These delicious homemade Chickpea Burgers with brown rice and falafel flavors are so simple to prepare! They have shredded carrots, parsley, garlic and spices and are paired with lemon tahini sauce.

Veggie burger in a persons hand with a toothpick in the top

Why We Love This Recipe For Chickpea Burgers

As you may or may now know, we have been cutting way back on our meat intake here in the house of Healthy Seasonal. Not so much for health reasons as much for environmental impact. We are swapping proteins with a lower carbon footprint such as poultry and fish for those with higher impact like beef. We have also been eating vegetarian many nights a week since August. You can read more about this decision here on Instagram.

Burger night is one where we have struggled to find a really yummy and satisfying burger. I have tried several plant-based burgers from the freezer section and have been disappointed across the board. So I set about coming up with my own homemade veggie burgers.

I decided to use chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, as the base of these healthy veggie burgers. If you have been reading here you know that chickpeas are one of my favorite beans, from Easy Chickpea Salad, this Vegan Chickpea “Tuna” Salad and Chickpea Stew, I add them to everything! I wanted to use the flavors of falafel as the inspiration for the spices and flavors, but I found that they were too mushy when made from canned chickpeas.

I ended up discovering that while canned chickpeas are great as the main ingredient, adding in cooked brown rice really improved their texture! Thus these amazing Brown Rice Chickpea Veggie Burgers were born! I am so excited for you to try them, whether it be for Meatless Monday, burger night, or to stock your freezer with. They are a great vegetarian dinner that even meat-eaters will enjoy!

Ingredients for this Recipe

ingredients for this recipe with labels
  • 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon harissa, optional (either paste or powder works, you can sub in a pinch of cayanne if unavaible.)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded (1/2 cup shredded raw sweet potatoes also works)
  • 8-ounce package cooked brown rice (or 1 ½ cup cold leftover cooked brown rice)
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil or neutral cooking oil
  • 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or plant-based yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice. (If you love lemon you can add more to taste)
  • 6 Toasted buns or English muffins for serving
  • Your favorite veggie burger toppings: We suggest cucumber slices, red raw onion slices and sprouts for serving (Tomato would also be nice)

Step By Step Instructions To Make This Recipe

Make sure to also scroll to the recipe card for more details!

Steps 1-4 Making The Burgers

steps mixing and forming the burgers
  • Step 1: Place half of the chickpeas in the food processor with the steel blade attachment and process for 10 seconds. Scrape sides and process again until as smooth as possible.
  • Step 2: Add the remaining chickpeas, egg, garlic, flour, cumin, harissa, ¾ teaspoon salt and cinnamon and pulse ten times until most of the whole chickpeas are cut into coarse grind with only some larger pieces about the size of a pea.
  • Step 3: Scrape the chickpea mixture out into a large bowl. Add carrot, rice and parsley and stir together to make the burger dough.
  • Step 4: Using moist hands, form six chickpea patties, about 3 inches wide and ¾-inch thick. Set on a plate.

Step 5: Cook the burgers

cooking the burgers in the skillet

Step 5: Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook, undisturbed until the bottom of the patties are golden brown and the color is visible along the bottom edges of the patties, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip the burgers over with a thin spatula and continue cooking until they are cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

Step 6: Make Lemon Tahini Sauce

whisk yogurt tahini and lemon for the sauce

Step 6: Meanwhile, whisk Greek yogurt, tahini, zest, lemon juice and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. If the sauce is too thick you can thin it with a small amount of water.

Step 7: Assemble The Chickpea Burgers

assembling the burgers

Step 7: Spread the tahini sauce over both cut sides of each bun or English muffin (about 1 tablespoon per bun half.) Serve the burgers on buns or English muffins topped with cucumber, onion and sprouts. Drizzle any additional sauce over the burgers.

burger on a wooden plate from the side

FAQs and Expert tips For Making Veggie Burgers From Scratch

Can I make these gluten-free?

The flour helps to hold the burgers together, but most gluten-free all-purpose blends will work as a substitute. You can also grind old fashioned or quick oats in a food processor or blender and use the resulting “oat flour” instead of all-purpose flour. Use your favorite gluten-free bun or serve with veggies or salad.

