Making a crave-worthy veggie burger is easier than you think! Amp up the flavor with these Buffalo Chickpea Veggie Burgers!
After joking about buffalotizing my chickpeas, I finally took the leap and made my craving a reality. Ho-Ly-Cow, people!!! I will forever be kicking myself in the butt for not doing this sooner!
I was originally going to toast ’em, sauce ’em, and toss ’em over a leafy green salad and call it a day, but I knew I’d catch some serious side-eye from the pilot unless I made them into something a wee bit more substantial. Bring on the veggie burgers!!!
Why yes, I absolutely went there. These buffalo chickpea veggie burgers were a total roundhouse kick to the tastebuds in the most amazing way possible. These burgers have some serious skills.
You know like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills…
…veggie burger scarfing skills
You can make them super duper spicy and thoroughly assault your tastebuds or keep them on the mild side with some serious buffalo flavor. Just whatever you do, make them right meow!
Or make yourself a dang quesadilla. GOSH!
veggie burger tips and 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. Sometimes I leave them a little thicker for a softer center but I’ll admit, crispy veggie burgers are my favorite!
Giving your oats and chickpeas a rough chop in a 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.
Buffalo Chickpea Veggie Burgers
Buffalo Chickpea Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- ⅓ cup diced/minced bell pepper
- ⅓ cup diced/minced onion
- ½ cup shredded carrot chopped
- 1-2 TBSP green onion chopped
- ½ TBSP avocado oil or olive oil + extra to cook the burgers in
- ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce or equivalent
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg or 1 flax egg: 1 TBSP ground flax + 3 TBSP water
FOR THE SLAW:
- 1 cup finely chopped/shredded cabbage
- ½ a fresh jalapeño sliced thin
- a drizzle of avocado oil or olive oil
- splash of white wine vinegar
- a pinch of salt
AVOCADO SMASH:
- 1 ripe avocado
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
TOPPINGS + EXTRAS (choose your favorites)
- Burger buns
- Leafy greens of your choice
- Frank’s Red Hot sauce for drizzling
- Ranch Dressing
- Cheddar cheese
- Plus add any veggies +/or toppings that float your boat - have fun with it!
Instructions
- Combine oats and chickpeas in a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop the chickpeas and oats. Mixture should look slightly 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 heat, remove them entirely.
- If you haven't already, dice/mince your bell pepper, onion, and carrot, and green onion.
- Sauté onion, peppers, and carrot in your favorite healthy oil until tender.
- Season with Frank's Red Hot sauce (or buffalo sauce equivalent) then add garlic powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt.
- Add the freshly sauteed veggies to your chickpea mixture, then add your egg or flax 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 extra hot/buffalo sauce to taste, pile them high with lettuce, and top each burger with slaw, cheddar, and any and all of your favorite burger toppings. You can even lightly toast the buns on the pan after you cook your veggie burgers - it's a tad awesome! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try these Buffalo 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!
special diets and swaps
- To make this recipe 100% gluten-free (the burger itself is as long as you use GF certified oats) you can use a grain-free bun, wrap it in lettuce, and/or crumble these tasty buffalo burgers over a baked sweet potato or a leafy green salad with an extra drizzle of hot sauce and ranch dressing. YUM!
- Vegan? Let’s do this! Make sure you use the flax egg option in the recipe and nix the cheese and you’re gloriously good to go.
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?
- Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Jalapeño and Zucchini
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
- Butternut Black Bean Burgers
- Chipotle Pumpkin Burgers
- Mexican Veggie Burgers with Taco Aioli
- Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Honey Mustard
Our son decided he’s going vegetarian and I’ve been searching for a burger for him. Oh my! These are delicious. Easy too. I did make 6 instead of 4. Can’t wait to make them again.
Excellent recipe! I coated mine in panko which gave a nice crunch to the burger. Almost felt like a chicken burger! Definitely a keeper.
Looooove your panko coating! I’m for sure going to have to try that out!
