Homemade veggie burgers have a reputation for lacking texture. And often they do. But they don’t have to! The key to creating a veggie burger with excellent texture is all in the ingredients you use. If you make a burger out of just beans and seasonings it’ll be pure mush. You need to add textural ingredients! I’ve experimented with this in the past and came up with a lot of great combinations. Black bean walnut burgers have a great bite, as do sweet potato falafel burgers made with the addition of chickpea flour. These quinoa burgers turned out great, but I wondered if I could take that amazing texture to the next level…and so I did, with the creation of these chickpea quinoa burgers. Chickpeas are a tad firmer than most beans, so they add a nice crumbly element when blended up. For flavor we’re using spicy Buffalo sauce, which packs in the heat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Quinoa. Dried quinoa can usually be bought near the rice or in the international foods aisle of most supermarkets. It comes in different colors, and any of them will work here. I used white quinoa to let the vibrant orange from the Buffalo sauce shine through. Water. Or use vegetable broth to infuse your quinoa with extra flavor. Rolled oats. Optionally use certified gluten-free rolled oats. Chickpeas. We’re using canned chickpeas to keep things simple, but you could certainly cook yours from scratch if preferred. You’ll need about 1 ¾ cups. Hot sauce. Preferably use Frank’s hot sauce, which has that distinctive flavor we associate with Buffalo sauce. It’s also mild enough that we can use a lot of it! Feel free to use a different hot sauce if you prefer. Garlic. Scallions. You might know these as green onions. Salt. Cayenne pepper. Just use this if you want extra heat in your burgers. Vegetable oil. You can use any high-heat oil you like to grill your burgers. Burger buns. Check the ingredients to ensure your buns are vegan. Optionally you can use buns that are gluten-free as well. Toppings. It’s all up to you here! Try lettuce, tomato, pickle slices, vegan mayo, vegan ranch dressing, or vegan blue cheese dressing.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe! Start by cooking your quinoa in broth or water. If you’ve never cooked quinoa before, check out this tutorial on how to cook quinoa. Tip: If you have leftover quinoa on hand, use it to make these burgers! You’ll need about 1 ¼ cups. Blend your oats in a food processor, the add the remaining ingredients: cooked quinoa, chickpeas, hot sauce, garlic and scallions. Blend the mixture again, but be careful not to overdo it. Over-blending is another common cause of mushy vegan burgers. Shape the mixture into patties and grill them for a few minutes on each side. Stuff your chickpea quinoa patties into buns and pile on your favorite toppings.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover Buffalo chickpea quinoa burger patties will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Prep-Ahead Tips
The quinoa can be cooked in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The burger mixture can be blended up in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
What To Serve with Chickpea Quinoa Burgers
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