Looking for a vegan burger that will satisfy EVERYONE? Barbecue chickpea burgers are where it's at! These hearty patties are infused with tangy barbecue sauce, then stuffed into buns with creamy vegan coleslaw and your favorite burger toppings. You only need a handful of ingredients and about 20 minutes to make them!
Are you guys ready for fall? ME TOO!!!
It's no secret that I'm not a summer person, but I try to find little joys where I can. Food is a big one, especially when barbecue sauce is involved, and these barbecue chickpea burgers have plenty of it!
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These burgers are one of my favorite ways to get my barbecue fix because they're not only delicious, they're ridiculously easy to make. Some of my favorite veggie burger recipes require little more than throwing a few ingredients into a food processor, like my falafel burgers or my kidney bean burgers, and these are no exception.
So whether you need a killer main dish for a summer cookout or you're just grumpy because it's ninety billion degrees outside, whip up a batch of these babies. With hearty chickpeas, zippy barbecue sauce, and creamy coleslaw, they're exactly what you need.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Rolled oats. These are the binder for your patties, so don't skip them! I recommend using old fashioned oats, but quick oats should also work fine if that's what you have on hand.
- Chickpeas. Use canned or precooked chickpeas to make life easy.
- Vegan barbecue sauce. I'm partial to my homemade vegan barbecue sauce, but I totally get it if you want to save time and use bottled — just check the ingredients to ensure it's vegan.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Spices. You'll just need ground cumin and smoked paprika.
- Salt.
- Oil. Whatever neutral high-heat oil you like to cook with is fine. Olive, avocado, canola, and coconut are all options.
- Burger buns.
- Toppings. The toppings in the recipe card are suggestions, so feel free to do your own thing. Personally, I love my burgers with some extra barbecue sauce, homemade vegan coleslaw, lettuce, tomato, and pickle slices.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Grind the oats. Place them into a food processor fitted with an S-blade, then run the machine until they form a coarse powder.
Step 2: Add the rest. Throw in the chickpeas, barbecue sauce, onion, garlic, spices, and salt.
Step 3: Blend. Just pulse the machine until the mixture is nicely mixed, and everything is finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the insides of the bowl occasionally.
Tip: Don't overblend the mixture, or your burgers will be mushy. Stop while the mixture still has some texture.
Steps 4 & 5: Shape and cook. Shape the mixture into patties, then cook them for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side in a hot oiled skillet, until they start to get browned and crispy.
Step 6: Serve. Stuff the patties into buns and pile on the toppings. Dig in!
Tip: Make-ahead method! Make the burger mixture in advance, then store it until ready to use. It will keep in an airtight container in your fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. Simply thaw (if frozen), then shape it into patties and cook them according to the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
They sure can! Use certified gluten-free oats, barbecue sauce, and buns, and you'll be all set!
Yes! Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, optionally brush them with a bit of oil (it helps with browning), and bake them for about 25 minutes at 400°F, gently turning them halfway through.
I haven't tried cooking them on the grill, and frankly, veggie burgers in general don't tend to hold up well on the grill. If you'd like to give it a try, I would recommend baking them according to the method just above for about 15 minutes or until they feel set, then finishing them on the grill for about 5 minutes.
Store leftover burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Vegan Burger Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Barbecue Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 (15 ounce/425 gram) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup vegan barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Vegetable oil, for pan-frying (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
For Serving
- 4 burger buns (or 6, if you'd like to make smaller patties)
- Barbecue sauce
- Vegan coleslaw
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced pickles
Instructions
- Place the oats into a food processor bowl fitted with an S-blade. Blend them to a coarse powder.
- Add the chickpeas, barbecue sauce, onion, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Pulse the machine until the ingredients are fully combined and finely chopped. Be careful not to overdo it — keep some texture. Taste-test the mixture and add more salt if desired. Adjust any other seasonings to suit your taste, then briefly pulse the machine again to incorporate the newly added seasonings.
- Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties.
- Lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place a few patties into the skillet, leaving some room between them. Cook the patties for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Transfer the finished patties to a plate, then cook any remaining patties, adding some oil to the skillet if needed.
- Stuff the patties into buns and top with remaining sauce, slaw, tomato, and pickle slices. Serve.
Notes
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These were amazing!! My 12 year old, meat lover, absolutely loved these! I used 2/3 cup regular crumbs instead of oats and used a pastry masher instead of food processor (in order to retain more texture). I caramelized the onions as well. The bbq sauce is probably the best one we have made thus far. I used date syrup instead of molasses. Also, we used pineapple slices, raw spinach and red onions as a topping! It was a hit! Thank you!!
I was pleasantly surprised how tasty these are. My husband is begrudgingly eating vegetarian and even he liked them. I found it really sticky trying to form the patties. Will put it in the fridge next time....didn't even think of that.
I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed them! Thank Lynn!
Very good wife really enjoyed.
Glad she liked them!
Just made these tonight and they are so darn delicious! I went vegan about 10 months ago and I was really missing the real thing. I used to make bbq turkey burgers that were amazing and this is the perfect substitute!!
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you Sarah!
You have great burger recipes.. I prep everything well ahead of dinner time. I chill the burger mixture while I clean up the kitchen; this makes the mixture easier to shape the patties. I pat out the burgers each on top of a 6” x6” piece of wax paper. I stack and refrigerate until ready for use.
Thank you so much! That's a great idea! I have a few recipes where I actually call for chilling the mixture because it makes it so much easier to shape the patties. :)
have you tried to grill these? would it work?
I have tried grilling. They are a bit delicate for that. Maybe they might firm up if you bake them for ~20 minutes at 400.
Let me know how it turns out if you try this! Enjoy!
I loved these!
Could I skip the molasses? Trying to avoid sugars
You could but it won't taste as much like barbecue. Might still be tasty though. :)
Could you freeze these?
I'm sure you could. What I usually do though is freeze the burger mix before shaping and cooking them. Then thaw, shape and cook them right before you're ready to serve. :)
oh my god I could not agree more! I do NOT like summer. i'm so ready for it to be over already!! when i read "are you guys ready for fall?" i was like wow she is speaking to my soul :)
Haha! So glad someone is with me on that!! Most people think I'm nuts.
Can I use Steel Cut oats instead since they are processed so finely?
Possibly, but I think you'd still need to grind them in the food processor. If you're trying to adapt the recipe to avoid using the food processor I'd sub oat flour. :)
How much oat flour do you suggest if I'm subbing for the full cup of oats?
A scant cup should work! Usually when I blend up the oats it gives me almost a cup. :)
Hey, I'm having trouble pinning from your website - don't know if anyone else if having issues or if it's just me! I've tried using the Pinterest browser button (nothing happens) and then going through the "upload from website" on Pinterest itself, and it tells me "this site doesn't allow you to save pins." I'm using Firefox, FYI!
I'm so sorry about that! I'm not sure why it's happening, but it started about a week ago. I'm working with Pinterest support to try and fix the problem, hopefully soon. In the meantime you should be able to use the hover-over buttons on my images. It will pop up in the upper left hand corner of any image you hover your mouse over.