When the worlds of two beloved street foods, falafel and burgers, collide, the outcome is a delightful fusion of flavors and textures. This vegan falafel burger with tahini sauce, showcases the authentic falafel recipe passed down through generations in my family
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A mash-up of a couple of popular street grub that make sense to put together, resulting in a satisfying easy meal the whole family will love.
- The falafel patty is made from my authentic falafel recipe, you'll get those delicious authentic Middle Eastern flavors.
- Easily customizable, the ingredients in this vegan falafel burger recipe can be adjusted to suit your liking.
- Dietary friendly - the falafel patties are both vegan and gluten free. Oil can be completely left out too.
Notes On The Ingredients and Variations
Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Falafel Patties
I have used my authentic Lebanese easy falafel recipe to create the burger form patties, there are no added flours or anything, giving you the most authentic tasting homemade falafel burgers.
The main ingredients used in the patties include dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), dried broad beans, garlic, onion and a blend of falafel spices and herbs which can be pre-made to help save time.
Both the dry chickpeas and broad beans have been soaked overnight to rehydrate them.
These patties are not made for shallow pan frying, they will just fall apart and soak in way too much oil.
Instead, I have opted to air fry them (do not use an air fryer that rotates, here's my air fryer falafel recipe in case you want to make those) or oven-bake them until they are golden brown.
The great news is, they can be cooked this way without any oil or with a tiny amount of oil brushed onto them, making them healthier than the traditional falafel method of cooking (deep frying).
Any leftover falafel mixture can be frozen for up to three months, I explain how to do that properly in that linked guide.
You can also place the leftover mixture into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tahini Sauce
I love using my basic tahini sauce recipe, which is tahini, lemon juice, water, salt and for this recipe additional finely chopped parsley and mint leaves are whisked into the sauce. The fresh herbs have a subtle but fragrant flavor.
Adding this sauce to the vegan falafel burgers adds moisture, especially if you are adding no oil. I tend to add a copious amount on both sides of the buns, this will help combat any dryness from the oil-free patties.
You could also smear some beetroot hummus onto the buns for some added color and flavor.
Fixings
Add some fresh lettuce leaves, which depending on the lettuce you select can be left as a leaf or shredded.
Finely sliced fresh tomato and red onion (you can use white onion if preferred), I love using a mandolin (affiliate link) for this, it helps to cut the veggies uniformly and also saves a lot of time. You could also use pickled onions or caramelized onions.
Pickles, I personally love the saltiness of Middle Eastern pickled cucumbers which I slice thinly, you can add any type of your favorite sliced pickles.
Hummus can be used in addition to the tahini sauce, just smear it all over the buns.
Burger Buns
Select your favorite vegan burger buns or bread rolls to layer all the ingredients onto.
Of course, the buns have been toasted prior to use, which brings out the natural sweetness in the bread.
If you prefer, leave out the bread and wrap the falafel burger patties in lettuce topped with sauce and fresh veggies.
Tips
If you want to save time and use store bought falafel, just gently smash them down prior to adding them to your flavorful burger. You should be aware however not all falafels are vegan. If you are gluten free, you might be asking yourself does falafel contain gluten?
What To Serve With Vegan Falafel Burgers
A classic go-to is potatoes or sweet potatoes, try a side of fries, sweet potato fries, or my favorite is Lebanese spicy potatoes - trust me, you want to get onto these.
Sweet potato fries are also wonderful to eat with these.
A side of cucumber in dairy free yogurt salad (similar to tzatziki sauce) or some green beans for added fibre, there are more options here in this post of what to serve with falafel or this post on falafel ideas for dinner.
More On Falafel
If you love this vegan falafel burger recipe, then you will also love my falafel pita sandwich using pita bread.
If you love to have an assortment of food on your plate, try this falafel bowl or toss a delicious falafel salad together.
You might also be interested in this vegan Lebanese street food list.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Easy Vegan Falafel Burgers With Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
Falafel Patties
- ½ cup Dried chickpeas
- ¼ cup Dried broad beans
- ½ small Potato about 1 oz / 21½ g
- ¼ medium Onion
- 1 cloves Garlic
- 1¼ tablespoons Falafel spices and herbs or to taste
Tahini Sauce
Add Ons
- Tomato thinly sliced
- Lettuce either flat leaf or shredded
- Red onion thinly sliced
- Middle Eastern pickles or your preferred pickles, thinly sliced
- 4 Burger buns
Instructions
Pre-Soak the Chickpeas and Broad Beans
- Soak the dried chickpeas and broad beans overnight in triple the amount of water. This will rehydrate them, they will double in size.½ cup Dried chickpeas, ¼ cup Dried broad beans
Make the Tahini Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, salt, water, lemon juice, finely chopped parsley and mint leaves. Adjust the consistency by adding small amounts of water, do a taste test to adjust the amount of salt.10 tablespoon Tahini, 2 small Lemons, 1 pinch Salt, 6 tablespoons Water
Make the Falafel Patties
- The following day, drain and rinse the soaked beans. While peeling the broad beans, let them sit in a colander. The skins come off easily and can be discarded.Add the soaked chickpeas and peeled broad beans to the bowl of your food processor, and chop the beans for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients and process in one-minute intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl for even consistency. Repeat 5 to 6 times until the mixture becomes a fine, moist, grainy texture.Transfer the mixture to a bowl and knead by hand for a minute, ensuring even mixing and checking for large pieces. If needed, blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.Use your hands to scoop out a portion of the mixture and shape it into a round burger-sized patty, see note #1. Oven-baked method - place the patties onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, either brushed with or without oil and bake in a preheated 375F (190C) for 20 minutes or until golden.Air fryer method - place patties into the air fryer tray (optional brush with oil) and air fry for 13-15 on high until golden. See note #2.½ small Potato, ¼ medium Onion, 1 cloves Garlic, 1¼ tablespoons Falafel spices and herbs
Assemble the Burgers
- Cut the burger buns in half and toast the cut side on a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat (with or without oil / dairy-free butter) See note #3. Once the buns are caramelized, place a very generous amount of tahini sauce on both cut sides sides, see note #4. Then layer the thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, lettuce, thinly sliced pickles, and falafel patty.Tomato, Lettuce, Red onion, Middle Eastern pickles, 4 Burger buns
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Kiara
Your suggestion for adding loads of sauce is good. I did just that and loved every bite