I have a few exciting go-to recipes up my sleeve that I always turn to. These Quinoa + Chickpea Burgers are one of them!
By now I don’t even refer to my recipe and could do these with my eyes closed ;)
Best of all everyone loves them – the 6 year old and the carnivore husband! I also love them because they are so easy and quick to make! They could be a meal on one of the busiest nights or part of a leisurely weekend feast – everyone seems impressed at every occasion ;) They are versatile and burst with flavour! So good!!! ;) If you’re ready to make something healthier for your family and introduce more gluten free and vegan/ vegetarian meals – this is going to be your favourite recipe ;)
Quinoa + Chickpea Burgers | gluten-free and vegan
Serves 4 | Prep time : 15 minutes (with pre-cooked chickpeas and quinoa)
Ingredients :
1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 cup rinsed and drained chickpeas from a can (or pre-cooked)
3/4 cup cooked quinoa (great to use leftovers)
1/2 red bell pepper
bunch of fresh cilantro or fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chickpea flour + extra 3 tablespoons for coating
1-2 teaspoons of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
grape seed oil for cooking
Directions :
In a large cast iron pan, drizzle in a little grape seed oil and fry the onion and garlic until slightly golden but not burned. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Dice the red pepper into small pieces, chop the cilantro; and set aside.
In a food processor, process the chickpeas until they turn to a slightly textured paste, be sure to turn off the food processor and scrape down the sides to get all the chickpeas ground up. Transfer into a large bowl.
Add all the ingredients, including the sauteed onion and garlic, in the bowl and mix to combine. Season to your liking (because everything is cooked you can taste the mixture and adjust seasoning.)
(If you do have kids, I would omit the cayenne pepper entirely as most kids are not into spicy foods. Or divide the batch into two and season them differently for kiddos and adults.)
Take a large plate and sprinkle a few tablespoons of chickpea flour on it. Scoop some of the mixture onto your hands and shape into a ball, the size of a golf ball, and then press gently to make a patty. Drop into the chickpea flour to coat evenly. If too much flour sticks to the patty then gently dust it off with your fingers or a pastry brush. You should have a very light coating all over the patties/ burgers.
Reheat that same large cast iron pan to medium heat. Drizzle in a little more oil and place the patties in to fry. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until the bottom is nicely browned.
Serve with a big salad for a healthy lunch or dinner. Or with cut up veggies on the side for kids. Makes a great party small-plates or potluck party dish! Enjoy!
These come together in no-time! Really ;) If you have pre-cooked quinoa on hand and a can of chickpeas – it’s less than 15 minutes to make them!
It’s great if you use leftover quinoa from the night before or cook more, use up the 3/4 cup and reserve the rest for another recipe the next day. These also freeze well for up to 1-2 months if you place a little parchment paper in between them and place in an air tight container.
What I love about them the most is that they are a win every time. It’s the flavour combination that makes them so tasty. I like it when everyone’s happy at the dinner table ;)
I’m seeing so many of my friends want to eat less wheat and meat! I think the news is spreading that these two food choices are just not that healthy for you!
Even if your diet is not 100% committed to a gluten-free and vegan living – it’s great to include meatless and wheat free meals that are so good-for-you. And if you get stuck on recipes – it’s nice to start with healthy delicious recipes like these Quinoa Chickpea Burgers! ;)
Both quinoa and chickpeas are a great source of protein! So if you’re thinking where you will get enough protein – these take care of that for you. And they are loaded with other health benefits too, low glycemic + they are very filling ;)
PS. If you haven’t heard yet, Pure Ella is in the running for Best Food Blog Awards by Saveur Magazine! This is huge people!!! ;) And if you like what you see here… I would love your support with a VOTE in the category of Best Family Cooking Blog!!! Every vote is much appreciated! Click HERE to go to the voting page, register first and cast your vote on the big red button under PURE ELLA!!! Love you all!!!
