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Sun-dried tomato burgers are packed with Mediterranean flavors and a perfect alternative to your boring veggie burger that you're used to.
There is just something about sun-dried tomatoes. For not being a huge fan of tomatoes, I absolutely love sun-dried tomatoes and use them in multiple recipes - from sun-dried tomato chicken to sun-dried tomato pesto pizza. But today is about these sun-dried tomato burgers.
Recently I was wanting to make a new veggie burger recipe. As you can tell by following our blog, Lauren and I are big veggie burger fans. We pretty much always have some frozen in the freezer for when we just don't feel like cooking.
So when I was short on ideas for any recipe, my coworker suggested something Mediterranean. I immediately thought about sun-dried tomatoes for some reason so tried to come up with a way to incorporate them in. I was actually inspired by Minimalist Baker's version, but I had to put my own spin on it!
After one bite, I knew I found a winner for a new veggie burger. It was just so different from others I've made. The Mediterranean flavors make this a recipe that will be going into my rotation.
And unlike most vegetarian burgers, these chickpea burgers actually hold together.
Oh and if you're ready and willing to make this chickpea veggie burger, there is one thing you can't ignore - pesto! And it just so happens I have a kale pistachio pesto that goes great these sun-dried tomato burgers, so give them a try.
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Ingredient Notes
- Old-fashioned oats - helps bind the burgers but also has some health benefits.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - has an intense sweet-tart flavor that rounds out the flavor.
- Chickpeas - helps create the texture you expect and adds protein.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can switch things up if needed. Some variations include:
- If you don't have sweet onions, white, yellow, red onions or shallots will work as well. They all high slightly different flavors.
- While not the same flavor as sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers are a good substitute.
- If you don't have chickpeas, cannellini beans, black beans or kidney beans work too.
Step-by-Step Photos
Cook the onions and garlic in a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil for 2-3 minutes and set aside. Then grind the old-fashioned oats in a food processor until broken up.
Then puree sun-dried tomatoes and basil until blended. Add the drained chickpeas, garlic and shallots and mash.
Mix in the ground oats, sun-dried tomato mixture, spices and egg. Scoop out 8 patties of the mixture (½ cup) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press down to desired thickness. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes before flipping and baking another 20 minutes.
FAQs
The truthful answer is it depends. If you buy a veggie burger from the freezer isle, chances are it is not the best for you, but by making them homemade, you can make them quite healthy.
Sun-dried tomatoes are how they sound - tomatoes that have been dried out in the sun. They have a sweet, yet tangy flavor.
These days you can buy them in a jar at any grocery store, but if you want to make your own, you can make them in the oven. Check Wholesome Yum to see how to make them for these chickpea burgers.
Yes. You can use any egg substitute like flax or chia eggs, or 1 tbsp of vegan mayo. If using flaxseed or chia seeds, stir 1 tbsp flaxseed meal or chia seeds in 2 ½ tbsp water and let sit for 5 minutes before using. This replaces 1 egg.
I personally don’t eat vegan so don’t make a ton of vegan meals but these chickpea burgers will taste just as good with the substitutes. There are also plenty of options for vegan cheese as well these days.
Benefits of Old-Fashioned Oats
Oat are one of the healthiest grains you can eat and come with quite a few benefits including:
- High in vitamins and rich in antioxidants
- High in fiber which helps digestion
- Lowers cholesterol
- Improves blood sugar levels
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
I’ve made plenty of veggie burgers in the past few years and discovered that there are three keys to keeping the chickpea veggie burgers together.
- Oats – by placing old-fashioned oats in the food processor and pulsing a few times, you create a healthy binder that is better than flour.
- Egg – 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 sun-dried tomato 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 Veggie Burger Recipes
If you’ve tried these sun-dried tomato burgers or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Sun-Dried Tomato Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup sweet onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 (10 oz jar) sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 2 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp tumeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
- buns, toasted
- toppings (goat cheese, pesto, tomato, etc...)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. 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.
- Grind the oats in a food processor until broken up but not turned into flour. Set aside in bowl. In same food processor, add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil and process until blended, about 15 seconds.
- In large mixing bowl, add drained chickpeas, garlic and onion and mash until the chickpeas are completely mashed. (There can a few whole chickpeas remaining for some texture) Mix in ground oats, sun-dried tomato mixture, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, cinnamon and one egg. You want it to just be able to form balls so if too wet add more ground oats or if too dry add a little more oil.
- Use ½ 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 serve immediately.
Notes
- Oats – by placing old-fashioned oats in the food processor and pulsing a few times, you create a healthy binder that is better than flour.
- Egg – 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 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.
Chris says
Love the addition of sun-dried tomatoes!
chloe says
I will definitely try this next time I want veggie burgers!
jena leigh says
this is just what i'm looking for! i wanted something other than black beans and using chickpeas is what i have.