Vegan Chickpea Patties

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These pan-fried Vegan Chickpea Patties are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and packed with flavor! They're great on their own with a spicy tahini sauce, or in sandwiches, wraps, salads and more.

Overhead view of three chickpea fritters on a green plate. — With cumin, coriander, paprika, and more, these chickpea patties are packed with Middle Eastern flavor.

Pulsing chickpeas in a food processor results in a super fluffy and easily shapeable base for these chickpea patties. We added cumin, coriander, paprika, and oregano alongside some shallots and lemon zest, resulting in a protein- and flavor-packed dish.

These vegan chickpea patties are perfect for a weeknight dinner, because they're pretty easy, filling, and versatile. You can pair them with buns to make chickpea sliders/burgers, break them into pieces as a salad topper, or serve them inside a pita alongside some tomatoes, cucumber, hummus and tzatziki for a delicious wrap.

Best of all, they're totally vegan, and are easily made gluten- and nut-free.

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Why We Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Chickpea Patties
Serving Suggestions
Expert Tips and FAQs
More Chickpea Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

Why We Love This Recipe

Great flavor and texture: Our chickpea patties have a similar taste and texture to falafel, and they definitely deliver on that promise. They have a smoky and tangy flavor and a crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside texture. To be honest, we prefer them to falafel – they're a bit lighter and less dense!
Allergy friendly: This recipe can easily be made allergen-free, making it perfect for vegans, vegetarians, or people with dairy allergies.
Versatility: These are great as a standalone dish at lunch, dinner, or even breakfast, but they also work well on salads, wraps, and sandwiches.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these vegan chickpea patties:

Ingredient Notes

Chickpeas: We used canned chickpeas a.k.a. garbanzo beans. Be sure to reserve a little bit of the liquid, also known as aquafaba, which helps to bind the patty together. If you forget to reserve some aquafaba, you can always use water in its place.
Flour and breadcrumbs: If you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend and gluten free breadcrumbs.
Shallots: If you don't have any on hand, feel free to substitute with yellow or red onion.
Sesame seeds: If you're cooking for someone with a nut/seed allergy, simply omit these. They're mostly just for an extra pop of flavor and texture, so leaving them out won't affect the recipe.
Parsley: We definitely suggest fresh, but if you're using dried parsley, remember that dried herbs are more intense, and 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon fresh.
Lemon juice: This recipe also calls for zest, so the juice from a fresh lemon will not only taste better, but the lemon will also provide the zest, which adds a great tanginess to the patties.
Olive oil: This is for cooking the patties in the pan. You can use any neutral high heat oil of choice. Avocado or sesame oil are both great options.
Oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika: This spice blend will create a smoky, Middle Eastern-inspired flavor. If that's not quite your speed, feel free to substitute with the spice blend of your choice.

How to Make Chickpea Patties

STEP 1: Drain and rinse your chickpeas in a colander, being sure to reserve 4 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from the can). Then, add them to a food processor and pulse several times, until you've achieved a crumbly texture.

STEP 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, cumin and coriander.

On the left: pulsing chickpeas. On the right: mixing spices together. — Pulse the chickpeas until they're crumbly so they can be shaped into a patty.

STEP 3: Heat a small skillet over medium. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add in garlic and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

STEP 4: Add chickpeas, shallots/garlic, lemon juice and zest, parsley, sesame seeds and aquafaba to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add in dry mixture and stir well until ingredients are fully incorporated.

On the left: cooking shallots. On the right: stirring in spices, lemon zest, and parsley. — Cook the shallots, then combine everything to make your patty mixture.

STEP 5: Portion the patties, using about ¼ cup of batter for each one. Roll into a ball, then flatten using your hands or the flat side of a measuring cup. They should be about ½-inch thick.

STEP 6: Add remaining oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook patties in batches for 3-5 minutes per side, or until they're golden brown and crispy. Don't overcrowd the pan.

Transfer finished patties to a cooling rack. Serve warm with more fresh parsley and dipping sauce of choice.

On the left: raw patties. On the right: cooked patties. — Portion out your patties, then pan fry them until crispy on both sides.

Serving Suggestions

With a dipping sauce: These vegan chickpea patties are delicious alongside a dipping sauce. We think they go well with yogurt and tahini, so we made an optional tahini yogurt sauce. To make it, combine a 5 oz container of plain vegan yogurt, 1 tablespoon of tahini, 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ teaspoon agave syrup, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon cumin.
As a salad topper: We like to break apart a few patties and use them as protein-packed toppers for green salads.
In wraps and sandwiches: These chickpea patties are perfect in a pita, or as a patty for a vegan slider.

Expert Tips and FAQs

If you don't have a food processor, you can use a fork or a potato masher to break apart the chickpeas.
Chill the patties before cooking: Chilling the chickpea patties gives the dry ingredients a chance to absorb some of liquids in the recipe, and also firms up the patties, which helps to keep them together during cooking. We strongly suggest a 30 minute rest in the refrigerator before cooking, but it's not totally necessary.
Make ahead: You can prepare the chickpea patty mixture, then chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook them!
Storage: Stored in the fridge in an airtight container, these vegan chickpea patties will keep for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a touch of oil.
Freezing and reheating: These patties freeze really well raw or fully cooked. In an airtight container, they'll stay fresh for up to 6 months. Let them thaw out in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat/cook (if raw) in a pan, or microwave until warmed through.

Can chickpea patties be made gluten free?

Yes, to make these gluten free, just use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour blend, as well as gluten free breadcrumbs.

Can chickpea patties be baked instead of pan fried?

You can absolutely bake these chickpea patties. Place the baked patties onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes at 400˚F, flipping them over halfway through, until golden brown.

Overhead view of chickpea patties on a sheet pan with a dip. — Serve with a spicy tahini sauce for a delicious appetizer.

More Chickpea Recipes to Try

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