These vegetarian sweet potato and chickpea burgers are full of spices and served on a soft bun with tomato relish, pickles, lettuce and of course creamy mayonnaise. They are super easy to prepare using simple ingredients and will be a go to recipe when wanting a delicious veggie burger. This recipe can also easily be made vegan!
I am having a moment with burgers lately. They are my go-to weekend takeaway option but I’ve been having so much fun making them at home. Plus they taste so much better and I can tweak the toppings to be exactly what I like.
This veggie burger was inspired by one I ate at a brewery when travelling recently in the south west of Western Australia. I wasn’t expecting much but I was starving and was wanting to eat something hearty but plant-based and so I ordered the vegan burger.
What I loved about it was just how flavoursome the chickpea based burger pattie was, filled with rich, warming spices. It was perfectly paired with a sweet tomato relish, tangy and crunchy pickles and mayo, all on a soft bun.
I instantly knew that this was the kind of burger I was going to want to recreate at home. I love these burgers so much. They are so filling thanks to the addition of the sweet potato, plus they hold together well when cooking.
This is the kind of burger that will hit the craving but also leave you feeling good. Plus these burgers are great for meal prep and use simple and affordable ingredients.
If you like these then make sure to also try my vegan black bean burgers.
Key Ingredients
Most of the ingredients needed for these sweet potato and chickpea burgers are fairly simple and inexpensive found at your local grocery store. You can adjust your toppings and sauces as you like or swap the bun for a lettuce wrap or simply just enjoy the burger patties on their own with a side salad.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chickpeas – use no added salt and make sure to drain and rinse well.
- Sweet potato – sweet potatoes come in many shapes and sizes but we’re looking for a medium sized one.
- Garlic – I am using fresh garlic in these burgers for a more punchy flavour. You can substitute with some garlic powder.
- Spices – the key to this burger is the depth of spice flavour. To get this we are using a combination of ground cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper and cayenne pepper. We’re also adding salt to balance the flavours.
- Breadcrumbs – I use panko breadcrumbs to hold these burgers together but you can use regular or a gluten free version if needed.
- Egg – binds the burgers and prevents them from falling apart. For a vegan option, substitute with a flax egg (see recipe notes).
- Burger buns – I love using plant-based brioche buns to keep this dairy free but potato buns would also be perfect. If gluten free, use your favourite gluten free burger buns.
- Toppings – I am using a simple combination of shredded lettuce, red onion and sliced pickles for freshness and crunch. Tomato and avocado are also great toppings for this burger.
- Sauce – To keep things easy, I am just using a store bought café-style tomato relish that adds sweetness but if you want to make your own, this tomato and capsicum chutney would be perfect. I’m also adding mayonnaise because two sauces are better than one. If making a vegan version of this burger, be sure to use a vegan mayonnaise.
Step-By-Step Instructions
One of the reasons I love this sweet potato and chickpea burger recipe is because it really is quite easy to make without the need for a food processor. I prefer mashing my chickpeas by hand to get the consistency just right as I still want it to be chunky to prevent that mushy texture that can occur with veggie patties.
Also this is a relatively quick recipe with the longest part being actually cooking the sweet potato first as we need cooked sweet potato for the burgers. Meal prepping ahead of time for the sweet potato is a great option so that these burgers take less time midweek.
To cook the sweet potato, I prefer to roast it as unlike steaming, this isn’t going to add any extra water which can leave us with soggy burger patties that are more likely to fall apart.
To roast them, simply slice a cleaned, skin on sweet potato in half lengthways and place onto a baking tray cut side down and coat with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft and tender.
Once the sweet potato has cooled enough to touch, carefully peel the skin off and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Add the chickpeas, garlic, spices, breadcrumbs and egg and mix everything together to combine.
This is where you can grab a potato masher or a fork to break down the chickpeas until you get a chunky and sticky mixture. Remember we want to break it down just enough that it sticks together while still having some texture. Some whole chickpeas in there are ok!
Divide the mixture into 4 and use your hands to shape them into balls before pressing them into patty shapes. I am right handed so I like to do this by pressing the pattie into my left palm and using my right hand to gently shape into a circle.
To cook the burgers, heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the patties for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep an eye on the temperature and turn down the heat if needed to prevent burning.
Once cooked, gently place the burger patties onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain away any excess oil. The outside of the burgers will firm up a little as they cool but as with all veggie burgers, they will be softer than meat patties so be careful when handling them.
Now it’s time to assemble the burgers! You can of course serve them anyway you want, as a burger or with a lettuce wrap or on their own with a side salad.
But this is how I love them. Toast the inside of the burger buns and spread some tomato relish on the bottom half before placing a burger patty on top. Add the pickles, sliced red onion and shredded lettuce before placing the top half of the bun on top that has been spread with mayonnaise.
Serve immediately on their own or with your favourite burger sides.
Love sweet potato? Try these vegetarian recipes:
Vegetable Curry Pies
Vegan Enchiladas
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Roasted Vegetable Bowls
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus
Sweet Potato and Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 x 420 gram can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tablespoons canola oil for frying
To Serve:
- 4 x plant-based brioche buns
- Lettuce shredded
- Red onion sliced
- Tomato relish
- Sliced pickles
- Vegan mayonnaise
Instructions
- Start by cooking your sweet potato. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Wash and clean your sweet potato, leaving the skin on. Slice the sweet potato in half and place cut side down on the baking sheet and prick the halves with a fork. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake the sweet potato for 30 minutes or until soft and tender.
- Once the sweet potato has cooled enough to touch, carefully peel the skin off the sweet potato and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Add the chickpeas, garlic, spices, breadcrumbs and egg. Mix everything together to combine and then use a potato masher or a fork to break down the chickpeas until you get a chunky and sticky mixture.
- Divide the mixture into 4 and use your hands to shape them into balls before pressing them into patty shapes.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the patties for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep an eye on the temperature and turn down the heat if needed to prevent burning.
- Once cooked, gently place the burger patties onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain away any excess oil. The outside of the burgers will firm up a little as they cool but as with all veggie burgers, they will be softer than meat patties so be careful when handling them.
- Assemble your burgers. Toast the inside of the burger buns and spread some tomato relish on the bottom half before placing a burger patty on top. Add the pickles, red onion and shredded lettuce before placing the top half of the bun on top that has been spread with mayonnaise.
- Serve immediately on their own or with your favourite burger sides.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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