BEST Falafel Burgers with Lemon Tahini Sauce
Soaked chickpeas are transformed into a crispy flavorful falafel burger patty. Topped off with fresh tomato cucumber salad and an easy to make Lemon Tahini Sauce. Serve it up on mini pita bread on each side or other fresh bread and enjoy for lunch or dinner.
Servings 5 people
Calories 295kcal
Ingredients
Falafel Patties
- 1 cup chickpeas dry
- 2 clove garlic peeled and coarsely chopped
- ½ small onion chopped
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Lemon Tahini Sauce
- ¼ cup tahini paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 3 - 4 tablespoons water
Tomato Cucumber Salad
- 1 roma tomato diced small
- ½ cup cucumber diced small
- ¼ cup red onion diced small
- 1 tablespoon parsley or cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
Other Ingredients
- 4 burger buns or pita bread
- 4 pieces leaf lettuce
Instructions
Soak the Chickpeas
- Place the chickpeas in a large pot or bowl and cover with excess water, at least 2-3 inches. Let them soak for at least 24 hours. Check throughout the time period and add water if needed since the chickpeas will absorb the water. Drain well when ready to prepare the falafel.
Make the Lemon Tahini Sauce
- Place the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small blender. Pulse or blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. If you prefer it to have more lemon flavor you can add more juice.
- Once the flavor is where you want it, gradually add in about 3-4 tablespoons of warm or hot water until the sauce is still thick but will drizzle. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to serve.
Make the Falafel Patties
- Place the chickpeas and all the other ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well mixed and mostly smooth, scraping down the sides several times. Add water, a teaspoon at a time, if the mixture needs some help to come together. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Use a ½ cup measure to scoop out and form the falafel into patties for burgers.
- Heat up about 1 inch of sunflower oil or another neutral oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. The oil is ready to start frying when you drop a bit of dough in and it sizzles right away.
- Cook the falafel patties in batches until both sides are golden brown, about five minutes per batch.
Make the Chopped Salad
- Combine the tomato, cucumber, red onion, parsley or cilantro and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
To Serve
- Top each burger bun with a falafel, tomato salad, lettuce leaf and drizzle of tahini lemon sauce.
Notes
Be patient when blending the chickpeas. It may take time to break down the chickpeas into a consistency that will shape and hold into a patty especially if you don’t have a super powerful food processor.
Make sure the oil is hot before adding your vegan falafel patties. The hot oil is what gives the patties their color and also helps cook them quickly so they maintain their shape in the pan. You can test your oil by adding a small bit of mix and if it sizzles up right away the oil is ready.
Use a spatula to place your patty in the pan. The patties are naturally a little crumbly since they don't contain flour or another binding agent. Using this method keeps your hands away from the oil to prevent burning, but also helps to keep the burger shape of the falafel.
Wait until the patty is fully cooked on the first side so that it stays intact when you are turning it.
Use a spatula and fork to flip the vegan falafel burgers over in the pan. Gently slide the spatula underneath and use the fork to push it on more easily. Then I use the fork to gently flip the burger over to prevent any oil from splashing.
Nutrition
Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 542mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 656IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg
