You know, I called these the easiest vegan chickpea burgers because they are. Well at least they will hopefully be for you because I am going to do my absolute BEST to explain this so well that they will be flop proof!
Because here’s the thing. The first time I made these it was a smashing success. So of course I approached the second attempt with all the overconfident self assuredness you might expect and proceeded to totally flop them!
My chickpea veggie burger mix was too wet, who knows why, maybe my onion and cilantro had higher water content than the first time, and I failed to compensate with adding extra flour. The result? Very squishy burgers!
What you’re going for here is nice and firm of course! So you need a bit of flexibility. Follow the recipe but if you end up with something that doesn’t easily want to form a ball, then your mix is too wet, you’ll need more flour.
I adapted this recipe from a Jamie Oliver recipe. His recipe adds sweetcorn and lemon and doesn’t use onion or garlic.
I knew I wanted to use onion and garlic, but adding raw onion to the food processor with the chickpeas and other ingredients would have added too much moisture. So the solution was to cook them first!
Lightly fry up the onion and garlic in some avocado oil (or other oil of your choice, I got a bit fancy with the avocado oil, I even bought some sesame oil, who knows what I’ll get next! 
) until just before they start to brown.
Then add them to the food processor with drained chickpeas, cilantro, a little flour and some spices.
Then you dust a baking tray with flour, dust your hands with flour too and form the chickpea burger batter into 4 balls.
If the batter is sticking to your hands too much, add more flour.
Then you do a neat little trick where you take a piece of parchment paper, place it on top of each chickpea burger ball, and then press down on it with the bottom of a glass. This flattens your chickpea ball into a perfect burger shape!
Then place the baking tray with the burgers into the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Then you fry them up in a little more avocado oil (or other oil – you know the drill!) until perfectly browned!
There’s a further step that is completely optional, and that is to place the burgers into the oven and bake for a further 30 mins.
The only time you would do this is if you really want the firmest of firm burgers.
We tried it both ways and liked them a lot both ways. So it’s really an optional step if you have the time to do it or feel so inclined. It also works as a ‘fix’ if your burgers ended up too squishy.
But if they look good as is, then serve them right away. The chickpea burgers pictured here did NOT have any extra oven time. Just pointing that out. And they look good right?
And then of course you know how to serve them! Some avocado, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard in a deliciously soft bun!
Adding some vegan cheese or maybe some vegan mayo would also be awesome here.
We totally loved these vegan chickpea burgers and I really hope you do too. They’re wonderfully savory, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, packed with flavor and veggie burger goodness!
Have them for lunch or dinner, with a side salad or fries, or just on their own.
You will love these vegan chickpea burgers, they are:
- Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside
- Deliciously flavorful
- Simple and fun to make!
- 8-Ingredients!
If you’re gluten-free, then switch out the flour for a gluten-free all purpose flour and serve them between two gigantic lettuce leaves!
I hope you love these fabulous vegan chickpea burgers! If you have any comments or questions, post them down below!
And if you’ve made this recipe, pop back and rate it and let us know how how it all turned out!
For more delicious dinner recipes, check out:
- Marinaded Tofu Burgers
- Vegan Burgers
- Cheesy Garlic Vegan Alfredo
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas
And don’t forget to tag your pics #lovingitvegan on instagram, nothing makes us happier than seeing your gorgeous vegan creations! 
Thanks!
Oh and don’t forget to sign up for our email list! You’ll get an awesome (free) recipe ebook, and you’ll stay updated with all our latest recipes!
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Easiest Vegan Chickpea Burgers
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
The easiest vegan chickpea burgers! Deliciously savory, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, packed with flavor and veggie burger goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 Onion
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 15oz (425g) Can Chickpeas*
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro (loosely packed)
- 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour (use gluten-free for gluten-free version) – plus more for rolling**
- 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Avocado Oil (or other oil)
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic and add to a frying pan with 1 tsp avocado oil and fry until just before they start to brown.
- Drain the can of chickpeas and add the chickpeas to a food processor with the cooked onions/garlic, paprika, coriander powder, cumin, freshly chopped cilantro and flour and process it into a thick burger batter.
- Sprinkle flour over a baking tray and cover your hands with it as well. Scoop the batter out onto the tray in 4 even sections, roll in the flour and form into 4 balls.
- If the batter is very sticky or too wet, add more flour so that it easily forms a ball.
- Take a square of parchment paper, place on top of each ball and press down on it with the bottom of a glass to flatten it into a burger shape.
- Place the baking tray with the 4 burgers into the freezer to firm up for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes add 2 Tbsp avocado oil to a frying pan and heat up until hot.
- Add all 4 burgers to the frying pan and fry on each side turning regularly until browned and crispy, roughly 5 minutes on each side.
- If you want your burgers extra firm and crispy you can place on a parchment lined baking tray and bake in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for a further 20-30 minutes.
- Serve on hamburger buns with sliced avocado, crispy lettuce, sliced tomato, ketchup and mustard.
Notes
*If your canned chickpeas don’t contain salt, you might need to add some salt.
*If you’re making this gluten-free then use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
*Nutritional information is for the chickpea burger patties only, without the burger buns and additions.
*Prep time is only for the actual hands on prep, it doesn’t include time spent chilling in the fridge.
*Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver.
- Category: Entree, Dinner, Savory
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Burger (of 4)
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 3.8g
- Sodium: 158mg
- Fat: 9.9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 22.3g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Protein: 5.6g
Keywords: chickpea burgers, vegan chickpea burgers
Those are scrumptions!
