Curried Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
Curried Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers are made with turmeric, curry, and cumin then topped with a creamy tahini cilantro sauce. They’re perfect to prep for quick and healthy lunches or dinner. (vegan + gluten-free)
It has been way too long since I’ve posted a veggie burger recipe. This was the last time which was almost 10 months ago. Blasphemy, I tell you!
Sorry, I have a bad habit of using that word at inappropriate times.
Really though, veggie burgers are a way of life for me. I love that you can pack so many healthy nutrients in one little patty and have it waiting for you, ready to reheat at a moment’s notice. They were one of the first things I made on a regular basis since becoming vegetarian.
They’re also incredibly versatile in that you can use whatever flavor combination you want. I’m clearly a fan of sweet potatoes, seeing how this is my sixth burger recipe on here that uses them. It’s just so hard to resist when I know they provide a ton of powerhouse nutrients like fiber, potassium, and skin-glowing vitamin A. Plus they taste good, duh.
While I might have more than enough sweet potato recipes on my site, I’m seriously lacking in the Indian department. I may need to take a few cooking classes before I attempt making any classics but for now I’m happy to get some of those delicious spices in burger form.
With these Curried Chickpea Burgers we’re using a few of the more common ones: cumin, curry and turmeric. I’m always trying to think up new ways to use turmeric because of how good it is for you. I know turmeric milk is having a moment right now but I haven’t had a chance to try any yet. That’s on my to-do list!
In addition to the sweet potato and spices we have oats and chickpeas for protein, jalapeño for a (very mild) little kick, fresh squeezed lemon juice, garlic and fresh cilantro.
Everything gets thrown into a food processor and finely chopped before being mixed together in a large bowl. After that all you have to do is form it into separate patties and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
I should mention that I chose to bake them instead of cook them in the skillet because I wanted to make them vegan without using any flax eggs. Baking allows them to hold together better and also omits the need for any oil. So it’s a win-win situation.
While they’re baking you can make the cilantro sauce by throwing everything in the food processor again. That way, by the time you’re finished, there’s only two dishes to clean. You can thank me later. ;)
Curried Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
Yield: 6 burgers
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 45
Ingredients:
For the Burgers
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free, if needed
- 1 jalapeno, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
- 1 cup peeled and diced sweet potato (approx. 1 medium size potato)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup cilantro
For the Cilantro Tahini Sauce
- 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- juice of 2 limes + 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Directions:
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, oats, jalapeno, spices and lemon juice. Pulse for about 10 seconds, until finely chopped as pictured above. You should be able to press the mixture between your fingers and have it hold together. Transfer it to a large bowl and set aside.
Next add the sweet potato, cilantro, and garlic in the food processor and pulse for about 15 seconds, until finely chopped. Transfer it to the large bowl along with the chickpea mixture then stir everything together until well combined.
To make the cilantro sauce, combine all of the ingredients in the food processor (after rinsing) then blend until smooth. Add water as needed to thin.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your hands, form the mixture into 6 separate patties. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, carefully flipping each one at 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with cilantro sauce and lettuce wrap (optional). Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them prior to cooking, if desired.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
I have a recipe pretty similar to this that I’ve made for years. This sounds delicious with that sauce though! I’ll have to give it a try next week. :)
I just looked at yours and it’s much simpler than this one, lol! The sauce is definitely a nice addition. Thanks Kelli! I hope you’re having a good week! :)
These are beautiful! My freezer stash of veggie burgers is at zero! I need to replenish!
I love a good veggie burger recipe! This one looks awesome and I love that there’s turmeric in it – I’ve been trying to use it as much as possible too. You should definitely give turmeric milk or tea a try – I’m obsessed with it right now!
I haven’t made a good veggie burger in a long time. They’re so easy too I’m not sure why I don’t do them more?
Thanks for all your hard work making this site such a good one. I have read that ground black pepper makes Turmeric much more accessible to the digestive system (check this out) so I always add a big pinch to recipes that call for Turmeric.
Thanks for the great tip, Malcolm! :)
I love veggie burgers! In fact, I’m wondering why I chose to read blogs right before my lunch break, because now I’m starving!
I’m a vegeburger addict too, you can never have too many vegeburger recipes and I especially like the sound of the Indian spices in these.
I completely agree. You can never have enough veggie burgers. Thanks Jo! :)
Oh my goodness, these look amazing Sarah and are precisely what I’m craving for lunch (how did you know?). Beautiful ingredient choices and I love the little lettuce bed you made for them – perfect. That cilantro tahini sauce just puts this over the top… (ps: never enough sweet potatoes ;-)
I can never get enough sweet potatoes, and adding chickpeas and Indian spices only makes things better! These look delicious, Sarah, and I love all of the eye-popping colors on this plate. I need this for lunch right now!
Hi Sarah,
I’m always looking for new veggie burger recipes. I’ve also been on the hunt for more recipes with turmeric. And with sweet potatoes, I don’t think it can go wrong. So, I’m thinking it is really a win, win, win! I’m looking forward to trying the sauce too. Do you have any other sauces you think would work well with these?
Thanks,
Nancy
Hey Nancy! I think replacing the tahini with Greek yogurt would be tasty. I almost made them like that but I was trying to keep the recipe vegan. Let me know if you come up with something else! I’d be interested to hear what else might work with them. :)
Turmeric is just the best! Love these burgers- so healthy and full of protein :)
Bring on all the veggie burgers! I’ve been on a turmeric kick lately … as well as a tahini kick! So I know I would love these! And I’m with you – I’m not really well versed in Indian cooking – I’m trying to take baby steps!!
I’m such a fan of veggie burgers – they’re just like little patties of health!! I’m all about those sweet potatoes, because hello, they’re basically nature’s candy! These look amazing!
i haven’t had a veggie burger in forever! Time to change that! These look amazing, as always. Love that you added a cilantro tahini sauce too, I’m pretty sure I could eat that with a spoon :)
At least you can still remember the last time you made a veggie burger recipe — I can’t :lol: And that’s seriously a shame because I love them… I’ve never been big on regular burgers, but veggie ones? Oh heck yeah. Also… there’s no such thing as more than enough sweet potato recipes :P
Do you need to precook the sweet potatoes??
Nope! You put it in the food processor raw and then it will cook as the burgers bake in the oven. :)
My husband does not love veggie burgers – but eating plant based, he puts up with them. However, he loved these. That is amazing! I have tried all kinds store bought brands, all kinds of recipes from scratch and this is the first time he said: “These are good!”. Score! I was shocked. I loved them, but I love all veggie burgers!
I did use leftover cooked sweet potatoes and they came out perfect!
I’m so happy to hear that, Christine! I was worried they might be too mushy with the cooked sweet potato but I’m glad to know it works well and that your husband loves them too. :)
Thank you for the feedback!
Can you grill it? Or would you try grilling it? My kitchen get so hot with the oven on that I like to grill
Hi Lindsey! You can grill them on a grill pan. Or if you have something you can place on top of your grill that should also work.
Can I use bread crumbs in place of the oatmeal?
That should work fine!