Vegan Burgers With Chickpeas and Tofu

Last weekend, I had a whole bunch of very good friends over.
How good?

Good enough that I could use them as my vegan burger taste-testers—and trust them to give me honest, constructive feedback on every recipe and dish I served.

So what was on the menu?

Oh, just some small, freshly baked whole wheat buns I made myself (a separate post on those is coming soon), plus chickpea and tofu vegan burgers. They went beautifully with the big spread of salads I made, too (yes, another post coming soon – patience, people).

I'm happy to report that the reviews were unanimously positive. That gave me all the confidence I needed to share the recipe with you today.

These vegan burgers are perfect for a cookout: they don't fall apart on the grill or dry out, and you can make them ahead, freeze them, and thaw them before firing up the barbecue.

And the flavor?

They have a subtle "fresh off the grill" flavor—even without a grill—thanks to barbecue sauce you can find at just about any supermarket.

You can finish them indoors, too. All you need is a good, heavy grill pan.

Here's the nutrition breakdown from Noam Bachar (an Israeli clinical dietitian and fitness instructor):

Each patty contains:

170 calories, 17 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 7 g fat (including 0.5 g saturated fat), 1.5 mg iron, and 48 mg calcium.

Vegan Burgers

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Yield 8 patties

Ingredients

• 150 g (5.3 oz) firm tofu half of a 300 g (10.6 oz) package
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas frozen or canned work, too
• 4 tablespoons whole wheat flour chickpea flour or lentil flour also works
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup beer preferably a pale beer

Instructions

1. Grate the tofu, then blot away the excess moisture with a clean kitchen towel.
2. Process the chickpeas in a food processor, then transfer to a deep mixing bowl with the tofu.
3. Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for a few minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer to the bowl.
4. Add the remaining ingredients except the olive oil to the bowl. Mix well until evenly combined.
   
5. Refrigerate the mixture for half an hour to let the flavors come together.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
7. With wet hands, shape the mixture into flat patties and place on greased parchment paper on a baking sheet. Don't worry if they seem too wet—they'll firm up as they bake.
   
8. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the patties and bake for 20 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and set aside until you're ready to fire up the grill. You can also freeze them at this point.
10. Once the grill is hot and the coals are glowing, lightly brush each patty with a little olive oil and sear for 2–3 minutes per side. A well-oiled grill pan works, too.