Cheesy Crunchy Crispy Chickpea Burgers.
Another bean burger. I KNOW.
Is it getting old? I’m getting old.
I keep making them! I’m on a bean burger journey.
Each one gets better than the last but the previous ones serve their purpose too. And these ones are super special because…
…we aren’t totally cooking the beans. Nuts, right? Or BEANS.
We’re soaking them overnight – just enough to keep some fabulous texture and chew. And I’m no stranger to putting quinoa in burgers, so there is some of that too. Of course.
Ooooh and want to hear something fun? We actually made these crispy burgers at a private cooking class I did on Saturday night for a bachelorette party.
Yes. A bach party! How fun is that? Fun fun fun. Complete with party straws and everything.
You know what I mean.
So here is the deal with these burgers. This recipe as written makes some THICK burgers. HUGE. It’s important that you keep half of the chickpeas coarsely chopped so that you get a lot of texture and chew. You definitely do not need to make huge burgers, and if you’re serving these to someone who is having a veg burger for the first time, maybe thin out one of the patties juuuuuust slightly. Or make bean balls. Almost like little falafel.
Or! The other deal with these burgers – guys, they are really crispy. Really, really crispy. You want to know why? Um, because we are almost deep frying them. Well, no, we are not REEEEALLY deep frying them, but I’ve realized that the way to a super all around crunchy-outside burger is to add enough oil to the skillet so it comes up halfway around the burger. This way, even the sides get crispy and crunchy and you have excellent crunch ALL the way around, and not just on the top and the bottom. Half deep frying?
I almost did this successfully with my autumn veg burgers, but as you can see, there is still some un-crispiness all around the edges.
Not cool. Not cool at all.
These ones are cah-runchy. Super crunch.
But now listen. I totally get it. It’s Monday, it’s mid-week, it’s almost summertime where clothing is scare and you’re not sure if you want to heat a hot pot of olive oil or consume a super fried burger at the moment because you had pizza, peanut butter cookies and 10 pieces of toblerone this past weekend (just me?) so you want to know if… maybe… you can just… not super fry them… ?
The answer is yes. BUT. A big big but. You can pan-fry these in a tablespoon or so of olive oil. They will only be crispy on the ends, so I would not make them too thick. They might fall apart, because the slightly deeper oil helps hold them together.
Your other option is to make them as called for and crumble them over a salad. I’ve done it! It’s delicious.
Long story long, this is a splurgy chickpea burger. I’ve made lots of versions of a bean burger while trying to keep things on the lighter side. And they taste good. But this one is indulgent. I am a burger fiend and at the moment, I love this so might that I might choose it over beef.
And add bacon, but whatever.
Oh also, I am super boring and made chipotle ketchup AGAIN (I know, get a life!) because I can’t get enough. For me personally, even with the cheese, burgers like these need some sort of sauce. Or at least I need some sort of sauce. Especially when the burgers are fat as heck because the insides can get dry at times if you overcook. Chipotle mayo would also totally work! Or a crazy grainy mustard thing.
Can you just feel the crunch? GAH.
Cheesy Crunchy Crispy Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons grainy mustard
- ¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2/3 cup cooked quinoa
- 8 ounces fontina cheese, sliced
- 8 whole grain buns
- lettuce for topping
- canola or grapeseed oil for frying
spicy ketchup
- 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Instructions
- Note: you want to soak the beans overnight, or for at least 10 to 12 hours. Place them in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. You may have some leftover beans, in which case I suggest you make hummus! You DO NOT want to use canned beans for this recipe – you won’t be able to get the coarse texture and chew.
- Add 3 cups of the soaked chickpeas to a food processor and pulse until just very coarsely chopped. Place the chopped chickpeas in a large bowl. Add the 3 other cups of chickpeas to the food processor along with the onion, garlic, eggs, mustard, basil, oregano, dill, salt, pepper and paprika. Blend until the chickpeas and totally pureed and you have a sticky paste to work with. Add the paste to the bowl with the coarse chickpeas. Add the cooked quinoa to the bowl. Mix everything together well. Form the batter into 8 thick patties with your hands, about 1 inch thick and 2.5 inches in diameter – pressing well with your hands so they stick together. I find that grabbing a handful of the mixture, squeezing it together tightly and forming from there works. If you continue to squeeze and press, the mixture will start to fall apart. Place the burgers on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick spray and place it in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.