♥
Pure Ella
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Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
Hi Ella! Is chick pea flour absolutely necessary or could I substitute with another flour? I want to make these this weekend! :)
Hi Catherine ;)
Great question! Yes, you can ;)
I do like the chickpea flour because the flavours blend in so well as there are already chickpeas there. Plus it’s a naturally ‘sticky’ flour which works to seal them up so they don’t fall apart.
If you’re looking for alternatives, most flour choices will work the same. All purpose, spelt, rice flour – just not any starch flours like potato flour or corn flour. I also feel bad about suggesting wheat flour because I feel there are better healthier alternatives – but if that’s all you have on hand it will also work ;)
Hope you like this recipe! Would love to hear your feedback ;)
xoxo ella
I made them with wheat flour because that’s all I had, and they are delicious! The only problem I had was keeping them stuck together. I put them in the fridge for later and they kind of just fell apart. But I will still eat them with love ;)
I used coconut flour and mine fell apart
I used chickpea flour and mine fell apart too.
Hi ladies! (Catherine, Lynell, Stephanie)
In response to them falling apart…. since there’s been a lot of successes with these from other people (including me), I’m wondering if it’s the pan you’re using.
I notices a lot of times there’s certain surfaces that don’t work as great. For example, they come out great on a cast iron pan, not so much on a stainless steel pan. I don’t have any non-stick pans so I don’t know how they work on those.
Another point is to wait until the bottom gets golden/ crispy before flipping them over. If you flip too early – they will still be very delicate and crumbly and may fall apart more.
I hope these tips help and you’ll be trying these again soon :)
I know it’s worth it! They really are an all-time favourite!
xox ella
Can these baked or broiled instead of fried?
Yummm! I really need to make these. Maybe even tomorrow. Could I substitute the quinoa with couscous?
Hi Alice ;)
Thanks for visiting and for your great question ;)
Yes you could, cooked and measure the same 3/4 as the quinoa. I also find that couscous is a lot bigger in texture than quinoa and could make the burgers fall apart – for that reason, i would recommend adding the couscous to the food processor at the end when your chickpeas are ground up and just give them a little processing together with the chickpeas. This will break them up a little more which will help in binding when you form the patties. You don’t need to reach a smooth paste, leave some texture in them though.
I hope this helps and they will turn out great for you ;)
I also want to point out that with couscous these would no longer be gluten-free, I hope that’s fine for you ;)
xoxo Have a great weekend!! ella
These look great Ella. You can never have too many veggie burger recipes! I like to make a large batch and keep them in the freezer for last-minute meals :)
Oh my goodness, these burgers look so good!! Love it!
Hi, they look so yummy, I have to do them : in my to do list. Thanks for sharing
These look fabulous! I’m on the lookout for great new gluten-free recipes these days, and this one looks great. Thanks!
I love when you find a recipe that is so loved, you don’t even need the recipe itself anymore. I have VERY few of those but I’m trying to accumulate some- I think it will help with my anxiety in cooking on the spot for other people- personal worst nightmare! ;)
Thank you for this great recipe! I just made them and they were delicious :)
Thank you for posting such great pictures and yummy recipe, we are a family with mix diet its nice to finally find a blog who includes vegetarian/gluten free!
Congrats on being named best blog I can totally see why
Marie
Thank you so much Marie, you’re the sweetest!
I am happy you found a great recipe resource here on my blog ;)
I like to think that these ‘specialty’ foods are WAY better than the average foods out there, it’s just that not everyone is realizing that yet ;)
Sending my best! xo ella
I had a hard time getting these to stick together. Any tips for me? They taste wonderful though!!
I altered the recipe a bit (used caramelized onions, spinach, red pepper flakes and chili infused olive oil) and they came out great! They taste delicious with a sweet chutney, like plum or pomegranate.
Hello – what do you recommend to top these. I’m thinking maybe a cucumber dill sauce?
Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try!
