This simple vegan chickpea burgers recipe makes the best veggie burgers with 10 ingredients that can be baked or air-fried.
These hearty burgers are delicious with your favorite toppings, DIY vegan garlic aioli, or homemade sriracha mayo. Serve them open-faced over a pile of salad with easy lime and tahini dressing or between our favorite whole wheat hamburger buns.
Table of Contents
โญ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Make delicious veggie patties in minutes without added oil, unpronounceable preservatives, and budget justification.
- Accessible ingredients that can be adjusted to fit what you have on hand.
- The burger mixture can be made ahead for a quick weeknight meal the whole family will love.
๐ Recipe Ingredients
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): Use one regular can or 1 ยฝ cups of cooked chickpeas. Be sure to drain and rinse the chickpeas first.
Corn: If you use frozen (I did), thaw it. Place 1 cup of frozen corn in a mesh strainer and run it under hot water for a minute. Then leave it to drain while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Press it a little with a spoon to release excess water before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
Carrots: Grating the carrots makes them easier to blend with the burgers. If you are an ace chopper, finely chop them.
Cilantro: Use the leaves and tender stems of cilantro. Roughly chop them for easier blending. Parsley or a mixture of fresh herbs are good substitutes.
Tahini: Thick, nutty sesame seed paste helps bind the burgers and create a smoother blend. You can use sunflower seed butter or your favorite smooth peanut butter as a replacement if you need to.
Chickpea flour: Unlike wheat flour, chickpea flour is made from, wait for it, chickpeas. It's also known as gram flour or besan. Chickpea flour is a burger binder of note because it is sticky and gluten-free.
Sriracha: Use any chili sauce you like including sambal Oelek. Or add a fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper. Another option is adding ยผ-1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper with a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
โฒ๏ธ Step-by-Step Instructions
- Use a food processor to mix the chickpeas, onion, carrots, corn, cilantro, tahini, and sriracha.
- Add the chickpea flour, cumin, and salt. Pulse to blend the ingredients.
- Test the burger mixture.
- Make burger patties and add them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
๐ช Pro Tips
Test the burger mixture by forming a ball. It should hold together and not immediately turn into mush. If it doesn't stick together, it may be too dry. Pulse the mixture for another 30 seconds. There is a lot of water in the corn and carrots. Breaking them down further is probably all you need.
If there is too much moisture, the ball will melt. Try mixing in another tablespoon of chickpea flour.
Store the patty mixture in the fridge if you don't have room for individual patties. Make the patties right before baking them. Chilled burger patties may take an extra 5 minutes to bake.
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โจ๏ธ Cooking Tips
- Don't make them too thick if you want your burgers to be fully cooked, especially in the middle.
- Be sure to preheat the oven before you add the burgers. Place the baking tray in the center of the oven. This helps the burgers to cook evenly.
- If the burgers start to crisp on the outside but remain soft in the middle, cover them for a few minutes with a piece of foil and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
๐ด Serving Suggestions
Serve chickpea veggie burgers warm as a traditional burger. I recently made 12 mini burgers (sliders) for an appetizer party, and they were a big hit.
๐ก๏ธ Storage and Reheating
Store baked leftover burgers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or store the unbaked burger mixture for 2-3 days.
Reheat chickpea burgers in a preheated oven. Either wrap them in foil or place them on a baking tray and then cover them with an oven-proof bowl or plate (something that wonโt smash them). Uncover them after 10 minutes and let them crisp for 1-2 minutes.
๐ญ Frequently Asked Questions
Rolled oats or quick oats are a good substitute for chickpea flour for burgers. Break them down by adding them to the food processor and pulse them into a coarse powder.
Air fry chickpea burgers at 375 F (190 C). for 10 minutes on the first side. If they are brown and firm in the middle, flip them and air fry for another 5 minutes.
You can still enjoy delicious chickpea burgers if you donโt have a food processor. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and use a potato masher to crush them. Add the corn, tahini, and sriracha and continue blending. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Finely chop the onion and cilantro.
