Hot damn, will you look at those veggie burgers?! Yes, they tasted as good as they look. You’re welcome.
No, this has not turned into a vegetarian only blog- I am totally still an omnivore and love my turkey burgers. But, I also love trying homemade veggie burgers wherever I can. I’ve had veggie burgers from more places than I can remember in Philadelphia and I’ve even tried a few of the frozen brands as well. I’ve always been afraid of making them at home, though, because they can be kind of tricky to make sure you have the right ratios so that everything sticks together.
So imagine my surprise when this recipe turned out on the first try and knocked it out of the park!
The base for these burgers is chickpeas but there are also carrots, bell peppers and green onions in the mix, as well as some fresh cilantro for tons of flavor. I wanted to make something a little different than the usual Mexican style veggie burger so this one is thai inspired and paired with a slightly spicy peanut sauce made with Perfect Bars. Using Perfect Bars in this sauce makes this otherwise long recipe just a touch easier. The key to making sure you can blend everything in the food processor is using room temperature bars and crumbling them into the food processor rather than throwing the whole bar in there. Other than that, this recipe should be pretty straightforward.
My plan (once I magically find the time) is to make a double or triple batch of these one weekend to freeze a bunch. Daniel can eat them with whole wheat buns and I’ll make lettuce wraps next time. Now that’s what I call meal prep!
- 1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion, plus more for serving
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup finely chopped carrot (about 1 medium carrot, also chopped in a food processor)
- 1/2 cup cooked rice or quinoa
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used 1 small pepper and chopped it in a food processor)
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, gluten free optional
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- olive oil or cooking spray for cooking burgers
- 8 whole wheat hamburger buns
- 1 Peanut Butter Perfect Bar, room temperature and crumbled
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1-2 tablespoons water, only if needed
- Top with: more green onions, ripe avocado, shredded carrots, cucumber ribbons, fresh cilantro, and peanut sauce
- Set the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add in chickpeas, green onion, garlic, soy sauce and salt and process until coarsely chopped.
- Transfer to bowl and fold in carrot, rice, bell pepper, egg, breadcrumbs and cilantro. Mold into 8 patties about a 1/3 cup each (I used a 1/3 cup metal measuring cup to mold them. Add more breadcrumb if the patties are too wet.
- Place patties on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or a silicon mat, spray with cooking oil and bake for 20 minutes. Then, carefully flip and bake for another 15-20 minutes
- Next make your peanut sauce by adding all of the ingredients besides the water into a food processor. Process a few times and add water if needed until the sauce is completely combined and slightly runny.
- Serve on a bun or in a lettuce wrap and top with peanut sauce as well as any other toppings your heart desires!
I received free product from Perfect Bar as a part of this post and was compensated. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make 24 Carrot Life possible.
dietitianjess says
Never would’ve thought of using a Perfect Bar in a savory sauce- so smart! I’m absolutely obsessed with perfect bars too!
Katie @ 24 Carrot Life says
They are more versatile than you might think at first thought. And they are the absolute best 🙂
Barbara says
I just realized this doesn’t have an even temp.
Katie @ 24 Carrot Life says
Can’t believe I missed that! Just updated.