The ultimate plant based chickpea burgers. Buffalo sauce, filled with veggies, and paired with amazing toppings, this burger will erase all others from memory!
Two things must be obvious to you all by now, 1. I LOVE hot sauce and 2. I LOVE veggie burgers...this is the 6th one I've published here and I still have a few more I'm working on behind the scenes. Before we stopped eating meat I wasn't much of a beef burger fan, in fact when we went out, I'd often order the veggie burger in place of the meat patty.
So when we started our plant based diet, creating a veggie burger was one of my top priorities. I honestly haven't found a store bought version that I like. I've eaten a few out that are pretty good, but my favorite ones are the ones I create at home. This burger is probably up there close to number one!
I love the simplicity of it, coupled with the taste from the buffalo sauce I used. It isn't all that spicy, so my kids and husband love it just as much, but of course I add more hot sauce on top!
The key with chickpea burgers is to make sure you have enough liquid. Chickpeas are a pretty dry bean, especially because I use them chopped and not pureed. When I first wanted to create a buffalo burger, because again I'm obsessed with hot sauce, I knew chickpeas were the perfect complement.
I then wrote a list of all the veggie based ingredients I have seen that go with buffalo sauce: carrots, celery, cauliflower...done! I use all three. The best is that cauliflower brings a lot of moisture into things, so it's a key component in preventing these from being dry and cardboard like. I decided to keep the veggies raw in the burger mixture and allow the cooking process to bring out their natural moisture and flavors. It worked great!
How To Make These Chickpea Burgers Even Better?...
Of course, these chickpea burgers is served best with my incredible Baked Cornmeal and Pepita Crusted Onion Rings, both on the side and ON the burger! But wait, if you are part of the cool crowd and adore hot sauce as much as I do, top it with my Pistachio Buffalo Cream. You won't regret it.
It's like a little hot sauce party in your mouth! I honestly could not get enough. I doubled the batch and froze half of these burgers for instant access whenever my cravings took over. I have no control, I'm 8 months pregnant and when baby wants, baby gets. You need to try these! Super easy to make and filled with protein and veggies so I love knowing that if that's all my boys eat, they are set.
As always, I love comments on the blog if you try them, so make sure to let me know! You can also tag me on Instagram at veggiesdontbite #veggiesdontbite so I don’t miss it! Hope you enjoy!
Buffalo Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (mix 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed plus 6 tablespoons water)
- 3 cans chickpeas , 15 ounces each
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped cauliflower
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- 1 cup oats , gluten free if needed
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¾ cup buffalo cayenne pepper type hot sauce , like Franks brand
Suggested toppings:
- burger buns or lettuce wraps
- Pistachio Buffalo Cream
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Red onion
Instructions
- Mix the 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to make the flax eggs.
- Chop chickpeas, carrots, celery and cauliflower in a food processor until chunky but not pasty. It’s best to chop separately. Put into a large bowl.
- Slice/chop green onions and add to the bowl.
- Next add the oats, almond flour, flax eggs and buffalo sauce and mix well.
- Mix well with your hands to get everything mashed together well into a firm, but slightly, wet dough.
- Once you get the taste you like, allow mixture to set a while so oats soak in some liquid (you can also do this after you shape into burgers). This really helps with consistency so that they are not mushy, but have a firmer bite.
- Shape into 4 inch patties, then cook on the stove top over medium heat in a medium sized pan for 4-5 minutes on each side (depending on stove).
- Make sure to keep pan covered to help the burger cook throughout and achieve the best texture possible. This helps prevent a mushy burger. Check every few minutes to prevent burning, should be slightly browned when ready.
- Allow the burgers to cool a bit to further help set them into a non mushy consistency, then serve on buns or lettuce wraps and with toppings of choice.
- Pair with Baked Cornmeal and Pepita Crusted Onion Rings for an even more delicious dinner!
Notes
- It works best to chop everything in a food processor separately in order to achieve the perfect texture for each.
- You can also reduce the buffalo sauce for less of a kick, but if you do you will need to add a little water to replace the liquid.
- To make this nut free, use another flour such as oat flour to replace the almond meal. Do not just add more oats as this mixture needs a little bit of a smooth flour to set correctly.
- The burger patties should be about 4 inches in diameter.
- This recipe makes a lot so you can freeze leftovers for a future meal.
- Nutrition info is for the patties only.
- Chop veggies and beans beforehand so all you need to do the day you make it is put it all together.
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.
JB
Quick question - are you measuring the vegetables before or after you chop them in the food processor? The recipe reads as if measured after chopping, but I wanted to be sure. (If before, how chopped are they at the time?)
Also, if I wanted to cut back on the buffalo sauce, would using some of the aquafaba work as additional liquid?
Glad to hear that they freeze well. 15 burgers is a lot!
veggiesdontbite
Hi JB! I measure mine after I chop. I haven't tried aquafaba but it may work! Let me know if you try it!
Cindy Boyce
freezing, can they be frozen before pan frying or after?
Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Cindy! You can do either. If you freeze before, you may have to reshape them a bit as they defrost due to the ice crystals that form.
Adeana
How small should the veggies be chopped?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Adeana! I dice them but you can chop them as small as you want!
Redkat
These were very tasty but fell apart a little bit when flipping. I'm not vegan so I used real eggs instead of flax, maybe that was the cause? But they were still very good, I enjoyed the leftovers in a wrap with lettuce, avocado and extra hot sauce!
veggiesdontbite
Hi! Glad you thought they were tasty! I am not sure how they work with real eggs. It also could have been that you didn't pulse the mixture enough, I have done that before and they tend to fall apart a little if not blended enough. Also, allow the mixture to sit a bit lets the texture develop a little further. But glad they tasted good!
Brian
Hi
What is the size of the cans of chick peas you use?
Thank you
veggiesdontbite
Hi Brian! The chickpeas I use are 15 ounces.
Emily Kemp
Oooh this burger sounds amazing and with that buffalo cream..YUM!
Pongodhall
Great recipe, but I hate the ones with a definite product i.e. Franks hot sauce! I think people only get it in America You see. So I need a bit of help to get it right.
What is it? I can't get in rural Southern Ireland. What do you think would be some suitable subs?
I have vegan Worcester sauce, soy sauce, miso, follow your heart mayo, Tabasco, Indian spices, ..... um?
veggiesdontbite
Hi there! If you read the recipe carefully, Franks is only a suggestion on the type of sauce. I state in the recipe "buffalo cayenne pepper type hot sauce" so you can look for ANY cayenne pepper sauce. From all you mention I would say Tabasco is closest.