This Chickpea Burger is so delicious and easy to make, no one will miss the meat! You can have these burgers ready in less than 30 minutes, making them a perfect weeknight meal. Keep the toppings classic, or branch out with bbq sauce and sautéed onions or even guacamole and pickled jalapeños!
These chickpea burgers are so incredibly tasty and simple to make. They highly exceeded my expectations! Chickpeas are by far my favorite bean, and you can tell by some of the recipes I have created featuring them: Biscuit Topped Chickpea Pot Pie, Chickpea Curry, Vegan Tuna Sandwich, Easy Vegan Meatballs and even Chickpea Blondies!
I thought it was time for a plant based burger featuring chickpeas as well. I think you will LOVE these burgers! They are bursting with flavor and made easy in one bowl with very little prep time needed.
Ingredients you need
- Chickpeas – I used canned (drained and rinsed), but you can use beans made from scratch. You will need 1 1/2 cups.
- Chopped red onion – Adds a lot of flavor. May omit if necessary.
- Garlic
- Ground cumin
- Salt
- Tahini – Or you can even just use peanut butter! This helps the burgers stay together since there is no flax egg or other egg substitute.
- Breadcrumbs – Check the ingredients to make sure they are vegan, and use gluten free if needed. You can even make your own breadcrumbs if needed. Rolled oats or quick oats also work quite well.
- Cilantro – If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, use parsley instead.
How to make them
It’s so easy, you won’t believe it! This is the kind of recipe I find myself making over and over again.
- Mash the chickpeas in a bowl. I use a potato mashed because it works so well, but you can just use a fork. Or even a food processor!
- Add the chopped red onion, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, breadcrumbs and cilantro.
- Mix well to combine.
- Form into burger shapes about 3-4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. I don’t like to shape them too thick or I find the texture isn’t as good once cooked.
Now you can either pan fry or bake the burgers. I prefer pan frying here, but baking works as well. Pan fry in a little oil (or none if you have a quality non-stick pan) for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for 3-4 more minutes until golden brown.
To bake: Place on a baking sheet that is greased with oil or lined with parchment paper and bake for 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for 15 more minutes.
Serve immediately with toppings of choice.
Toppings for chickpea burger
- Simple: I kept it simple this time with vegan mayo, arugula, sliced tomatoes and red onion.
- BBQ Burger: BBQ sauce, sautéed onions, lettuce and tomatoes.
- Mediterranean: Hummus, red onion, lettuce and tomatoes. Maybe even Tzatziki sauce.
- Mexican: Guacamole and pickled jalapeños.
- Ranch Burger: Vegan ranch, lettuce and tomatoes.
- Classic American: Vegan Cheese, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles.
Want more delicious plant based burgers?
More 30 minute-or-less vegan meals you’ll love
- Vegan Alfredo
- Tofu Tacos
- 10 Minute Skillet BBQ Tempeh
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Peanut Tofu with Coconut Rice
- Vegan Quesadillas
Chickpea Burger
Ingredients
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped small red onion (about 1/2 small red onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tahini or peanut butter
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (may also use parsley)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Use a potato masher or fork to mash them until no whole beans remain.
- Add the chopped red onion, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, breadcrumbs and cilantro to the chickpeas, and stir with a large spoon until well combined.
- Form into burger shapes, about 3-4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
- In a large pan, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat. Carefully place the patties on the pan, and fry for about 4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Alternatively, you could bake the burgers at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Serve immediately on buns with toppings of choice. I went with vegan mayo, arugula, tomatoes and red onion slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten free - Use either gluten free breadcrumbs or gluten free certified rolled oats. Almond flour may work as well.
- You can substitute another bean if desired, such as kidney, black, pinto or white beans.
- These burgers are good with a variety of toppings, such as BBQ sauce, sautéed onions, lettuce and tomatoes, or hummus, red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, or guacamole and pickled jalapeños.
- Leftovers - Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for longer.
Very simple and delicious burger. I made exactly as written, but added a flax egg as suggested by previous reviewers (even though I am not sure it was really needed) and baked in the oven. The falafel flavor was great and next time I make it – and there WILL be a next time – I might top it with some vegan tzatziki sauce. I can always count on your recipes to be delicious!
Hi Blythe. I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the chickpea burgers! Oh my goodness, they sound amazing with Taziki sauce! Thank you for loving and trusting my recipes, and for taking time to share your fantastic review! Happy cooking!
We made these this week and my family loved them! They are better than any store bought ones, including expensive health food store brands! These will now be our go to burgers! Plus, they are so simple to make. I had plant baded baking crumbs snd the held together well.
Thanks,Nora, for yet another fantastic recipe!!
You are welcome, Lorraine! I’m so glad that you love the burger recipe! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience, as well as your awesome review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Really enjoyed these. I pan fried them as directed and then put in air fryer for an additional 8 minutes to crisp them up. Will make again.
Hi Lisa. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the burgers! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and ideas, as well as your glowing review! Happy cooking!
I’m seeing some comments about having used an egg to help bind it together. Have you tried using flax egg? Would that work? What about another egg substitute? I’m looking forward to trying these soon!
