Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers- bursting with flavor from sundried tomatoes, lemon and spinach! #plantprotein #cleaneating

A handful of you might already recognize this recipe and that’s because I published it on here a little over a year ago. It’s one of my all-time favorite veggie burgers but the pictures at that time weren’t so great and, because it’s a vegan recipe, they didn’t consistently hold together. Sooooo I decided to revisit it and make a few tweaks to assure that they have the puuurrfffect firm texture to go along with delicious Mediterranean flavah.

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers- bursting with flavor from sundried tomatoes, lemon and spinach! #plantprotein #cleaneating

The ingredient list is practically the same as last time with chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, spinach, lemon and garlic as the main players.

The key to making them extra flavorful is to buy sundried tomatoes that are marinated in oil so that you can use that same oil to cook the garlic and the burgers.

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers- bursting with flavor from sundried tomatoes, lemon and spinach! #plantprotein #cleaneating

A few tips that I learned help create a firm texture are using a food processor to blend the majority of the chickpeas and to finely chop the sundried tomatoes and spinach.

When you first start to process the chickpeas, they’re a little firm so you want to keep blending until they’re soft to touch. That texture will help bind the burgers.

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers- bursting with flavor from sundried tomatoes, lemon and spinach! #plantprotein #cleaneating

Another tip is to make sure to drain the oil (but reserve for cooking later) from the sundried tomatoes before finely chopping them. The tomatoes have absorbed enough of the oil on their own and any more would make for a mushy burger.

Lastly, adding flour as you’re combining everything towards the end helps absorb any excess moisture, and refrigerating them for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking allows them to set so that they’re sure to hold together.

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers- bursting with flavor from sundried tomatoes, lemon and spinach! #plantprotein #cleaneating

The end result is absolutely perfect. I never thought I would be able to get a vegan veggie burger with such great texture and flavor but my friends, these are it!

We especially love eating them on a warm bun with fresh spinach leaves, a little vegan mayonnaise and avocado, but honestly they’re great on their own if you don’t want to fuss with anything else.

Let me know if you get a chance to try them! I have a feeling you’ll love them as much as we do!

 

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers- bursting with flavor from sundried tomatoes, lemon and spinach! #plantprotein #cleaneating

Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8

Ingredients

2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 cups baby spinach, finely chopped (about 1 cup chopped)

1/2 cup whole wheat or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs (could also use ground oats)

4 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 heaping tablespoon)

8.5 ounces sundried tomatoes, marinated in oil (about 12 or 1 cup)

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons ground flax + 3 tablespoons water

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour of choice (I used brown rice flour)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

lettuce/avocado for topping

Instructions

  1. Start by combining the flax and water in a measuring cup and then set it aside to thicken.
  2. Next warm one tablespoon of the oil from the sundried tomatoes in a skillet over low to medium heat then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, being careful not to overcook. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Place one cup of the drained and rinsed chickpeas into a large bowl and then put the rest in the food processor. Zest both of the lemons into the bowl with the chickpeas and then squeeze the juice of one lemon into the food processor with the chickpeas. Pulse until they are soft (similar to picture in post) but not pureed, about 20 seconds, checking intermittently.  Transfer them to the large bowl and set aside. 
  4. Add the spinach to the food processor and pulse until it’s finely chopped then add it to the bowl with the chickpeas. Drain the sundried tomatoes (reserving excess oil to cook the burgers later) and then place them into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  5. Transfer the sundried tomato mixture into the large bowl along with the sautéed garlic, the breadcrumbs. the nutritional yeast (if using) and the flax-water mixture then stir until well-combined. Squeeze in the juice of the second lemon and add 1/4 cup flour then stir together. Add 2 more tablespoons of flour while continuing to stir until evenly combined. If the mixture is still too wet, add another tablespoon of flour at a time until it is firm enough to handle.
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using your hands, scoop about 1/4-1/3 cup of the mixture out of the bowl and then form them into separate patties, placing each one on the lined baking sheet as you go. 
  7. Refrigerate the burgers on the baking sheet for  30 minutes to an hour before cooking. This helps them set so that they hold together better. Once you’re ready to cook, warm the reserved oil from the sundried tomatoes in a skillet over medium heat. Then cook the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
  8. Serve immediately on a warm bun with vegan mayonnaise, avocado and spinach.
  9. Store uncooked in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/vegan-mediterranean-chickpea-burgers/

Nutritional Facts for One Mediterranean Chickpea Burger

Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers