Spicy chickpea veggie burgers with jalapeño and zucchini, topped with a tasty honey-lime slaw and fiery Sriracha mayo. These are my tastiest veggie burgers yet!
It’s been entirely too long since I’ve graced this little blog of mine with a brand spankin’ new veggie burger recipe. For those of you who are new, they’re kind of a thing around here.
I love trying endless combinations using fresh, seasonal ingredients and blogging my favorites.
As an added bonus, they’re a great way to empty out your crisper when it starts to overflow on ya! They also taste really awesome and are gloriously freezer friendly. Game on.
Though it’s a bit laughable, taking veggie burger advice from a carnivore is totally legit.
Trust me. For a food enthusiast I’m pretty darn picky, and the burgers that make the cut for ze blog are the ones that are so tasty we make them a second time. And third. And forth… I can’t wait for you to try them!
Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers
These burgers are 100% vegetarian with an easy peasy vegan swap and gluten-free to boot. They’re also dairy-free, though I’ll totally look the other way if you melt a slice of Pepper Jack on top of your burger!
Ok now I really want to try that… Time to make another batch!
I’m 100% making another batch to freeze for easy heat-and-scarf lunches, and have it on pretty good authority that they’re fabulous crumbled over salads too! (Especially with a little drizzle of yellow mustard and Sriracha on top – YUM!)
They’re also really ridiculously delicious topped with some fresh slaw and a hearty dollop of Sriracha aioli.
The heat from the Sriracha paired with the heat from the jalapeños and red pepper flakes was a total winner in my book! I’m pretty sure I forgot to breathe in between bites. I wanted the entire burger in my face, stat!
Veggie Burger TIPS + TRICKS
Thinner patties will yield more delicious crunch, as you’ll be able to sear more of the top and bottom, plus the middle will cook through much easier.
Giving your oats and chickpeas a rough chop in the food processor helps create the magic that helps keep these burgers together. In whole form, chickpeas naturally want to slingshot themselves out of your veggie burger with each bite you take. Roughly chopping them in the food processor is totally the way to go. Additionally, processing the oats helps crush some of the whole oats into powder form while leaving the rest partially whole. Both play a key role in binding the burger and giving it it’s awesome texture.
Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Jalapeño and Zucchini
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS:
- 1.5 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 15 oz canned chickpeas drained + rinsed
- ⅓ cup finely diced bell pepper (any color)
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1-2 TBSP green onion (white + green portions)
- ½ TBSP avocado oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 onion roll buns see post for GF swaps
- leafy green lettuce of choice for topping
FOR THE SLAW:
- 1 heaping cup cabbage finely chopped/shredded
- ½ a fresh jalapeño sliced thin (optional)
- ½ TBSP honey
- ½ TBSP avocado oil
- juice of 1 lime or to taste
- a pinch of salt
- fresh cilantro optional + to taste
FOR THE SRIRACHA AIOLI:
- ⅓ cup quality mayo
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1-2 TBSP Sriracha or to taste
- 1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for the aioli and whisk. Set aside.
- For the slaw, combine all ingredients and adjust to taste. Set aside.
- Combine oats and chickpeas in food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop the chickpeas and oats. Mixture should look chopped but not be paste-like or wet/mushy.
- Set aside and grab those veggies!
- Remove the stem from the jalapeño. For spicier burgers, leave the veins and seeds intact. For less spicy burgers remove half or all of the veins/seeds. I left half intact and removed the rest for burgers with a spicy kick and lots of flavor!
- If you haven't already, grate the zucchini using the coarse side of a box grater and wrap in a paper towel. Squeeze out excess moisture and set aside.
- Sauté bell pepper, jalapeño, zucchini and green onion in avocado oil until peppers are tender.
- Season with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt.
- Add the freshly sauteed veggies to your bean mixture, then add your egg.
- Stir to fully incorporate and roll mixture into four balls.
- To shape your burgers, cup each ball in your hands and squeeze tightly, rotating as you gently, but firmly, press it into a disc using your thumb. I like mine on the thiner side so middles cook all the way through, but not so thin that they won't hold their shape.
- To help the burgers set, cover and refrigerate as you prep your buns or (lettuce wraps!) and toppings. This will give them a little while to set. You can even leave them overnight and cook them up the following day. I often make one after 15-30 minutes of chill time and cook up the rest the following day.
READY TO EAT?
- Pour a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet and heat to medium-high, so the burgers sizzle when you add them to the pan!
- Cook for a few minutes on each side until you're left with a golden crust. and a warm center. Repeat for each burger, or cook two at once if you have a big enough pan! I'd skip crowding all four together just because they're a pain to flip when all up in eachother's business.
- A tip for perfectly shaped veggie burgers: While sizzling away in the skillet, I nudge the burgers with the backside of my spatula to gently help form the sides into a perfect disc. Works like a charm!
- Slather your buns with sriracha mayo, pile them high with lettuce, and top each burger with honey-lime slaw or your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
special diets and swaps
Vegan option
Simply use a flax egg for these spicy chickpea veggie burgers and either use vegan mayo for the aioli or whip up some tasty homemade sriracha ketchup instead! Simply add as much Sriracha as your heart desires to your favorite ketchup and dig in!
GLUTEN-FREE CHEFS:
Snag a gluten-free bun or swap the bun for a lettuce wrap. You can also serve these atop a big green salad or crumbled over a fluffy baked sweet potato (with melted cheese – YUM!) Have fun with it!
If you’re going to use a non-GF bun, by all means you have GOT to try a bakery-fresh onion roll/bun! The flavor totally compliments the burger and just adds that little something extra! We move around a LOT but I can always seem to find these babies in the bakery section of our local grocery stores.
Hunt them down if you can! They’re such a great pairing for these spicy chickpea veggie burgers.
You’ll also want to get your hands on some avocado oil! I’ve been having quite the love affair with it lately. It’s delicate enough to be whisked into salad dressings and sauces and versatile enough to withstand high heat cooking, making it hands-down my favorite pan-frying and sautéing oil. It’s super tasty and high in healthy monounsaturated fats + vitamin E. Love it!
No food processor? No problem!
Use a chef’s knife to give your chickpeas a rough chop or use a fork to partially fork-mash the chickpeas. You don’t want them mashed into a paste-like texture because you’ll lose all the awesome texture, but break them up enough that they’re not all whole. As for the oats, you can roughly chop your oats with a knife *or* use your rolled oats as is. They may crumble a wee bit easier than if you used a food processor but they should still hold together enough to be flipped and taste delicious!
Looking for a few more veggie burgers?
If you get a chance to try these Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Thanks for this unusual recipe, Jenn! It was a big hit! The avocado oil made a big difference, I think. Appreciate your sharing this after you perfected it. 🙂
You’re super welcome, Regina! I’m glad they were a hit!
I had cooked too many garbanzo beans and was looking for options. This burger is great! I used Harissa instead of Sriracha. I will make this again.
Veggie burgers are such a great way to pack in the garbanzos! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Donna, thanks!
I try to find fun stuff I can make for friends that don’t eat meat and this is a winner!! I loved the slaw – great flavor.
Thank you so much for this recipe, it is so amazing.
I have made them several times now and can’t get enough of them!
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe, Yvonne! Thank you!
We loved these burgers! Lots of flavor. But the nutritional info is useless. Not even close on the burgers alone, and with everything else added it’s much higher.
One of the best veggie burgers I have ever made! I’m thinking of changing the seasoning up next time (seasoning was perfect as written) to see if I can give it a crab cake like flavor! DELICIOUS
Wow, these are amazing! This is my first time reviewing a recipe, but I had to for this one. It was hearty and filling, with a touch of spice! I won’t be able to look at other veggie burgers the same after having this one. I like the idea of freezing them too, but for now I just assigned the chopping to my hubby. Thanks for the great recipe, can’t wait to try more of yours.
Yay!!! I’m so excited you enjoyed them Jackie; for sure let me know what you try next! xo
I must have done something wrong. I followed recipe but the oatmeal made these dry and pasty. Any suggestions? My mouth was watering at the idea of these
Hi Christy! These shouldn’t be dry or pasty at all so I’m happy to help troubleshoot!
First up, were any ingredient changed/swapped/omitted? After you blended the oats with the chickpeas what was the consistency like? Did you sauté the veggies in oil? When you were forming the patties did they feel dry even with the addition of the egg and warm sautéed veggies? This will give me a good idea of what’s going on so I’m able to help – thanks so much!
This recipe is a keeper! Absolutely delicious
Amazing we all loved them.
YAY! Thanks Elizabeth!
Love this recipe! Made them twice now!
So stoked they made repeat status! Thanks Kamy!
thank you so much for this recipe my family loved it
I’m so glad y’all loved it, Faye! 🙂
These were absolutely divine, really amazing, the burger so full of flavour, the spiciness of the aioli worked so well with the patty and the slaw simple and sweet perfectly combined it all. Well done keep it up
Your comment made my day Axel – so stoked you enjoyed the veggie burgers!
These were amazing! The 1 1/2 cups of oats seemed like a lot so I cut it down to 1 cup and they held together great. I made the patties smaller to fit on slider buns, which I think made them easier to flip. The slaw was definitely a must. So many great flavors! Putting these on my regular rotation for sure!
I made these for dinner and it was awesome! I used more of all the spices and I added smoked paprika (because why not?) and it turned out so tasty ! We all really loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yayyyyy! Happy dancing over here, Marie! Thank you 🙂
So, once your email with all the burger options came out, I’d been dying to make a few. Yesterday I made these, the Buffalo ones, and the Chipolte Pumpkin ones. Froze them all and now have lunches for the month.
My first oops in the adventure was when I realized that I only had quick cooking steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. I figured no problem, just put them through a few spins of the food processor and we’ll be good to go. I put the cup and a half in the food processor and ended up with quite a bit more than a cup and a half. I went with it and doubled everything except the chick peas. I had some leftover butter beans so I threw them in and continued as if I doubled the recipe.
I baked all the recipes instead of pan frying because by that time I was too tired to stand up and cook all night.
The slaw was a total win. I used maple syrup instead of honey and skipped the jalapeno. Yummy.
So far I have only tasted this burger, the rest are in the freezer awaiting taste testing.
I’m sure my texture is off (the steel cut oats never really got cut down) but the burger is yummy. I topped it with roasted peppers and the slaw on a plain burger bun. Definitely worthy of many repeat performances. So thankful I have a bunch in the freezer.
Can’t wait to try the rest.
Reading this totally made my day, thank you Karen! Can I come raid your freezer stash? haha! Love it so 🙂
Just unreal. I made these tonight and, though one of the more laborious recipes I’ve taken on, also one of the most worth it. This tasted like it came out of a 5-star vegetarian bistro, rather than a first-time attempt at a veggie burger in my kitchen. I was stunned, these are serious crowd pleasers with incredible complexity in flavor. There are so many ingredients (good luck cleaning) yet they all go together so beautifully. I am immensely satisfied and look forward to trying the pumpkin burger.
Bahaha Rebecca you should have seen my kitchen during recipe development with multiple batches. I wanted to hide under the bed 😉 I’m so over the moon that you loved the recipe and my trick to nixing the messy kitchen once I find the recipe I love? I make a double batch and freeze half for later! Woot! 🙂 I’m thrilled you loved this one and hope you adore the pumpkin burgers too! Thanks for the super sweet review! xoxo
Excellent recipe! I was too lazy to make the toppings, so instead I added 2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning to make it taste like a crab cake. I ate it with a fork and knife and dipped it in some mustard and mayo. (Oh, and I used 2 flax eggs to make it vegan). I can’t wait to eat the leftovers and will certainly make these again.
Thanks Amber! Hooray for flax eggs! Ohmygosh and I love the addition of Old Bay! Totally trying it! 🙂
Thank you for this awesome recipe. This is the best vegetarian burger recipe that I’ve ever made. Most don’t bind very well but this one turned out perfect. Amazing topped with this yummy slaw and aioli. The whole family devoured them. Will be making this again.
I’m so glad y’all loved them!!! Thanks for the super sweet review! 🙂 #happydance
You know I love your veggie burgers. These look fantastic.
I’m SO ANXIOUS/EXCITED for you to try them Meg! I always keep you in mind when I make a new veg burger recipe 🙂 You’re like my official taste tester!
WHOA! Your photos are ultra sharp!! What camera and lens are you using?!
Aw thanks girly! What I use is a bit laughable – a Nikon d90 with a 50mm prime. Ultra basic until I can figure out what’s next! What are you using these days Beth? LOVE your photos!
Ooo! A sassy burger! How exciting! They look & sound amazing — love the zucchini, and that aioli looks amazing! Nice!
Thanks Patricia!
This looks so good for summer! So much flavor and that sauce!! Love that sauce!
Oh I love it too! Thanks Erin! 🙂
That is one good looking veggie burger! I’ve been playing around with chickpea burgers too, and the chickpeas really do add some great texture.
YUUUUUUMMM! I don’t do found beef, so this is calling out to me! You have a veggie burger gift 😉
Aw thank you Stephanie! I def like veggie burgers most of all, hope you get to try them!
These look so good- I love the aioli!
Thanks Lori!
Might sound stupid but you don’t specify if the oats are pre-cooked are dry when mixed in..??
Hey Torri! You’ll be using the oats as a raw ingredient, hence no instructions on cooking them 🙂 Just toss them in raw with the rest of the ingredients before cooking the final product! xo
We’ve never made veggie burgers at home before, and clearly, this needs to change. I’m sending your recipe to my husband so we can make this soon. As someone who’s trying to cut down on her meat consumption, this burger looks perfect and filling and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Erin! Hope y’all adore them! I find these guys so super filling and satisfying – love it! 🙂
Holy Cow Jenn! These sound like the dream veggie burger (hello SRIRACHA AIOLI) and look just amazing too, Pinned!
Thanks so much Brie! <3
Looks AMAZING! That aioli is to die for. 🙂 I’ll have to try this soon. Pinned!
Thanks Julia!
So I had to come see more of this deliciousness, Jenn. Holy smokes – this is one of the best looking burgers I’ve seen in a very long time! I love burgers in the summer and I’m motivated to do a round up with yours as the star. I’m positively DROOOOLING!!
Awesome photos, Lady!!
You’re the sweetest Robyn! Thanks so much! I hope you get a chance to try them this Summer! <3