These vegetarian Greek Chickpea Burgers are everything you need in a plant-based burger. They’re nutritious, loaded with flavour, and oh so delicious topped with veggies and creamy tzatziki sauce.

Every season is burger season! And whether you’re into nourishing vegetarian recipes or a frequent meat-eater, there’s a burger-lover in all of us. Fire up the grill, or in this case the frying pan and make these tasty plant-based Greek Chickpea Burgers.

These burgers are:

  • Super simple to make
  • Gluten-free (if you have celiac disease, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats)
  • Vegetarian
  • Easy to make vegan – just omit the feta cheese/tzatziki
  • Great for everyone to enjoy! Meat eaters and plant-based eaters alike!
These Greek Chickpea Burgers are everything you need in a plant-based burger. They're healthy, flavourful and delicious with creamy tzatziki sauce.

Why Make Greek Chickpea Burgers?

The flavours! Greek and Mediterranean-style dishes have some of my favourite flavours. Simple things like fresh parsley, garlic, feta cheese and olive oil turn these patties from just regular old chickpea burgers into more exciting, flavourful plant-based burgers.

Aside from the flavour, as a dietitian, I’ve always been inspired by the Mediterranean-style of eating.

Did you know that the Mediterranean diet is a well-researched diet pattern and thought to be one of the healthiest eating patterns in the world? With a focus vegetables and fruits, herbs and spices, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood and lean proteins, it’s easy to see why.

This recipe was inspired by my admiration for the Mediterranean eating-pattern and to encourage others to add more of the Mediterranean staples listed to their own eating patterns. For more Mediterranean-inspired flavours, try my Healthy Homemade Falafel Bowls with Quinoa.

How to Make Good Chickpea Burgers:

There are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years that result in the perfect veggie burger. I hope these help you, too!

Cook Your Vegetables.

A lot of veggie burger recipes call for vegetables like onion, garlic, and then some (carrot, zucchini, mushrooms etc!). This recipe just calls for onion and garlic, but taking that one extra step and sautéing them in the frying pan will help a TON.

Why? Raw vegetables hold a lot of water. If we add them uncooked, this water will release into the burgers when cooking, making the burgers too moist, maybe even mushy. This is why I recommend taking 5-6 minutes at the start of your burger prep to cook the vegetables. It’s worth it, I promise.

Use a binder.

Burgers need a binder! A good veggie burger needs something to hold everything together. Without one, the burger is more likely to crumble and break apart when cooking and eating. That’s no fun!

Use a binder like an egg, flax egg (mixture of flax and water), oats or bread crumbs. In this recipe, we use an egg and oats!

Season those burgers!

Animal-based burgers often get touted as more flavourful than veggie ones. This is because a lot of flavour comes from fat. Because veggie burgers naturally have a lower fat content than meat-based ones, we need to up the flavour by seasoning our burgers.

This recipe uses paprika, cumin, fresh parsley, chilli flakes and salt. Oh, and a little feta cheese which you can totally omit if vegan. 🙂

Meaty, not mushy.

A good veggie burger mimics a meat-based one. There’s a reason why Beyond Meat burgers have gained so much popularity!

To ensure our chickpea burgers maintain a meaty texture, it’s important not to over-process them in the food processor and to avoid using too much liquid seasoning like soy or Worcestershire sauce. In this recipe, we don’t use any!

For more tips, check out this article from The Kitchn.

These Greek Chickpea Burgers are everything you need in a plant-based burger. They're healthy, flavourful and delicious with creamy tzatziki sauce.

Other Vegetarian Recipes to Try:

Connect with Hannah Magee, RD

I want to hear from you! If you tried this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a rating on the recipe. It helps other people find my recipes, too.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, snap a pic and tag @hannahmagee_rd if you try a recipe! Looking forward to seeing your pics!

These Greek Chickpea Burgers are everything you need in a plant-based burger. They're healthy, flavourful and delicious with creamy tzatziki sauce.
greek chickpea burger on a bun with lettuce, tomato and tzatziki

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Servings: 6 burgers
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Resting Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
These vegetarian Greek Chickpea Burgers are everything you need in a plant-based burger. They're nutritious, flavourful and delicious with creamy tzatziki sauce.
5 from 6 ratings
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Ingredients

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
  • 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large egg, or "flax egg"
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats, (rolled oats *not quick oats)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 pinch chili pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1-2 tbsp oil for frying
  • 5-Minute Homemade Tzatziki, optional
  • sliced tomato, lettuce, red onion, etc., optional

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or just before they start to brown.
  • Add the fried onion and garlic to a food processor with remaining burger ingredients (everything except oil for frying). Pulse until ingredients are well-combined, but still have some texture.
  • With clean hands, shape mixture into 6-8 patties (I usually get 7) on a plate. Refrigerate patties for 30 minutes to set.
  • Heat oil on a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Place burger patties in the pan and cook on each side for approximately 5 minutes. The outside should be golden brown and slightly crisp when done.
  • Serve on a bun with desired toppings.
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Author: Hannah Magee
Did you make this recipe?Be sure to take a photo and tag me at @hannahmagee_rd so I can see!