Spicy Veggie Burger (Vegan + GF)

This Spicy Veggie Burger is packed with flavors from carefully selected spices such as cumin, paprika and turmeric infused into a delicious puree of sweet potato and chickpeas.  Adjust the spiciness to taste and enjoy this mouthwatering veggie burger with your salad of choice, tomato, onion slices and fresh avocado!

Summer is finally here! The season allows for an opportunity to settle into a more relaxing schedule and longer days to enjoy the things we love the most.  For me this means lots of outdoor time, whether by the pool with a good book and refreshing drink (if I am disciplined enough to leave my work load indoors), in the garden picking fresh veggies for dinner or cooking and dining with family friends. Either way, it can't go wrong!

While contemplating the season ahead one thing kept popping in mind.  Over the years in particular this past year, I have significantly reduced my red meat intake, for health reasons. With summer's arrival, my family and I have already devoured more than a few burgers, which has clearly raised a red flag. While I am not planning on taking this away from everyone else, I have come up with the perfect solution to "my" burger dilemma.

Last week while having lunch with a friend, I decided to order a veggie burger because clearly at that point I had enough red meat burgers to feed a small village or a large cake of hungry lions.  Tis when the idea of making my own veggie burgers came to mind.  Sure my local coffee + lunch + free wi-fi spot is highly convenient and makes killer veggie burgers, but I figured that if I had a freezer filled with my own homemade veggie burgers would for sure surpass any convenience.

What I did not know was 1. making my own veggie burger was much easier than I thought, 2. My veggie burger tasted just as good as the one from my local shop.  I am hooked!

This veggie burger is packed with flavor from carefully selected spices such as cumin, paprika and turmeric.  Adjust spiciness to taste and create an awesome eating experience by topping with your choice of salad, tomato, onion and avocado.  Need another reason to try? These veggie burgers freeze really well, so be sure to make a double batch to enjoy later on. Hmm... I think they taste even better the second time around 🙂

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Spicy Veggie Burger (Vegan + GF)

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, gluten-free, Lunch, Main Course, Vegan

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Silvia Ribas

Ingredients

• 1 cup sweet potatoes
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 small shallot minced
• 1 tablespoon scallion finally chopped
• 2 tablespoon liquid hot sauce
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• salt + pepper to taste
• coconut oil brushing

Instructions

Sweet Potato cooking method no.1

• This recipe calls for 1 medium size sweet potato. Place the sweet potato chunks in a small pot with enough water to cover. Too much water will take longer. You do not need to peel the sweet potato as it is much easier to do so once its cooked, just be sure to wash thoroughly before cooking. Cook for approximately 15-18 minutes (see picture in post for reference)

Sweet Potato cooking method no.2

• This method takes twice as long as method no.1. The benefit is that, this can be done ahead of time. Should you know you will be making this recipe, plan ahead and bake an extra sweet potato. Wrap a medium size sweet potato in foil and bake at 375F degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Chickpeas

• For this recipe you can either use canned or jarred chickpeas or cook your own. I own a pressure cooker so it is very easy to just cook my own, plus they taste better. Soak the chickpeas overnight in warm water. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and place in a pressure cooker with twice the amount of water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 bay leaf. Cover tightly and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, drain and rinse. Store in mason jars and keep in the refrigerator (see picture in post for reference.

Spicy Veggie Burger

• Pre-head oven to 400F degrees.
• Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray or brush with coconut oil.
• Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender cup. Blend until all the ingredients has combined (if needed, adjust thickness with a liquid base, water, more hot sauce or oil).
• With a large serving spoon, scoop up an amount of the pureed mixture to make 1 burger (the size and thickness is a personal preference) and drop onto the (lined and sprayed) baking sheet. With the back of the spoon, push down the puree to shape into a burger. There should be enough to make 4 burgers.
• Bake for a total of 40 minutes carefully flipping the veggie burgers half way through with a flexible spatula.
• Serve hot in a bun with your choice of toppings.

Notes

This recipe freezes really well. Place remaining veggie burgers in an air tight freezer ziplock, separated by a layer of parchment paper. Once you are ready to eat, defrost the burgers and throw them on the grill for 1 minute on each side to get them warm and some beautiful grill marks on them. Enjoy!