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A fun twist on a hamburger, this falafel burger is easy to whip up for weeknight dinners. It’s vegan, vegetarian and optionally gluten-free. The whole family will love these!
What is a Falafel Burger?
A falafel burger is a mediterranean twist on a classic American burger! Instead of using a beef or turkey patty you can use a falafel base, shaped into a burger.
Falafel burgers also make it easier to enjoy falafel because there’s no messy frying and fewer balls to roll. Just form into 4 patties, lightly brown and then bake in the oven. You can also enjoy them with classic falafel pairings like tahini, tzatziki and fresh veggies.
Falafel Burger Ingredients
- Canned chickpeas – no need to cook chickpeas from scratch, just pick up a 15 oz can of chickpeas
- Red Onion – white onion will work too but red onion is a more traditional flavor.
- Garlic – don’t skip!
- Parsley – you could also use cilantro or other fresh herbs if you prefer.
- Sesame seeds – I prefer white sesame seeds but you can use black sesame seeds if you prefer.
- Flour – all-purpose white flour works great but feel free to replace with gluten-free flour if you prefer a gluten-free falafel
- Spices – cumin, coriander, salt and pepper
- Olive oil – for lightly frying your falafel burgers
For serving you can add tomatoes, red onion slices, lettuce, tahini sauce and pickles (my personal favorite!) to your burger buns and falafel burgers.
How to Make a Falafel Burger
STEP 1: BLEND CHICKPEAS
Add your chickpeas to the bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed.
STEP 2: ADD IN VEGGIES + SESAME SEEDS
Add in red onion, garlic, parsley and sesame seeds. Pulse until broken down into fine bits. Mixture should be mostly smooth with a little texture.
STEP 3: ADD SPICES + FLOUR
Stir in flour, cumin, coriander, salt + pepper to falafel mixture using a spoon. Mixture should come together into a thick paste.
STEP 4: FORM INTO PATTIES + COOK
Roll falafels into 4 large balls and then flatten with palm of hand. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat over a large skillet. Add falafels and pan-fry on each side for 3-4 minutes.
STEP 5: BAKE FALAFEL BURGERS
Place falafels on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until outside is crispy and center is cooked and firm.
STEP 6: ADD TO BUN W/ TOPPINGS
Place falafels on burger buns and top with tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles and drizzle with tahini (or tahini sauce).
Easy Swaps
1. Swap tahini for tzatziki –> Not a fan of tahini? You can easily swap tahini for tzatziki. I highly recommend our Homemade Greek Yogurt Tzatziki
2. Gluten-free flour for All-Purpose Flour –> If you’re gluten-free you can easily substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour. Same goes for the hamburger buns!
3. No food processor? No problem! –> If you don’t have a food processor you can use a potato masher to mash up the chickpeas and then finely chop all of the veggies. Mix in everything else and you should reach the desired consistency. Add a little water (1 tbsp at a time) if falafel is too dry.
What to Serve with Falafel Burgers?
While these falafel burgers are a meal in one, here are some suggested side dishes to fill out your meal:
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Crispy Fingerling Potatoes
- Fattoush Salad
- Israeli Quinoa Salad
- Roasted veggies w/ tahini + za’atar
- Homemade Pita Bread Chips
Falafel Burgers
A fun twist on a hamburger, this falafel burger recipe is easy to whip up for weeknight dinners. It’s vegan, vegetarian and optionally gluten-free. The whole family will love these!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 15-ounce can chickpeas (1 ½ cups cooked), rinsed + drained
- 1/4 medium red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup parsley, stems removed
- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For serving:
- 4 hamburger buns
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced red onion
- Pickles
- Lettuce
- Tahini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add your chickpeas to the bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add in red onion, garlic, parsley and sesame seeds. Pulse until broken down into fine bits. Mixture should be mostly smooth with a little texture.
- Stir in flour, cumin, coriander, salt + pepper to falafel mixture using a spoon. Mixture should come together into a thick paste.
- Roll falafels into 4 large balls and then flatten with palm of hand.
- Heat olive oil on medium-high heat over a large skillet. Add falafels and brown on each side for 3-4 minutes.
- Place falafels on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until outside is crispy and center is cooked and firm.
- Place falafels on burger buns and top with tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles and drizzle with tahini.
*Note: recipe can easily be doubled.
Like this falafel burger recipe? Here are some others you might love:
