Moroccan Veggie Burgers
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This Moroccan Veggie Burgers recipe is guaranteed to be a hit! Made with garbanzo beans, millet, sweet potatoes, and positively LOADED with the flavors of Morocco, they are a true feast for the senses! Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.
Serve them with our Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce and you’re all set for a journey to deliciousness!
The name doesn’t begin to capture all the deliciousness that is in these burgers. Layers upon layers of flavors greet your palate with every bite. Coupled with a great texture, these burgers are just downright fabulous! I’m a tough critic when it comes to veggie burgers; too often they lack flavor and their texture is poor. But these Moroccan Veggie Burgers had me at the first bite, hooked line and sinker!
These burgers incorporate millet, an ancient grain that’s healthy, naturally gluten-free, and has a relatively low glycemic index. It’s also very versatile. Today we’re going to pack it into these veggie burgers along with garbanzo beans and sweet potatoes for terrific texture that isn’t too dry or too wet, but just right. Then we’re adding in a myriad of fragrant and flavorful spices along with dried apricots, chopped almonds, harissa, and preserved lemons – all hallmarks of Moroccan cuisine. This interplay of sweet and spicy is mesmerizing. Then to top it all off we’re serving these veggies burgers with a dollop of our homemade Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce which provides the perfect refreshing contrast.
My husband’s verdict, and I wholeheartedly agree: “This is without a doubt the BEST veggie burger I’ve ever had!”
You enjoy this recipe at least a couple of different ways: Make burgers with them or make patties to eat with a fresh salad. Or form them into small balls and fry or bake them and serve in pita bread like falafel. They’re delicious no matter what!
A common problem with veggie burgers is that they often fall apart and don’t stick together very well. The millet, sweet potato and chickpeas in these burgers make for a great veggie burger texture. Still, the key is to refrigerate them for a while before frying and then fry them until well-browned before carefully flipping them over. You can see from the picture that they’ll develop a nice and crispy outer layer and adhere together well.
These Moroccan Veggie Burgers are a nice combination of sweet and spicy. If you don’t like a lot of heat, simply cut back on or eliminate the harissa. And if you’re a heat fiend, crank it up!
Moroccan Veggie Burgers Recipe
Let’s get started!
To prepare the millet, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the millet and dry roast until golden brown.
Next bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the millet. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool completely.
Place the sweet potato, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Next pulse the garbanzo beans until finely chopped.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the sweet potato mixture and chopped garbanzo beans until soft, 5-7 minutes.
Add the cilantro, apricots, almonds, preserved lemons, all the spices, and the harissa. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Add the sweet potato/garbanzo bean mixture to the cooked millet along with the breadcrumbs. Stir to combine.
Add the eggs or flax eggs and stir until thoroughly combined.
For hamburger patties, measure 1/2 cup of the mixture per patty. Form the mixture into a patty between your hands and place on a plate. For smaller patties (slider-sized) use a 1/4 cup of the mixture.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Heat some more olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high (*non-stick is important*). Once the oil is hot, add the patties and cooked until generously browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side.
Be careful to only flip the patties once to prevent them from falling apart. Let the patties sit for a couple of minutes before serving to allow them to firm up a bit.
Place the patties on hamburger buns with lettuce and tomatoes and a generous dollop Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce.
Enjoy!
Moroccan Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked millet
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 medium sweet potato , about 8 ounces, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion , quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans , drained
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/2 preserved lemon , pulp discarded, peels rinsed and minced
- Homemade Preserved Lemons ( click link for recipe; they're SO easy and taste much better than store-bought)
- 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
- 2 teaspoons harissa or more according to heat preference, can substitute hot sauce
- Homemade Harissa (click link for recipe; easy and a powerhouse of flavor)
- 3 large eggs (vegan: use flax eggs)
- 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs (gluten free: use gf breadcrumbs)
- extra virgin olive oil for frying
- Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce , for serving (click link for recipe); for non-dairy eaters use vegan yogurt
- 6 hamburger buns , lightly toasted
- lettuce and sliced tomatoes , for serving
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the millet and dry roast until golden brown. Remove. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the millet. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool completely.
- Place the sweet potato, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Next pulse the garbanzo beans until finely chopped.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the sweet potato mixture and chopped garbanzo beans until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the cilantro, apricots, almonds, preserved lemons, all the spices, and the harissa. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Add the sweet potato/garbanzo bean mixture to the cooked millet along with the breadcrumbs. Stir to combine. Add the eggs and stir until thoroughly combined.
- For hamburger patties, measure 1/2 cup of the mixture per patty. Form the mixture into a patty between your hands and place on a plate. For smaller patties (slider-sized) use a 1/4 cup of the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
- Heat some more olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high (*non-stick is important*). Once the oil is hot, add the patties and cooked until generously browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Be careful to only flip the patties once to prevent them from falling apart. Let the patties sit for a couple of minutes before serving to allow them to firm up a bit.To serve place the patties on hamburger buns with lettuce and tomatoes and a generous dollop Preserved Lemon-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 11, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