Yes, a flax egg works well for binding in veggie burgers! Mix 1 tbsp ground flax with 3 tbsp water and let it gel for 5 minutes. It provides great binding without changing the flavor. Chia eggs (1 tbsp chia + 3 tbsp water) are another excellent option — they gel even more firmly which can help burgers hold together better. If you want something with no seed texture at all, 3 tbsp aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid) also works since you already have chickpeas in the recipe. For the firmest patties, chill the mixture 20-30 min before forming. The Re-Whisk Chrome extension is great for finding the right egg sub based on what the egg does in each recipe.
Making this because I love chickpeas, not because it’s vegetarian.
Very good. A little dry IMO compared to others, very crumbly.
Thank you for another great recipe. Very easy and quick to make. I baked them on parchment paper, no oil. Used dried cilantro, no cumin. Definitely making again!
You are welcome, Susan! I’m so glad you enjoyed the burgers! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and awesome review! Wishing you happy cooking!
Great burgers, made a double batch. I usually bake my bean burgers, I decided to try frying them this time and I may never go back to baking them again. Definitely making these burgers again.
Hi Wendy. I’m so glad that you loved the chickpea burgers! Thank you for taking time to share your terrific review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
Can you use bagged chick peas?
Hi Amber. As long as the chickpeas are pre-cooked before they are bagged, that should be fine. The bagged dry chickpeas would need to be cooked before using. Enjoy!
If I use egg instead of tahini or nut butter, would it bind enough?
I’m not sure as I’ve never made burgers with eggs, since I don’t eat them myself!
These were great! I did the peanut butter option and also added an egg after reading some of the other comments. I didn’t have breadcrumbs so ground up some tortilla chips in the vitamix and it worked well.
These were phenomenal! It was my first time making a bean burger & I knew if I went by your recipe, it’d be a winner. Thanks so much for this!!
You are welcome, Kelly! I’m so glad you loved the burger! Thanks for sharing your glowing 5 star review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Is it possible to grill these?
Hi Christopher. I do not think these burgers would hold up well to grilling, though I have never tried it. Hope this helps!
I made these, I added 1 egg to help with binding and they were delicious! Thank you.
hi. going to make this soon. is the parsley fresh or dry? thanks
I use fresh parsley or cilantro. If using dry, only use a teaspoon or so.
I made it and used the dry parsley. Instead of the breadcrumbs, I used half brown rice and half almond flour. (I had brown rice leftovers, so I wanted to put them to use). I also added close to 2 teaspoons of canned pumpkin to the mix for added flavor, and again, did this because it was readily available in the fridge from something I made a couple days ago. Me and hubby both loved this recipe–it’s a keeper and I plan on making a double-batch tomorrow for the freezer to pull from over the next few months. Thanks!
That sounds incredible, thanks for sharing!
These chickpea burgers turned out so good I threw my old recipe for them away!! The only thing I did differently was to cut bread crumbs down to 1/4 cup hoping that it would hold them together better. I only had an issue with 1 falling part while I was packing it up to refrigerate. I baked them in oven. Will definitely make again!!
I’m so glad the burgers worked well for you and that you loved them! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
HI Nora! I love your recipes! My chickpea burgers were pretty crumbly and falling apart (delicious flavor though). Should I use more tahini do you think? Or do you have any recommendations? Thank you!
Hi Loren, and thank you for loving my recipes! So the moisture content of chickpeas can vary, and so can breadcrumbs. What I would suggest is adding less breadcrumbs next time, only as needed until the mixture isn’t wet. Another fix would be adding a bit more tahini if the mixture seems really dry, or honestly even a bit of water. Hope that helps!
We tried the burgers for the first time, we thought they were Delicious! We LOVE chickpeas, have been eating them forever! We are vegetarians but I have not been very creative with the chickpeas.
But never thought about making burgers with them!
Used Cilantro and Sweet Basil in it together. Do you use creamy or crunchy peanut butter? I used creamy which I think would be better than crunchy because it would mix up better with the batter. After I made them, I noticed them not moist enough. So I will put a little water on it to moisten them more. Even our young adult son enjoyed them.
Thank you so much for this delectable meal idea for our family!
I’m always struggling to find easy meals to cook for my picky kids; especially on weeknights. I’ve never made a homemade veggie burger and was determined to make one today. I was going to use a way complicated recipe, but after reading through all of the ingredients (many of which I’d likely never use up), I searched for something simpler and found this. I’m glad I did. My kids asked for more. I’m very excited that we’ve gone something to add to the rotation! I went with the frying option, btw. Thanks a lot Nora!
You are welcome, Mike! I loved reading your cooking experience! Easy and delicious recipes are my passion, and I’m thrilled you’ll be adding these burgers to your meal rotation! Thank you for using my recipe, and for sharing your awesome review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
Very easy to make. I paired it with a multigrain slim bun, mayo, lettuce, and a tomato. Will make again.
Other than the chickpeas you never gave any more measurements. I had to guess the rest but I’m sure they will be fine.
The full recipe is in the Recipe Card near the bottom of the post. To skip all the other information, you can simply click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of each post; it will take you directly to the recipe. All measurements are there.
Hey Robert. She did include measurements! :). Maybe you may have overlooked them
The best chickpea burgers I’ve ever tasted! Wow! I used flax seed meal instead of breadcrumbs and I used peanut butter as a substitute because I did not have any tahini. I definitely will be making them again and the next time I will try them on a multigrain bun! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Hi Nora, I’m going to make these today. Would it be possible to also make these into crumbles for tacos, etc? If so how what would the baking time be& what adjustments?