These Spicy Veggie Burgers are not your typical burger. They’re healthy, gluten-free, and kick the heat up a notch with the awesomeness of sriracha. No one will call these burgers ordinary!
Veggie burgers don’t have to be boring. My favorite kind of veggie burger is one that is flavorful, delicious, and hearty.
That’s how these Spicy Veggie Burgers were born – me looking for a way to make an un-boring vegan burger. The sriracha caught my eye and I knew it would be a hit.
These patties are easy to make and are ready in 30 minutes. If you’re looking for another tasty vegan burger, check out these Vegan BBQ Burgers.
What is in Spicy Veggie Burgers
- Gluten-Free Rolled Oats – This is going to help bind the veggie burgers so they stick, and add density to the burgers.
- Chickpeas – Make sure to save the juice from the can of chickpeas! It’s what makes the whole thing stick together.
- Onions – Yellow or white will work great in this recipe. It helps to add incredible flavor to the burgers.
- Carrots – Sneak in a few more veggies, while adding flavor to your vegetable burgers.
- Sriracha – This is where you ramp up the heat and make your burgers stand out. Feel free to adjust how little or much you use, to control the spice.
- Aquafaba – AKA chickpea juice. The aquafaba binds the burger’s ingredients together.
- Garlic Powder – Just a bit adds delicious flavor to your burgers.
- Nutritional Yeast – A great source of nutrients and flavor in your burgers.
- Topping – I used Sriracha and ranch for adding flavor to these veggie sriracha burgers. Now, you can change up what you use if you would like.
How to Make
Make the oat flour: Add the oats to a food processor and process until it becomes a fine flour.
Process the rest of the ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) to the food processor and plus until well mixed/chopped. You don’t want the texture too smooth.
Shape the patties: Split the mixture into 4 parts and shape into patties.
Refrigerate: Place the patties into the fridge for 15 minutes to harden a bit so they don’t fall apart when cooking.
Cook: Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil, add the burgers, and cook for 4 minutes on each side until slightly browned.
Add toppings: Add whatever toppings your heart desires like lettuce, tomato, ranch, more sriracha, etc. And enjoy!
Tips to Customize
I also love to add all sorts of sauces to my veggie burgers to take them to the next level so for this burger I used some vegan ranch to be a cooling factor from the sriracha. I have two ranch versions: one for my Buffalo Quinoa Balls and one that I use on my Vegan Ranch Pasta Salad – either one would be tasty.
A note about cooking these. While I love grilling my veggie burgers, I usually fry or bake them first so the coating becomes more solid to make sure they hold together on the grill.
What can I eat with these spicy chickpea burgers?
Enjoy these patties with crisp veggies, chips, french fries, a salad, or any of your other favorite side dishes.
A creamy vegan ranch pasta salad, easy vegan pasta salad, healthy vegan ramen noodle salad, or herbed potato salad would be a perfect addition!
Recipe FAQs
You will know when your veggie burgers are done, once they are crispy on the outside, and warmed all the way through.
Yes, but I recommend you fry them in a pan first so they don’t fall apart on the grill.
Vegans can eat some veggie burgers but be sure to look at the recipe to make sure it doesn’t call for dairy or eggs. If so, you might be able to swap with vegan-friendly dairy or egg alternatives.
Depending on the ingredients used, veggie burgers can be very healthy. These particular burgers are loaded with whole grains, legumes, and veggies. You will find that making homemade veggie burgers is a delicious alternative to buying packaged burgers.
Yes, these veggie burgers can be frozen cooked or uncooked. Just form our patties, place in a lined baking sheet and then freeze until fully set up. Then use wax paper in between each burger to prevent sticking.
The same goes for cooked burgers. Then freeze for 3-4 months. When you want one, reheat in the microwave if cooked, or pan cook or toss on the grill.
The burgers will keep a few days pre-cooked in the fridge or a few weeks in the freezer and then you can heat them up on the stove or grill them when you’re ready to eat.
More easy dinner ideas
- Glass Noodle Salad Bowls – these bowls are loaded with fresh veggies, tofu, glass noodles, and topped with a tangy sauce. They can be enjoyed for weekday lunches or family dinners!
- Vegan Chicken Salad – This chick’n salad is crazy simple to whip up. Soy curls, vegan mayo, and spices come together.
- Green Bean and Tofu Stir Fry – Here is a delicious skillet dish you might enjoy. Just 20 minutes to cook.
- Teriyaki Tempeh – This dish is great for serving up for dinner instead of ordering takeout for your favorite teriyaki dish.
If you make this recipe and LOVE IT, please give it 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!
📖 Recipe
Spicy Veggie Burgers
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats or regular if not gf
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas save the juice!
- ½ onion chopped
- ½ cup carrots grated
- ¼ cup sriracha
- 4 TB aquafaba (juice from the can of chickpeas)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 TB nutritional yeast
- olive or avocado oil for frying
Toppings
- vegan ranch dressing (optional)
- sriracha
Instructions
- Add oats to a food processor and process until it becomes a fine powder/flour.
- Add rest of the ingredients (not including oil) and pulse until chopped/mixed well. You don’t want the mixture fully smooth – keep things a little bumpy.
- Form mixture into 4 patties.
