Are you looking for the perfect Mediterranean-inspired weeknight meal that’s as easy to throw together as it is delicious? Well, look no further than these fantastic chickpea burgers! Taking about fifteen minutes total to prepare, they are a healthy, flavourful and easy meal to prepare on any day of the week.
So if you’re looking for a great vegetarian meal perfect for any night of the week, then I’ve got you covered. These Mediterranean-flavoured patties are made completely without a food processor and are topped with a zingy tzatziki sauce that is sure to be a hit!
And if you’re interested in other great vegetarian main meals, you’re sure to love my chipotle black bean burgers, and my red lentil burgers!
How to Make Chickpea Burger Patties without a Food Processor
I recommend starting off with making the tzatziki sauce because it can benefit from sitting for even a little bit before eating – the flavours just get better the longer it sits!
You can always buy a tzatziki sauce, but it is so easy to make (and then you know what goes into it, as well!) that it’s worth simply whipping it up at home.
First off, you need to peel and grate a small cucumber. I simply use the large holes on a box grater. Add the cucumber to a small bowl with some plain Greek yoghurt (I recommend using full-fat yoghurt here because it does taste better, but it is your own choice) and grate in 2 cloves of garlic using a rasp-style grater.
If you don’t have one, you can just as easily add in some very finely minced garlic. All we’re trying to avoid is large chunks of raw garlic in your sauce as this can be quite unappetizing.
Now, drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of a tasty extra virgin olive oil, season liberally with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Taste to make sure you’re happy with the level of seasoning and set the sauce aside while you’re prepping the burgers.
And to do that, we need to start with the binding that holds them together! In a small bowl, add your eggs, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, salt and chili flakes and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Set this aside for later.
Next, drain and rinse your canned chickpeas thoroughly. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl and, using a potato masher, mash them until about three-quarters of them are pureed. I like to keep a few chickpeas whole because it lends to a nice texture in the finished burger.
In the bowl with your chickpeas, add a finely diced onion and grate in a couple of cloves of garlic. Again, if you don’t have a rasp-style grater, then just finely mince them or use a garlic press. Then, finely chop a good amount of fresh, flat-leaf parsley and add it into the bowl as well.
Mix all of this to combine and then pour over your wet ingredients. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to fold this all together until it’s homogenous. Give the mixture a little taste to adjust for seasoning. Then, sprinkle over your panko-style breadcrumbs.
I recommend sprinkling over less than what I call for initially because different brands of breadcrumbs hydrate at different rates. It also can depend on how humid the day is or not. Gently mix the breadcrumbs in until the mixture forms a uniform mass that easily holds together and doesn’t crumble.
Be careful not to overmix here because it can lead to a tough burger, so simple mix enough just to make sure the breadcrumbs are evenly incorporated.
Now, all you have to do is divide the mixture into patties. Each patty should weigh about 200 grams if you want to make sure each one is even.
I then use my hands to roll each patty into a ball and then flatten it into a disc. Again, I advise against manipulating it too much to avoid tough burgers — that would not be good!
Moving to the stovetop, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering.
Gently add your burgers and cook on one side until it is crisp and browned, about five minutes. Carefully flip them over and cook on the other side for a further five minutes.
You can opt to serve them on a traditional hamburger bun (a good option), in a pita or some lavash (an even better option!) or simply on its own topped with a generous amount of your homemade tzatziki sauce. The latter option is how we typically do it and it’s absolutely delicious!
Mediterranean Chickpea Patties (no food processor!)
Ingredients
Burgers
- 2 (400g/14oz) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic grated or very finely minced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 20 g (⅓ cup) parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 30 g (2 tbsp) tahini
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt
- 1/4 tsp (¼ tsp) chili flakes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 75 g (1¼ cups) panko breadcrumbs
Tzatziki Sauce
- 200 g (1 cup) plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 cucumber peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Chickpea Patties
- In a large bowl, mash chickpeas until about 3/4 of them are completely pureed. Add onion, parsley and lemon juice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, tahini, garlic, cumin, salt, chilli flakes and olive oil along with a few generous grinds of black pepper.
- Pour egg mixture over chickpea mixture and stir until well combined. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs and stir just until well combined and the mixture completely holds together.
- Divide the mixture into four equal patties. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the patties and cook until crisp and browned, about five minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, another five minutes. Serve immediately topped with tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Making vegetarian chickpea burgers without a food processor is an incredibly easy task. However, don’t let the simple recipe lead you to think that this delicious dish lacks flavour or complexity.
Are you looking for the perfect chickpea patty recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
