Cajun Chickpea Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers are loaded with fresh vegetables and spiced to perfection. These veggie burgers are full of flavor and healthy too!
Cajun Chickpea Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
I say this quite a bit, but how on Earth have I gone my entire life without these burgers!?
This cajun spin on my classic sweet potato chickpea burger is something you’re going to want in your life, stat.
Flecked with the foodie equivalent of the holy trinity and spiced to zesty perfection, these veggie burgers are full of flavor and easily compliment a number of dietary needs.
Even better? They’re freezer-friendly too!
veggie burger freezer instructions
To freeze, simply cook the burgers as indicated above, allow to cool a bit, and then freeze, spaced, on a plate or cookie sheet.
Once they’ve had a chance to partially freeze you can pile them in baggies or your favorite airtight container for fast food without the freaky ingredients.
ready to reheat?
To reheat, simply pop frozen burgers on a lined or spritzed baking sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400F. You can also use a toaster oven! Score!
special diets and swaps
Vegan? Make sure you use a flax egg in the recipe and swap the regular mayonnaise in the sauce with vegan mayo and you’re good to go!
As written, the burgers themselves are vegetarian [vegan with the flax egg] and gloriously gluten-free. Just make sure you grab gluten-free certified oats and use either your favorite GF buns or some hearty bibb/butter lettuce as a delivery method for the burgers. It’s delicious!
Cajun Chickpea Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato (yielding 1 cup cooked + pureed sweet potato)
- 2 cups chickpeas (canned or cooked from dry)
- 1.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- ½ cup red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil for sautéing
- 1-2 cloves garlic (smashed and minced)
- 1 large egg (or 1 flax egg if vegan)
- 1.5 TBSP cajun seasoning blend
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- salt and pepper to taste
cajun chipotle aioli:
- ⅓ cup quality mayo
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp chipotle adobo sauce
- ¼ tsp cajun seasoning blend or to taste
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
- a pinch of salt
TOPPINGS + EXTRAS
- spring mix lettuce
- sliced avocado
- your favorite burger buns
Instructions
- Bake, microwave, or boil your sweet potato until tender.
- Remove/discard the skin and, using a food processor or blender, puree the sweet potato until smooth but thick.
- Scoop out the sweet potato and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Next rain and rinse your chickpeas, then add to the food processor. Pulse just a few times to break up the beans, still leaving lots of great texture. Add to the sweet potato.
- Next pulse one and a half cups of oats in your processor until flour-like [it doesn’t have to be super fine by any means; just ground] then add to the sweet potato mixture.
- Next saute your onion, bell pepper, and celery in approx 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat.
- After about 7 minutes or so, add garlic and continue to saute until the veggies are translucent and tender.
- Once your veggies are ready, transfer to the bowl with the sweet potato and add 1 egg [or flax egg] to the bowl along with cajun seasoning blend, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Stir to incorporate and divide burger mixture into 4-6 balls. I wound up making 5. The sizing seemed right for my buns.
- Cup each ball in your hands and squeeze, pressing it into a compact disc. Think of it as stress-relief!
- Form into into patties, cover, and refrigerate for approx. 30 minutes to set the burgers.
- Feel free to prep these overnight for the following day.
- Ready to eat? Pour a teeny bit of oil in a skillet, heat to high, and cook for a few minutes on each side until you’re left with a golden crust and a warm center. Cooking times will vary a bit depending on the size of your burgers and type of pan/skillet used, so aim for a crispy outside with a warm tender center. If you don’t get to enjoy them while they’re hot, pop cooked veggie burgers in the oven or toaster over for a little and they’re crisp up to perfection! Easy peasy!
- Cook only a few at a time, trying not to overcrowd the skillet.
- While they cook, whisk together your aioli.
- Pile a lightly toasted bun high with greens and your fresh-from-the-skillet burger, top it off with a generous helping of aioli and dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
hungry for more?
- NEW! Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burgers
- Spicy Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup (Instant Pot + Stove Top)
- Kimchi Pasta Salad via Sarcastic Cooking
- Chipotle Sweet Potato Salad
If you get a chance to try these Cajun Chickpea Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation! I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Love this recipe! I added a bit of hickory bbq sauce to the mix and served with a jalapeño cilantro slaw!
loved these burgers…make without chipotle sauce,but used spices, and did not cook the veggies first, just chopped them and threw them in…thanks for the great recipe
So glad you enjoyed them, Heather! xoxo
These hold their shape nicely and have a good flavor. Next time I will make them a bit thinner.
I like them thin as well so they get extra crispy while pan-frying – so good! Thank you Alysia!
