Curry Spiced Cauliflower Chickpea Burger

Easy to assemble and delicious, this Curry Spiced Cauliflower Chickpea Burger is loaded with nutrition and packed with flavor! A perfect Vegan and Gluten-free meal for a night in or meal prep lunch.

I think I’m now over a month in on my “falafels and burgers for lunch every day” thing. This is probably the longest one of my phases have lasted – no jokes!

I guess I really can’t help it – and don’t want to either.

Why? Coz I’m finding ways to sneak veggies into all these recipes and hitting my fiber and veggie goals while only tasting deliciousness. Win-win for sure!

Another big reason here is coz I’m also way in love with these burger buns from Smart Baking Company. Way better than the normal ones coz they’re low calorie, keto, and also super high fiber. A macro-goals product I’d say!

P.S. Get your own for 10% off using my link and the code HAYLSKITCHEN.

Ingredients for this Vegan Cauliflower Chickpea Veggie Burger

• Chickpeas – Also known as garbanzo beans; Forms the base.
• Cauliflower – Or Cauliflower rice; But try to use the fresh one
• Flaxseed meal – or ground flax seeds to make the “flax egg”
• Onion – Yellow or Red would be good
• Cilantro
• Garlic – Either fresh or out of a jar
• Ginger
• Olive Oil – Just a bit for cooking the cauliflower
• Curry Powder – All the infused flavor 🙂
• Cumin
• Turmeric
• Cayenne Pepper – You really want to keep this in, the burgers don’t turn out too spicy
• Salt
• Pepper
• Rolled/Instant Oats – To help bind the burgers

How to make this Homemade Cauliflower Vegan Burger

This spiced Cauliflower Chickpea Veggie burger is super easy to assemble, and even tastes like Indian Curry!

• Make the flax egg (flax meal + water) and let rest for at least 5-7 minutes.
• Rice the cauliflower into large grains using a food processor.
• Use a food processor and finely chop the onion, cilantro, garlic and ginger.
• Cook the cauliflower with the spices(curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper), salt and pepper in a bit of oil on a medium heated skillet. Don’t let it get too soft or the burger will be soggy and soft. Let the mix cool.
• Mash the chickpeas or white beans in a large bowl with a potato masher or fork, but leave some large chunks.
• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl: chickpeas, cauliflower, veggies, flax egg and oats.
• Stir it all to form the “dough”. Let it rest for 10 minutes or chill in the fridge for a bit if it’s too sticky.
• Use your hands or a cup measure (see below) to shape the burger patties.
• Bake the chickpea curry burgers in the oven! 

Tips for these Chickpea Cauliflower Curry Veggie Burgers:

• Let the flax egg (flax meal + water) rest for at least 5-7 minutes until it gets thick, gooey and slimy like an egg.
• Don’t let the cauliflower get too fine or it will get soft when cooked and ruin the texture of the burger.
• Use a food processor the chop the vegetables – this way they will be fine enough and mix well.
• Make sure you completely drain and dry the chickpeas or beans. The mix won’t hold together otherwise.
• Don’t over-cook the cauliflower or the burger mix will be too soggy.
• Add some extra oats if the mix is too wet to handle
• Divide the mix equally so you get even patties that would take the same amount of time to cook.
• For a perfect shape, use a 1-cup measure lined with plastic wrap to form the patties: Fill in the dough and press it down. Then lift it out with the liner and flip it on to the cooking surface.
• Lightly grease the baking sheet or use a parchment paper so they don’t stick to the bottom.

Ways to cook these low fat curried veggie burgers:

• Bake the burgers in the oven at 25-30 minutes at 375°F.
• Cook the burger patties in an air fryer for burger at 350°F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
• Fry them in a bit of oil on a greased nonstick skiller or grill for 4-5 minutes each side (8-10 minutes in all).

What makes this Cauliflower Rice Veggie Burger Healthy?

• These vegetarian white bean or chickpea veggie burgers are made with quick oats/oatmeal and no breadcrumbs, so they’re gluten free.
• They’re baked in the oven (or cooked in an air fryer) instead of fried on the stove, so they’re low fat veggie burgers!
• Since there’s no milk, dairy or eggs in this curry spiced cauliflower chickpea burger they’re Dairy-free and Vegan too.
• They’re super flavorful and loaded with spices so you can have these veggie burgers with no bun!

Some recipe alternatives for these Indian Curry Veggie Burgers:

• Chickpeas: White Beans
• Flax Eggs: Chia Eggs (2 Tbsp Chia Seeds + 6 Tbsp Water, rest 5-7 mins) or Real Eggs for the non-Vegan version
• Jalapeño Pepper: ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Nutritional Yeast: 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Rolled or Instant Oats: Bread crumbs (the burgers won’t be gluten free anymore) or Oat Flour.

Ideas For Serving These Spicy Curry Vegetable Burgers:

• As a good old veggie burger between some good buns!
  I used the ones from Smart Baking Company. They’re super low-calorie, low carb, keto-friendly, gluten-free, sugar-free, high fiber, low sodium and just out of this world amazing!
  To get some for 10% off, use my referral link and add the code HAYLSKITCHEN when you checkout.
• White Bean Burger lettuce wraps if you don’t want the bread
• Just the plain burger patties with a creamy yogurt based sauce
• A plain burger with no bun and some sides: Sweet Potato Fries, Potato Wedges, Smashed Potatoes

Some more Easy and Healthy Veggie Burgers you’ll love:

• Broccoli “Cheese” Vegan Veggie Burger
• The Best Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burgers + Cheese Sauce (Gluten Free & Vegan)
• Spiced White Bean and Carrot Veggie Burgers
• Very Possible Spiced Lentil and Beet Veggie Burger

Curry-Spiced Cauliflower Chickpea Burgers

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Rest Time:10 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Servings: 8 3″ burgers

Calories: 125kcal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Indian

Easy to assemble and delicious, these Curry Spiced Cauliflower Chickpea Burgers are loaded with nutrition and packed with flavor! A perfect Vegan and Gluten-free meal for a night in or meal prep lunch.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups Chickpeas or White Beans, Canned (390g) or Cooked from dry (110g or 96g)
• 3 cups Cauliflower, Chopped, 321g
• ⅔ small Onion, about 80g
• ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro, loosely packed, about 5-6g
• 1½ Tbsp Minced Garlic, about 3-4 cloves
• 2 tsp Grated Ginger, about 4g
• 2 Flax eggs, 2 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal + 5 Tbsp Water
• ¼ tsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
• ½ tsp Black Pepper
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 cup Instant or Quick Oats, 90g, see notes for sub

Instructions

Prep:

• Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Drain canned or cooked beans/chickpeas until completely dry.
• Pulse cauliflower in a food processor and until ground into large “rice” grains (or use a large-hole grater).
• Chop onions, cilantro, garlic and ginger very finely, or use a food processor.
• In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and water and let rest about 10 minutes to form a gel-like consistency.

Make burgers:

• Heat oil on a medium nonstick skillet, add cauliflower rice, spices (curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper), salt and pepper and cook until cauliflower is tender. Toss frequently. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely (place in a freezer for 10 minutes if needed).
• In a large bowl, add drained, dried beans and mash well with a fork or potato masher leaving only a few whole beans.
• Add cooked cauliflower, chopped vegetables, flax eggs and oats, and mix until combined. Let rest for about 10 minutes (This is required so that the mixture gets thick and isn’t to runny).
• Divide the mixture into 8 parts.
• Shape burgers: Line a 1-cup measuring cup with plastic wrap, add a portion of the burger mix and press down to pack. Lift out of cup with lining edge, and transfer to baking sheet.

  OR

  Use slightly wet/greased hands and and shape into ¾” thick patties.

Cook:

• Bake for 25-30 minutes until light brown and. Allow to cool before removing from pan, or they will be soft.

  OR

  Heat a skillet or grill over medium, grease well with olive oil or spray and cook burgers for 4-5 minutes each side (8-12 minutes total).

Assemble:

• Assemble burger between toasted buns with greens, onion, tomato, and any desired toppings!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cookie & Kate and May I Have That Recipe.

• Make sure beans are completely dried or the burgers wont hold.
• Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes before shaping them so that the oats absorb as much moisture as possible. This is required or the mix will be too runny to hold.
• Lightly oil your hands when shaping patties if using hands and they are too dry.
• To replace flax eggs, use 2 real eggs.
• To replace instant oats:
  • Use bread crumbs
  • Use rolled oats and pulse in the food processor a few times so they tear up (don’t let them turn into flour).

Make Ahead:

• Prepare the mix and shape burgers
• Fridge: In an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• Freezer: Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze individually. When frozen, stack with pieces of parchment paper in between, place in freezer bag and freeze. Keeps for 2-3 months.
  Thaw and then cook according to recipe.

Storage:

• Cook patties and cool.
• Fridge: In an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• Freezer: Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze individually. When frozen, stack with pieces of parchment paper in between, place in freezer bag and freeze. Keeps about 3-4 weeks.
  To reheat, bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.

Product Recommendation:

• Smart Baking Company Smartbun®
  • Use link + code HAYLSKITCHEN for 10% off your order

Nutrition:

• Servings: 8 3½” patties | Serving size: 1 patty
• Calories: 125kcal
• Fat: 2.6g | Saturated fat: 0.1g
• Carbohydrates: 21.1g | Fiber: 5.5g | Sugar: 2.7g
• Protein: 5.5g