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Super easy and packed with flavor, this meatless falafel burger is a creative dinner that can be on your table in under 30 minutes.
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I’m all about quick and easy recipes that bring tons of flavor. These falafel burgers are made from ingredients you likely already have in your pantry and fridge. They come together easily in the bowl of a food processor and cook up in just a few minutes.
Super easy and the mixture can even be made ahead making it an even quicker recipe the day you cook them up.
Ingredient notes
This Falafel Burger is all about the spices and herbs!
I used the a lot of the same spices that I use in my Falafel Spiced Sweet Potatoes Fries. Cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic. FYI: the dipping sauce from the sweet potato fries recipe would be a super yummy condiment for this burger!
Lots of fresh parsley and cilantro brighten up all the spices and bring this veggie burger to life.
Do NOT attempt to used dried parsley or leave these fresh herbs out. If you are one of those cilantro haters and must leave it out, then double up on the fresh parsley.
With all of the fresh herbs, this is the perfect burger for summer. I topped it off with a cucumber peanut relish and served it alongside a simple salad of cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and parsley drizzled with just a touch of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with a smidge of salt.
It’s a light meal that feels hearty.
A few years ago I had falafel in a restaurant that was served with a peanut relish. I still have dreams about that meal…it was so good.
The best part about it was the peanut relish condiment that came with it. I can’t remember exactly what was in that relish, but it was the inspiration for making this Falafel Burger with a peanut relish topping.
Cucumber Peanut Relish
This Cucumber Peanut Relish is my version of the condiment from the restaurant meal I had years back. I’m pretty certain it didn’t have cucumber in it, but since cucumber goes so well with falafel, I wanted to incorporate it.
The crunchy peanuts, crisp cucumbers, fresh cilantro, sweet red onion – they all work so well together. And they compliment the falafel burger patty perfectly, too.
I upped the ante on this falafel burger and put it on a pretzel bun. It may be the only way I eat them from here on out. It was pretty much perfection.
You could certainly stuff these vegan burgers into a pita or use a traditional burger bun – gluten free if desired.
I sometimes eat them patty style with all the toppings sans any kind of bun at all.
Other Topping Ideas
The cucumber peanut relish is an excellent compliment for these vegetarian falafel burgers. But if you need some more ideas, I’ve got some for you. Any of these would be delicious in addition to the relish or on their own.
As I mentioned above, the Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce from this sweet potato fries recipe would be great, but here are some other options:
- The Tahini Yogurt Sauce from my Baked Red Lentil Quinoa Fritters recipe is an obvious match made in heaven.
- The Cilantro Yogurt Sauce from these Crunchy Veggie Tacos would be divine.
- This Citrus Tahini Dressing goes with everything if you ask me!
- Quick pickled red onions are a tangy, crunchy punch of flavor that perks up almost any recipe!
More vegan burgers
- Spicy Bean Burgers
- Vegan Mexican Burgers
- Chickpea Veggie Burgers
- BBQ Bean and Kale Burgers
- Spinach Artichoke White Bean Burgers
- Hemp Tofu Burgers
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Falafel Burger
Ingredients
Falafel Burgers
- 3 tablespoons vegetable broth
- ½ red onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- ⅓ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 4 burger buns gluten free, if desired
Cucumber Peanut Relish
- 1 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts finely chopped
- ½ seedless cucumber diced
- ¼ red onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Falafel Burgers
- Sauté the onion and garlic in the vegetable broth over medium heat until the veggies are softened and the liquid is gone – about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add all the ingredients, including the sautéed onion and garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until just combined. Do not purée – you still want to see chunks of ingredients. The mixture should come together easily when you press it between your fingers.
- Form the mixture into 4 equal size patties.
- Optional, but recommended: Place the patties on a parchment lined plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight. This helps the burgers to firm up.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. (If you don’t have a non-stick skillet, you may need a tbsp or two of oil). Cook the burgers for about 7-8 minutes per side until browned and crispy on the outside (a thin spatula should slide easily under the burgers when flipping. If the burgers are sticking, cook another minute or two before flipping).
For the Cucumber Peanut Relish
- Place all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.
To Serve
- Serve the burgers with the Cucumber Peanut Relish on your favorite burger buns. Add any additional toppings you’d like: tomato slices, lettuce, etc.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Jody
My 11 m/o son LOVES this recipe and so do I. I like a crispy falafel, but this is a lovely moist change of pace. Delicious flavors for me and grateful that my son enjoys it, too!
Jenn Sebestyen
I’m so happy to hear that, Jody. Thank you!
Judith Molina-Valenzuela
excellent recipe.
Jenn Sebestyen
Thank you, Judith!
