Falafel Burgers

This veggie-packed falafel burger is a simple, healthy dinner. Slather yours with yogurt dill sauce, and you're guaranteed to want seconds!

Falafel Burger

This falafel burger recipe comes from our friends Sonja and Alex’s new book Pretty Simple Cooking, and we’re completely obsessed with it! Unlike many veggie burger or falafel recipes, this one uses simple ingredients that you’ll be able to find in nearly any grocery store. It’s easy to put together, and it’s absolutely delicious.

The patties have a nice hearty texture and a robust, aromatic flavor, thanks to a slew of spices and fresh herbs. They’re the kind of thing I’d be happy to eat for dinner any night of the week, as they’re fresh and healthy, but flavorful and satisfying at the same time. My advice? Try this falafel burger recipe (and check out the book) ASAP!

Falafel burger recipe ingredients

Falafel Burger Recipe Ingredients

I LOVE that this easy falafel burger recipe uses simple ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

  • Chickpeas – Use canned, or cook your own dried chickpeas.
  • Sesame seeds – They add crunch and a tasty sesame flavor.
  • Garlic and onion – This recipe uses a whole lotta garlic. Don’t skimp on it! It really amps up the savory flavor in this falafel burger recipe.
  • Carrots – They give the burgers a nice golden color and an extra veggie punch.
  • Cilantro – It makes this falafel burger recipe super flavorful and fresh! You’ll pulse everything together in the food processor, so feel free to use the cilantro stems as well as the leaves.
  • Whole wheat flour – It binds these patties together.
  • Cumin, coriander, and cayenne – They perfect the patties’ bold falafel flavor.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Falafel burgers on a baking sheet

This falafel burger recipe is super easy to make. Pulse the ingredients in a food processor, fold them together, and use your hands to form them into patties. Give them a quick sear in a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, cooking just until golden brown. When you’re done pan frying the patties, transfer them to the oven to finish cooking. That’s it!

Pretty Simple Cooking Cookbook

Falafel Burger Serving Suggestions

Sonja and Alex finish this falafel burger recipe with a delicious yogurt-dill sauce. Similar to tzatziki, it’s creamy, bright, and fresh, and it’s fantastic with the hearty patties. I highly recommend making it, but if you’re vegan, hummus or tahini sauce would be a great substitute.

Slather on the sauce, and load up your falafel burger with your favorite fixings! I chose pickled red onions and extra cilantro, but sliced tomato, cucumber, avocado, or regular pickles would also be delicious. To take these burgers to the next level, serve them on homemade buns.

Enjoy the burgers on their own, or pair them with sweet potato fries, dressed greens, or any of these veggie side dishes:

Falafel Burger with Yogurt Dill Sauce

More Favorite Patties and Burgers

If you love this falafel burger recipe, check out Pretty Simple Cooking! This book is for anyone who feels intimidated to step into the kitchen, because Sonja has such encouraging lessons about life, love, and food. It’s also for food lovers of any level looking for creative recipes to up their veggie game.

In the meantime, try one of these veggie burger, patty, or sandwich recipes next:


5.0 from 20 reviews

Falafel Burgers

 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Reprinted from Pretty Simple Cooking by Sonja and Alex Overhiser, with permission from the publisher.
Author:
Recipe type: Main dish
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For the Falafel:
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (3 cups cooked)
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds
  • 6 medium garlic cloves
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour
  • 4 teaspoons cumin
  • 4 teaspoons coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Dill Yogurt Sauce:
  • 2 small garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • ¼ cup lemon juice (1 large lemon)
  • 2 cups whole milk plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving:
  • pickles or pickled onions
  • cilantro, lettuce or sliced cucumber
  • 8 toasted hamburger buns
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Make the burgers: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Blot them with a paper towel or clean dish towel to remove any extra moisture, then place them in the bowl of a large food processor. Add the sesame seeds and process for a minute or so until a paste-like consistency is formed (if necessary, stop and scrape the sides of the bowl, and process again). Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.
  3. Peel the garlic, red onion, and carrots. Chop the onion and carrot in rough chunks. Add the garlic to the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the carrot and onion and pulse several times until finely chopped. Add the cilantro to the processor and pulse a few more times until chopped.
  4. Scrape the vegetables into the bowl with the chickpeas. Stir in the flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix with a spoon or with your hands until fully combined, then form 8 round patties and place them on a baking sheet.
  5. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 4 of the burgers and fry them for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the cooked burgers and place them back on the baking sheet. Wipe out the pan, add an additional drizzle of oil, and fry the remaining 4 burgers, keeping in mind that the pan will be hotter and the cooking time slightly quicker for the second batch.
  6. Once all burgers are browned, place them in the oven on the baking sheet and bake 15 minutes on one side, then flip and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.
  7. Make the sauce: Peel and finely mince the garlic. Chop the dill. Juice the lemon. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, dill, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, olive oil, kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons water. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for to 2 weeks.
  8. Assemble the burgers with the yogurt sauce and desired fixings.
Notes
Store leftover burgers refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen in an airtight container or plastic bag. To reheat, heat straight from the refrigerator or freezer in a 375°F oven until crispy and heated through; about 8 minutes for refrigerated burgers and about 15 minutes for frozen burgers.

 

129 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Alesia
    10.04.2023

    Such a good recipe! This is my first time making vegetarian patties and this was a hit-my partner is a meat eater and loved these patties as well. We ended up grilling them instead (they fall apart more easily but still kept the shape).

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.09.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

  2. Sheila
    01.13.2023

    These were amazing. Perfect ! Love not deep frying but still having amazing flavor.
    I halved the recipe & added has el ranout which worked with the other spices well, added a little sweetness. Sautéed in ast iron for a crispy outside.
    It was really quick & So easy!!
    5 stars

    • Sheila
      01.13.2023

      I also didn’t have sesame seeds so I used Tahiti * it worked great & held together nicely!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      So glad you loved the burgers!

  3. Melaina Patenaude
    04.13.2022

    Have you tried any other flours to make them gluten free?

    • Torie
      11.15.2022

      I’ve used chickpea flower, which tastes perfect but they are a little more fragile. You have to be careful with moisture to sure everything is dry enough to not be fragile but can still stick. I also find something with a bit of a scoop shape instead of a flat flipper gets them out more easily when you are done cooking!
      Oat flower also works well. It’s more sturdy but there is a slight oat taste.

  4. Sarah D
    02.25.2022

    Where can I find the nutritional information for this recipe?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.25.2022

      Hi Sarah, I’m sorry, we don’t post nutrition facts, but you can type the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.

  5. krystal
    02.17.2022

    Delicious and easy recipe! I topped mine with simple truth brand tzatziki sauce and two handfuls of crispy clover alfalfa sprouts and it was so good!!! Tasted just like a bareburger burger.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.18.2022

      I’m so glad you loved them!

  6. M
    09.01.2021

    I have a lot of roasted sesame seeds, would those work? Or are the raw/white ones best?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.03.2021

      hmm… I haven’t tried, but I think they’d be fine.

  7. Ashley
    02.19.2020

    Hi there! looking forward to trying this tonight. Are the sesame seeds just for flavor? I have to leave them out since I don’t have any on hand. Should I replace with tahini? Thanks in advance!!! 🙂

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.19.2020

      I think tahini could work in place of them – I’d use a tad less so the mixture doesn’t come out too wet.

      • Ashley
        02.19.2020

        Thank you so much for the quick reply!!! Cannot wait to try these! We love your recipes and enjoy both of your cookbooks!!!

  8. Kara
    10.14.2019

    Delicious! I just made them for dinner and my hubs loved them. Win for this wife! Just a note, between the onion and cayenne there was just a hint of spice, so go lightly on the cayenne if you have sensitive mouths in your home. 🙂

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.18.2019

      Hi Kara, I’m so glad you enjoyed these!

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.