These easy Chickpea Patties make the perfect easy dinner in Spring and Summer. They're quick to make, can be spicy or mild according to your tastebuds, and are also totally gluten-free. I like to layer mine in a big burger for a healthier mid-week dinner treat.
This yummy chickpea patty recipe is perfect for Spring and Summer dinners or cook outs. The patties are perfect for grilling on a BBQ hot plate, or can also be baked, air-fried or pan-fried. Perfect for making into stacked vegan chickpea burgers!
I love making healthier burgers in the warmer months. Check out my Ultimate Vegan Seitan Burger for a really meaty burger if you also love a good 'burg!
I especially love layering up burgers with loads of condiments, actually in the photos I used my favourite vegan Sriracha Mayo, which is surprisingly easy to make. And of course, if you're taking these burgers along to a BBQ cookout, you should definitely also take along my new favourite, zingy and zesty potato salad with asparagus, or even this Mediterranean White Bean Salad . Or why not try this delicious and tangy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Salad as a great side.
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🍔Ingredients
These are the simple ingredients you'll need for this chickpeas patties recipe. Make sure to head to the recipe card at the end of the post for full quantities.
- Chickpeas - (aka garbanzo beans) Pre-cooked or canned chickpeas are needed for this recipe. I used one standard size tin (a 480g/15oz tin which yields around 250g/1 ½ cups of chickpeas)
- Oats- the oats are blended up in this recipe to help bind and keep the chickpea patties stable when cooking. Alternatively you can also use oat flour. Choose gluten-free oats to ensure this recipe stays gluten-free (if needed). Otherwise, the type of oats doesn't really matter too much.
- Carrot- 2 medium or 3 small fresh carrots for sweetness and bulk.
- Onion- I used a red onion in this recipe because I like how sweet they are. You can choose a yellow onion if you like, but the taste will be stronger.
- Garlic- As much fresh garlic as your heart desires. You can also add garlic powder if you wish.
- Cumin- fresh ground cumin adds warmth and a gentle depth of flavor.
- Tomato Paste- For an umami savory taste along with a little sweetness.
- Harissa-Harissa is a Tunisian and North African chile paste made with dried chile, tomato paste, garlic, citrus and spices such as cumin, coriander seeds and caraway seeds as well as olive oil. It's spicy but I find that you can use a little for gentle warmth or a lot for a punch. I buy mine in jars at the local supermarket, or from a deli. I've put some substitution ideas down below that work just as well in place of it.
- Lemon Zest- Optional, but I like the bright tangyness it brings to the flavour.
- Salt & Black Pepper - season to taste.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
If you have a food process, this recipe is super easy to make. I'll also put instructions below for how to make this with just a grater and a masher.
- Add the oats to your food processor and blitz until they form a texture like bread crumbs. This breaks them up into a flour, making them better at binding.
2. Cut the carrot and onion into chunks and peel the garlic. Drain the tin of chickpeas, then add all the ingredients to the food processor.
3. Whizz up the chickpea patty ingredients into a chunky paste.
4. Season with salt and pepper, and add lemon zest because you forgot to add it in earlier. (or add it in earlier!)
5. Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper (baking paper). Measure out scoops of the chickpea mixture. The size of the scoop will determine whether you make large or little chickpea patties.
6. Using another piece of paper, press down to help form patties. This makes a pleasing round burger shape!
Refrigerate until firm (about half hour).
7. You are now ready to cook your spicy chickpea patties! You can choose to:
- Pan Fry: Spritz a frying pan or large skillet with oil or cooking spray and pan fry until slightly crispy on each side.
- Grill or BBQ: Heat up the grill plate or BBQ and brush each with a thin layer of oil (to prevent sticking) Cook a few minutes on each side. Use a slider to flip when cooked.
- Air Fry: Pop as many as you like in the air fryer at 180C/350F for 8 minutes until a little browned and crispy on the outside. You can also spritz with a little neutral (eg sunflower or avocado oil) oil for extra crispiness.
- Oven Bake: Line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat to180C/350F. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. You can also spritz with a little neutral (eg sunflower) oil for extra crispiness
Hint: When grilling or pan frying, make sure that you leave each for a few minutes to build a 'crust' before flipping. That way they will come off the pan or grill plate nicely.
Alternative Patty Making Method:
- Get a large bowl ready for the patty mixture.
- Very finely chop and mince the onion and garlic. Add to the bowl.
- Grate the carrot and add to the bowl.
- *Optional- blitz the oats in a blender. You can leave them whole if you like.
- Drain the chickpeas, then add to the bowl along with the oats and all the other ingredients.
- Get a potato masher and mash everything together very thoroughly.
- You will end up with a chunky paste.
- Season, then scoop out onto a lined baking tray (see above method steps 5 and 6)
To serve the Vegan Burgers make sure to have a delicious sauce such as a vegan yogurt sauce, chipotle alioli and of course burger buns or pita bread.
🌶Substitutions & Variations
I've carefully created this recipe to be gluten-free as well as vegan. Here are some other ways you can switch the veggie burgers for your own tastes and preferences.
- Other Beans: Choose black beans, kidney beans or any other chunkier bean! Whatever you have in your cupboard will be delicious.
