Homemade curried veggie burgers are just… the best.
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I made these today and they were amazing! I had them with mango and homemade tzatziki sauce. Thank you for sharing!
Radha
Think: lightly spiced lentil-chickpea-carrot-brown-rice-cashew-curried patties, soft and textured with a lightly browned outside, brushed with olive oil and smothered in fresh, juicy mango and a handful of good ol’ cilantro.
As much as I dislike the word “patties”, there is no denying. That right there is what’s up. L-O-V-E.
A few months ago I got a really heartfelt email from one of my readers. It was one of those times where you read an email from someone and you feel like you know them because they make a joke about themselves on the second line of the email that makes you laugh out loud. It’s like they just reached out and passed you a peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookie you through your speckly, smudged, kid-fingerprinted screen and now you’re best friends and you’re craving more cookies.
This particular email-er so much mentioned that she had a great veggie burger recipe for me. I felt really special and veggie-burger inspired. Then three months passed, and the recipe was still sitting in my inbox, and my screen was still speckled and kid-fingerprinted. I love you kiddos and pleasepleaseplease stop touching my screen. Me? Type A? Nah.
Better late than never, friends. Better.late.than.never.
This is called re-falling in love with veggie burgers. They were even more gorgeous and delicious than I was expecting. Moist and textured and packed with the most nutty, spicy, perfect flavors. And now I have fourteen – as in 14 – that’s one four – of them in my fridge, so that looks like a veggie burger for lunch and dinner for something like, oh, the next SEVEN DAYS. I might get sick of them. Not! I could eat these forever and they would never get boring.
Ways I have been enjoying them:
- Raw. That sounds bad, but I did it, and how do mashed beans taste so good? Wowz.
- On a burger bun, with fresh mango and cilantro and yogurt.
- Smashed up on a tortilla, with fresh mango and basil. *favorite*
- On a focaccia bun, with traditional burger toppings. And by traditional burger toppings, I mean melted cheese and ketchup. It didn’t even go together. I ate it and loved it.
- Wrapped in a pita.
- Crumbled on a salad. Maybe?
- Smashed and dipped with chips.
- Specifically, pita chips.
- Drizzled with plain yogurt.
- Mango chutney.
- Basil.
- Fresh cucumber slices.
- Tzatziki.
- Olive oil.
#5-14 are just dreams that have yet to come true. But I still have a million and one left, so that leaves plenty of time for veggie burger experimenting.
A huge thank you to awesome Amber for inspiring this recipe, and to all of you kind and caring readers who take the time to be my friend via email. I like you guys.
And I like it when we all make veggie burgers.
Curried Veggie Burgers
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
Description
These curried veggie burgers are the best veggie burgers I’ve ever made! Including carrots, lentils, chickpeas, and yummy spices. Healthy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 (28 ounce) can lentils, rinsed and drained, or 3 1/2 cups cooked lentils
- 1 heaping cup cashews
- 3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
- 2 yellow onions, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- up to 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Combine the rinsed beans in a large mixing bowl. Begin cooking the rice.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Toast the cashews in the dry pan until golden brown; process in a food processor or blender until fine crumbs form. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Heat the oil in the skillet and add the onion and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes over low heat, until soft and fragrant. Add the carrots and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until soft, adding more oil if necessary. Add the vegetables to the mixing bowl.
- Mix in the spices with everything already in the mixing bowl. Add the cooked rice and stir to combine.
- Transfer to a food processor or blender and process until a doughy consistency forms. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable broth if needed to keep the mixture moving. I like to keep some texture to the mixture.
- Stir in the panko crumbs and form into patties. See notes for different ways to cook them!
Notes
1. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; flip and bake another 15 minutes, or until burgers reach your desired brownness and texture. These will be more firm.
2. Brush with olive oil and fry in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, flipping after a few minutes. These will be really soft but still have a browned, crispy exterior.
3. Bake as directed, and then fry as directed, so you get the firmness from the baking and the golden brown from the frying.
I did all three ways and the bake+fry combo was my favorite!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: curried veggie burgers, veggie burgers, chickpea veggie burgers
Dear veggie burger skeptics, your time has come.
I got onto these a few weeks ago and they have made it onto the weekly agenda. I use GF bread crumbs and with a daughter both Vegan and Gluten Free they are a true winner, also ticking boxes with taste, protein, cost, easy to make etc.
I make double the batch and freeze left over mix into containers, the mix freezes really well.
I always both oven bake then pan fry, it just works.
Thanks for an excellent recipe!
I assume you figure we know how much liquid to use with the rice listed and how long to cook it since you don’t mention either part, just “1 cup uncooked brown rice” and “Begin cooking the rice.”
You’ll just need to cook the rice according to the package instructions. š
I just found this sorting through your thousands of recipes and am making them tonight. How do they freeze? Should I cook them before freezing?
We haven’t tried freezing these yet, but we’d guess they’d freeze well. We’d suggest cooking them first and then freezing them.
I made these last night for my boyfriend and I, they were great and they stayed together (!!!) I baked them and saw no need to fry them, they were perfectly browned and crispy on the outside! We will eat them for lunch and dinner all week.
Hi Lindsay,
These veggie burgers look really interesting! Would it be possible to leave the cashews out to make them a little lighter?
Also, what about avocado or guacamole as a topping?! Maybe even fresh tomato!
Have you ever tried freezing these?
These look delicious and I would love to try them but I am allergic to cashews! What can I use as a substitute for the cashews?
Thanks for this recipe. I used it as my base, but I actually mixed it all together and cooked it in a loaf pan. Before baking, I brushed it with a vegan curry glaze. That added a little crispiness to the top without too many extra calories. I baked it at 400 for about 25 minutes. It was so good, especially on the 2nd day. I sliced it and but it on a bun with cheese for my husband, and I ate mine without a bun or cheese.
I am going to keep this recipe in my rotation. I forgot to take a photo, but I will next time! Thanks again š
I made these today and they were amazing! I had them with mango and homemade tzatziki sauce. Thank you for sharing!
Do you suppose these will hold up on a grill? How could I cook them for a bbq? Thanks!
Hi Janel! We haven’t tried these on a grill. We’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a shot!
Love love love this burger thank you so much. You broke down the calories fat, carbs and protein. I was wondering if you could tell me how much fibre per serving. Thanks soo much!!
Hi, Linda! That wasn’t a part of our nutritional analysis. Sorry! Glad you liked the burgers! š
Hi Lindsay!
Did you make these in the Philippines? Do you think Monggo beans could be a good sub for the lentils?
Hi, Caidy! I think Monggo beans would certainly work in place of lentils. Enjoy! š