional). Use your favorite store-bought version or our homemade barbecue sauce. (Check the label for an organic version without high fructose corn syrup.)

They are pan fried and then baked.

These chickpea burgers are lightly fried for a crispy crust, then baked to cook. Why the two stages? When we tried them just cooked, the texture wasn’t quite what we wanted. Pan frying gives the burger a nice crunch without making it too dry in the oven.

When preparing your chickpea burgers, shape them so that they are about 3 inches in diameter and about 3/4 inch thick. As a result, they stick together when frying in the pan and achieve an even golden brown. We had a 3 inch round cookie cutter that we used to shape them to this size.

It’s totally optional, but you have some time while the chickpea burgers are in the oven. Why not put together a unique garnish? This shiitake bacon is just that: vegan bacon made from shiitake mushrooms. It sounds a bit strange, but once you taste the salty and smoky taste, you’ll understand! Ever since Alex and I first made it as a loaded potato soup, I’ve been dying to try it on a burger. It’s really worth it! It’s only 5 ingredients and it’s not hard to make the burger.

Creamy sauce makes chickpea burgers shine! (Or any veggie burger.)

These chickpea burgers are perfect with a creamy sauce. Because veggie burgers don’t have the same natural fat as beef burgers, they can taste dry. You really need to add a creamy sauce to get the right textures on a bun. Here we used Spicy Mayo which also adds richness for an overall enhanced experience! Here are some other creamy sauce toppings you could try:

Preparation and reheating instructions

These vegan chickpea burgers are easy to save and perfect to make ahead! You can make them into a meal over the weekend and then store them in the fridge to eat all week long. Here’s what we recommend:

• Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. If you reheat them, place them in a 375 oven and reheat until warmed through (about 10 minutes or so).
• Freeze for 1-2 months. These burgers freeze well, so pack them in an airtight container and store them for a few months. You can also make a duplicate recipe if you know you want leftovers and choose the freeze option. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat as directed above.

Ways to serve chickpea burgers

You don’t have to serve these burgers with BBQ sauce, of course! There are many great topping suggestions out there – here are a few options we’ve thought of:

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free. For gluten free use gluten free flour.