These easy falafel burgers are made with simple fresh ingredients and require only 5 minutes of prep. They are satisfying, nourishing and the perfect meal!
There is no reason you can only eat falafel in ball form! Elevate your burger game with this amazing baked option.
This post was originally published on May 23, 2020.
Black bean burgers are a regular player in our weekly meal plans, but switching it up to other veggie burger varieties keeps things exciting. This falafel burger is a perfect option for a quick dinner!
Falafel Basics
Traditionally falafel are round shaped balls of ground chickpeas that are fried to gain that crispy outside texture. They are served in pitas, over salads, and as a wrap.
You can smother them with tahini sauce or tzatziki and top them with anything you love.
So I basically took the basic falafel recipe on this website, added a little bit to the recipe and reshaped it into burger form!
Ingredients
The base of this falafel burger recipe is very similar to my regular falafel, with a few ingredients switched up or added:
- Chickpeas (I use dried for the best texture)
- Red onion
- Cilantro (you can sub parsley if you must)
- Red pepper
- Garlic
- Starch
- Cumin
- Salt
How to Make a Falafel Burger
Most of the time put into this meal is the baking that the oven does. Human effort is pretty low, making this a great low energy meal! Here's how to do it:
- Add ingredients into a food processor and pulse until crumbled and the mixture sticks together.
- Shape into patties and put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake.
- Top with all your favorites!
What to Serve With Falafel Patties
You can serve the falafel patty on a bun, or on anything else you prefer. It's great to mix it up so you can keep it exciting, anything goes!
Bun ideas
- Burger bun - gluten free if needed
- Pita bread or naan
- Sliced bread sandwich style
- Lettuce wraps
- Tortilla
- Or simply use a fork!
Toppings
In order to make the best vegan falafel burger ever you need toppings! Since we all have different tastes, you can switch this up any way you want. The topping ideas are endless!
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Red onion
- Jalapeños
- Nacho slices
- Cucumber
- Tahini Sauce
- Tzatziki
- Fresh Salsa
- Avocado
- Fresh herbs
- Cheese - keep the falafel burgers vegan by using dairy free, like this vegan feta
Sides for Burgers
While this falafel burger recipe is awesome all on it's own, adding sides makes for a delicious all around meal. Especially if your sides add extra veggies! Here are some of our go-to recipes:
Tips and Tricks
This is a pretty full proof recipe, but here is some info to help you along the way!
- Make sure to drain the chickpeas well before adding to the food processor. Extra water will make the filling thinner.
- When blending the filling, you want a medium sized crumble. If they are too large, the mix won't stick. If they are too small, you'll get hummus.
- Check to see if the mixture sticks together before you stop blending. If it doesn't, it needs to be blended more.
- When shaping, make a large ball, then flatten a bit in your hands. Place on the parchment and flatten a little more. Press the mixture gently.
- These are best baked on parchment so they get a nice crisp on both side.
- Flip carefully, if they crack at all just shape back into place with the spatula.
Meal Prep and Storage Tips
- Prep ahead by making the falafel patty mixture and save in the fridge until ready to use.
- You can also prep all the toppings so that dinner is quick and easy.
- If you make the mixture and don't plan to use it all, store it uncooked in an airtight container in the fridge. Then cook more burgers the next day as you need them.
- Seal cooked burgers with plastic wrap, then put them in an air tight container and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.
- To freeze falafel burger patties:
- Allow them to cool first.
- Individually wrap each burger in plastic wrap, then wrap all of them in foil and put in an airtight container. This helps prevent freezer burn.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- You could also freeze the raw mixture, but I wouldn't shape them until after you defrost when you are ready to make them.
Common Questions
The main ingredient in falafel is chickpeas and since those are mild in flavor, most of the taste comes from the other ingredients used. The spices and seasonings are what gives falafel their signature taste.
This falafel burger has a fresh garlicky taste, with a little earthiness from the dried chickpeas and cumin. The texture is grainy with a chew, almost like a meatball.
Using canned chickpeas will give you a mushier result. Dried soaked chickpeas have a chewy more firm texture. So just be aware of the texture different canned will give.
You can always use the quick soak method if you forget. Learn how to quick soak chickpeas in this post all about cooking dried chickpeas.
More Veggie Burger Recipes
Once you finish all of these falafel patties, make another flavor!
Falafel Burgers Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup dried chickpeas , soaked overnight
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup cilantro , or sub parsley if preferred
- ¼ cup chopped red pepper , or 1 tablespoon diced hot pepper
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
- Put everything into a food processor and blend until you get medium sized crumbles or until mixture sticks together.
- Shape into burgers and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 F/ 175 C for about 15 minutes on each side.
- Serve with toppings of choice!
Notes
- If you forget to soak the chickpeas you can do the quick soak method.
- Nutrition facts are for the burgers alone.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Jessica
This may be a silly question but when you call for 1 1/2 cups of dried (soaked) chickpeas are you measuring 1 1/2 cups before or after they soak? Trying the recipe for dinner tonight. Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Jessica! Measure BEFORE!! It's supposed to have a comma there, I will fix it now!
amelia sasso
Another winner here! This was really tasty and easy to make. I brought it in to work and 3 people asked for the recipe. I led them to your site and said I make tons of your recipes. Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked them Amelia!! Thank you so much for letting me know and the great review!
Renee
Great tasting falafel!! We had them in a bowl, not as a burger. I’ve made many different falafel recipes, the dried chickpeas make all the difference!! I used parsley, can’t wait to make another batch with cilantro - thanks Sophia!
PS I got the tapioca starch 😉
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked them Renee!! Definitely use the cilantro next time! It's so good. Thanks for the great review!