- To make the spicy ketchup, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add about ½ inch of oil. You want the oil to come up to the center of each burger so the sides get crispy too. Once the oil is hot (I don’t measure the temp, just keep your eye on the burgers the whole time), add the burgers (cooking in 2 or 3 batches) gently to the skillet so they don’t crumble. Cook until each side is crispy, about 4 minutes per side – very very gently flipping with a large spatula. Right before the burger is finished, add a slice or two of fontina on top and let it melt. If you have a little too much oil in the skillet, you can transfer each burger to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease and place the cheese on top right away. It should start to melt since the burger will be so hot.
- Serve the burgers with romaine on the bun and topped with spicy ketchup!
Notes
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burger crime scene?
71 Comments on “Cheesy Crunchy Crispy Chickpea Burgers.”
I really like the idea of crispy bean burgers. And it’s almost grilling season at our cottage on Lake Ontario. Going to have to give these a whirl.
Can I eat these for breakfast? I really want to. Chickpea burgers are definitely up my alley. I adore falafel and know these will be a hit in my house. The photographs are perfect.
I have very recently (like last week) come around to the idea of the whole NO MEAT in my burger idea.
And, you know what? I kinda sorta LUHVE IT.
These deep-fried-but-only-kind burgers are totally my jam. Bring on the beany burger goodness! Pinned!
I love a good bean burger! These look delicious!
I love your innovative recipes! I’ve actually never had a veggie burger before, so this could be a perfect introduction into the veggie burger world for me! I think I would have to go for the “full” deep fry. It would be a sin to miss out on those crispy edges! Great recipe!
I love a bean burger! I’m so intrigued by the no cooking of the beans AND the halfway deep fry! They look fantastic.
I have to make these, looks so incredibly crispy! And I think that a grainy mustard would be PERFECT with these! So good.
Crunchy chickpea burgers? These are what dreams are made of!
Mmmm sounds delicious — and fontina … girl, you sold me!
OMG these looks so insanely good, almost taking falafel to a whole new level, making it in a beautiful tall, huge burger!
Give me ALL THE CRUNCH. Loving this crumbled over salad plan too.
I can totally deal with a splurgy chickpea burgers. And also, there are never enough good veggie burger recipes. So pumped for the crispy!
These look amazingly delicious! Am I a total baby that it freaks me out not to cook the beans?! I’ve been googling for a while now and can’t decide if that’s dangerous or not…
Your burgers always look super ridiculous in the best way possible! Love the sauciness. Gimme gimme!
I’m normally a real-burger (with cheese, bacon, and prooobably a fried egg) kind of girl, but the crispiness factor here is really speaking to me! YUM!
You had me at crispy + crunchy and then I saw chickpeas… yes!!!
I’m still baffled that you just soak the chickpeas and don’t need to cook them?!? I wonder if the same technique would work for other beans as well? I usually hate using dry beans because you have to soak them AND cook them but with one less step I can see myself using them more. #lazy
Many beans (when uncooked – which includes when they’re just soaked) contain high levels of a toxin that can cause food poisoning. I haven’t been able to find much on chickpeas, but I’d still be nervous to use them uncooked. Here’s some more info. Just be careful!
http://www.exsloth.com/beans-undercooked-toxins/
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/ucm071092.htm
Haven’t had much experience with the chickpea burger concept, but this recipe looks like it would be a solid place to start.
Question: did you mean 6 cups of soaked chickpeas instead of the 3 cups you have listed in the ingredients? In the recipe, you mention chopping the 3 cups of soaked chickpeas, setting aside and then pouring “3 other cups of chickpeas” into the processor for the blended mix—so it sounds like you’d be using 6…I definitely want to try this so hoping to figure this out!
you want to start with 3 cups of dry chickpeas – then soak them overnight. the beans will double (or more) in volume! so then you take 3 cups of the soaked and coarsely chop, then 3 more cups and puree. does that make sense?? you might even have some chickpeas leftover!
So especially 3 C of dry chickpeas yields double that in soaked?
yes! you will probably even have a little leftover.
Bring on the bean burgers. I don’t mind at all. And cooking for a bachelorette party sounds like so much fun. Yeah for girly time!
That is the most delicious looking crime scene. I may love meat but I do love a good bean burger too!
