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Best Chickpea Burgers (Plant Based!)

Chickpea burgers
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4.6 from 13 reviews

These chickpea burgers are a hugely satisfying plant-based dinner! Crispy on the outside, they’re painted with BBQ and topped with vegan bacon and spicy mayo.

Ingredients

Scale

For the chickpea burgers*

  • 15-ounce can chickpeas (1 1/2 cups cooked)
  • 1 large carrot
  • ½ red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup all purpose, whole wheat or gluten-free flour
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil, for frying

For serving

  • Your favorite BBQ sauce (optional; check the label to find an organic version without high fructose corn syrup)
  • Lettuce, tomato and red onion
  • Shiitake bacon (optional but recommended!)
  • Spicy Mayo or Special Burger Sauce
  • 4 burger buns

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Use a potato masher or fork to mash them in a bowl until they’re mostly mashed with some chunks. Use a large size grater to grate the onion and carrot, then finely grate the garlic OR place them all in a food processor and process until finely minced. Add them to the bowl with the chickpeas. Stir in the tahini, flour and spices. Mix with a spoon and then your fingers until a sticky dough forms. Form 4 round patties and place them on a cutting board, about 3 inches wide by about 3/4 inch thick (we had a 3-inch circle biscuit cutter, which you could use if you have one).
  3. In a medium frying pan, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Carefully add the patties to the pan. If you have one, top with a splatter screen. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown on one side. Flip and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown, turning down the heat as necessary.
  4. Transfer the patties to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and baked through.
  5. Remove the patties from the oven and let them cool for at least 15 minutes to firm up. Paint liberally with BBQ sauce. Top with toppings (make sure to have a creamy rich topping like the Spicy Mayo or Special Sauce to enhance the flavors and textures. The burgers save well in the refrigerator, so they’re great to make ahead and eat throughout the week. They also freeze well!

Notes

If you’d like more servings, double the ingredients and pan fry in batches, then bake 8 burgers on the same tray. The burgers stay well refrigerated or frozen (see Step 6).