Packed with juicy Kalamata olives, zippy lemon, and fresh herbs, these Greek-inspired chickpea burgers are like a Mediterranean flavor party in your face! Easy to whip up and great for healthy a make-ahead meal.
I love these burgers. I’ve made them multiple times since first developing the recipe last month. I even made a video, just so I could make them again! From now on, this is my go-to recipe when I want to impress people with my veggie burger crafting skills.
It always amazes me how something so simple can taste so good. For example, I totally anticipated having to throw in way more ingredients than the recipe calls for in order to develop the flavor I wanted. Would I need some dried herbs? Some additional acid? Apparently not, because after the first blitz through the food processor I taste-tested my burger mix and it was awesome.
Here’s how it’s done!
Start by grinding up some oats in the food processor. If you keep oat flour on hand you can use that instead, but I had oats, so I blended my own. Next, in with the chickpeas, red onion, garlic, scallions, lemon juice, oregano, and, best of all, Kalamata olives.
Blend everything just until finely chopped and well mixed. Don’t overdo it! Nobody likes a mushy veggie burger.
Shape the patties and cook them up. I fried my burgers in olive oil, because the flavor goes perfect with all of the Greek-themed seasonings in the burgers.
The burgers in the photo are topped with some lettuce, tomato, red onion and vegan mayo. I’ve also served them with hummus and plain dairy-free yogurt, and they were equally awesome.
FAQ & Tips for Making Awesome Greek Chickpea Burgers
- The recipe makes about 4 patties. If you’re feeding less than 4 people, I recommend saving the excess burger mix in a sealed container (don’t shape it into patties). It should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for a couple of months. Then, when you’re ready for leftovers, thaw (if frozen), shape the patties, and cook them up according to the recipe.
- You can substitute oat flour for the rolled oats if you like. If you do, use a scant cup instead of a level cup.
- Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Yes! Use certified gluten-free oats and gluten-free buns.
- Can this recipe be made oil-free? I haven’t tried making these oil-free, but I suspect cooking them on a good nonstick surface or baking them at about 400°F for 15 minutes on each side would work.
Check out my video to see just how easy these Greek chickpea burgers are to make!
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Greek Chickpea Burgers
Packed with juicy Kalamata olives, zippy lemon, and fresh herbs, these Greek-inspired chickpea burgers are like a Mediterranean flavor party in your face! Easy to whip up and great for healthy a make-ahead meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped Kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For Serving
- 4 burger buns
- Lettuce
- Tomato slices
- Red onion
- Vegan mayo, yogurt or hummus
Instructions
Place the oats into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade and blend to a fine powder.
Add the chickpeas, red onion, Kalamata olives, scallions, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and salt.
Pulse the food processor until everything is finely chopped and well mixed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Shape the mixture into 4 patties.
Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with olive oil and place it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, arrange the patties in the skillet, cooking as many as you can fit without crowding.
Cook the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp.
Cook any remaining patties in another batch, adding oil to the skillet if needed.
Stuff the patties onto buns and top with toppings of choice.
Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information is for 1 patty and 1 burger bun, and does not include toppings.
I am a Greek vagan. Very well done….JP
Thank you!
If you don’t eat oats or have oat flour what else can be substituted for it
Try panko breadcrumbs – you might need to use just a tablespoon or two extra to get the consistency right. Alternatively, if you’re grain-free chickpea flour might work.
These were wonderful, I especially loved the olives
I’m glad you liked them! I was nervous about the olives but they turned out to be my favorite part too. :)
Can these burgers be oven baked? Please reply. I’m ready to make them!!!
I haven’t tried baking them, but I think so! Try 400°F for 15 minutes on each side.
These are *delicious.* I doubled the recipe and the flavors are excellent the next day. We didn’t make the into burgers, rather made the patties and then had a saucy cucumber-tomato salad that went with it. Fabulous! Thank you for a great recipe.
Yay!! We ate the leftovers as fritters and loved them that way too! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These were a huge hit with the whole family – including the 7 and 10 yr old boys. We made some tzatziki to top them with. In my opinion, hummus would be too “dry” for these burgers. My burger mix came out very dry and crumbly so I added an egg to bind. Next time I would mix everything and then add the powdered oats slowly until I had the right consistency to avoid needing the egg.
I’m glad they were a hit!
I’m such a fan of vegetarian and online you’d find mostly non vegetarian blogs , but on finding this one, that too burger, wow, i tried it instantly and it turned out to be really mouthwatering, thanks for sharing this innovative recipe, my daughter really loved it , thanks so much
I’m glad you and your daughter enjoyed it!! Thanks so much!
These burgers are absolutely delicious. I dont like eating bread too much so input them in a lettuce wrap. This is my favourite burger. Thank you for the recipe
Lettuce wraps sound like a great way to eat these! I’m so glad you like them!
Ps. I bake them 200. For 15 minutes on each side
Thanks so much for sharing!
These are fantastic! The kalamatas make the difference, I think. Almost reminded me of Feta cheese. Will definitely keep this recipe in the rotation. Thank you!!
Yes! I thought they tasted like there was some feta in there too, even though there wasn’t! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Kathy!
This was the best veg burger I have ever made in my whole life (I have made a lot.) soooo delicious and just the perfect amount of crispy and juicy. I finally found a keeper. Thanks a lot for this one can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks so much Anastasia!
I am making these tonight as they look delish.
Quick q : I forgot to buy fresh oregano. How many teaspoons or tablespoons of the dried stuff should I use instead ? Thanks
I think 2 teaspoons should do it! Give the burger mixture a taste-test after mixing it up and add more from there if you’d like. Enjoy!!
Delicious!
I’m unable to eat garlic or onions and these happily turned out great even without them. I subbed 1 tsp. of homemade Greek Seasoning for the lack of onion. Thank you for this wonderful recipe 💕
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Sierra!
Thank you for all your delicious vegan recipes. You inspire me to be more creative and to realize vegan cooking doesn’t need to be boring! I’ve tried so many of your recipes and I’m never let down, trying these burgers tonight!
thank you
That’s so great to hear! Thanks so much Maru, and I hope you enjoy the burgers!
These get a thumbs up…I made the for dinner tonight. Both my husband and 12 year old son devoured them.
I’m glad they were a hit! Thanks Karen!