I adore this. That CRUNCH! (not that I can eat crunchy foods at the moment, as I just got my wisdom teeth out *cries*). But seriously. That CRUNCH!
Crunchy, without frying, and made with chickpeas! This is my kind of burger for sure!! Pinned!
I’ve been thinking about limiting meat in my diet – This recipe might be the perfect way to replace a burger. Can’t wait to try!
Looks delicious and so healthy!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Would a mozerella stuffed version of these be crazy? (Because if you’re going to half deep fry them, you may as well go all out? Might help with any dryness too… Mmm I think I’ll try it!!)
I LOVE chickpea burgers!!! And cheese makes it all that much better :)
These burgers seriously look great! As a vegetarian, I’m always looking for meals like these, so I will definitely have to try them out.
Can’t wait to give these a try. I don’t eat meat and i’m always looking for vegetarian burgers. These look so hearty and filling!!
dude, bean burgers are so NOT getting old, at least to me. I made some last week – OMG from your BOOK now that I think about it! – and loved them but I pureed them too much so they were delicious but soft. crispy sounds perfect and I will be trying these this week! thank you for the recipe!
Ohhh I love your bean burger journey and I’m happy to tag along. These look amazingly crispy and delicious. I don’t think bean burgers are getting old!
Yes to allll of the bean burgers! Because then I can pig out on massive amounts of french fries. Loving this!
Chickpeas might be my favourite food ever! I may even love them more than chocolate… These burgers look like one of your best recipes yet!
These look epic and I want one in my mouth right now! I’m definitely trying the chipotle ketchup too because I agree that burgers need some sauce!
Gorgeous recipe! I love chickpea recipes x
http://unasrandomfashion.com
These sound divine ! Really into the veggie vibe these days, so these are perfect :-)
These look delicious!!!! The pictures are fantastic.
Question- I’m not a fan of any mustard except maybe the squirt or 2 of yellow mustard my mom sneaks in her hamburger bbq. Is there something else I can sub for the grainy mustard? Or does it hide very well?!
I love bean burgers and don’t think I will ever get tired of them. Your pictures are making me salivate.
What a delicious looking burger! It looks so fresh and healthy! Will have to try on a meatless night.
Ummm, who needs beef?! Not this girl anymore. These burgers look insane! Totally crushing on all the CRUNCH! :)
These fell apart literally as soon as I stuck them in the pan (it’s worth noting I was using significantly less oil than called for), so they ended up being like a chickpea/quinoa sloppy joe. But, OMG it was so good! Maybe the best veggie “burger” I’ve ever had!! So easy too!
I have a question, do the beans really get cooked all the way through by just deep frying them just 4 minutes on a side??
Down with bad veggie burgers! All hail the rise of the How Sweet Eats veggie burger kingdom! We could call it Burger Queen!
I love, love, love the look of these! As a full-time vegetarian I am sick of weakling veggie burgers. Sometimes this girls just wants a treat-yo-self veggie burger with cheese and a dose of awesome sauce in her life.
Thanks for always delivering,
Your humble burger servant, Amy :)
This looks amazing!! Can’t wait to try it!
-Sarah
stylishlyblogged.blogspot.ca
Your burgers look amazing! So happy you like the soaked chickpea method. I am totally making that chipotle ketchup. Love you blog. I’m a terrible commenter, but always reading :)
Every one needs a good bean burger. Now that it is FINALLY getting warmer I am all about burgers. One a week is needed.
I’m not vegetarian but I cannot resist burgers like this. I could seriously have them every day. This looks like a wonderful version – the crisp on the edge looks perfect.
Okay, I definitely need this in my life. Yum!
Sometimes you just need to treat yourself to fried food! Looks delicious!
These look fantastic! I sometimes don’t buy meat just because it’s too expensive (college girl probs), so I’ll have to try this out when my budget is low–not that I’d mind because I love a good burger alternative. Would I be able to substitute rice for quinoa? I happen to have a lot on hand at the moment…
So maybe urban myth… But can’t eating uncooked beans lead to some serious GI issues? http://m.wikihow.com/Avoid-Food-Poisoning-from-Undercooked-Beans ( I know that’s not a peer-reviewed phD source, but it seemed informative :) ) mostly I am curious as I just made The Kind Mama’s bean/oat waffles and had the big D for two days :(