A Chickpea Burger recipe that is crispy, packed with plant-based protein, fragrantly spiced with Za’atar. Pair this winning veggie pattie with your favorite burger bun, spicy caramelized onions, and Tahini Dill Sauce ! These bodies are Nutfree and soy free. Can be made Glutenfree with Glutenfree flour

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 5 - 6 servings
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American, Vegan

Ingredients

Patties:

  • 3/4 cup cauliflower florets, (1-1.5 inch size)
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 15 oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (or 1.5 cups cooked)
  • 1.5 tsp Zaatar spice blend or use garam masala or Cajun spice
  • 1 Tbsp sundried tomato
  • 1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro (or parsley or greens of choice)
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 flax eggs, (2 tbsp flax seed meal mixed with 5 tbsp water)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • a generous dash of black pepper
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil or use tahini
  • flour (, oat, chickpea for Glutenfree or wheat or breadcrumbs if needed)

Caramelized onions:

  • 1 medium red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

Toppings:

  • Tahini dill dressing
  • tomato
  • lettuce/greens

Method

Patties:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205c) if baking.
  2. In a food processor, add cauliflower and coriander seeds and process to a coarse mixture.
  3. Add the chickpeas, zaatar, sun dried tomato, cilantro, salt, garlic, ginger, flax eggs and pulse a few times (5 second pulses) so most of the chickpeas disintegrate. There should be almost no whole chickpeas and half of them should be pureed.
  4. Add the onion, pepper flakes, oil. Mix and mash. Taste and adjust salt and spice.
  5. Add flour or breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet. Add another flax egg if the mixture is too dry.
  6. Shape into patties by packing a 1/3 cup of the mixture into a 3 inch cookie cutter or by hand. Freeze the patties for 10 minutes before pan frying. Make thinner patties to panfry. (The the patties stick too much to the skillet, dust in flour before panfrying)
  7. Pan fry with a little oil for 3 to 4 minutes each side. Or Brush oil on top and bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 5 minutes.
  8. The key to less crumbly patty here is blending up the chickpeas well. With large the pieces, the patty can get crumbly. Overblended chickpeas get a mashed bean texture so you want the texture somehweee in between. Serve with spicy or plain caramelized onions, hummus, mayo or ranch, and other toppings of choice.

Caramelized Onions:

  1. In a pan heat oil on medium heat. Add the onions, salt and sugar and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
  2. Add the cayenne and paprika, mix and cook for another few minutes until golden.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.