I would definitely make these again. I’m always eating black bean veggie burgers but this one is a keeper. I make a sriracha Mayo and it went great with this burger. Thanks for sharing
Sooo good! My new favorite vegan food and sauce.
Great! Easy and delicious.
Woot! So glad you enjoyed them!
These are my favorite!! We usually cook them on a skillet, however Can you cook these on the grill?
So glad you love the recipe Nicole! I haven’t tried this particular one on the grill yet but it’s worth experimenting! Do you have one of those veggie grill pans with the holes/grates in it? You might be able to place it on one of those as back-up if it seems like it’s not working straight on the grill.
These were easy to make and absolutely delicious. I will be making these again and again. Thank you for the terrific recipe!
Yay!!! So happy you enjoyed the veggie burgers Kathy!
Hi! I’m making this tomorrow. But I don’t know if it’s better to cook or bake sweet potato before make puree out of it…? What do you think? Thanks so much!
Hi Katja! You can microwave them (usually 8-9 min) or bake them at 400 F (approx. 50-60 min) and then just fork-mash the insides once hot and fluffy! Another method would be to peel, cube, and boil the sweet potato before draining and pureeing. All methods work as long as you cook it first! xoxo
Hi Jenn!! I’m 21 years old and have always been sure that I am not a cook, but as a challenge to myself I just made these for dinner for my whole family — for the *first* time cooking dinner for other people, they turned out great and we all loved them! Thank you for the great recipe and for instilling me with some brand new cooking confidence!
Haley this totally made my day, thank you! I’m so stoked y’all enjoyed the recipe and so proud of your rockstar status in the kitchen! Love it!
Another quick question! Does it still taste as good if you cook it and freeze it? Or does it taste better when you make it the day of?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hey Leah! I do adore them the day of but I think they’re still great reheated in the oven or toaster oven! Out of each batch I probably have 2 fresh and the rest frozen for speedy lunches or dinner 🙂
Hi I’m trying to make your recipe! But unfortunately I do not have the Cajun Spice. Could I substitute this with cumin, turmeric, and or curry powder?
Hi Leah! Absolutely make your own blend! Whatever spices you adore should be great in these burgers, they’re pretty versatile! I’d just make sure you add things that compliment each other + that your familiar with taste-wise and you’ll be good to go! I actually season my daughter’s roasted chicken with turmeric, cumin, and garlic powder and she goes bonkers over the blend! 🙂
Could I substitute the cajun powder for something… I don’t have that on hand… also does it still taste good without the sauce??
I love it with a pinch or so of Old Bay too if you have that on hand! Otherwise you can play mad scientist with the spices you have on hand! What spices do you have/like? Maybe I can help you come up with something! <3
I tried this recipe as part of my 30 Before 30 project, to cook 300 Pinterest recipes in a year and a half. I loved having these burgers in my freezer as a delicious, go-to dinner. Thank you so much!
Thanks Jamie! I’m so stoked you loved them!
I made these last night and they were AWESOME! Great flavor, good consistency and just overall awesome. That chipotle aioli was a great addition. Thanks so much for posting!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed them Christina! Please tell me you saved me one! 😉 xoxo
Loving the mix of flavor and cultures on this recipe.
Thank you Peter!
I literally fell into this recipe tonight. I’ve been craving sweet potato type burgers and this looks to be the perfect recipe! We’re a vegan household and I’m always looking for easy, tasty meals for dinners. I think my boys will love these burgers! I have also bookmarked your blog for future use. Thanks!
I hope you get a chance to try them Cris! <3 Thanks so much and stop on by any time! 🙂
I made these last night! It was my first time EVER making veggie burgers, despite being raised vegetarian and eating that way until like 2-3 years ago (my husband got me dabbling in turkey and chicken a little). I am SO IMPRESSED with how they turned out. The texture is just perfect, and they’re wonderfully spicy enough for this native Louisianian. My husband loved them too! I ate my as a wrap with guacamole (just wasn’t really feeling aioli/tons of bread), and it was beautiful. I’m excited to try your other veggie burger recipes sometime!
Ahhhh thank you Gretchen! I’m thrilled you both loved them! For sure let me know if you try any of the others too, veggie burgers are pretty much my obsession 🙂 xoxo
I’ve now made these four times and recently started doubling the batch so we have lots of extras to keep on hand in the freezer. My 12-year old said that restaurants should have these on their menus 🙂 Thank you!
