As part of my quest to find a great veggie burger, I tried – the FALAFEL BURGER. Falafels have a place in my heart for I consumed mucho quantity of “fried falafels in pita” during my college years at UC Santa Barbara in the little town of Isla Vista.
I wanted to replicate the falafel flavor without the fat that’s usually in them from being traditionally deep fried in oil.
This version, of course, is not fried and turned out most excellent! Served with baked KALE CHIPS and one of our favorite wines from Calcareous Vineyard, this is at the top of our list for the yum factor.
This burger is low in fat, high in fiber and protein rich, and made with mashed chickpeas, garlic, and fresh herbs. Instead of being rolled into balls for frying, just flatten into burger sized patties and bake on each side for a total of 20 minutes.
This recipe is pretty simple and may become your go-to when craving those Middle Eastern flavors.
Top with crisp veggies like tomato, red onion, sprouts and delicious tahini. You can also serve this burger (without the bun) with my Greek Nachos using our favorite, homemade dairy-free tzatziki..and you’re in Middle Eastern flavor heaven.
Have a look at a few more plant based sandwiches:
- Grilled Mushroom, Eggplant Sandwich
- Pita Falafel Sandwich with Tahini Sauce
- Tempeh Reuben Sandwich
- Tofu Eggless Salad Sandwich
- Black Bean Mushroom Burgers
As a side note, you may be interested to know that this wine won “Wine of the Year” at the 2012, San Diego International Wine Competition. Read a fun article about the judging process here. It is the 2008 Calcareous Winery Syrah from Paso Robles, California.
I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Falafel Burger recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
Servings | patties |
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans chickpeas
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup mint chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/3 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
- chickpea flour
- 4 whole wheat burger buns
- sliced tomatoes red onion, lettuce and tahini dressing for serving
- Tahini Dressing:
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt to taste
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Place half of garbanzo beans in a food processor a pulse a few times until chopped, but not smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Place remaining garbanzos in food processor with garlic, onion, herbs, spices,baking soda, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse to a thick paste. Transfer to bowl with chopped garbanzos.
- Add enough chickpea flour to make them easy to handle. Stir to combine. Shape into patties and place onto a sprayed baking sheet.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, flipping burgers half way through until golden and firm.
- Serve with all of the fixins’ and a dollop of tahini dressing.
Made these for dinner.. They are absolutely delicious! So flavorful & moist & so easy to make.. Was looking for a good falafel recipe that was oil free! I have found it! I thoroughly enjoyed! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed them. One of my favorites. 🙂
Isla Vista falafels were the bomb! I had friends at UCSB and we ate falafels every day! Loved them! Will try these—now i’m Excited!
Yay, so glad to meet you! They were the bomb, weren’t they? I loved living in Santa Barbara and miss it at times. While this recipe is a lot healthier I hope it satisfies that craving.