Loaded with green chilis, Mexican spices and tortilla chips, these chickpea green chili veggie burgers are a great healthy alternative to burgers.
Growing up, I was quite the picky eater. Vegetables were basically public enemy #1. So I find it funny to think about my 15 year-old self looking at what I eat nowadays. I would have never tried a veggie burger back then. But as I’ve mentioned a few times already in this blog, Lauren introduced me to the wonders of the veggie burgers – hence today’s post about these green chili veggie burgers.
I’ll admit, my impression of veggie burgers were always those frozen ones in the aisle. I just didn’t find it appealing at all. However with my healthier eating habits nowadays, I was willing to give them a try. My first veggie burger that I made was this amazing sweet potato burger that I’ll share at some point. After that I instantly changed my opinion of the veggie burger. Why am I not sharing today? Because since then we’ve made countless types of homemade veggie burgers and this just happened to be the one we made. I found it, like most recipes on Pinterest, from a blog called Minimalist Baker which can be found here.
What makes this one great is no cooking ahead of time is involved which a lot of veggie burgers require. Well technically you need to cook some shallots and garlic but that takes 2 minutes! This is definitely the burger for those that like that southwest kick. You can make as spicy or as mild as you want with the spices and type of green chilis you use. While I like a little heat I can’t handle too much so we went with the mild green chilis.
Make no mistake, veggie burgers are not juicy and full of grease. So if you want a good old-fashioned burger definitely go that route. But if you’re looking for a great alternative that has a lot of protein and veggies in it I would definitely give it a shot. To me this veggie burger is the perfect starter homemade veggie burger for those that have never had one.
What Ingredients Are In Green Chili Veggie Burgers?
- Chickpeas
- Mild green chilis
- Olive oil
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper)
- Limes
- Egg
- Cilantro
- Tortilla chips
- Toppings (cheese, avocado, tomato, salsa)
Why Do My Veggie Burgers Fall Apart?
I’ve made plenty of veggie burgers in the past few years and discovered that there are three keys to keeping your burgers together.
- Tortilla chips – by placing tortilla chips in the food processor and pulsing a few times, you create a healthy binder that is better than flour.
- Eggs – eggs help bind the burger. I originally didn’t use eggs and found that they just didn’t hold together like I wanted but just 1 egg makes all the difference. As mentioned above, you can use a vegan substitute.
- Bake – bake the patties before freezing or cooking the rest of the way. By baking the veggie burgers for 40 minutes (20 minutes per side), you allow the outside of the patties to develop a crust. You can then freeze from here or finish on the stove-top to develop a charred crust.
Other Homemade Veggie Burger Recipes
- Black Bean Veggie Burgers
- Butternut Squash Burgers
- Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Veggie Burgers
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
- Cauliflower Veggie Burgers
Green Chili Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 (4 oz) can mild green chilis
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 small shallots, minced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, finely crushed
- Buns, toasted
- Toppings (cheese, avocado, salsa, onion, corn, etc...)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Heat medium skillet with 1 tbsp olive over medium heat. Once skillet is hot, add garlic and onion and cook until translucent. (About 2-3 minutes)
- In large mixing bowl, add drained chickpeas, green chilis, garlic and shallots and mash until the chickpeas are completely mashed. (There can a few whole chickpeas remaining for some texture) Add 1 tbsp olive oil, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, lime juice, egg, cilantro and tortilla chips. You want it to just be able to form balls so if too wet add more chips or if too dry add a little more oil or lime juice.
- Use 1/2 measuring cup and scoop out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press down to desired thickness. It should give you 8 patties. Bake in oven for 20 minutes before flipping and bake another 20 minutes. This should give you enough consistency to be able to freeze or cook the rest of the way to eat now. (We usually eat them for 2 nights and then freeze the rest. Great to have when you don't feel like cooking)
- If eating now, heat a medium skillet over medium heat with enough oil to cover bottom of skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side. If using cheese, add after flipping. Add toppings of your desire and enjoy!
I love veggie burgers. I have never seen a recipe for them before. I will certainly try these. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Most veggie burgers are pretty easy and what’s nice about them is you can make a few and then freeze them for later use.