Grilled Falafel Burgers
Grab some grill tongs and mix it up with some Grilled Falafel Burgers for dinner tonight!
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A couple of years ago, my wife and I ventured out in early February to walk the streets of nearby Saratoga Springs. Upstate New York is cold in the winter. Really cold. We tend to not go outside much in the winter…unless it’s to snowblow the driveway or head over to the local curling club. So why exactly did we think that walking the streets of Saratoga would be a good idea? Well, chowder of course! (You had to know that food was involved here somehow, right?)
Right in the dead of winter every year, Saratoga Springs hosts a chowder fest…and it’s kind of a big deal around here. Dozens of local restaurants line the streets of town with huge pots of hot chowder. They even have a chowder category for dogs. (We didn’t take our pups as we thought it might be too hectic to handle them and eat chowder at the same time.) So we wandered up there to see what all of the chowder excitement was about.
Turns out that everyone one else in the area had the same idea. After parking a mile and half away and then waiting in one line for about 15 minutes to get a sample of chowder, we gave up. We walked into a local restaurant and ordered lunch instead. (Good thing we did as this restaurant has now become one of our favorite lunch spots!)
Grilled Falafel Burgers
Grilled Falafel BurgersIn case you’re wondering, we didn’t order chowder for lunch. We had to wait in the line outside for chowder. No thanks. Instead, I went with a hot sandwich while my wife went for falafel. She’s a huge falafel fan, and she orders it quite often whenever she can find it on a menu. But for some reason we don’t make falafel at home very often. It’s no secret that we grill a lot around here during the summer. As long as there isn’t a 4-foot pile of snow in front of my grill, then you can probably find me out there with tongs and a spatula in hand.
Falafel is typically deep-fried and then served in a pita. But in keeping with my penchant for grilling lately, I decided to make Grilled Falafel Burgers. After some debate, I served these on buns, but I think you could totally use pita instead. However, you can’t skip out on the tzatziki sauce! It’s an absolute requirement. Falafel can be a bit dry, so the tzatziki sauce really helps balance it out. I also added some sprouts and sliced cucumber, and I’m thinking feta cheese and tomatoes would also be great on these ‘burgers.’
I love a good grilled burger, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit. These Grilled Falafel Burgers were delicious, and my wife and I ate these bad boys while sitting on the back porch enjoying the evening sun. So grab some chickpeas and those grill tongs and enjoy the warmer weather!
Did you make these Grilled Falafel Burgers at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Looking for more tasty summer vegetarian recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Zucchini Hushpuppies
Grilled Corn on the Cob Skewers
Easy Black Bean Salad
Cold Cucumber Salad
Easy Roasted Summer Vegetables
Grilled Falafel Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup red onion minced
- 1½ tsp garlic minced
- 1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 3 Tbsp old-fashioned oats can substitute all-purpose flour here
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp salt
- canola oil for grilling
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 English cucumber
- 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ tsp garlic minced
- 1½ Tbsp lemon juice ~½ medium lemon
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill minced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Other toppings (optional)
- Sprouts
- Crumbled feta
- Thinly-sliced cucumbers
- Thinly-sliced red onions
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Using a medium skillet, add the olive oil and place over medium heat. Saute the minced onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes, or until soft.
- Meanwhile, using a couple of paper towels, gently squeeze as much liquid from chickpeas as possible. Transfer chickpeas into food processor. Add the sautéed onions and garlic along with the remaining ingredients to food processor (lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, oats (or flour), egg white, bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, chili powder and salt).
- Process until mixture is smooth, but still slightly chunky.
- Shape mixture into 4 patties.
- Brush grill lightly with canola oil.
- Grill burgers for 7-9 minutes, flipping once half-way through.
- Once grilled, assemble burgers with Tzatziki Sauce (see instructions below) and other optional toppings from above.
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- Slice the cucumber lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out any seeds. Using a medium grater, grate the cucumber into a bowl. Using several paper towels, press the grated cucumber firmly to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Add all of the ingredients (yogurt, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, salt and pepper) and mix until well blended.
I totally agree man “sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit” life would be so boring otherwise…
Love your take on falafels. Gotta have to make these for vegetarian GF!
#WolkpackMix
It’s all about mixing it up, Alpha! You know, one night I howl at the moon and the next I howl at the stars. It’s too monotonous if I just focus on the moon only. Hah!
I’ve never had grilled falafel (or homemade falafel for that matter), but these burgers definitely look like my kinda meal! I eat a lot of black bean/southwestern-ish veggie burgers, so it’ll be nice to have a change of pace/flavor. Looking forward to trying these!
Ooo, I love black bean burgers, too! In fact, I just made some recently for an upcoming post. But this grilled falafel is a fun twist on a classic. Plus, I’m all about ditching the fried food in favor of grilling it up instead. (Fried food has it’s place…but not in the middle of the summer when the grill is out!)
Now THIS is one burger I would be all over! Love your take on it, David! I love falafel too – and I usually bake mine – but never thought of grilling burgers of it! I’ve also never thought of walking anywhere in the cold – though, I guess the fact that chowder was involved justifies y’alls cause!
Hey, you knew food had to be involved somehow to get us to venture out into the frigid winter temps up here in New York! But I’m happily ignoring the cold weather right now since it’s pretty much awesome outdoors this summer. And summer means grilled food…so I figured I should try to grill falafel instead. And it totally worked! It did dry out a bit (not too bad), but the tzatziki totally fixed that problem. 🙂
David, the box you sent me last week was delivered! Unfortunately, it was empty, with a note from your mail-lady with here sincere apology. According to her policy, she has to check every food parcel (you we right about her!). She mentioned if next time you send a box twice bigger, I’ll definetly recieve the half of it. Talking about this stuff, that looks so god! Love you idea of grilling the falafel and I fully support your suggestion to add some tomatos and feta – that would be a great addition! Nicely done!