★★★★★
My go-to patties! It’s on the menu every week. Very tasty and unbelievably crunchy!! I used raw almonds too for added texture. Thank you!
Fantastic! Almonds sound like a great addition! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Made these today and they were delish! Topped mine with pickles and slaw. Yum! You have a new fan.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
My daughter recently became vegetarian, so I’ve been looking for easy-to-make (but flavourful, of course) new dishes. I’ve got to say that the first time I tried this one, it came out too “wet” (I forgot to put them in the fridge for 30 minutes, prior to cooking them…) but incredibly tasty. Tonight, we go for round two!! Thank you for the great recipe!!
Hi Maria! So glad it was tasty! Yes, those 30 mins in the fridge make a big difference. You can even put them in the freezer – it shortens the time! 🙂
Thanks
These were amazing! They came out so perfectly!
I tried the Jamie Oliver recipe a month ago and they completely failed. Your adaptation worked so well. Thank you for sharing 😀
★★★★
Excellent! Super happy to hear that! Thanks so much for posting. 🙂
My 4-year-old son and I made these following the recipe exactly. He loved the part where we formed the patties with flour. What’s more, we both found them delicious! I’ve been wanting to do more cooking with him and this was our first recipe. THANK YOU!
★★★★★
P.S. I forgot to mention we wanted slightly smaller and thinner patties, so this recipe made us 8 patties that were just right for smaller burger buns. (Not as small as sliders–just not huge.) I also baked some of them and like how firm they turned out, though both baked and regular were good!
That is SO cute! And so awesome! So glad you both liked the recipe! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Has anyone tried baking these instead of frying?
They look yummy and I can’t wait to try them, I just hate frying!
Maybe someone else can answer, I haven’t tried baking them only, I’ve tried frying them and then baking them as well! 🙂 But not just baking them. I’m not sure really how/if it would work out. But if you do try it, please do let us know how it goes!
BC, I tried baking them! They are delicious in the oven, just make sure to turn them around mid-way so that they don’t burn underneath! I let them bake for 40 minutes and they were great 🙂
Thanks for sharing that info! Very helpful! 🙂
yes I only bake mine and they come out great!
We are doing a biker burger bar for my little guy’s motorcycle party. I’m almost vegan (seafood only) due to my nurseling’s allergies. I can’t wait to try these so we are not left out! I love your cakes so I’m sure this will be great too!
Dear Allison, thank you for the recipe! I would like to ask: can these burgers be frozen in the freezer for later consumption? Or should all of them be consumed immediately?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi! Sure, they can definitely be frozen. Oh She Glows has a great tutorial for how to freeze veggie burgers.
How would these hold up on the barbecue?
Hi Morgan, I’m not sure if they would be firm enough. They do get pretty firm in the freezer but I’ve never tried putting them on a grill, only into a frying pan, where of course they’re on a firm surface, there isn’t a danger of them breaking up and falling through the grill. So to be honest, I’m not sure and it might be risky!
These worked great on the grill!! I used a nonstick grill pan with smaller holes, lightly sprayed veggy oil, and they came out perfect!!
That’s great news Heather! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Hi,
Thank you so much for sharing all these delicious recipes!
These chickpea burgers are a personal favourite, yesterday I made them caramelizing the onion with a 1/4 tsp of brown sugar and equal part of balsamic vinegar and at the end while forming the burgers I rolled them in flour and sesame seeds for extra crunchiness, they turned out so good I can’t wait to make them again 🙂
★★★★★
Sounds fab! Rolling them in sesame seeds is a great idea! Thanks so much for posting, so glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
I modified this recipe by using a spinach/mixed greens combo instead of cilantro. I also added a button mushroom and half of a yellow pepper to the garlic and onion mixture, reducing the full onion the recipe called for and used about a third instead. Rather than baking, I put them on a cast iron skillet on the grill for about 6 minutes on both sides. Made eggplant and zucchini fries using the same skillet after the burgers were done.
★★★★★
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
hi, loving your website so many recipes I want to try, which is your favourite of all time?
Hi Sheena, so glad you are loving the blog! Thank you! I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite, I am one of those that whatever I am making most recently is my current all time favorite! But if I go back and make an older recipe then suddenly that is my all time favorite! I am quite a sweet tooth, so always sort of gravitate to the sweet stuff and if I had to pick a category, it would have to be dessert! All of the desserts! Hahaha! 🙂
I’m a novice vegan cook so this recipe was fantastic for me, did not expect them to be sooooo good, delicious will definitely be making them again.
★★★★★
I liked it, but my daughter and husband not so much 🙁 I didn’t have all the same spices, so maybe that’s why. Also, I am not using oil, so maybe did change something as well. Next time, I’ll try it again with the same spices 🙂 Super easy to make though.
★★★
I’m not a big chickpea fan, so I’ll be honest, I wasn’t dying to have these but wanted to expand my vegan dinners. I’m so glad I made these, because they are amazing! I don’t like cilantro, so I left it out, and the flavor was still wonderful. We ate them with forks instead of on a bun. So so good.
★★★★★
Wonderful stuff! So glad you liked them even though you’re not a chickpea fan, that’s a great endorsement. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
These really were easy and worked out perfectly the first time I made them. Seriously tasty. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe Alison.
★★★★★
Wonderful! Thanks so much for the awesome review Rachael. 🙂