In a pinch and need a simple dinner? These vegan chickpea burgers are the easiest and most flavorful veggie burger. They take only 10 minutes of prep time and can be frozen for quick meals throughout the week!
There is simply never a bad time for a veggie burger. I’ve never been a big red meat kind of gal, I usually opt for a turkey burger or veggie burger, and these chickpea burgers never disappoint.
They’re perfectly spiced with paprika, cumin, garlic and onion, made with basic pantry staple ingredients and hold up well in the fridge or freezer which makes them perfect for meal prep!
Plus, these chickpea burgers could not be easier to make. They require only about 10 minutes of active prep time, then they’re just in the oven to bake!
Serve these with any of your favorite burger fix-ins, my personal favorite is the classic lettuce & tomato with my spicy tahini dressing to add more flavor. They’re also great with a side of jicama fries! If you love this recipe, try my cauliflower tacos next.
How to make chickpea burgers
The first step is to roughly chop the onion and mince the garlic.
Add both to a pan with the olive oil. Saute for about 5-7 minutes or until the onion softens and the garlic starts to brown slightly.
Transfer to a food processor. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and add to the food processor with all remaining ingredients.
Pulse about 15 or so times to combine. You don’t want to fully process the mixture, there should still be some chunks remaining.
If it seems too wet, add an additional 2 tbsp of quick oats or enough to absorb some moisture. They will dry out and firm up as they bake, so you don’t want the mixture to get too dry. It should be moist, but neither wet nor dry.
I like to use a large cookie scoop to form into even patties, but if you don’t have one, just take about 3 tbsp worth of the mixture and form into balls then flatten into patties. You should get 4 patties.
Bake for 20 minutes, flip, then bake an additional 15-20 minutes.
They will still be a bit delicate when you flip them, so just be careful and use a spatula. You’ll know they’re done when they have a slight crispiness to the tops and sides.
Let cool slightly, then serve on a bun with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sprouts, ketchup, spicy tahini dressing, or whatever else you like!
Flavor profile
Veggie burgers can actually taste like just about anything. This particular recipes has a slightly spicy flavor with hints of garlic, onion, paprika & cumin.
You can add some barbecue sauce for a rich flavor, buffalo sauce for a kick, or extra red pepper flakes for more spice.
Because chickpeas have a pretty neutral flavor, they make a really great canvas for just about anything. You can make them smokey by using smoked paprika instead of regular or whatever you like!
If you just follow the ingredients as listed, I guarantee you’ll end up with the best (and easiest!) vegan burger.
How to Freeze
These vegan chickpea burgers are freezer friendly! Once cooked, let them cool before transferring to a freezer safe bag or container.
I suggest separating each patty with some parchment paper so they don’t freeze together.
Once you’re ready to eat, you can heat them back up in the oven or add a bit of oil to a pan and heat on the stove until warm.
If you don’t want to freeze them, these burgers will store in the fridge for about 5 days in an air tight container.
Ingredient Substitutions
If you don’t have quick oats, rolled oats will work too. You may need to pulse the food processor a few extra times to break them up.
To make this recipe really quick & easy, I just used chickpeas from a can.
You are welcome to sub for chickpeas cooked from scratch (I like using the instant pot!). You will need 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas to replace 1 can.
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The Best Easy Chickpea Burgers (Vegan)
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 medium red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika I used regular, but use smoked if you like a smokey flavor
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup quick oats
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes more if you like spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roughly chop the onion and mince the garlic.
- Add to a pan with the olive oil.
- Saute for about 5-7 minutes or until the onion softens and the garlic starts to brown slightly.
- Transfer to a food processor.
- Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and add to the food processor with all remaining ingredients.
- Pulse about 15 or so times to combine. You don’t want to fully process the mixture, there should still be some chunks remaining. If it seems too wet, add an additional 2 tbsp of quick oats or enough to absorb some moisture. They will dry out and firm up as they bake, so you don’t want the mixture to get too dry. It should be moist, but neither wet nor dry.
- I like to use a large cookie scoop to form into even patties, but if you don’t have one, just take about 3 tbsp worth of the mixture and form into balls then flatten into patties. You should get 4 patties.
- Bake for 20 minutes, flip, then bake an additional 15-20 minutes. They will still be a bit delicate when you flip them, so just be careful and use a spatula.
- Let cool slightly, then serve on a bun with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sprouts, ketchup, spicy tahini dressing, or whatever else you like!
Cris says
SO good, easy, and fast!
Debbie says
Claire, can these be grilled on a gas grill? Thank you.
Claire Cary says
I don’t recommend it since they may not hold up very well!
Gemma says
I’m super excited, I’m making these with my 2.5 year old today but into little nuggets for himself and his 10 month old brother.
I’ll have to update how it goes!
I do have a question and hope you answer in time 😂 I don’t have oats, but I have flour. Will that work?
Claire Cary says
Is it oat flour you have? You can just swap 1:1!
Charissa says
Absolutely love this recipe! My husband who turns his nose up to anything vegetarian or vegan really loved these burgers! I added a bit of cayenne pepper for more spice, turned out fantastic (for those who like spicy hot)! Thank you so much!!!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, love hearing that!
Barry says
I made your burgers this afternoon for the first time. The recipe was easy and the burgers delicious. I can see myself making these s couple of times a week. Gracias!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Barry!
Bianca says
What if you don’t have a good processor? Will a Vitamix work? Or do you reco smashing everything with the masher?
Claire Cary says
Vitamix is fine! But you can also try a potato masher.
Allie says
These look delicious! What buns did you use? I have not found a good gluten free bun yet 😅
Claire Cary says
My favorite are from Trader Joes!
BRENDA says
Shame on me! I didn’t watch the video! I now know how to bake the chickpea burgers. My sincere apologies Claire!
BRENDA says
Hello Claire,
I just made a fresh batch of chickpeas from scratch in my crock-pot, so I’m so ready to make this recipe of yours. Could you please provide baking instructions? Should I bake them on parchment paper, a nonstick cookie sheet?
Claire Cary says
You’ll want to follow the same instructions as listed in the recipe, but use 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas instead of the can!
Erin says
This looks delicious! Could you add corn or black beans to them?
Claire Cary says
You can use black beans instead of chickpeas, but not in addition to! You can definitely add corn though.
Jamie says
Do you need to cook the oats first?
Claire Cary says
nope!
Emily says
How big is your can of chickpeas?
Claire Cary says
15 ounces!
Adriana says
Yum! So delicious! Thank you for a great easy recipe. I will plan to make more next time and freeze them. I skipped the oil in the recipe and air fried for 10-15 minutes at 400. It came out crispy but still nice and moist on the inside. I didn’t need to flip the patty while it was being air fried. It held up very well. I’m impressed and the texture and color reminded me of a spicy crispy chicken sandwich.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad they worked in the air fryer. Thanks for the review!
Sarah says
These burgers are amazingly simple and super tasty! I just threw a batch in the oven for the second time this week (per my 12 year old’s request)! We have another veggie patty recipe we have been making for years that is way more time consuming and my family prefers these over them. I’ll definitely be making a bigger batch next time so I can freeze them. Thank you for the recipe!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Sarah, so happy to hear that!
Meghan says
Made these for my family and everyone loved it! The “burgers” almost had a smoky taste to them from the Paprika and it was so yummy!
Claire Cary says
Yum! So happy everyone enjoyed them!