Baked Falafel Burgers

Heather Nicholds

Full class video:

Prep time: 30 min. Cooking Time: 30-40 min.
Time from start to eating: 1 hour-1:10
Makes 5-6 burgers.

The chickpeas must be fully cooked before you begin. Soak them overnight (8 hours) in lots of water, then drain and rinse. Add enough water to cover them by 2 inches, and gently boil them with NO salt. You can add a bit of kombu (seaweed) to the cooking water while they boil for improved digestibility. Chickpeas will take about 1-2 hours to cook. If you’re using canned chickpeas, just drain and rinse them. If you can find a can that doesn’t use salt, that’s ideal.
You can either pulse the chickpeas, vegetables and parsley in a food processor, or mash the chickpeas and stir in the grated/chopped veggies if you don’t have a food processor. A blender won’t work because it needs liquid to puree.
Whisk together the nut/seed butter and lemon juice or vinegar, and stir in the spices. Pour this into the burger mixture, and stir well (or pulse the food processor) to combine it. You may want to add more of either for stickiness and texture. Add salt to taste.
Form the mix into burger shapes. Lay them on a baking sheet (ideally lined with parchment paper so they don’t stick), and bake for 30-40 minutes at 300-350 degrees F.
You can also fry the burgers to cook them more quickly. Add a bit of oil to the pan and cook about 10 minutes on the first side. Flip, and cook another 5-7 minutes.

Per burger