- Refrigerate the patties for at least 15 minutes to allow them to harden. I find this helps them to keep their shape and not fall apart when cooking.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil, add burgers (leaving room so they don't touch), and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until they are slightly browned. Cook remaining burgers, adding oil to the skillet if needed. (see notes)
- Top burgers with ranch and sriracha (if you like) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional information data is computer generated and only an estimate so it should be used only as a guide.
Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist who empowers vegans to feel confident in creating sustainable habits that align with their values and health goals. She shares easy gluten-free plant-powered food to nourish your body + satisfy your tastebuds. Mary Ellen’s recipes and nutrition info have been featured on Yahoo News, Parade, VegNews, LIVESTRONG, Dr. Axe, Greatist, LIVEKINDLY, Brit+Co, Well+Good, and more.
Lori A Haskell says
These turned out fabulous. I subbed an egg for the aquafaba as I never have that since I always make my chickpeas from dried and freeze. Anyway, turned out amazing.
Mary Ellen says
I’m so glad you liked them, Lori! Thanks so much for coming back and leaving a review. 🙂
Sydney says
Hi, anything I can sub for Sriracha?
Mary Ellen says
Hi Sydney! If you still want it spicy and just don’t have sriracha, you could use a hot sauce like Franks or Red Hot. I don’t recommend using 1/4 a cup of Tabasco since that might be too hot but you could use a maybe 2 TB. If you don’t want it hot, you could omit the sriracha altogether, though you might need a little extra aquafaba to make it wet enough. I haven’t tried the recipe without sriracha so let me know what you think if you try a substitute.
Meghan says
These have seriously been a staple for me!!!! I make them at least twice a month and they even hold up well to pack for lunch at work. Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve alsp used it to make nuggets instead of burger patties. It’s so simple to make a batch and absolutely delicious!
Mary Ellen says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them Meghan! That’s such a good idea to make them into nuggets. Totally going to try that soon!
Renee says
This was very good and I would make it again. Next time I think I’ll use a binder to see if it holds together a little better.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Renee! Yes, veggie burgers can be tough. I used the aquafaba and thought it held together pretty well once I cooked them but let me know if you try them with a different binder.
Renee says
It held together fine to make it to the frying pan… but I would love to see if I can make it for the BBQ. I’m going to definitely try because it really tasted good! Sometimes I freeze them and then put them on the BBQ, so that may work with this one. I have one in the freezer now to try the weekend. Just for fun, I also coated one in Panko and fried it. It was yummy!
Mary Ellen says
Oh yes, I’d love to try them on the grill too! I’ll try freezing them as well, that’s a good idea. Ooooh, yes, I love panko! Let me know how they turn out if you do try them on the grill. 🙂
Kimmythevegan says
I keep wanting to make my own burgers… I have tried so many times. But I always fail. I try following the recipe and it just turns out badly and makes me sad. But I have never had any issues with any of your recipes, so maybe I should give this a try. Although the sriracha scares me a bit 😉
These burgers look SO GOOD!
Mary Ellen says
I thoght of you when making these burgers thinking, “Kimmy will not like the sriracha part” haha. You could probably use a little less sriracha if you think it might be too hot.
John says
I just found your site and subscribed. These veggie burgers look great. I ‘d like to make them, but not fried. Any suggestions on how to bake them? Thank you.
Mary Ellen says
Hi John, I’m so glad you subscribed! I have not tried to bake them yet, so I can’t tell you for sure (I fry them a bit to make sure they stick together) but you could probably bake them for like 20 mins or so at 350 flipping carefully half way through. If you do decide to try it let me know how they turn out!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
These look and sound delicious. Love the sriracha addition. And yes, those packaged ones can be rough.
Sarah De la Cruz says
Oh wow! Irving loves all things spicy—I bet he’d love these!!!
Mary Ellen says
I’m with Irving on the things spicy! I hope he likes them if he gives them a try!
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
These sound incredible! I love each of the individual ingredients and am sure in a burger they would be amazing. Thanks for the idea Mary Ellen 🙂
Jenn says
You had me at sriracha! These look so good. Love the crunchy outside!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
This looks perfect, love the flavors and flare. Need to try making my own veggie burger with this recipe, thanks!
Pam Allard says
Looking forward to trying these Mary Ellen!
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Pam! I really hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Becky Striepe says
Oh my goodness, you had me at sriracha, and I love that you smothered these in even MORE hot sauce goodness!
Mary Ellen says
I always feel that I can never use enough sriracha!
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe says
I like a little sriracha but not too much – these look really tasty but easy on the spice for me please – though I would be delighted to see these at any bbq
Mary Ellen says
Yes, I remember you telling me you weren’t too into the hot stuff. You could use a little less sriracha for these if you’d like and the ranch really cools things down. 🙂
Mel | avirtualvegan.com says
Sriracha is one of my favourite things. Anything I can get away with putting it on I do so these burgers are right up my street. Those dribbles of sriracha and ranch…..😋
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Mel, I’m totally with you, I will put sriracha on anything!
Sarah McMinn says
Oh yum! Sriracha + veggie burger sounds incredible.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Sarah!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
These look amazing! I usually don’t make my own veggie burgers because it seems so time consuming, but yours sound really easy! I love the flavors, too.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Amy! I’ve made others that can be time-consuming but these aren’t bad. I will make a few batches at once and then freeze some so I have them on hand for later. 🙂