Savory seasoned chickpea patties are topped with a tangy maple glaze to make these hearty and delicious vegan meatloaf burgers.
This one might sound familiar. Last November I posted a recipe for chickpea meatloaf, and was kind of floored at the way it took off. It ended up being one of my most popular recipes of last year. I guess everyone is a fan of meatloaf.
I'll be honest though, and say that I got mixed reactions on that recipe. I had a bunch of you tell me you made it and loved it, but I had probably just as many people telling me that it was too soft. I probably got the most comments from people saying it wasn't as firm as they like, but still totally worthwhile for being delicious.
I gave things a lot of thought. Okay, maybe I agonized over the meatloaf recipe a bit, to the point of repeatedly making it in an effort to figure out what was going on, and I couldn't do it. My best guess is that it's just a matter of personal preference. And with that conclusion, I made an attempt to come up with something that would please peeps who aren't into the loaf. I turned it into a burger!
I already know that chickpeas make an awesome base for veggie burgers. They worked so well in my falafel burgers, Greek chickpea burgers, and barbecue chickpea burgers. I just needed to switch up the flavors for this recipe.
FYI: Beany mixtures for burgers, loaves, veggie meatballs and the like are often interchangeable, and switching up those types of recipes is an awesome way to keep a favorite recipe from getting boring.
The ingredients list is essentially the same as that for the meatloaf, with a few tweaks to burger-ify the mixture. Aside from that, all you need to do is make the mixture into patties and give them a quick pan-fry. The maple glaze that gets baked onto the meatloaf works like an extra special and super flavorful ketchup here. I highly recommend topping the whole thing off with some sauteed onions, for an extra savory, wintry burger that makes a perfect, hearty late January dinner.
What to Serve with Vegan Meatloaf Burgers
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Meatloaf Burgers
Ingredients
For the Maple Glaze
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 ½ tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 ½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp. paprika
For the Meatloaf Burgers
- 1-14 oz. cans or 1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp. unflavored soy or almond milk
- 1 ½ tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- ½ tsp. liquid smoke
- a few dashes black pepper
For Frying
- about 2 tbsp. olive oil
For Serving
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Stir glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir in a few splashes of water if you'd like to thin the mixture a bit. Set aside.
- Place all burger ingredients into food processor bowl and pulse until chickpeas are broken up and ingredients are well mixed, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Do not overblend.
- Shape mixture into 4 patties.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet lightly with oil and place over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, place patties into skillet and cook until browned on bottoms, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook about 4 minutes more, until browned on opposite sides. Add oil to skillet between batches as needed.
- Stuff into buns. Top with maple glaze and your favorite burger toppings. Serve.
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I made these this afternoon & they were a hit. Here are the changes I made: I left out the milk & instead mixed my tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water & let it sit for 15 minutes. Then I added the flax to the Worcestershire/soy sauce/tomato paste mix & added all that to the ground up veggies & beans. I also left out the liquid smoke, which I didn't have. The burgers were on the soft side & needed to be lifted with a spatula but were very tasty. Next time I will spice them up a little with smoked paprika & gochujang sauce.
Can one leave out the tomato paste without compromising the recipe?
I think you can leave it out of the loaf, but you'll probably need to find a workaround for the glaze.
We had these for dinner tonight and they are so good! They held together like a dream and everyone enjoyed them!
Awesome! Glad you all enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping back to let me know. :)
Absolutely! I love when I can add a recipe to the keep pile! I have pinned several of your burger recipes and look forward to making our way through them! They all look great!
Have you tried to bake these instead of frying?
I haven't, but I think it would work. I'd try putting the patties on parchment and baking at about 400F for 15 minutes on each side. You could brush them with a little oil to get some crispness if that works with your diet, or just leave it out if not. :)
sounds good!!!!!
This looks fab, and I need to try your meatloaf version too! Chickpeas are one of my favourite ingredients.
Made this last night for dinner. It was "oh so good"! Thanks!
Glad to hear it! Thanks Jackie!