Crispy Chickpea Burgers

Delicious chickpea veggie burgers that are packed with flavor. This veggie burger holds well during cooking and has a perfect texture with a little crunch from sunflower seeds. All made with basic ingredients!

Looking for a vegan burger option for the summer? These chickpea burgers are full of flavor and are made with basic ingredients you likely already have on hand! Double the recipe and keep some in the freezer for quick meals any time of the year.

About these Chickpea Burgers:
  • They’re flavorful thanks to sautéed onions, garlic, tamari (or soy sauce), cumin, oregano and coriander.
  • They hold together when baked or cooked on a skillet.
  • They have a slightly crispy exterior and a soft interior, while still having a bit of texture thanks to the seeds.

Serve your burgers with your favorite vegetables and condiments. Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts and red onions pair particularly well with the flavors in this recipe. A tahini lemon sauce can also be a lovely addition.

Notes on the Recipe:
  • These burgers hold well during cooking, but it’s still important to flip them with care. Like most veggie burgers, they can break if you’re not careful. That being said, I’ve never found it to be an issue, unlike many other recipes I’ve tried.
  • You can try using pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds (or do half and half).
  • You can bake or pan fry the burgers. Cooking them on a skillet with oil is my favorite method as it’s quick and makes the outside of the burgers lightly crispy.
  • This recipe makes 4 patties. Feel free to double the recipe.
  • It’s important to chop the onion and grate the carrots finely. Big pieces will make the burgers fall apart.

This recipe has been a favorite on the blog since the very beginning and it now has new photos and more notes to help you succeed!

More veggie burger recipes to try: Easy black bean burger, grillable walnut veggie burger, tamari almond tempeh burgers.

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Crispy Chickpea Burgers

A delicious chickpea burger that's packed with flavor. This veggie burger holds well during cooking and has a perfect texture with a little crunch from sunflower seeds. All made with basic ingredients!
Course Main Course
Cuisine vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Flax egg (2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoons water)
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 3/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup carrots, finely grated
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw or dry-roasted, unsalted
  • 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander, ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (or more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for cooking

Instructions

  • Make your flax egg: Add your ground flax seeds in a small bowl with water. Set aside.
  • Chop your onion and garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • In a food processor, add your chickpeas, tahini and flax egg. Blend a few seconds until the chickpeas are almost smooth. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
  • Add the oats, carrots, sunflower seeds, cooked garlic and onions, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, soy sauce and olive oil to the bowl. Mix it all together until combined.
  • With slightly wet hands, form 4 patties.

Skillet Option

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet (or cast-iron skillet) over medium heat.
  • Gently place the patties on the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until the patties are lightly golden and crispy on the outside.

Baking Option

  • Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes until slightly crispy on the outside.

Notes

Serve each burger with a burger bun, condiments and vegetables of choice. Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and sprouts pair well with the flavors in this recipe.
You can store the uncooked patties in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for future use. To prevent the patties from sticking together, separate each patty with a piece of parchment paper. Another option is to place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place it in the freezer until just frozen, then transfer the patties to an airtight container or bag. You can defrost them in the fridge overnight or in the microwave before use.
It’s important to finely chop the onion and finely grate the carrots. Larger pieces will make the patties fall apart.
This recipe makes 4 medium-large patties or 6 small. You can double the recipe to serve more.
If using chickpeas cooked from scratch, make sure they’re well cooked and soft to help the burgers stick.

If you make these crispy chickpea burgers, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

View Comments

    • Hi! I haven't tried it myself, but it should work. If you cook them on a frying pan though, make sure to cook them long enough to ensure that the eggs are well cooked. If baking them, it should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!

  • Would love to hear any suggestions on possible oats replacements. I just can't do grains. Sigh. Grains used to make me feel sick, but now that I can "tolerate" just a few gains, they still make my lipids go up, so I'm still stuck avoiding altogether. The only replacement I can think of off the top of my head is maybe almond flour? Think coconut flour might make the burgers too dry bc it soaks up so much liquid?
    Anywho, recipe sounds delish! Thank you!

    • Hi Amber, I'm sorry the oats don't work for you! Unfortunately, the only replacement I've tried is panko bread crumbs, which of course is not grain-free. The oats actually help soak up some of the liquid, which is important to give the patties their texture. So coconut flour may actually work, but could affect the flavor and I wouldn't use as much. You could try some almond flour, but I can't guarantee it would work! I would start with 1/2 cup and build up until you get a patty that holds together without being overly soft. For a tested recipe, I would suggest trying my walnut black bean burgers, which only use 2tbsp of flour. You could try omitting it or using 1 tbsp of tapioca flour (https://nourishedbycaroline.ca/grillable-walnut-veggie-burger/). I hope this helps!

  • Such great suggestions, Caroline! I will definitely look into each and play around with it all. Thank you!! ❤️

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