They were the best!!!! Yet another wonderful recipe from you Jen and it has been added to the list of the so many of yours that I have started cooking (and loving) since I retired and finally have the time to make. My husband and I are former vegetarians who added some meat back in over the past 35 years but are heading back to a largely plant based diet and a large reason that it has become so easy is your wonderful recipes!!!!
I’m so thrilled you’ve been loving the recipes Diane, and that the Buffalo Chickpea Burgers were a hit! Thank you so so much!
Love this recipe! I typically make huge batches of these burgers and freeze them and eat them whenever! I don’t typically make the slaw but the avocado smash is a must! My husband likes an over easy egg on his! Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! I often have the problem that my veggie burgers full apart but this recipe has the perfect consistency (and a great taste!). It seemed like a lot of chilli so I used slightly less chilli sauce, but once cooked and combined it wasn’t too much. Would really recommend. Thank you.
So yummy! I love the way they get crispy and browned on the outside. I made a triple batch so I could freeze some! Thank you for sharing!
If you have been looking for a great veggie burger recipe, look no further! These are BY FAR my favorite. They are CRAVE worthy and don’t bother doing just one batch, I always make a double. They are easy, fulfilling and oh so good. They freeze extremely well, hence the double batch and are always ready for a quick lunch or dinner.
Seriously!!! You need to try these.
One of our favorites! Thanks for sharing
I have been trying to find a great vegetarian option for my teenage daughter I gave this a try she loved it! It is going to be on her special dinner treat list!
This is my absolute fav veggie burger recipe. I’ve made it so many times, I almost have it memorized. Today, I decided to make a large batch and smoke them in our Egg. Soooo delicious!! I don’t like traditional breakfast foods and will make these ahead and freeze so I can have them in the morning. Perfect morning veggie burger:)
These are one of my favorite vegan burgers to make. They are always a hit!
Yay!!! I’m glad you’re loving them Lynn. Thanks!
These were excellent! My sister and I made them for lunch one day and I ended up taking the other 2 patties to her house the next day for lunch 🙂
These were AWESOME! I fed them to my fiancé, his friend, and our elderly neighbor tonight and everyone loved them! I paired them with provolone cheese, lettuce, mashed avocado with table blend Mrs dash & garlic, and Kaiser rolls from the bakery. And sweet potato fries! I’m so shocked that the veggie patty was so good!
If you’re making it without a food processor, I’d mash the chickpeas with a whisk or potato masher. I blended the oats in the nutribullet with the milling blade and the mixture ended up being the perfect texture.
Does the calorie count include buns?
Hey Lindsey! Since buns vary so greatly in nutrition stats, I only calculated the patty here. This way you can choose your favorite bun then add the kcal count for best accuracy. xo
Made these and kept getting skeptical but pushed through, so glad we did! YUMMMazing! Added blue cheese, absolutely obsessed!
Thank you Tiffany! I’m so honored you gave the recipe a chance and that you’re loving it!
These. Are the best! Thank u for sharing your recipe,,!
Made these last night and they were awesome! Even my 12 year old who likes nothing healthy ate them. ?
Great Veggy Burgers!
Definitely a family favorite already.
This is a great consistency for the minimal ingredients! We didn’t have a lot of time to let the mixture sit last night, but cooked up 4 burgers. The 2 we ate yesterday were a little mush, though they stayed together well while cooking. The one I am eating now is very very firm! More “meaty” if you will, though I am eating it at room temperature. I will definitely make these again and try letting them sit overnight (maybe preforming the patties?) and cooking them the next day.
My family loved these! Followed recipe, was perfect heat and so tasty. Will make again. Thanks
Delicious! I brought leftovers for lunch and my co-workers were jealous. As some below mentioned, there’s a lot of mix in the recipe. I ended up getting 6 generous burgers out of it. Love me some buffalo sauce and chickpeas (having these in the rotation makes the transition to full vegetarian much better!).
