Chickpea Burger served with spicy mango mayonnaise sauce is my new favorite summer burger! So easy to make, great for BBQ or a quick weeknight meal. It’s also vegan and can be made gluten-free.

Are you a burger fan? I always preferred pizza over burgers when I was younger. But now I have definitely warmed up to them. Back in India, the only type of vegetarian burgers I knew were aloo tikki burger or paneer burger which became popular thanks to McDonalds’!

But when I moved to the US, I saw so many varieties of vegetarian burgers made from different ingredients like beans, lentils, chickpeas and so much more! That opened my mind to many vegetarian burger possibilities. I love a good black bean burger and my current favorite is this Chickpea Burger.

This burger is filling, flavorful and made with real ingredients. Even if you are not a fan of vegetarian burgers, I am pretty sure you will like this one. While the patty itself is flavorful, the spicy mango mayonnaise takes it to another level!

Why We Love This Burger

We love this recipe because first of all it’s really easy to make. The only major work for this recipe is to soak the chickpeas overnight and then pressure cook them the next day.

If you want to cut short the process, you can definitely use canned chickpeas. Although the raw chickpeas just taste so much better. So, if you can do it, I recommend using raw chickpeas in place of canned.

The other reason we love this burger patty is that it’s so flavorful and filling. It also holds it’s shape making it perfect for grilling and all your summer parties.

It’s also vegan and can be easily made gluten-free so it’s caters to all dietary specifications.

Chickpea Burger Patty

The star of this burger is the flavorful chickpea patty which is made with some readily available ingredients!

Chickpea: I prefer and highly recommend using raw chickpeas here. It does make a difference to the final taste of the patty but if you are short on time or have no access to raw chickpeas, then you can use canned chickpea.

Onion & garlic: these not only add tons of flavor to the patty but also adds moisture to the patty. Chickpea patties can get dry so this is a great way to add moisture to them. I love frying them in oil until they turn golden brown in color and then add to the patty mixture.

Walnuts: they add a lot of texture to the patty. I like to pulse the walnuts just a couple of times until they break into small little chunks. Don’t make a fine powder, else you will loose on the texture.

Spices & seasoning: the patty is flavored with cumin, paprika, coriander, hint of chili powder. I also like using fresh cilantro, you can also use parsley in place.

Breadcrumbs: to hold the patty together, I like using breadcrumbs. You can use whatever breadcrumb you have or you prefer. I had panko bread crumbs so that’s what I used but regular will also work fine. If you feel the patties need additional binding (if they are breaking while frying), you can definitely add besan (gram flour) or regular flour for extra binding.

The patty is easy to make, is very filling and can be used not only for this burger also sandwiches. You can even serve on top of lettuce for a low-carb option. These patties hold their shape well, you just have to be careful while pan frying them. Lift carefully and flip and they won’t break.

Spicy Mango Mayonnaise Sauce

What takes this burger to the next level is the spicy mango mayo sauce. This sauce is so easy to put together with only few ingredients.

Mayonnaise: if you are a vegan or you don’t eat eggs, make sure to buy a vegan mayonnaise. They are so many options available in the market these days.

Mangoes: fresh ripe mangoes add sweetness to this sauce and make it so flavorful. Make sure the mangoes that you use are sweet and ripe. I used pulp of 2 mangoes, but you can definitely use 3 for extra mango flavor.

Hot sauce: this sauce has a touch of heat from the hot sauce. I like using sriracha but any hot sauce would do. Please adjust the amount of hot sauce to taste. For me, 1 tablespoon sriracha works perfect here.

Seasoning: touch of vinegar and sugar brings all the flavors together. Rice vinegar or white vinegar both work well.

I have tried this sauce recipe with less of the hot sauce but honestly the hot sauce just balance out the sweetness from mayo and mangoes so you need to use it. I have tried the sauce with 1/2 teaspoon sriracha and it was too sweet for me. You can definitely adjust the amount to taste though, but 1 tablespoon is my recommendation for a good burger sauce which has a nice kick to it.

Step by Step Instructions

1- To make the patties, soak the chickpeas overnight. In the morning, pressure cook until the chickpeas are soft and cooked and then set them aside.. You should be able to mash them easily when you press them between your thumb and index finger. If using an Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes with natural pressure release. If using a stove-top pressure cooker, do 1 to 2 whistles on high heat, then lower the heat and cook for 7 to 8 minutes more.

2- Meanwhile, also pulse the walnuts using a food processor. Just give 2 to 3 pulses, you don’t want a fine power. You want some smaller chunks of walnuts for texture. Set this aside.

3- To a pan on medium heat, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic.

4- Cook on medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring often until the onion turns light golden brown in color. Remove pan from heat and set aside and let it cool down.

5- Transfer the cooked chickpeas to a large bowl. Using a potato masher, start mashing the chickpeas.

6- Mash until all of them are nicely mashed, it’s okay if you have few of them remaining whole but try to mash well as much as you can.

7- To the bowl now add the sautéed onion & garlic (make sure it’s cooled down before adding), the pulsed walnuts, chopped cilantro, cumin powder, coriander powder, paprika, red chili powder and salt.

8- Mix until everything is well combined. I like to use my hands to mix everything well.

9- Now add the breadcrumbs and mix well again. I have used panko bread crumbs but you can use regular bread crumbs too.

10- Take a portion from the mixture (around 90-100 grams) and roll and then press between you palm to make a patty. Similarly, make all the remaining patties. You would get around 6 to 7 of these.

11- Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the patties carefully in the oil.

12- Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes until browned, then carefully flip the patty and cook the other side for 3 to minutes as well until it’s nicely browned from both sides. Be careful while filliping the patty, use 2 forks (or a thin spatula and fork) to lift and flip it carefully else it might break. Cook all the patties similarly. Place them in the fridge for 15 minutes while you work on the sauce.

13- To make the spicy mango mayo- to a blender or food processor, add mayonnaise, mango pulp, sriracha, rice vinegar and sugar.

14- Blend until everything is well combined and you have a smooth sauce.

15- To assemble the burger, apply the mango mayo on both the buns, place some lettuce on one of the buns, top with the chickpea patty.

16- Then place a round tomato slice and round red onion slice on top. Place the other bun on top to close the burger. Make all burgers similarly. Drizzle more spicy mango mayo and serve the chickpea burger with some fries on the side.

More Toppings!

Other than the lettuce, onion and tomato, you can top this burger with several other things!

• cucumber
• sliced avocados
• cheese slices
• guacamole (it’s so good here)!
• and of course mustard, ketchup

Making The Burger With Canned Chickpeas

I recommend using raw chickpeas for better flavor but if you want to use canned chickpeas- use 2 3/4 cup cooked/canned chickpeas. This will be a little less than 2 cans (the regular 15 oz cans) of chickpeas.

Baking & Air Frying Option

Spray the patties with oil and preheat your oven. Bake at 350 F degrees for 15 minutes, then flip and bake the other side for 10 minutes.

To Air Fry, preheat the air fryer and air fry at 380 F degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.

Tips & Notes

• Be careful while pan frying the burger patties. They can break if not handled gently.
• Use 2 forks or a thin spatula and 1 fork to carefully flip them over.
• If the burger patties are breaking you can add more bread crumbs or a binder like besan (gram flour) or all purpose flour. You can even crush some rolled oats in a grinder and use that to bind.
• If you don’t prefer a spicy sauce, cut down on the sriracha by half. You can always add more later.
• To make the burger vegan, make sure to use vegan mayo.

If you’ve tried this Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen and on YouTube to watch my latest videos.