Hahaha…why am I not surprised at all, Ben?? I knew our mail-lady was up to no good. Sampling? Yeah right! She totally stole all of those awesome treats I sent your way. And to think I had included a special lavender chocolate cake just for you. How rude! Next time I’m going to hide some jalepenos and cayenne pepper in the cookies…that’ll teach her!
These look delicious and totally healthy! love the protein boost here and I’m all about grilling everrrything this time of year!
Me, too, Medha! I swear I use that grill like 4-5 nights a week during this time of the year. This was definitely a fun twist on a recipe that usually isn’t grilled at all. 🙂
Hi David! WHAT? You didn’t make pita bread! Just kidding! 🙂 Sometimes it is worth it to venture out in the weather!
Haha! Hey now, Dorothy, I only have so many hours in the day! But with that said, I did recently post homemade pita bread. Now I just need to combine the two and make my own next time I grill up these falafel burgers!
I LOVE falafel, but I’ve never made it myself! I’m going to have to try it out now!
It’s surprisingly easy to make yourself, Sam! I know it’s not normally grilled, but I like to grill pretty much everything this time of the year. Now if I could only figure out how to grill a cheesecake…
thank you for the Falafel recipe but for me from the middle east i do not find the recipe matches the classical, and traditional recipe, I am sorry
Oh, I totally agree that this is not the classic recipe, Zouhair. I wanted to do a little twist on the classic and grill it up since it is perfect grilling weather here now. 🙂
These look perfect, the flavors, the spices and the vibrant colors, are just asking me to make it for lunch sometime, I must try the tzatziki sauce first as I have been looking for one, I love adding it to basically everything!
Oh man, Katalina…this tzatziki sauce is one of my favorites! But the trick is you have to use a good brand of plain Greek yogurt. I tried store brand once, and it totally ruined the sauce. But I’m pretty sure I could eat this stuff with a spoon! 🙂
Wow David I am making falafels for dinner too as last night I soaked chickpeas!! Well great minds think alike hehe!! 😉
Hah! Great minds do think alike, Ami! Falafel is such a fun and easy recipe…you totally have to give it a shot on the grill sometime. Cheers!
You shared the recipe- Yay! I’m stoked you did because this looks delicious AND beats the one I ate in Times Square which made me sick.
Also…clam chowder. That’s it, I’m visiting in February, in my biggest coat and dammit, we’re waiting!
Well, I’d say the bar is set pretty low if the last version you ate made you sick, Arman. I mean, as long as this one doesn’t make you sick, then I guess it’s deemed a success? Haha! And yes, come on up in February. But bring every coat you have and several pairs of pants. We’ll get some of that chowdah this time!
looks so delicious, I have never had grilled falafel but I am sure it is delicious! Perfect summer burger!
It’s definitely a different take on the classic, Manali…but grilled falafel is awesome! The burgers dried out just slightly, but the tzatziki sauce more than made up for it. All in all, this is definitely a keeper of a recipe for summer grilling! 🙂
I love that you made falafel into a burger! How fun is that? There is no way I would wait in line outside in winter in upstate NY. Not for chowder or anything else. I’m way too much of a weenie for that kind of weather. It’s pretty cool that they have chowder festival though! I love a good crab and corn chowder.
Yeah, we were pretty much over waiting in the line, too…that’s why we ditched the chowder idea and just sat down for lunch! I’ll make my own chowder…and that crab + corn version sounds delicious! 🙂
Love these burgers, David! And no, I have never grilled falafel burgers before, but I would love to try it now 🙂 Great share!
Thank you so much, Savita! Grilling the falafel was definitely a new twist, but I was pretty darned pleased with how these turned out. 🙂 Happy grilling!!
I love love love this idea. Totally a falafel fan as well! Probably would choose it over chowder too 😉 bookmarking this, thanks for sharing, David!
Haha…well, you gotta factor in the long lines and the freezing temps for the chowder, too. Either way, this one is a no-brainer! I’ll take grilled falafel anyday! 🙂
I must admit , I have been having the same chowder for years, I guess it’s my favourite one. Seafood Chowder, I just love it. I tried many others, which I also enjoyed, but somehow the seafood craving keeps coming back.
Grilled falafel instead is new thing for me, never tried but I may give it a go tonight and let you know. I have BBQ in Zandfort (beach location near Amsterdam). I may impress the guests with a little twist, although I will acknowledge that it was you
I like fried falafel, there is a fairly big middle eastern community here in the Netherlands and you can find nice places where to have very good ones. But I agree the tzatziki is must!
I will let you know how I get on. Thanks
Seafood Chowder is totally a classic, Emanuele! And you guys have access to some awesome seafood over there, so I imagine yours is pretty tasty. So you should totally try the grilled falafel tonight! I found that the burgers themselves dried out just a little bit as they grilled (not too bad, though), but the tzatziki sauce on top totally made up for it. (Just use a good quality Greek yogurt…not a store brand. I can’t remember what sort of yogurt options you guys have other there, though!) Fried falafel is totally delicious, but I’ve been looking for every excuse possible to pull out the grill lately! 🙂
Stunning! Falafel is just the best thing ever and I’ve just realised now I’ve never tried them grilled! Why?????
Thank you so much, Evi! I’m always looking for any excuse possible to get out there and grill…so I figured I’d give falafel a shot. It worked!! And now I’m craving another falafel burger at 9:30am…thanks a lot. Haha! 🙂