Can these veggie burgers be made vegan?

If you want to make vegan chickpea burgers, you can make a flax egg to substitute for the egg. You can also make my non-dairy Lemon Tahini dressing instead of the sauce which calls for Greek yogurt or simply use your favorite plant-based yogurt instead.

Can they be frozen?

Leftover chickpea burgers can be frozen after cooking. Freeze them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then transfer them to a resealable container. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 12 hours. To reheat, cook them in a skillet with olive oil over medium-low heat, covered until heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

What goes with Chickpea Burgers?

We love burgers with Oven Fries. This one is no exception! The flavors in this particular burger pair well with this Roasted Eggplant dish or grilled zucchini. This Steamed Cauliflower with herbs or this simple brussels sprouts recipe are other veggie sides that would pair well with these burgers.

Can these be made ahead?

Store cooked patties in a sealed container for up to three days. Reheat over medium heat in a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray or microwave for 45 seconds. Store the burger buns on the countertop or freeze. The special sauce can be kept in the refrigerator in a jar or resealable container for up to one week. Stir well before using.

Variations To Try

After you try these burgers for the first time, if you want to experiment with the seasonings, feel free to swap in your favorite toppings and seasonings.

BBQ: For the seasonings: swap chili powder for the harissa and omit the cinnamon. Top with lettuce, tomato and instead of tahini sauce, use purchased BBQ sauce.

Southwest: Use use chili powder instead of harissa, and omit the cinnamon. Swap cilantro in for the parsley and top with Guacamole or avocado instead of the tahini sauce.

Additional Burger Recipes To Try

Okay I know it isn’t a burger but it is another vegetarian sandwich: You may like is this Veggie Reuben made with sauteed veggies, sour kraut, cheese and light Russian dressing.

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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handheld chickpea burger

Chickpea Burgers with Lemon Tahini Sauce


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Katie
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

These delicious homemade Chickpea Burgers with brown rice and falafel flavors are so simple to prepare! They have shredded carrots, parsley, garlic and spices and are paired with lemon tahini sauce.


Ingredients

Scale

1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 large egg

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon harissa paste or powder, optional

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 small carrot, peeled and shredded

8-ounce package cooked brown rice (or 1 1/2 cup cold leftover cooked brown rice)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

3 tablespoons avocado oil or neutral cooking oil

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or plant-based yogurt

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

6 Toasted buns or English muffins for serving

Cucumber slices, red onion slices and sprouts for serving


Instructions

  1. Place half of the chickpeas in the food processor with the steel blade attachment and process for 10 seconds. Scrape sides and process again until as smooth as possible.
  2. Add the remaining chickpeas, egg, garlic, flour, cumin, harissa, ¾ teaspoon salt and cinnamon and pulse ten times until most of the whole chickpeas are cut into coarse grind with only some larger pieces about the size of a pea.
  3. Scrape the chickpea mixture out into a large bowl. Add carrot, rice and parsley and stir together to make the burger dough.
  4. Using moist hands, form patty mixture into six burgers, about 3 inches wide and ¾-inch thick. Set on a plate.
  5. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook, undisturbed until the bottom of the patties are browned and the color is visible along the bottom edges of the patties, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip the burgers over with a thin spatula and continue cooking until they are cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
  6. Meanwhile, whisk Greek yogurt, tahini, zest, lemon juice and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Thin with water if desired.
  7. Spread the tahini sauce over both cut sides of each bun or English muffin (about 1 tablespoon per bun half.) Serve the burgers on buns or English muffins topped with the cucumber, onion and sprouts.

Notes

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS

Uncooked patties fall apart when thawed, so we suggest that these can be frozen after cooking. Freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a resealable container. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 12 hours. To reheat, cook them in a frying pan or skillet with a little oil over medium-low heat, covered until heated through, about 3-5 minutes per side.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 burger, 1 bun and 2 tablespoons sauce
  • Calories: 359
  • Sugar: 4 g
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 48 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 10 g