I made these this week, the recipe says it yields 4 burger patties.. so I formed 4 and cooked and ate one that night, this size of burger I found to be a bit much. They are made of extremely filling ingredients. With the rest of the uncooked mix I formed 8 smaller burgers. I ate one of the smaller ones the next day and it was the perfect amount. The flavor was great I will definitely make these again however I will use less oats.
We usually stick with black bean burgers for our veggie burgers, but my husband loves buffalo sauce so I had to give these a try! Instead of leaving them choppy, Just went ahead and made a thick puree with everything and they were SO amazing and filling! I left out the jalapeno and used an avocado sauce that we had leftover from fish tacos we made the other night. Delicious!!
I’m usually not a huge leaver-of-reviews, but these were AMAZING. My husband isn’t a huge veggie burger guy, and he loved them as well. I did cut the red pepper flakes a bit so they were more friendly for my four year-old. I seriously want to make these again tomorrow, they’re just so good! Thank you, this recipe is definitely a keeper.
Awww thank you Mallory! So honored you stopped by to leave a review and I’m thrilled you enjoyed the veggie burgers!
My fiance and I are definitely meat eaters, but we are trying to cut back by eating a couple veggie meals throughout the week. We made these tonight and fell in love! I left the jalapeno because I was afraid the burgers would end up too spicy, but I think it definitely could have used that extra kick. I’ll add one next time! I definitely would compare it to a spicy chicken sandwich rather than a burger, but either way, we will be making these again! They were super filling but didn’t leave us feeling gross. Thank you for the recipe!
We’re crazy in love with these too! So glad you’re enjoying them and YESSSSS totally add the jalapeño from the recipe list – it’s great flavor for sure! I’ve been loving the addition of jalapeños in the veggie burger mix so much that I’ve done it with three of my recipes now, it’s a favorite 🙂
I’m getting ready to make these for the second time, and I love them! Piled high with the slaw and guacamole, It’s so filling that I have it without a bun. I find this lighter than a typical black bean burger, I adjust it to taste by omitting the jalapenos and removing the cheese. I can’t wait to try the other recipes.
Woot woot! So stoked you’re loving these buffalo burgers and I can’t wait to hear what you try next! Thank you Jain 🙂
This recipe was awesome!!! I made it last night. My husband loved it and he is not a fan of veggie burgers. He said, “This needs to be put on the rotation.” We are not vegetarians.
Yay!!!! So happy to hear it Ann, thank you! 🙂
These were amazing! I am so happy that I found this recipie. They reheat well also in the old fashion George Forman. I will def. be making more of these and often! Big hit with the MR. who swears they tasted like a spicy chicken sandwhich. Can’t wait to try it with different ingredients…. black beans and corn, Mediterranean…. ! Yummm
These were delicious! Added an extra egg. I did not make the slaw but we enjoyed the burgers and avocado smash.
These are sooo good! Definitely better than most frozen store bought veggie burgers. I LOVE buffalo sauce so I drench mine in extra sauce. Thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂
This was the best burger I’ve ever had! I didn’t blend the beans and oatmeal, just mashed with a fork. I didn’t cook the onions and carrots and I didn’t spice it up, just medium using salsa and a little horseradish. I used EVOO and added Stevia to the slaw. I added sliced tomato. Boy was it sloppy and yummy!!
Thank you so so much Carol! Love the salsa and horseradish addition – super tasty combo!
Made these as part of a burger cooking frenzy. Baked them instead of pan frying. I think I cooked them too long and will definitely pan fry next time… and there will definitely be a next time. These came out yummy, great flavor. I can’t wait for the family to try them.
I was thinking of baking these as well since I’m making them for a party. How long did you bake them for and at what temperature? Thanks!
Hey Anna! I’m going to try baking these to get an exact time for ya (and because I need more of these bad boys in my life – YUM!) But my guess for bake-only would be approx 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through to crisp each side.
