This oil-free recipe for easy vegan chickpea patties is a great plant-based option. It has 8 simple ingredients, easy prep, and a firm texture from a protein blast from quinoa and chickpea flour, so it's naturally gluten-free.
I'm always partial to a good veggie patty, but I'm demanding. They need to hold together, be firm in the middle, and the bonus - the easier, the better.
After testing several versions, it wasn't until I was working on a strawberry cucumber salad and looked at the saucepan of cooked quinoa that the missing binding ingredient for my chickpea patty recipe hit me. And that's how easy this is - simmer a little quinoa (or use leftovers), blend the ingredients, and bake or air fry.
Table of Contents
Recipe Highlights
- It's great for meal prep and double batches. The chickpea mixture keeps for several days in the fridge, and the cooked patties are freezer-friendly.
- Serve as a main dish as chickpea fritters (patties) or veggie burgers tucked between your favorite vegan hamburger rolls with tasty condiments like garlic aioli or sriracha mayo.
- Use this recipe to make falafels, veggie balls, or sliders.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chickpeas. Choose easy and use canned chickpeas. You also use stovetop or Instant Pot chickpeas cooked from scratch.
Quinoa. I used regular white quinoa, but you can use any color, including rainbow quinoa. Bulgur is a great substitution, but alas, it is not gluten-free.
Chickpea Flour. Sticky and gluten-free chickpea flour, also known as gram flour, garbanzo bean flour, or besan, is my favorite chickpea burger binder. Oat flour is the best gluten-free option, but grab a bag of chickpea flour if you can. It makes yummy veggie pakoras, too!
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Recipe Variations
For crispy chickpea patties, form balls from the chickpea mixture, roll them in panko or breadcrumbs and form the patties.
How to Make Chickpea Patties
Cook the ⅓ cup of quinoa in ⅔ cup of water for 15 minutes.
Mash the chickpeas with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Mix mashed chickpeas with quinoa, onion, and parsley.
Add the chickpea flour and mix with your hand.
Form patties and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Air Fryer Instructions
Preheat the air fryer to 350 F (175 C). Air fry the patties for 11-13 minutes, flipping at the halfway point.
Pro Tips
Test the patty mixture after adding the chickpea flour. It should stick together when shaped into a ball and pressed. If it's crumbly, mix it with your hand for a few minutes longer.
I don't use a food processor for this recipe because I like a chunky texture and always try to avoid washing up. But a food processor is a great option if you don't want the hassle of mashing by hand. Use the pulse setting so the ingredients are blended but not without texture.
Denise's Tip. ⅓ cup of dry quinoa makes about 1 cup cooked. Use this measurement if you substitute with pre-cooked quinoa.
Want to save this recipe? 🥣
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes and satisfy your cravings.
Serving Suggestions
Try these easy chickpea patties with a flavorful side salad like apple cranberry or creamy vegan macaroni salad. They're great with twice-baked potatoes, baked creamy onions, and curry rice. Smother them with zesty raspberry chipotle sauce or flourless mushroom gravy with a side of mashed potatoes. Yummy!
Storage and Freezing
Leftover patties can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in foil for 4-5 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer. Wrap them in foil so they don't get too brown before the middles are hot.
The chickpea mixture can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days before cooking. Warm the mixture to room temperature before forming the patties.
Freeze patties for 3 months. Separate individual patties with a piece of parchment paper so they don't stick together.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the chickpea patty dough is too dry, knead the mixture a little more. Use your hand to break up a few whole chickpeas. If that doesn't work, add a teaspoon of vegetable broth or water and knead more. Add liquid a teaspoon at a time until you have a patty that holds together.
Try the chickpea patty recipe with other types of beans, like black beans or white cannellini beans. Use the same amount of beans (1 ½ cups). You may need to add more chickpea flour to bind the burgers.
Chickpea flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour, gram flour, or besan, is made by grinding dried chickpeas into a fine powder. It is a powerful binder for veggie burgers and makes a thick batter for everything from orange tofu to spicy cauliflower wings.
More Veggie Burger Recipes
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Patties
Rate this Recipe:
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup quinoa - see notes
- 1 ½ cup chickpeas - garbanzo beans, 1 can rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup onion - chopped, about ½ a medium onion
- 2 tablespoons parsley - chopped
- ¼ cup chickpea flour - see notes
Instructions
- Add the quinoa and ⅔ cup of water to a small saucepan. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, add the drained chickpeas, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Mash the chickpeas and seasonings with a potato masher or large fork.
- Str in the cooked quinoa, parsley, and onion. Mix well.
- Add the chickpea flour and mix the chickpea patty mixture with your hands. Test that you can form a ball and mash it without it falling apart. If it does, knead a little more. Add another tablespoon of chickpea flour if necessary.
- Divide the chickpea mixture into 4 equal pieces. Then, form patties and add them to the baking sheet.
- Bake the patties for about 20 minutes until they start to firm and brown. Flip and bake for another 10 minutes.
Notes
- ⅓ cup of dry quinoa makes 1 cup cooked. If you are using leftover quinoa, use 1 cup.
- Chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) is made from ground-up dried chickpeas and is naturally gluten-free.
- The best substitute is oat flour, which you can make by grinding oats into a fine powder.
- Air fry chickpea patties at 350 F (175 C) for 11-13 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Store leftover patties for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Store the unbaked chickpea mixture in an airtight container for 2-3 days before baking the patties.
- To reheat, wrap the patties in foil so they don't burn on the outside before getting hot inside.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Want to save this recipe? 🥣
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes and satisfy your cravings.
Denise Perrault
A deliciously easy recipe we love!
Margie Prevo
This stuff has a fabulous flavor, but sadly does not make parties, or even loaf! When I lifted the patties from the baking sheet after they had cooled, they just crumbled. So I crumbled then all and out in a pan for load. I added a little spy milk to try to make it all stick together, but it didn't work. I took the pan to potluck and people lived the flavor so much they are it anyway even though it was a crumbly mess. I think you should tinker with the recipe some more to find a good binder.
P.s.
I used a flavored garbanzo flour. Maybe that added to the yumminess a little.
Denise Perrault
Hi, it sounds like the chickpea mixture may have been a bit too dry. If, when you test the patties, they fall apart, you probably need to mash the chickpeas a little more. If you've already added the quinoa, I find it easiest to use your hands in the mixture, mashing the chickpeas, and checking you can form a ball that won't fall apart. Although the main binder is chickpea flour, the chickpeas also help bind the patties. On another note - I've never seen flavored chickpea flour - that sounds super interesting.