Falafel Burgers

I don’t have many vegetarian burger recipes up on the site - my Vegetarian Chorizo Burgers with Grilled Poblano & Cilantro Pesto, mostly.

There’s also my Paneer Burgers if you’re being generous with the term “veggie burger” (it’s a hunk of cheese!), and my Vegetarian Donairs if you’re willing to be REALLY generous with your definition of “burger”... but I digress.

Let’s call it a “quality over quantity” issue, eh?

Anyway, recently I was working up a recipe for Dukkah Spiced Lamb Burgers, and neither of us was willing to repeat The Great Lamb Burger Drama from a few years ago (don’t ask), so I offered him a choice:

I can do the same burgers for him, just in Beyond Meat... or I could do it up as homemade falafel burgers.

He went with doing it up as a fun twist on a classic falafel sandwich, and here we are!

Rather than forming the burger mixture into small balls and giving them a good deep fry, I did it up in burger form.

It’s well seasoned with a generous dose of my Pistachio Dukkah, a warm, savory Egyptian spice that we adore.

The falafel patty is accompanied with some hummus, spinach and red onion slices, before the whole sandwich is crowned with a homemade Labneh-Feta-Mint sauce.

(A really thick feta and yogurt sauce with fresh herbs!).

Anyway, it’s fantastic, so let’s get to it!

Ingredients

This falafel burger recipe has a LONG ingredient list, but they’re all relatively simple ingredients that can either be found in almost any grocery store, or made at home from easy to find ingredients.

A few notes for you:

Garbanzo Beans

Gabanzo Beans - AKA Chickpeas - are the main ingredients in this recipe, in two forms:

Canned chickpeas make up the bulk of the burger, with Chickpea Flour / Garbanzo Bean Flour acting as the binger.

This is a gluten-free flour. I use it - rather than plain flour / all purpose flour or bread crumbs - as it’s not only a gluten free burger by doing so, it’s also wholly chickpea.

I’m not big on using fillers in burgers in general, and using a dried and powdered version of the main ingredient seems more legit, in my mind. More in line with authentic falafel, anyway!

Labneh

Labneh is a delicious Middle Eastern dairy product. It’s basically a thick, spreadable cheese made from yogurt.

It looks, tastes, and works like a spreadable cream cheese, just... nicer, somehow, IMHO.

I’m lucky enough live somewhere that I can get labneh in major chain grocery stores, but not everyone has that luxury.

To make your own labneh, add a little salt (½ teaspoon for every 2 cups or so) to some plain Greek yogurt, and stir it well.

Line a plate or bowl with 2 layers of cheese cloth, and pour the yogurt into the middle.

Draw up the sides of the cheese cloth tightly around the yogurt and secure it with kitchen twine.

Place the cheesecloth ball in a strainer suspended over the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

You want all of the excess moisture has dripped out, leaving you with a very thick spread.

Dukkah

Dukkah is an Middle Eastern spice mix, made from nuts, seeds, and salt.

You can buy a retail Dukkah Spice Blend, or make your own at home.

I love my Pistachio Dukkah Recipe, and that’s what I use in this recipe - give it a try!

Shredded Feta Cheese

I use a shredded feta cheese in this recipe, as I like the flavour and texture of it.

You can use crumbled feta cheese if you prefer, just make sure it’s really well drained before using it.

Also, you might want to start out with a bit less than what I call for - it can be more salty & pungent than the shredded type.

Hummus

The best hummus for this is largely a matter of personal preferences, with the single caveat being “you want a hummus that accents the burger, not competes with it”.

We’ll generally use the original flavour of Sabra’s hummus, as it’s our favourite retail brand.

If you’d like to make some at home, try my Easy Smooth Hummus Recipe - it whips up in just minutes, skipping the fuss of dealing with canned OR dry chickpeas entirely!

Burger Buns

You can use whatever hamburger buns you like for this. We’ll usually use a brioche bun with sesame seeds for my husband, and a gluten-free bun for me.

It’s also great served in pita bread!

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Baby Spinach
Red Onion
Grated Onion (white onion or yellow onions)
Chopped Parsley
Fresh Mint
Lemon Zest
Garlic Cloves
Vegetable Oil
Ground Black Pepper
Kosher Salt

... I just don’t really have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

How to Make Dukkah Spiced Falafel Burgers

The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk through.

Feta Labneh Spread

In a small food processor, blend together the labneh, feta, mint, and lemon zest until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill until use.

Note: It will thicken up as it chills, so it’s best to make it ahead of time.

Dukkah Spiced Falafel Burgers

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Roll drained and rinsed chickpeas with paper towel to absorb any extra moisture.

Transfer chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor along with the onions and garlic.

Blitz until as smooth as you can get it - you’re looking for a paste-like consistency.

Transfer the chickpea mixture to a large bowl, along with the chickpea flour, ground pepper, and salt.

Gently use hands to get a really good mix going, making sure that everything is evenly distributed and well incorporated in the chickpea mixture.

Divide the falafel mixture into 3-4 equal balls - I usually do 4.

Form patties - flatten each ball into a patty that is roughly the size of your burger buns, maybe a little larger. Set aside.

Carefully transfer the prepared falafel burger patties to the hot oil, fry for about 3 minutes on each side.

You want them lightly golden brown, with a bit of a crust - you’re not aiming to cook them all the way through.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Once the time is up, remove from the oven and set aside for a few minutes to cool, as you prepare your burger buns and toppings.

To Assemble:

Split your hamburger buns.

Spread labneh feta spread on each top bun, and hummus on lower buns. Arrange baby spinach on top of the hummus

Place cooked falafel patty on bottom bun, top each burger patty with sliced red onion, and a prepared upper bun.

Leftover falafel burgers can be cooled to room temperature and kept in an airtight container the fridge for up to 3 days.

I’ll usually reheat the cold patties in the microwave for about 45 seconds, before assembling my burger.

More Burger Recipes

In the mood for a burger, and wanting to branch off from regular cheeseburgers? We've got you covered!

Ahi Tuna Burgers
Apple Chicken Burgers with Basil and Gouda
Copycat White Castle Burgers
Dukkah Spiced Lamb Burgers
Fresh Salmon Burgers with Spinach & Feta
Juicy Goosey Burger
Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi Burgers
Mediterranean Chicken Burgers
Moroccan Spiced Beyond Burgers
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Burgers
Paneer Burgers
Tandoori Chicken Burgers
Vegetarian Chorizo Burgers

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