This is pretty much the best thing ever!!! Thanks you Julie! <3
Long-time fan, first-time commenter – these burgers are absolutely amazing!!! The husband and I are obsessed with them and they will no doubt be a regular in our rotation. We love the combo. of amazing flavor, awesome texture, easy to prep., and great health profile! Nice and clean recipe with minimal oil and good protein from the chickpeas. Love it! Reminds me of your awesome Mexican veggie burgers, which I think might have to move down a notch from the top of our favorites list to make room for this guy! We love to eat both burgers with some fresh guac spread on top. Thanks so much, Jenn! Keep the healthy, yummy, veggie-focused fun comin 🙂
ahhhhhh thank you Jenna! You’re too sweet – I’m so glad you left me a comment *and* that you love the burgers! Guac on top sounds like total perfection.. which totally reminds me I need to add a bag of avocaods to my grocery list! <3 I'll keep posting as long as awesome readers like you keep reading and making my crazy creations! Have a great weekend!
Oh my goodness! My husband and I are obsessed with the original chick pea sweet potato burgers so we GOTTA try these!!! Thanks for sharing!!
also you call for “1/4 Cayenne.”
1/4 what? teaspoon?
Man I was really off my game that day! My apologies! I typically am racing the clock during nap time to get all of my to-do list tackled and sometimes it’s an hour of pure chaos. Thanks so much for catching both for me! 1/4 tsp of cayenne, correct 🙂
You call for garlic to be added to the saute after 7 minutes, but do not specify a quantity of garlic anywhere. Then you call for garlic powder to be added to the mix when the sauteed veggies go in with the the other spices.
Did you mean to include fresh and powdered garlic to be included, and if so, how much garlic?
1-2 cloves of garlic should be perfect! I went with 2 but I have a heavy love affair with it, I know some of my friends prefer less and some even add an extra clove! I was raised on dishes containing both the powder and the cloves in it from a young age so I’ve continued my mom’s technique in my cooking. I love it! I hope this helps Chris, my apologies for any confusion!
No problem, and thanks for the quick response!
We love garlic here too, and I crushed and diced two cloves of garlic and tossed them in at the end of the sautee last night. A beautiful combination of good ingredients in a veggie patty that was pure magic to shape, unlike a lot of other meatless patties.
To keep everything as dry as possible in anticipation of difficult shaping, I roasted the sweet potato per the instructions here:
The resulting mix was so dry that I had to combine it with my hand. Perfect! I suppose a mixer would have worked as well. I found that a little olive oil on my hands kept the patties from sticking while I was shaping them.Really looking forward to cooking these up tonight!
Oh my gosh Jenn, I can’t wait to make these this weekend! They look amazing! 😀
Thanks Emily!!! Hope you adore them!!! We’re hooked!
It’s lunch time, I am sitting at my desk and my packed lunch is not appealing at all anymore after seeing this! I need this in my life very very soon!
In-freaking-credible!
These look SO good!!
Not going to lie, the BUN is calling to me because it reminds me of those KFC buns which are like, 99% sugar and 1% grease. You know I’m making these on my vegan week!
these look and sound amazing! Can’t wait to make these, your aioli always is the perfect addition! Love the little chickpeas hand with them too 🙂
These burgers sound like something my vegetarian daughter and I would both love! Perfect!
OMG these look AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing, I love sweet potato EVERYTHING 😉 xo C
Good lord woman, the things you do to me. I need these and especially the aioli. I was literally just panicking to the Hubby last weekend because I have less than 10 sweet potato chickpea burgers left in the freezer. These things are like gold to me, and he promised when he’s home next week, we’ll whip up another double batch. Love it.
How in the world do you get your burgers to be so perfectly formed? Mine ALWAYS fall apart when I make them 🙁
The ingredient ratio and fridge time help but I basically squeeze them, form into a ball, then rotate them in my hand while pressing into a patty. I would do a video but it would be BEYOND laughable haha 🙂
Yum these look so good! I am drooling!! Seriously how do you do it every single time!?!? Oh and my favorite picture is the one with your sweet little girl’s hand in it. Chunky baby fingers are the best 🙂
Yum! These are so good that even the little one wants one! 😉
Hi Jenn! I love the little hand in the photo! These sound just delicious!! 🙂
These look just perfect–why reserve them just for Meatless Monday? Pinned and Tweeted.
Yum love the Cajun spices here. Love the sweet potato and chickpea combo I’ve been loving homemade veggie burgers lately can’t wait to try these.
Hope you fall in love like we did! The flavor combo rocks my socks! Thanks Sam!
Holy moly!! You had me at cajun. These will be on my dinner table SOON!
Woot woot!
Your veggie burgers always look amazing and Everytime you post a new one I find myself craving them. Once again this one has drawn me in.
Thanks Allie! I hope you get a chance to try this one! I was feeling feisty this time around and gave these babies a kick!
Ohhh these look good, I love a little spice!
Thanks Renee! 🙂