Well, after 2 unsuccessful attempts at making vegan burgers, I finally mastered it! And I couldn’t say what was the key ingredient, though I did learn that adding too many chunky vegetables in them will cause the burgers to fall apart easier. So for this, I will add some optional additions to the burgers, but I highly recommend only adding in 1 extra ingredient from the optional list, unless you want to have burgers that will crumble.

Another thing I learned is that freezing your burgers before cooking them actually makes them stronger and less prone to falling apart while cooking. They also hold together quite well after and through storage, and the texture is like a real burger!

I’ve been wanting to make my own burgers for some time now, especially since a lot of store bought vegan burgers are packed with processed ingredients and preservatives, as listed in the ingredients below:

So I’ve always wanted to come up with my own fresh vegan burger, sans methylcellulose, succinic acid and vegetable glycerin. It took a couple tries to find the right combo, but once I combined two of my favorite things: chickpeas and quinoa, I knew I had the winning combo!

These vegan burgers are flavorful, have a great texture, they don’t fall apart, and best of all, they are healthy! No added preservatives and minimal ingredients. You can make a large batch and store them in a container in a freezer for up to a month! All you need to do is take out a couple at a time to cook, or cook them all at once and store them in the fridge.

The burgers are also extremely versatile. You can eat these in place of conventional burgers, use them in wraps, salads or just eat them plain with some avocado, like I love to do!

So without further ado…let us begin!

You will need:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 cans of chickpeas
• 1/2 cup garbanzo flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 6 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup thinly diced onion
• 1/3 cup bell pepper
• Optional (use 1 of the following if you want):
  • 1/3 cup sweet corn
  • 1/3 cup green onion
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley (in place of the tsp of parsley above)

Step 1:

If you have not cooked your chickpeas and quinoa first, now is the time to do it. Cook the chickpeas and quinoa according to the package directions, then set aside to cool.

Step 2:

In a cup, mix the 3 tablespoons of flax meal in with the 6 tablespoons of water, and set aside to thicken. This will be your egg substitute for the burgers.

As the flax eggs are thickening, thinly dice the onion, bell pepper and if you added an additional vegetable, thinly dice those as well. Do not cut the vegetables too large, or it will interfere with the burger consistency and cause them to fall apart.

Step 3:

Place the cooled chickpeas in a high powered blender, and blend on high until the mix it fully blended and creamy. Scrape out the chickpeas and put into a large mixing bowl. Add in the parsley, onion powder, salt, pepper, onions, bell pepper and any vegetable ingredients added. Mix together thoroughly, then add in the garbanzo flour and flax egg.

Step 4:

By this time the mix should be thicker and you will be able to from patties. Roll out small 2 inch balls and place on a tray or container lined with parchment paper. This way you can stack the burgers on top of each other without them sticking during freezing.

Once you have formed all the patties, place them in a container, no more than 3 layers high. Put the container in the freezer and freeze the burgers for at least 30 minutes if you want to cook them the same day.

Step 5:

Once the burgers are frozen, they are ready to cook! Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in your pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is heated, put the burger patties on the pan, and sear the outside so they have a crispy texture. Flip the burgers over and turn the heat down to medium. Cook well on both sides until the patties are golden brown with a crispy outside.

Once the burgers are done, you are ready to prepare them! You can use any assortment of ingredients you want. I personally LOVE them with bread, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, some vegan mayonnaise and mustard. They are DELICIOUS!

You can also eat these burgers separately, in a salad or use them in a wrap. It’s completely up to you!

Enjoy!