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
- 3/4 cup dried chickpeas (soaked and cooked, see step 1)
- 1/2 red onion (peeled)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons besan/chickpea flour
Ingredients for the avocado sauce
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ground pepper
Ingredients for the rest of the burger
- 4 pretzel buns
- 1/2 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 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!
N
Monday 20th of January 2020
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
Monday 20th of January 2020
I believe you could skip that step. But I've found that they are more easily digestible if you cook them first.
shin
Sunday 18th of August 2019
las calorias tambien cuenta con el pan y la salsa
Kelly
Friday 1st of June 2018
Do the nutritional facts include the bun and toppings or just the falafel patty? Can't wait to try this!
Bianca
Tuesday 5th of June 2018
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 :)
Charlie
Thursday 28th of December 2017
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
Tuesday 2nd of January 2018
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!
Albert Bevia
Tuesday 12th of December 2017
These burgers are truly stunning! and the images are top-notch, now I am starving for this!!!!
Bianca
Friday 15th of December 2017
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