Healthy, easy Buffalo Chickpea Burgers with Garlic Dill Ranch are inspired by everybody’s favourite vegan appetizer: buffalo cauliflower wings! Perfect for barbecue season, and just in time for Father’s Day!

This recipe was originally published on June 16, 2019, and has been updated with new photos and copy on May 27th, 2020.

straight on shot of a fully dressed buffalo chickpea burger on a sprouted grain bun

overhead shot of the burgers on a cookie sheet, freshly cooked

If one thing has become clear during the first 12 months of this blog, it has to be my unwavering love of veggie burgers (Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C). Given the choice between a beautiful, vibrant salad, bursting with every colour of the rainbow, and a hearty, meaty veggie burger slathered in some sort of special sauce and piled high with juicy tomato, crunchy lettuce, and briny pickles, I will choose the latter. Every time. Without even a millisecond of hesitation.

What can I say? I have a thing for fun food. Nothing brings me more joy than putting healthier spins more indulgent dishes, and seeing people’s faces light up upon realizing how tasty the ‘healthified’ version is.

I think these Buffalo Chickpea Burgers with Garlic Dill Ranch just might take the cake for my favourite creation yet! They’re hearty, spicy, and perfectly salty, and the cashew-based garlic dill ranch takes them over the top. If cauliflower wings and chickpea burgers had a love child, she would be this burger.

straight on shot of a buffalo chickpea burger on a bun with all the toppings

Recipe Features

Guaranteed to please vegans and omnivores alike: These burgers have so much flavour and texture, you won’t have to worry about how omnivores will receive them.
Hidden vegetables: You’d never know that these burgers have riced cauliflower in them, so they’re a great way to get picky eaters to eat their veggies!
Hold together perfectly: Some veggie burgers fall apart at first bite, but not these ones! The quinoa, flax, and chickpeas bind these burgers perfectly.

someone holding the burger, fully dressed, in two hands

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ingredients you need:

For the burgers: Cauliflower, chickpeas, rolled oats, quinoa, olive oil, garlic, onion, hot sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and flax.
For the garlic dill ranch: Cashews, lemon juice, garlic, water, sea salt, black pepper, dill, maple syrup, and dijon mustard.
For serving: Buns, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and grated carrots.

overhead shot of the cashew dill ranch in a jar

step by step instructions

These burgers have a cauliflower-chickpea base. To make, you’ll pulse cauliflower in your food processor until it resembles ‘rice.’
You’ll do the same same with the chickpeas and oats before combining in large mixing bowl along with 1 cup of cooked quinoa, olive oil, garlic, onion, rolled oats, hot sauce, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and ground flax. Simple!
Next, you’ll form the mixture into 8-10 patties, depending on size preference, and bake them for 25-30 minutes.
While the burgers are in the oven, make the garlic-dill ranch by blending together cashews, lemon juice, water, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup. Stir in some finely chopped dill and set aside until you are ready to serve the burgers.
To make the burgers even more crispy and delicious, you can cook them on a skillet for 3 minutes per side, adding a drizzle more hot sauce as they cook. This step is optional, but highly recommended if you like a burger with a crispy exterior!
You can serve the burgers on toasted buns, collard greens, lettuce leaves, or crumble them on top of chopped lettuce, carrots, tomato, and pickles, and use the garlic-dill ranch as a dressing, for a Buffalo Chickpea Salad! The possibilities are endless.

straight on shot of one burger before it's been baked on a cookie sheet

overhead shot of the freshly baked burgers

I opted for a more traditional presentation when I served these to my family, as I am the only one in the house who has warmed up to the idea of eating a burger in a lettuce wrap. I’m working on them, I am. 😉

If you give these burgers a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment and rating below- it’s super helpful to me and other readers. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #upbeetkitchen on Instagram so I can see and re-share it in my stories. Enjoy!!!

Buffalo Cauliflower Chickpea Burgers with Garlic Dill Ranch (VEGAN)

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5 from 1 review

Author: Allison
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 burgers 1x

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Description

Quick and easy Buffalo Cauliflower Chickpea Burgers inspired by the quintessential vegan favourite, Buffalo cauliflower wings. Take them over the top by topping them with a cool cashew dill ranch.

Ingredients

Scale

Burgers

2 heaping cups cauliflower florets, chopped small
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed)
1¼ cups rolled oats
1 cup cooked quinoa
1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup finely chopped white or green onion
¼ cup + 8 teaspoon hot sauce, divided (I used Frank’s original, as the spice level is perfect for this recipe)
1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp ground flax

Garlic Dill Ranch

¾ cup cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours and drained*//sub hemp hearts for nut-free option
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup filtered water
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp pure maple syrup
¼ cup finely chopped dill
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For assembling:

8 toasted burger buns (I like sprouted grain) OR 8 lettuce leaves OR 8 collard leaves
Pickles
Sliced tomato
Baby greens or lettuce
Shredded carrots

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the cauliflower florets in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Pulse until the florets resemble little grains of rice. Empty into a large mixing bowl.
Pulse the chickpeas in the food processor until crumbly and add them to the mixing bowl.
Place the rolled oats in the food processor and process until a coarse flour forms. Then add them to the bowl as well.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl: the cooked quinoa, olive oil, garlic, onion, hot sauce, smoked paprika, flax, salt, and pepper. Mix with a large spoon or use your hands to stir everything around.
Divide into 8-10 even patties. To form them more easily, lightly oil a ½ cup measure, press burger mixture in to fit, and guide it out using your hands, then press around the edges to compact.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until becoming crisp around the edges. (Cooking times will differ depending on your oven and the type of baking sheet that you have.)
While the burgers are in the oven, make the garlic-dill ranch: Place all ingredients except the dill into a blender and blend until very smooth and creamy. Pour into a jar or bowl and mix in the dill. Cover until ready to use.
OPTIONAL STEP: To give the burgers an irresistible crispy buffalo sauce exterior, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add 2 teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil to the skillet and place four burgers on it. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of hot sauce onto the top of each burger. Cook for 3 minutes per side, then repeat with the remaining 4 burgers. If you choose not to proceed with this step, simply add more hot sauce to your burger along with the other accompaniments.
To serve, place a burger on the bottom half of a bun or lettuce/collard leaves. Top with pickles, ranch, tomato, lettuce, and carrots.

Notes

*Quick soak option: Place the cashews in a pot of boiling water and soak for 45 minutes, then drain and proceed.

*Recipe inspired by Cookie and Kate’s Cauliflower Falafel Veggie Burgers.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American