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These spicy veggie burgers will knock your socks off! A mix of chickpeas and walnuts give these patties the perfect hearty texture, while a blend of kicky spices packs in the flavor.
A few years ago I tried Trader Joe’s veggie chorizo, and I really liked the stuff. I’m not big on most fake meats, but it seemed I’d found a new exception. I’m thinking it was all of the spices that did it for me.
I did create my own veggie chorizo-based recipe for some stuffed zucchini, using the flavors in Trader Joe’s chorizo as a guide. That was a few years ago, and I always meant to explore those flavors more. So finally I’m back with more vegan chorizo inspired deliciousness, in burger form!
For my stuffed zucchini I used lentils and walnuts as the base for my chorizo, and that was great, but I like chickpeas better for burgers. I rarely have canned lentils on hand, and cracking open a can of chickpeas and tossing them in the food processor just makes life so easy. So that’s what I did.
Walnuts seemed like a great inclusion, since they worked so well in my black bean walnut burgers.
The same basic blend of seasonings I used in my zucchini goes in here: paprika, ancho chile powder, cumin, thyme, some warming cloves and cinnamon, and of course, cayenne for kick.
Mix everything up in the food processor, shape into patties, and grill away.
I topped my chorizo burgers with some creamy cashew cheese with green olives in it. Does that seem weird? It’s really not! The zippy, briny flavor of the green olives is actually an amazing complement to the spicy flavors in the burgers.
Tips for Making Delicious Chickpea Chorizo Burgers…
- Don’t overdo it with the food processor! You want your mixture to have a bit of texture to it so your burgers don’t end up mushy.
- Think you’ll have leftovers? Mix up the burger base in the food processor, but only shape and cook as many patties as you need. Seal up the rest of the mix in a container, and refrigerate or freeze it for later.
- The green olive cheese is freezer friendly too!