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๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ณ Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Burgers Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 1 ยฝ cups cooked chickpeas - 1- 15 ounce/400 grams can, rinsed and drained.
- 1 small red onion - chopped, about ยฝ cup
- 1 medium carrot - peeled and grated, ยฝ cup
- ยฝ cup cilantro - roughly chopped
- 1 cup corn kernels - see notes
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha
Instructions
- Mix chickpea flour, ground cumin, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the chickpeas, onions, carrots, corn, cilantro, tahini, and sriracha to a food processor. Pulse the ingredients until they are well-mixed but not entirely smooth.
- Pour the chickpea flour and cumin mixture into the food processor. Pulse a few more times until it is mixed in and no flour is visible.
- Before taking the burger mixture out of the food processor, grab about ยฝ a cup and form a ball. If the ball is crumbly, it is too dry. Process it further to help it moisten. If the ball sinks and is too moist, add more chickpea flour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat. Divide the burger mixture into 4 equal parts and form patties. See patty tips in the notes.
- Bake the burgers for 20 minutes until the patties are brown and firm. Flip the burgers. Continue baking for another 10 minutes or until they are brown and firm.
Notes
- Canned or frozen corn can be used. Press the corn kernels against a mesh strainer or between a few paper towels to release excess moisture. Be sure to thaw frozen corn first.
- If you do not have chickpea flour, substitute with oat flour, ground rolled, or quick oats. You can also add another kind of gluten-free flour or wheat flour. Test the burger mixture as described in the instructions to determine if you need to adjust the amounts of flour.
- You can cook chickpea burgers in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 10 minutes on the first side. If they are brown and firm in the middle, flip them and cook them for another 5 minutes. If you cook chickpea burgers on the grill, keep the heat low enough that they cook in the middle.
- No food processor? Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and use a potato masher to crush them. Add the corn, tahini, and sriracha and continue blending. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Finely chop the onion and cilantro.
- Store baked leftover burgers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or refrigerate all or part of the burger mixture for 1-2 days before cooking.ย ย
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Pam
Hi, I'm 67 and 6 weeks into vegan life.
Needless to say I've never had a chickpea burger until tonight.
This will be one of my go to recipes.
I just might have this for breakfast in the morning. What a great way to start the day.
Thank you
Denise
I am doing a happy dance! Congratulations on starting this journey. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the burgers. If there is ever anything I can do to help or questions you have, don't hesitate to ask me. I just turned 60 last week - we're the new 40's, my friend. ๐
Pam
I just made these chickpea burgers AGAIN !!
These are sooooooooo good.
I stuff them into while wheat pita with some arugula .
What toppings do you recommend?
BTW,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ๐๐๐๐
Denise
The pita idea is such a winner! I know you're going to make the mayo (good call there). I've got a few condiments that would go well with chickpea burgers. We had them with mango slaw and that was super!
Deborah Shields
This was a fantastic template for experimentation since I didn't have all of the ingredients in the recipe. I used a zucchini to replace the carrot and the cilantro. I substituted one tablespoon of aquafaba for one of the two tablespoons of tahini to keep the fat down. I used half yellow corn and half green peas for the corn, and I put in turmeric and a blend from Penzeys called Turkish spice for the seasonings. I left it in the refrigerator overnight and had to add quite a bit more chickpea flour to make it thick enough, probably due to the zucchini and also extra moisture from the frozen veggies because I forgot to rinse them. But these sure were good and held up really well. I will definitely make these again! I love cilantro, so I'll pick some up at the grocery store the next time I want to make these. Thank you so much for such a delicious and easy recipe that is very forgiving!
Pam
Hey Denise,
I'm making the chickpea burgers and taking them with me to camp.
Everyone will be so jealous so I'm making extras
Thank you again for this recipe.
I love it
Denise
Yummy! What a great camping dish. Glad you're making more - you never know what happens when someone eats great vegan food ๐
Annette
Whole family loved this burger. We will definitely make it on repeat. Thank you!
Denise
This is excellent! I am thrilled you loved these burgers - they are our current favorite - so easy and yummy. Thanks for the kind review; it is much appreciated. ๐