This insanely delicious Falafel Burger is easy and packed with Mediterranean flavor! Drizzle with sauce for an epic vegetarian or vegan dinner.
Oh hello. Discover our favorite vegetarian and vegan dinner recipe: this falafel burger! We don’t always have the energy to cook up a batch of authentic falafel. So eating it in burger form is the next best thing! They are easy to make with canned chickpeas. The combination of a cumin and coriander flavored chickpea patty, a fresh cucumber sauce, and all the fixins is epic as hell. This is a healthy vegetarian and vegan dinner recipe that everyone loves.
Why make falafel burgers?
These falafel burgers are a lot easier to make than our classic falafel sandwich. This sandwich is packed with great authentic flavors, but it requires some thought beforehand. This one is a little easier! Here’s why you make falafel in the shape of a burger:
- You can use canned chickpeas! Dried chickpeas do not need to be soaked overnight. This means you can do this with little to no advance planning (a big plus in our book).
- Easy to shape. The patties are much easier to shape than traditional falafel balls: and you only have to make four!
- No messy frying! Authentic falafel must be fried, which can be a bit tricky. These falafel burgers only need to be quickly and easily fried with a little oil, then they are baked.
Ingredients for falafel burgers
This falafel burger is a great healthy dinner idea if you cook for a lot of diets! It’s vegetarian and vegan, and you can make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour. Here’s what you need to make a killer falafel burger:
- Canned Chickpeas: You can also use cooked chickpeas (try our stove top or instant pot methods)
- carrot
- Red onion
- Garlic
- coriander or parsleyif you have an aversion to cilantro!
- flour (or gluten free flour)
- Spices: cumin, coriander, salt and pepper
- neutral oil
Use a food processor or make them by hand
The basic idea behind these falafel burgers: puree the ingredients into a “dough”, form patties, lightly fry in the pan, then bake in the oven. There are two ways to prepare the dough:
- Culinary Robot : This is our preferred method because it’s quick and easy. We have a full-size food processor that’s great for a single or double batch (more on doubling below).
- By hand: You can also make the falafel burgers by hand if you don’t have a food processor. It takes a little longer, but you mash the chickpeas with a fork, then grate all the veggies.
Falafel sauce: 3 options!
There are several falafel sauce options that can be authentically served with falafel. There are options for vegetarian and vegan diets! Here’s a little breakdown:
- yoghurt sauce: Quick and easy to make, this yogurt-based pickle or dill sauce is traditionally served on a falafel sandwich.
- Tahini Sauce: Vegan and plant-based, this lemon tahini sauce is also traditional to serve with falafel. You can also add chopped fresh dill for an herbal punch.
- coriander sauce: A green coriander sauce is also traditional! This one is made with cashews and is another vegan option. Zhoug is another olive oil and herb green sauce served with falafel in Israel.
Make a double batch: they chill and freeze well!
The advantage of these falafel burgers is that they keep very well! Consider making a double batch and saving for simple meals. Since they take about 45 minutes from start to finish, we’re happy to double them for leftovers. Here is the storage information for falafel burgers:
- Cool up to 1 week. You can reheat them in a 350 degree oven if you like, or eat them cold or at room temperature.
- Freeze up to 3 months. Freeze well! Simply thaw in the fridge or reheat in a 350 degree oven.
What do you serve with falafel burgers?
Are you cooking a meal to impress a crowd and need sides for those falafel burgers? Here’s what we recommend:
More veggie burger recipes
Veggie burgers are so satisfying! Here are some other veggie burger recipes to try:
This falafel burger recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free. For gluten-free flour, use gluten-free flour and serve without a bun or with a gluten-free bun.
The description
This insanely delicious Falafel Burger is easy and packed with Mediterranean flavor! Drizzle with sauce for an epic vegetarian or vegan dinner.
For the falafel burgers (double for leftovers*)
- 15-oz can of chickpeas (1 ½ cups cooked)
- 2 tablespoons Sesame seeds
- 1 big carrot
- ½ Red onion
- 3 Garlic cloves
- ½ cup coriander leaves and tender stems, loosely packed (or parsley)
- 6 tablespoons flour (or gluten free flour)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons Grape seed or vegetable oil (for frying)
Serve
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat the chickpeas dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, then place in the bowl of a food processor. Add the sesame seeds and then mix until you get a paste-like consistency. (If you don’t have a food processor, use a potato masher or fork to mash them in a bowl until mostly mashed.) Scrape the mixture into a bowl.
- Place the carrot, red onion, garlic, and cilantro in the bowl of the food processor; Pulse ground until fine. (If you don’t have a food processor, use a large box grater to grate the onion and carrot, then finely grate the garlic and finely chop the cilantro.) Scrape the vegetables into the bowl along with the chickpeas.
- Stir in the flour, cumin, coriander, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix with a spoon, then shape into 4 round patties and place on a baking sheet.
- In a medium skillet, heat ¼ cup oil over medium-high heat. Carefully place the patties in the pan. If you have one, cover it with a splash guard. Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on one side. Flip and fry for a further 3-4 minutes until golden brown, reducing heat if necessary.
- Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the patties from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes to set.
- Meanwhile, prepare the falafel sauce. To serve, arrange on a bun with tomato, cucumber, red onion and lettuce and garnish with sauce. The burgers will keep in the fridge for a good 1 week, making them perfect for making ahead and eating throughout the week. They also freeze very well!
Remarks
*It’s easy to make 8 and freeze the rest to eat later: they also keep well in the fridge for up to 1 week. Simply double everything!
- Category: main course
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Mediterranean Sea
- Diet: vegan
