Curried Chickpea Burgers

Curried Chickpea Burgers are winning the cookout food for summer of 2017!

They’re definitely here to change the BBQ game this summer.

As a mostly vegetarian, I’m always looking for delicious veg-friendly dishes that can still be enjoyed at any and every summer cookout.  

You know how vegetarian burgers can be so hit or miss? Dry, lacking in flavor, falling apart, and blah?!

Curried Chickpea Burgers are the EXACT opposite of those. We might as well call them game changers. Obviously, I set out to create an epically flavorful, moist, wowza vegetarian burger, because what else would you want in your favorite vegetarian burger?!

WOWZA flavors in these burgers…

…curry powder

…tumeric

…coriander

…cumin

…cinnamon

…garlic

All those spices mixed together with chickpeas, brown rice, lemon juice, flour, and panko PLUS some shredded carrot and greek yogurt to add just the right amount of moistness. The flour and panko hold it all together, and the brown rice adds a little more texture and chewiness to the burger, no mush here!

It was love at first bite with these burgers. They are excellent in a traditional burger bun, over a bed of lettuce, on their own… endless possibilities are here my friend! So you don’t have to wait for your next cookout to go for ’em, weeknight dinner here we come!

Top the patties with something a little crunchy – red cabbage, pea shoots, lettuce – and slather on an easy yogurt-cilantro spread for the ultimate experience. Curried Chickpea Burgers are perfection with both a creamy, tangy, yogurt sauce and crunch.

Note on cooking: the best way I’ve found to cook these burgers is to first bake them, and then pan fry them. I haven’t actually tried them on a typical grill (hi, apartment life), so I can’t vouch for how they’d hold up there. If you do try it, I’d recommend using a cast iron skillet or one of those fancy grill tools.

Speaking of these perfect summertime burgers… what are your plans this Memorial Day? I’ll be in Chicago for a second round of deep-dish pizza, sightseeing, and lots of exploring. Send me your recommendations! But when I get back on Memorial Day… these burgers will be in my grill pan and devoured in an instant. Probably with some Strawberry Mint Sangria if we’re being honest. 😉

Curried Chickpea Burgers

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• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 patties

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Description

Serve these super flavorful burgers with a quick cilantro yogurt sauce and lots of crunchy veggie toppings!

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Ingredients

• 15.5 oz. can chickpeas
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 3 Tablespoons shallot, finely chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + additional to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoon flour
• 4 Tablespoons panko

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Instructions

1. In a food processor or using an immersion blender, blend together chickpeas, brown rice, shredded carrot, shallot, and garlic until well mixed together. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients – lemon juice, greek yogurt, turmeric, curry powder, coriander, salt, cumin, cinnamon, flour, and panko – together with the chickpea mixture. If mixture is warm and difficult to form (which can happen if you’ve used just-cooked rice), place in fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form 4 equal sized patties from the mixture and place on baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes on each side.
4. Heat a grill pan over medium heat and coat with coconut oil (or oil of choice). Place patties on pan once oil is heated and pan fry until each side is golden brown, approximately 3 minutes on each side. Press flat with spatula as needed.
5. Serve with burger buns, cilantro, yogurt sauce, tomato, and lettuce as desired.

Notes

• Create a simple yogurt sauce to serve with the burgers – mix together yogurt, cilantro, and a little lemon juice!
• Using the bake and fry method creates a less soft interior and a crispy exterior. You could do one or the other, but the baked by itself won’t result in a crisp exterior and just pan frying will result in a softer center.

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