Bea
First of all, I was excited to find a recipe that included garbanzo bean flour. I didn’t make the whole recipe (burger) just the falafel and that was amazing!! I’ve never made them and was surprised at how easy it was. The seasoning was also on point. I just laid it on arugula and drizzled a garlic tahini sauce. Perfection. I’m transitioning to vegetarianism!!
Jenn Sebestyen
So happy you loved it, Bea! Thank you for your feedback!
Katelyn Beatty
Hi! So excited to try this recipe. If I do not have chickpea flour is it OK to substitute with all purpose flour? We recently stopped eating meat and so I am slowly converting over as we have other things in the house I need to use up and it can be quite expensive to get all new flours, sauces, sugars, oils, etc at once. Thank you for your wonderful recipes. Everything sounds delicious!
Jenn Sebestyen
Hi, Katelyn. Regular flour should work just fine. Enjoy!
Natalie F
I’m a little confused with this one … I made the Cucumber Peanut Relish and really really love the flavours together!!
However … a relish, by definition, usually contains a pickling element; vinegar or citrus or something. I’m finding it a little mix of dry ingredients with no binding or ‘saucy’ element. Is this the way it’s supposed to be?
All those other sauces look awesome too, and would certainly ‘hold’ the relish on! LOL!
I think I’ll go with some simple Middle Eastern flavours and try some yoghurt and lemon juice.
…
Went with that … totally awesome flavour combo! Simply adoring the relish flavour combo!
Jenn S.
HaHa – it’s just a name. The restaurant that inspired this dish called it a relish, so I did too. They probably had sugar in their version would pickle the cucumber a bit, but I don’t think it needs the sugar. So glad you loved the flavors. Thank you, Natalie!
Natalie F
I’m ashamed of you, Jenn!! You should have put an addiction warning one these!
😉
Jenn S.
Bahahaha!! I so glad you loved them!!
Natalie Fegan
Served this up to my daughter on Wednesday for lunch, with some G.F. Brioche Buns (she has Coeliac Disease), and … not often my daughter asks for the recipe!
Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Jenn Sebestyen
That is awesome!! So happy to hear it was a success. Thanks, Natalie!
Phyllis Bergst
I have not tried the recipe yet, but I will soon. Have you ever tried cooking the falafel in an air fryer? I will probably try it when I do cook. Love chick peas and my air fryer, This was my first visit to your site.
Jenn Sebestyen
Hi, Phyllis. I haven’t tried it. I tried an air-fryer briefly, but I gave it away as I just didn’t see myself using it very often. I’m sure it would probably work, but I can’t tell you how. Let me know if you try it! Enjoy!
Jessica
I love falafel and this is a great upgrade! I’ll try this burger recipe asap!
Jenn S.
Thanks, Jessica! I just made another batch yesterday. We can’t get enough. I hope you enjoy them!
Bonnie
I followed this to a T and it was very dry, crumbly. Maybe too much chickpea flour? I put in the 1/3 cup as stated in the recipe and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. I could already tell it was going to fall apart and sure enough, it did. It lacked moisture.
It was still good because I crumbled it over a salad and the cucumber peanut relish was really good so that helped a lot. Not sure what I could have done wrong.
Jenn S.
Hi, Bonnie. I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you. Let’s see if we can pinpoint the problem. Did you make the patties before or after the fridge? I shape my patties right away and then put them in the fridge. Also, make sure they are well covered as they could dry out if air gets in. When you press the mixture with your hands straight out of the food processor, it should stick together easily. Did you try this? If it’s still too crumbly, you can try pulsing a few more times to bring the mixture together more. Glad you hear you loved the flavor and the cucumber peanut relish. Hopefully, we can get this figured out for you.
Maggie McConnell
First, I love this blog and the recipes. As a gluten-free vegan, I’m always looking for recipes I can serve to non-vegans, When I cook for myself, it’s usually a big plate of veggies. However, (I chuckle) your fridge and pantry are different from mine–I don’t keep chickpea flour or Himalayan pink salt (??) and rarely have fresh cilantro and parsley unless I’m making a recipe that calls for it. So, substitutions will be made. Easy-peasy. But keep these recipes coming. And thanks very much. PS. I will be trying this recipe at my next writers’ group luncheon.
Jenn S.
Hi, Maggie! Haha – any salt will do! This is the one I like to use, but honestly, if I just write “salt” the nutrition facts in the online calculator I use get soooo skewed, so it easier to write it in this way. You will love chickpea flour if you start using it. I love it as a binder so much more than regular flour, but you definitely could sub it out if need be. And I put fresh parsley and cilantro in everything! I can’t wait to hear what kind of subs you make – but PLEASE do buy the fresh herbs for this one…dried will just not do it justice. Thank you for your great comment! I hope you enjoy these!
Maggie McConnell
I’ll let you know! Thanks.