So super stoked there will be a next time, Karen! Thanks for the glowing review! 🙂
Just saw this email and can wait to make these for dinner tonight. I’ve never used the hot sauce before. Is it a 1/4 cup or a tablespoon? I couldn’t tell from tell from the directions. Thanks!
So excited you’ll be trying them Karen; I LOVE these burgers! I originally had 3-4 TBSP written there and found it worked best with 1/4 cup. Fixing that right now – super glad you caught it, thanks! 🙂 Hope you absolutely adore the veggie burgers!
Hi! I made these yesterday and they were really yummy! I’ve been trying to make more meat-free meals, and luckily my somewhat-picky husband really liked these as well! One question—am I reading it correctly that you use 1.5 cups of rolled oats in the burgers? I only used 1 cup in mine, and they were just the right consistency. I was afraid any more oats and they’d be too dry. Only wondering b/c I want to share this recipe with my coworkers, so I figured I’d check on that first. Thanks!
Hi Katie! I usually use 1.5 for all my veggie burger recipes and it works great here, and for many others too so I think there’s a flexible zone with these that one cup works as well as a cup and a half! (ps: it’s totally good to know this if I’m low on oats when making them!) You can tell your friends both methods work if you’d like. I’m so excited you’re sharing the recipe and that you enjoyed it too, thanks Katie!
So glad to see this convo! I plan to make these as soon as we have hot sauce in the house again (first time ever we’ve run out!?) but gotta say – gluten free oats are expensive and 1.5 cups is a couple of days of breakfast for me here! So I might downsize to 1 cup and give it a whirl.
Has anyone ever used a substitute with good results? I also have some pretty tasty GF seasoned breadcrumbs, wondering about subbing in some of those to reduce the oats.
Oooh the breadcrumb oat combo might work great! I bet you could even do half and half! The main objective of the grains is to bind the burger together so the veggies don’t launch all over the place when you bite into the burger and to give it that awesome texture. Let me know if you get a chance to experiment! xoxo
It might be me but I feel like the “instructions” section has gone missing…would like that back so I can make these this weekend haha.
OMG!!! Thank you! I was moving the recipe over to a new recipe card and completely deleted the instructions — off to check my back ups right now – thank you Meig!
On my screen there isn’t any instructions. Just list of ingredients and “ready to eat?” sections.
Do I just toss everything in the food processor and then form the patties?
Thank you Sasha! I had some errors moving the recipe over to a new recipe card (with better print options – yay!!!!) but it went missing in the process. I think it’s all fixed now – so terribly sorry about the mix-up in the process! Hope you get a chance to make these burgers – I’m obsessed with them! 🙂
SO good!!! I made these tonight for my family– vegetarian husband and 16 yr old, and non-veg 13 yr old and me. We all loved them! Three of us had guacamole, lettuce, tomato and goat cheese on them, one had just the goat cheese. All served on sprouted wheat rolls. They held together well, which is rare with bean burgers. Glad I made a few extra (it made 8 burgers) so I can freeze them and do this again. Thank you!
Love this recipe. My wife’s a vegetarian and we always struggle with good recipes, especially for burgers. These are perfect!
Thank you Dave! Hope you both adore these burgers! The texture of a good homemade veggie burger is the best to me. I don’t think I can even muster the store-bought ones now 🙂
Genius! Want this for lunch. Love this recipe, and your entire blog!
Than you Marilyn!!❤️
I puffy heart these.
I am loving bean-based veggie burgers this summer!!! Also, they look quite sturdy!! Have you tried grilling them? They look stable enough to hold up to it – which is great for a veggie burger!
Also, I love the idea of a simple coleslaw on a veggie burger! All in all, these look fabulous!!! Pinning them for later:)
Thanks so much Maria! I was planning on making a second batch since I didn’t leave any for my husband to try (all mine! haha!) — I’ll see if he wants to fire up the grill with me and experiment! Woot! 🙂
Looks delish! Between the chickpeas and avocado smash, definitely a satisfying meatless meal!
Thanks Mary! 🙂