These spicy vegan Buffalo burgers are made with a hearty mix of chickpeas and quinoa that’s spiked with kicky Buffalo sauce.
I was treated to a massage earlier this month for my birthday. It was awesome. During the course of the massage, the conversation turned to food, so I told my therapist about the blog. He seemed interested, and when I asked if he was a vegetarian himself, he told me that he had been, but gave it up because he just missed buffalo burgers too much.
It’s a good thing I was in a massage stupor and maybe starting to doze at that point, because had I responded, I would have enthusiastically informed him that I could make an amazing vegan Buffalo burger. Buffalo sauce goes with everything…duh.
Anyhow, I went home determined to create an amazing vegan Buffalo burger. I Googled “Buffalo burger” just to make sure there wasn’t any special ingredient that I was missing. There was…buffalo meat.
I have no clue how to veganize buffalo meat. I don’t think I was aware that buffalo meat was even a thing. That’s okay though. While I do occasionally succumb to suggestions to adapt some off-the-wall meat based dishes, in this case I’m perfectly happy to go the Buffalo sauce route, because Buffalo sauce is damn tasty stuff.
It just happened that this idea sparked in January, so I thought it would be perfect to share with you guys as some football food. If you’re watching football this Sunday, enjoy the game, but if you’re like me and don’t even care how many baskets your team makes, eat these burgers. I guarantee you’ll have a much better time that way. ;)
Buffalo Chickpea Quinoa Burgers
These spicy vegan Buffalo burgers are made with a hearty mix of chickpeas and quinoa that's spiked with kicky Buffalo sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (or scant 1/2 cup oat flour)
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, or to taste (preferably Franks brand)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Salt to taste
- A few dashes of cayenne chili powder to taste (optional - just if you like some extra heat)
- Oil or cooking spray, for grilling
- 4 burger buns
Toppings (optional):
- Vegan mayo
- Additional hot sauce
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced onion
- Lettuce
Instructions
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Rinse the quinoa well under cold running water. Place it into a small saucepan with vegetable broth or water, set over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for another five minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to cool a bit while you gather the remaining ingredients.
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Place the oats into a food processor and process to a fine powder. Add the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, hot sauce, garlic, scallions, and cayenne pepper (if using). Pulse until everything is finely chopped and well blended, being careful not to overdo it (don't let it turn to mush). Season the mixture with salt to taste adn additional hot sauce if you like.
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Shape the mixture into patties, pressing them very firmly together. If you find the mixture is too crumbly, try adding a splash of water or non-dairy milk.
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Coat a large skillet with cooking spray or oil and place it over medium heat. Cook the patties in batches, being careful not to crowd the skillet too much. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, being careful when flipping to avoid crumbling.
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Stuff the patties into buns and top with your favorite toppings. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include toppings.
These look delicious. Any suggestions how long/what temperature to do if I wanted to bake them?
Thank you! Try baking them at 350, check in after 10-15 minutes, flip if they look browned on the bottom, then bake for about the same time on the other side. I haven’t tried baking them, but the mixture is very similar to my falafel, which bakes at 350 for 35 minutes with a couple of rotations during baking. Please let me know how it works out if you give it a try!
hey thanks! I baked them for 15 minutes on each side and they came out great. They were still soft when I took them out but hardened as soon as they cooled. Thanks for the reply.. and the awesome blog for that matter! Keep it up! :)
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your results! And thank you for the lovely compliment…so glad you are enjoying the blog!!!
I made these for the first time today and also tried them in the oven. Such an easy recipe to prepare and very delicious too. and I’m sure baking them in the oven upped the health factor as well.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them! I’ll have to try them in the oven soon!
Could I use olive or grape seed oil in place of the vegan margarine? Thanks. And thanks for your great recipes! I’ve got coconut bacon in the oven right now!
Yes you can! I used margarine because Buffalo sauce is traditionally made with butter, but just about any neutral flavored cooking oil should work just fine. Enjoy the coconut bacon!!
Looks yummy!
Thanks Michele!
Just want to share with you that Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce is vegan…Yuppie!
http://vegosamigos.com/franks-red-hot-sauce-is-vegan
Glad to hear it! Thanks Laura!!
Making these for a friend who will be delivering any day now so has something quick and easy to grab. Have you frozen these after cooking?
I’ve frozen very similar burgers after cooking and they’re just fine. Just thaw and re-grill long enough to heat them up. You can also freeze the mixture before cooking and then just shape into burgers and grill – they turn out a little crispier on the outside this way. :)
Can you bake and make into meatballs?
I think so! Try using the method from this recipe: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/quinoa-meatball-sub-grilled-peppers-onions/
These burgers look and sound amazing! I am always on the look out for new veggie burger ideas, but this is a HIT! thanks for providing a video on how you make them too! that always helps a ton
Thanks Albert! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Oh man. I love buffalo anything. XD Maybe I will make these on Game Day.
Yeah in my pre-vegan days I remember having a buffalo meat burger. I couldn’t tell you any taste difference from regular beef burgers. I remember being less fat or something. But clearly I rather have this!
I’m all about Buffalo anything too! Usually this time of year I find myself using football as an excuse to go crazy with the Buffalo recipes (So probably more to come.). :)
Have you tried mashing these instead of using a food processor?
I haven’t, but I think if you mash it really well it should work!
This looks delicious. Will definitely share with a few vegan friends. Thanks!
You are welcome! And thanks for sharing! Enjoy!!
These burgers sound amazing and, I’m going to make them for sure!!! We don’t watch or really care for sports…lol…but, we will enjoy these over a good movie. Also, did you ever share this recipe with your message therapist??
Haha! No, I haven’t been back for a massage since I wrote this! Enjoy the burgers!
I made them but felt like the mix was vey soft so i added some quinoa and oats and cook a small pattie ti taste, it is good but little bit hot for me although i mixed hot pepper sauce with plain pepper sauce! But I still like it.
These were SO good – thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Teri!! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
When will you have a recipe box I can save all these recipes too?
Love Love Love
I’m glad you’re enjoying them!! I had a recipe box a while ago, but the company that set it up went out of business. I’m keeping my eye open for new options!
Incredible!
Thank you!!
I made these this evening for supper. I don’t have a processor so had to use my hand mixer. It left a nice bit of texture to the chick peas. I also bbq’d them on a Cookina bbq mat and they were so delicious. Much better than when I did make them with a food processor at my in-laws.They were too mushy. This time, perfect!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, and great to hear it worked well with a hand mixer! Thanks Lisa!
Does the mix freeze well without cooking the burgers, or do you recommend cooking them first? These were so good!!!
Either works, but I prefer to freeze the mix without cooking the burgers. I’m glad you enjoyed them!!
These were just the thing to try my fermented habanero sauce.
Thanx so much.
Dave
Oh, that sounds delicious! Glad you liked them!
This recipe is great! We made them this afternoon as a fun hands-on activity with our two toddlers. I used gluten-free oats and skipped the hot sauce this time because I’m nursing and don’t want to be up all night with an unhappy two month old. I cooked them up in a pan as the recipe said and was so happy with how they turned out! They stuck together well, even on a sandwich!
This will definitely become a regular in our house… and I look forward to the day when I can enjoy them “buffalo” style. ;)
I’m so glad you like them! I hope you enjoy the spicy Buffalo version too!
We LOVE these!! Our favorite veggie burger yet.
Good flavor, texture and you can’t beat the ingredients.
Awesome! I’m so glad you like them!
We’ve been vegan for six months and this is by far our favorite burger. Thank you so much for creating such a delicious recipe.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!
These burgers are amazing! I followed the recipe, then served them with some extra hot sauce and hempseed ranch dressing. I also made a side of sweet potato fries. A perfect dinner, I made them last night and am making a double batch right now ( very next day at 8:30am).
I’m drooling just reading your recipe, Alissa, thank you! Eager to try it out :-) I’m thinking these will be great to stock up my freezer with! If I freeze uncooked patties, will they still crisp nicely upon frying?
And what can I use in place of the store bought hot sauce? I’m not a fan of hot spice but I’m guessing I’d need to replace the moisture that the sauce would provide?
Great videos you make by the way, they’re so helpful. I’m always in awe of you food bloggers, going the extra mile-and-more! It makes healthy living so much easier. :-)
You can definitely freeze the uncooked patties, and they’ll still crisp up nicely! I usually just freeze the mixture without even shaping it into patties – then just thaw, shape, and fry. You could use all kinds of sauces in place of the hot sauce – barbecue or teriyaki might be nice. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I have just come across this recipe and it is by far my favourite veggie burger to date. They hold together really well and I love the spice running through. Will gladly make these again 👍👌
When you say 1/2 cup quinoa, is that a 1/2 measured out as dry or cooked? Thanks, love you recipes!
It’s dry – I just updated the recipe to clarify! :)
and 1/2 c dry is 1 1/2 c cooked, yes?
That’s about right!
This burger is haunting me… that says alot!! Made this a couple weeks back and at first I was less than impressed. Added a bit more hot sauce and a tad salt and tried again and WOWEEEE!!! Froze a few and they were even better the next time around. Keeping this one for sure. Great with sriracha mayo, sliced onion and a big pickle on the side. Bet avocado would be good on there too or sliced tomato. Served to a friend on a bed of rice who wasn’t doing bread. Drizzled with sriracha mayo and she loved it!! Thanks, Chef!!