High-Protein Vegan Falafel Burgers 

Even the most hardcore carnivore couldn’t resist this absolute beauty of a burger! Packing 28g protein in each burger; FYI – that’s 2g more protein than a Big Mac! A seriously delicious crowd-pleaser recipe that couldn’t be more simple! We bake our falafel rather than frying/deep-frying to keep the fat content down without compromising on the flavour! You can also tweak this recipe depending on what you have in – you can use mashed butternut squash, parsnip or carrot to substitute the sweet potato. 

No chickpeas? No worries. You can substitute chickpeas for lentils or beans, such as cannellini. If you have overmixed your falafel mixture in the processor or if it just feels too loose to make patties, simply add more cooked quinoa until your mixture is a consistency that holds its shape (you may need to add a little more seasoning at this stage if you are bulking the mixture out). 

Ingredients:

For the falafel patties: 

One scoop of TPW Pea Protein 80

x 2 tins of chickpeas, drained

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 onion, roughly diced 

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced or crushed 

The flesh of 1 large baked sweet potato 

200g cooked quinoa

1 tbsp cumin 

1 tbsp smoked paprika 

½-1 tbsp dried chilli flakes (to taste)

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs 

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp sesame seeds 

Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley 

Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 

For the burger in the picture above, we used the following toppings:

Chargrilled aubergine (sliced and fried in a little olive oil in a griddle pan)

Tomato 

Baby Gem lettuce

Cucumber 

Butternut squash chilli chutney 

Herby vegan yogurt (simply mix herbs such as mint and parsley with soya yogurt, a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper). 

Here’s how to make these fail-safe falafel burgers: 

1. Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees C while you prepare your patties!
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, around 6-8 minutes. 
3. Once translucent, add the garlic and cook for a further 2-4 minutes. 
4. Stir through the drained chickpeas and add the seasoning and spices, cook for a further 5 minutes. 
5. Add the fresh parsley and lemon zest, stir through and take off the heat. 
6. Stir through a scoop of Pea Protein 80 and transfer the mixture to a food processor and blitz for a few seconds until combined (you can also do this manually with a potato masher). 
7. Add in the sweet potato flesh and either blitz in the processor for a few seconds or combine with potato masher in a large bowl until evenly mixed throughout. If using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. 
8. Depending on the texture of the mixture at this stage, gradually add the cooked quinoa to the mixture until it forms into a mix that holds shape. If the mixture is too loose, gradually add more quinoa. If you find your mixture is dry, add more mashed sweet potato or olive oil to the mix. 
9. Once you are happy with the texture of your patties, taste a little of the mixture at this stage as you may need to add more seasoning as the mixture has been bulked out with the quinoa. 
10. Now you are happy with your consistency and flavour, it’s time to make your patties! Divide the mixture into 4 balls (if these patties are too big for your liking, the mixture is perfect to just roll into falafel balls so make your patties smaller and use the remaining mixture to make into balls for snacking! These can be frozen once cooked too! Just bake these alongside your patties at the same temperature and time. 
11. Lightly oil a foil (or parchment) lined baking tray and add your patties. Bake for 20 minutes and leave to cool slightly (they can crumble if handled when too hot).
12. Toast your burger buns under the grill or in a griddle pan and add your desired sauces and toppings to your falafel burgers. 
13. Dig in and prepare to be amazed/pestered to make these again!