Chickpea Cauliflower Burger (Printable)
Chickpea and roasted cauliflower patties seasoned with cumin and smoked paprika; pan-seared and served on toasted buns.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables & Legumes
01 - 1½ cups (240 g) cooked chickpeas, or canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
02 - 2 cups (200 g) cauliflower florets
03 - 1 small red onion, finely diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - ½ cup (15 g) fresh parsley, chopped
→ Binders & Add-ins
06 - ¾ cup (75 g) breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed)
07 - 1 large egg (or 1 flaxseed egg for vegan)
08 - 2 tbsp olive oil
09 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
→ Seasonings
10 - 1 tsp ground cumin
11 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
12 - ½ tsp ground coriander
13 - ½ tsp salt
14 - ¼ tsp black pepper
→ To Serve
15 - 4 burger buns (gluten-free if needed)
16 - Salad greens, sliced tomatoes, pickles, and sauces as desired
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange cauliflower florets on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 20 minutes until tender and lightly golden. Let cool slightly.
02 - In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, red onion, garlic, and parsley. Pulse until cohesive but still retaining some texture.
03 - Transfer the processed mixture to a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg (or flaxseed egg), lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
04 - With damp hands, shape the mixture into 4 equal patties. If the mixture feels too wet, add additional breadcrumbs 1 tbsp at a time until it holds together.
05 - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties for 4–5 minutes per side until golden brown and heated through.
06 - Toast the burger buns if desired. Layer each bun with a patty, salad greens, sliced tomatoes, pickles, and your favorite sauces.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The patties hold together beautifully without feeling dense, which took me three attempts to get right and now I refuse to make them any other way.
- Everything roasts and pulses in under an hour, so you can pull this off on a weeknight without losing your mind.
- The smoky cumin and paprika combination makes these taste like they came off a grill even when you cooked them on a stovetop in January.
02 -
- If your patties fall apart in the pan, the mixture is too wet and you need more breadcrumbs, learned this the hard way after scraping a tragic mess off my skillet.
- Letting the shaped patties rest in the fridge for 15 minutes before cooking firms them up dramatically and makes flipping painless.
03 -
- Taste the raw mixture for seasoning before shaping the patties because adjusting salt after cooking is too late.
- A squeeze of lemon juice over the finished patty right before serving brightens every single flavor on the plate.