- Kid Friendly/Not Spicy: Remove the Harissa paste and replace with extra tomato paste or BBQ sauce.
- Curry Spiced: Choose to use some curry paste (Eg Madras or similar) in place of the Harissa, or why not try garam masala and serve with mango chutney!
- Mexican(ish): A dollop of chipotle paste instead of the harissa makes these burgers smokey and spicy.
- If you don't want to use a chili paste, add some chili powder along with some onion powder, cumin and smoked paprika.
- Other veggies: swap the carrots for bell pepper or add other fresh herbs into the mixture such as flat-leaf parsley or even fresh dill.
🔪Equipment
This recipe is super easy to make if you have a food processor. I love using my Kenwood processor. It's very old now, but you can find a similar one on Amazon. Alternatively, use a blender for some parts, and/or grate the carrot by hand. It doesn't matter too much if the chickpea patties are a bit chunky!
🥫Storage
Uncooked or cooked, the patties keep well stored in a container in the fridge for up to a week. I sandwich the uncooked ones between pieces of parchment or baking paper in an airtight container.
Tip for Meal Prep: If you aren't going to use the chickpea patties immediately, you can freeze them on the tray, then once frozen put between a piece of baking paper and into a zip lock back or tupperware and back in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat: simply cook from frozen or chilled. Frozen might take a few extra minutes.
After cooking, any leftover patties can be eaten cold straight from the fridge, or reheated gently in the air fryer or in a frying pan.
❗Top tip
When cooking the spicy Chickpea Patties on a grill or BBQ, make sure to get a good sear on them before flipping. This helps them stay together on the flip!
❓FAQ
These chickpea patties are made with chickpeas, oats, onion, carrot and lots of different seasonings.
This chickpea burger recipe is very good for you. It is high in fibre and protein, and low in fats and salt. It's easy to make and makes a great snack or meal.
Other Burger recipes!
Love a good burger? Why not try these yummy burger ideas!
Salads and Trimmings:
Serve up a BBQ or Grill out in style with these yummy recipes that pair perfectly with my spicy chickpea patties.
📖 Recipe
Easy Chickpea Patties (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- 1 Box Grater if you do not have a food processor
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 250 g (1 ½ cups) cooked chickpeas (equivelant to 1 x 400g/15oz/standard can of chickpeas. Drained. )
- 50 g (⅔ cups) oats
- 100 g (⅔ cups) red onion (about 1 red onion)
- 200 g (1½ cups) carrots (about 2 medium carrots. Or 3 little ones. )
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon harissa (or to taste. Alternatively same amount of tomato paste, BBQ sauce or similar. See notes.)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the onion and garlic. Chop the onion and carrot into chunks for your food processor.100 g red onion, 5 cloves garlic
- Whizz up the oats for 10-15 seconds in the food processor. This makes them into flour which helps bind the chickpea patties.50 g oats
- Put all the other ingredients into the food processor and whizz up until blended but not too fine.250 g cooked chickpeas, 100 g red onion, 200 g carrots, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon harissa, 1 tablespoon Lemon zest, Salt & pepper to taste, 5 cloves garlic
- Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper/more harissa as desired.
- Lay out a sheet of parchment/baking paper on a tray
- Use a large icecream scooper, or two spoons to scoop out even amounts of chickpea patty mixture. (I find this makes 6 burgers using my large icecream scoop. You can make smaller ones if you like)
- Get another sheet of baking paper and lay it over the top of the patty balls. Press down with your hands or a spatula. This forms nice even round patties.
- For the best results, pop the patties into the fridge to firm up for half an hour.
- Pan Fry, Oven Bake, Air Fry or Grill the patties as desired. (see note below for details).
- Serve the patties on a burger bun with trimmings, or use as a filling for a sandwich or just straight up with some fries and salad.
Notes
- Pan Fry: Spritz a frying pan with oil and pan fry until slightly crispy on each side.
- Grill or BBQ: Heat up the grill plate or BBQ and brush each with a little oil (to prevent sticking) Cook a few minutes on each side. Use a slider to flip when cooked.
- Air Fry: Pop as many as you like in the air fryer at 180C/350F for 8 minutes until a little browned and crispy on the outside. You can also spritz with a little neutral (eg sunflower) oil for extra crispiness.
- Oven Bake: Line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat to180C/350F. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned You can also spritz with a little neutral (eg sunflower) oil for extra crispiness
Alternative Patty Making Method:
- Get a large bowl ready for the patty mixture.
- Very finely chop and mince the onion and garlic. Add to the bowl.
- Grate the carrot and add to the bowl.
- *Optional- blitz the oats in a blender. You can leave them whole if you like.
- Drain the chickpeas, then add to the bowl along with the oats and all the other ingredients.
- Get a potato masher and mash everything together very thoroughly.
- You will end up with a chunky paste.
- Season, then scoop out onto a lined baking tray (see above method steps 5 and 6)
Carol says
Hi dear Louise-Claire, i'm looking forward to making this recipe soon... and also your Spicy indian Veggie Burgers.
Thank you so much for your great site!!
Thank you for making cruelty-free recipes available for us.
Carol
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
HI Carol! Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you love the burgers as much as I love creating them x Louise