Easy Vegan Falafel Burgers

These easy vegan falafel burgers have all your favorite Middle Eastern flavors of classic fried falafel but in burger form! They are perfectly crispy and dark golden brown on the outside with a light, tender, seasoned chickpea center! Sandwich them with fresh veggies in a pretzel bun and drizzle with dill yogurt sauce for the best vegetarian dinner ever!

You Will Love These

• They're quick and easy! Yes - the garbanzo beans do require an 8-hour soak. But, how hard is it to pour water over dried beans and then go to bed? Not hard at all! In total, these falafel burgers require less than 10 ingredients and about 10 minutes of active prep time. Easy peasy!
• They're a great option for meatless Monday! These are a great alternative to those boring frozen veggie burgers you might be pulling out of the freezer for dinner each week. Spice it up with falafel burgers instead! Add some Greek Potato Wedges with yogurt sauce, tasty Vegan White Chickpea Chili, and this delightful Arugula salad with dried cherries and goat cheese and you’ll have a flavorful and filling vegetarian meal. 
• The falafel mixture stays fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days! That means you can have freshly fried falafel burgers any night of the week! Just make sure you store them in an airtight container in the fridge - there's a lot of fresh flavors in these burgers (garlic, onion, cilantro, parsley) which means they've got a fresh fragrance too! 🙂

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Dried Garbanzo Beans - You'll need to use DRIED garbanzo beans for this falafel burger recipe to get the best texture. I have not tested this recipe with canned chickpeas so I cannot speak to whether it would work or not.
• Onions - You could also use dried onion or onion powder in place of the onion in this recipe. The measurement will be different though. For this falafel burger recipe, I'd recommend substituting 2 tablespoons of dried minced onion or ½ a tablespoon of onion powder in place of the fresh diced onion.
• Fresh Garlic - Look in your spice cupboard for garlic powder if garlic cloves aren’t in your kitchen! Use just ⅛ of a teaspoon of powder in place of each clove. You can also substitute garlic salt. Use ½ teaspoon garlic salt in place of each clove. This adds an extra ⅜ teaspoon of salt, so decrease the salt in your recipe accordingly. 
• Parsley - If you’re missing this fresh ingredient, try celery leaves or carrot greens! If you have some, try using the same amount as the parsley in the recipe. Alternatively, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes equals 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley. (Tip: This ratio of dried-to-fresh applies to all herbs, including oregano, thyme, rosemary, and basil).
• Cilantro - This has a stronger flavor that stands out. If you don’t have fresh, (or don’t like it) try using other fresh herbs like basil, oregano, or even mint, for a different, but still delicious, falafel.
• Cumin - If you’re missing cumin, reach for some chili powder instead. Cumin is one of the principal ingredients in chili powder, so using it as a substitute is a way to get some of that cumin flavor back into your recipe. Start with half the amount that is called for, and increase if you prefer a stronger flavor. You can always add more, but it’s difficult to remove. 
• Baking Powder - If you don't have baking powder on hand, replace it with ⅓ the amount of baking soda.
• Flour - If you’re out of flour or simply want a gluten-free option, use oat flour ground from gluten-free oats or grind up your own in the blender. 

Instructions

Add dried garbanzo beans to a large bowl. Pour water over them.

Soak for 8-12 hours. They will nearly triple in size.

Drain water from chickpeas. 

Add onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, baking powder, 3 tablespoons flour, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to a food processor. 

Pulse until everything is well minced, scraping the sides as needed. Transfer to the large bowl. 

Pulse garbanzo beans into two batches in the food processor until well minced, scraping the sides as needed.

Transfer to the large bowl with the herb mixture. 

Mix garbanzo beans and herb mixture together. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. 

Use hands to gently form a large burger patty. 

Carefully flip the falafel patty onto a large spatula and gently slid the patty into the hot oil. 

If you're having trouble getting the burgers to stick together, please see the notes section below.

Fry falafel burgers in batches for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until the outside is a deep golden brown and very crispy.

Transfer to a paper towel lined platter to soak up any excess grease. 

Serve burgers in a pretzel bun garnished with sliced tomato, cucumber, and onion along with crumbled feta and a drizzle of yogurt sauce. 

Tips

• Use a heavy bottom pan for frying. The heavy bottom of the pan will help distribute the heat more evenly and maintain temperature throughout the frying process. I like to use either this 3.3 Quarter Enameled Cast Iron Pan or this 4.3 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven for this type of shallow frying.
• If you don't have a candy or meat thermometer, you can test the heat of the vegetable oil by adding a drop of water to it. If it sizzles immediately the oil is warm enough. BE CAREFUL when doing this - don't add more than a drop of water as the water will cause the oil to spit and spatter.
• The falafel mixture is going to be very crumbly. This is normal! It will hold together more once formed into a patty but will still fall apart easily so you have to handle the burger patties very gently. Once the patty hits the oil and starts to fry it will hold together very well.
• Use a spatula to finesse the falafel patties it into the hot oil. I find it easiest to form a patty and hold it in one hand, then place a large spatula upside down over the patty and gently flip the patty onto the spatula. Then slide the patty off the spatula and into the hot oil. It's easiest to make one patty at a time, immediately frying it in the oil after forming it. You can cook 3-4 patties at a time depending on the size of the pan you're using.
• Your oil may start to get too hot as you cook the falafel in batches. If the falafel patty is getting dark golden brown on one side in less than 3 minutes, turn the heat down just a bit. Alternately, if the falafel is taking longer than 4 minutes to cook on each side, you may need to turn the heat up a bit.
• If you're having trouble getting the mixture to stay together, try adding more flour. Depending on the day and how much moisture is coming from the herbs, garlic, and onion mixture you might need just the 3 tablespoons, or you might need all 6 tablespoons.

FAQ

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