Buffalo Chickpea Burgers [Gluten-Free, Vegan]

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Chickpeas replace the chicken in these meatless Buffalo Chickpea Burgers, which are also both gluten-free and vegan. These chickpea veggie burgers are perfect topped with additional Buffalo sauce and vegan ranch dressing.

Listen up, people! These chickpea burgers are the bomb! And I’m not just saying that because I made them. LOL 😉

Seriously, I am soooo in ♥ with them. Can I let you in on a little secret? Would you believe these are the FIRST veggie burgers I ever made from scratch? For real! It’s true! So, I figured for my first go at it, I’d start by using my favorite legume…the chickpea.

Come on; say it with me…

Chickpeas aren’t just for hummus! 🙂

Although I have been dubbed “the hummus queen” among food blog friends (I label I am truly proud of), I’ve also made my fair share of non-hummus chickpea dishes as well. 

In fact, I’ve been experimenting with using chickpeas in place of chicken in all kinds of dishes. In fact, I am also working on a recipe for “chicken-less” chickpea nuggets (hopefully coming soon to the blog).

In the meantime, let’s focus on these burgers. 

What ingredients are in these chickpea burgers?

Aside from canned chickpeas and gluten-free, vegan Buffalo sauce, they are also made with:

• carrots
• shallot
• fresh parsley
• salt 
• chickpea flour

What Buffalo sauce brands are both vegan and gluten-free?

As of the date of publication of this post, Noble Made, Frank’s RedHot and Tessemae’s are all delicious store-bought gluten-free and vegan Buffalo sauce options. Of course, you could always make your own too.

Are these gluten-free veggie burgers grain-free too?

While bread crumbs, oats or rice are typically used for binding in veggie burgers, in this recipe chickpea flour replaces these grains. Although some Buffalo sauces are made with vinegar that is derived from grains, such as corn, there are technically no actual grains in the burger itself. 

You can keep them grain-free by using grain-free toppings. Of course, traditional burger buns are not grain-free; however, you can opt to go with a lettuce wrap or try a grain-free tortilla such as the Siete brand. 

What toppings are best on these vegan burgers?

Aside from even more Buffalo sauce, we love these burgers topped with avocado slices and our homemade dairy-free ranch dressing. You can also try a vegan blue cheese style dressing, a slice of vegan cheese, sliced onion, lettuce and tomato or anything else your heart desires. 🙂 

How to make these Buffalo Chickpea Burgers

Start by adding the carrots, shallot and parsley to your food processor.

Pulse until finely chopped, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides.

Next, heat olive oil in an 8-inch non-stick skillet. Add the carrot mixture and salt, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

While the carrot mixture is cooking, rinse out your food processor and set aside as you will need to use it again. Once the carrot mixture is done cooking, allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes before adding to the food processor along with chickpeas.

Blend carrot mixture and chickpeas on the low setting until everything is well-combined but not pureed, scraping down the sides as needed.

Transfer the burger mixture to a large bowl. Add chickpea flour and Buffalo sauce.

Mix until well-combined using a spoon or your hands.

Using your hands, form 4 burger patties. Add olive oil to a 10-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the burgers to the skillet and cook on medium to medium-low for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the burgers and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 teaspoon Buffalo sauce to the top of each burger.

Then, carefully flip each burger with a turner spatula and cook on low for 1 minute. Add an additional 1/2 teaspoon Buffalo sauce to the “new” top of each burger and carefully flip again. Cook for 1 more minute.

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