Recipe for a vegan Falafel Burger with avocado sauce, spinach & homemade burger buns (pretzel style). This is the ultimate flavor explosion for falafel-lovers.
Falafel aka chickpea goodness are awesome as they are already but Falafel in a burger are super-duper-amazing! For these vegan Falafel Burgers, I've made some homemade pretzel buns. And I topped the buns with black and white sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Because the more seeds = the better.
This Falafel Burger is a real flavor explosion. I love the creaminess of the avocado sauce, the crispiness of the falafel patties and the freshness of the spinach and arugula.
These Falafel Burgers make an excellent dinner or lunch. When you prepare your next huge batch of Falafel, why not use a part of the chickpea mash for falafel patties? You can freeze them and use them in this burger the next time. This saves a lot of time.
For these Falafel patties, we're using dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight, rinsed, drained and cooked until soft. If you want to use canned chickpeas, I'd recommend sticking to this recipe (of course you can omit the collard greens).
For the burger buns, you could use Pretzel Buns or Seeded Burger Buns. Or if you don't feel like making your own burger buns, you can always use store-bought ones. No judging!
More Vegan Burger Recipes
I hope you enjoy this burger as much as I do! Let me know if you give it a try!
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Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Falafel Burger with avocado sauce, spinach and homemade burger buns
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Falafel Patties
- ¾ cup dried chickpeas (soaked and cooked, see step 1)
- ½ red onion (peeled)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika powder
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons besan/chickpea flour
Ingredients for the avocado sauce
- 1 avocado
- ½ teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ground pepper
Ingredients for the rest of the burger
- 4 pretzel buns
- ½ cup baby spinach
- ½ cup arugula
Instructions
Directions for the Falafel Patties
- Put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl, cover with enough water (the chickpeas will double in size!) and let them sit covered overnight. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Cook them until soft. I've used my instant pot and used the 'beans' setting.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Add all the ingredients for the falafel patties into a food processor and process until combined.
- With the chickpea mixture, form 4 patties. If the falafel mixture does not stick together enough, add more chickpea flour, if it's too dry, add a splash of water or more oil.
- Put the falafel patties on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and them spray/brush with oil. Bake them in the oven for about 25 minutes flipping them halfway through.
Directions for the Avocado Sauce
- Peel and pit the avocado, put the avocado flesh in a food processor. Add the salt, lime juice, and ground pepper. Process until it's a smooth sauce. Taste and add more salt or lime juice to taste.
Assemble your burgers
- Slice the Burger Buns open. Add the Falafel patty*, avocado sauce, spinach and arugula and top it with the top of the burger bun. Enjoy!
Strength and Sunshine says
Ah yea! Creamy avocado with a lovely falafel on a wonderful bun...that's perfect! Bite of delicious!
Bianca says
Awww, thank you so much Rebecca! I always make a few falafel patties when I make my regular batch of falafel so it's not much effort at all and super delicious.
Natalie says
Whenever I see those seedy buns I know there is another amazing burger recipe from Bianca! Falafel was met to be burger-ized, and that avo sauce is perfect :)
Bianca says
Oh, that's so sweet of you, Natalie! Hahahaa, I can't stand those typical dry store-bought burger buns so I always have to make them myself. It's a bit of effort but totally worth it :)
Jennifer says
Homemade Buns? WOW! Awesome! And anything falafel 'has me at hello' YUM! Looking forward to Vegan MoFo! Would love to support eachother throughout the month! Swing by my place when you have the chance :)
Bianca says
Thanks Jennifer! I'm rather unhappy with the dry burger buns we have in the stores here, so homemade is definitely the better choice :)
Yeah, happy Vegan MoFo! So exciting! I'm heading over to your site now :)
Sina @ Vegan Heaven says
This looks so delicious, Bianca! I love veggie burgers! They're one of my favorites! And how great that you used homemade buns and avocado. :-)
Bianca says
Thank you so much, Sina! I'm so glad you like it. I try to stuff avocados in pretty much any burger I make because it just makes it so, so much better. Oh and homemade burger buns (with seeds!) are a must for me :D
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker says
Wow, lady -- you've thought of everything, down to the bun. I'm impressed! Looks delish and I'm a huge fan of falafel + avocado. I agree -- the creaminess and crispiness are the perfect combo!
Bianca says
Aww, thanks Audrey. I love meals that are entirely made from scratch.
Luxe Calendar says
Ah yea! Creamy avocado with a lovely falafel on a wonderful bun…that’s perfect! Bite of delicious!
Great Bianca!
Shannon says
No cooking of the chickpeas.... just soaking?
Bianca says
Exactly! For the Falafel I only soak the chickpeas overnight and process them in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
Rafaela says
Can't wait to make these!! Two questions though: what do you mean by glaze? and can I use regular flour if i can't find chickpea flour?
Bianca says
Hi Rafaela,
sorry, english isn't my first language so I sometimes end up using wrong/unusual/weird terminologies. I meant to caramelize the onions - slowly cook them in a little oil until they are golden. I fixed it in the instructions. I have had readers substitute the chickpea flour with regular flour and it worked for them. So it should be okay :)
I hope you like them!
Rafaela says
Thank you for your reply:)
Monica says
Hello,
can I use a mixer if I don't have a food processor?
Bianca says
which mixer you mean? like a kitchen aid or like an immersion blender? I used an immersion blender for making falafel before I had a food processor and it works but it's soooo much more work. Not sure if it would work with a kitchen aid mixer.
Albert Bevia says
These burgers are truly stunning! and the images are top-notch, now I am starving for this!!!!
Bianca says
Thank you so much, Albert! It almost took me a whole day to prep everything from scratch and shoot, so I'm glad the photos turned out nice :D
Charlie says
I made these for my family yesterday and it was a huge success! The recipe was easy to follow and worth all the effort- Even the pretzel buns! I was shocked by how well everything turned out since it was my first time making bread but wow! The taste was really good and you don’t feel bloated and greasy after eating it- compared to a regular burger. I didn’t have avacado so I simply used plain greek yogurt for a sauce and it complimented it really well. Thanks so much for sharing! Will be making again!!
Bianca says
Oh, I'm really happy to hear that, Charlie! You even made the pretzel buns - I'm really impressed! So glad to hear everything turned out fine!
Kelly says
Do the nutritional facts include the bun and toppings or just the falafel patty? Can't wait to try this!
Bianca says
The nutritional facts include the bun and toppings as well. But keep in mind that this is estimated nutritional info. If you're really strict about the nutritional values, it's best to check with a nutritional value calculator of your choice :)
shin says
las calorias tambien cuenta con el pan y la salsa
N says
Is it possible to make these without having to cook the chickpeas? In other words, just soak them overnight very well (I add baking soda to soften them more). Trying to save a step and some time... : )
Bianca says
I believe you could skip that step. But I've found that they are more easily digestible if you cook them first.