Hi, at the moment I’ve been searching for different falafel recipes and one of the ones I had thought about using used this sauce:
Avocado Tahini Dressing
1 ripe avocado
¼ c tahini
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about ½ lime)
2 tbsp cilantro (fresh coriander)
½ cup water
:)
Wow!! Sounds great!! Thanks for the idea ;) Hope it was delish!! xoxo
Hi Danielle,
Oh so sorry I don’t know how I didn’t see your question earlier… it just slipped passed me…
I like your cucumber dill sauce suggestion very much and I hope you already tried it ;)
I would also suggest a Tahini Dressing… you could try this one with my Falafel recipe ;) https://pureella.com/best-easiest-homemade-falafels-vegan-and-gluten-free/
Hope you enjoy it and please do let me know how they turn out and what dressing worked well! xoxox ella
Ella, thank you. These are amazing and i have made several batches with different variations since i found your recipe (Thai style, adding ground activated almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc). These are so versatile and delicious. Perfect staple for my new and improved healthy life. Also lovely with fresh lime juice squeezed over. Thanks again.
I ALWAYS forget about chickpeas and they’re such a great substitute for so many things that would normally require meat. Will be getting some this week and trying these. They look delicious :) Thanks. And lovely photos.
Hi, I really want to make these for dinner tomorrow, but I don’t have a food processor ( i lost mine during my move to a new place), I was wondering if I heated the chickpeas in the microwave for 30sec and mashed them with a fork or something, would I still be able to do it? I know the consistency won’t be the same, but will I still be able to make this?
Hi Deena, great question. But to make these without a food processor you would need one more ingredient : magic! :)
So sorry but I just don’t see they will bind enough to have the shape of burgers. But you could certainly try – maybe a potato masher or place them in a clean bag and hit them over the top to smash.
Here’s a better idea! All these ingredients are very tasty together. Why don’t you make a Quinoa + Chickpea De-constructed Burgers. Simply toss the ingredients together and eat from a bowl! I tell you, it will be heavenly! :) Let me know if you try any of these options and how it goes. All the best! xox
Hi, Ella. Really good recipe, but I have one question. Isn’t it unhealthy to fry anything with use of oil – even if it’s grape oil? Oil loose it’s useful qualities. Thank you!
Great point Viktor!
Coconut oil is best, grape seed oil falls second I believe…
but it also depends on how often you fry. For me it’s rarely – possibly once or twice a week. And I don’t buy at restaurants often and never fast food.
If you occasionally fry something, it’s not going to create as much damage as if you were frying for every meal. Does that make sense?
Still, I do completely agree with you. Steaming and baking are probably the best methods of cooking.
This said, these burgers really do need to be fried to seal in the top and bottom. Baking them is ok but they become dry and not as delicious :( ugh. :)
xox ella
Thank you for the good and honest answer, Ella. I actually think the same.
Have a good day!
Oils have different heat resistance . Some of them are not suitable for frying but for raw use , added to salads , like these cold-pressed, virgine oils, linseed oil , pumpkin seed oil ; we should not fry on them because we can burn it (oil smokes on the pan). There are also oils that are resistant to higher temperature , they have high flash point. Usually on the container is written that the oil is suitable for frying , e.g. canola oil and grape seed oil.
Thanks for information, Joan!
Thank you so much Joan for your insight!!
Such great points – I am inspired to maybe do a post on just oils – I can see it’s such a confusing topic.
Thanks Viktor for bringing it up :)
All the best to you both!!
xoxo
Great idea of writing a post about oil, certainly it will be useful for many people, if you need some information I can help you
Hi Ella,
just wanted to say these were fantastic! I didn’t have any flour so I substituted an egg & just brushed the egg over them, letting them cook a bit longer on both sides. I didn’t use as many ingredients; I left out the cayenne and the red pepper. They came a bit plain by themselves, but with some spinach and dressing they still tasted divine,
Keep up the recipes, loving your blog!