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 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!
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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!
Hi Kimberly,
Do you think I could use flax eggs to make these vegan? They sound fabulous!
Hi Lisa, yes you can! Happy cooking :)
These are bound to be delicious! what dried fruit can be subbed for apricots? Maybe cranberries?
Hi Marcene, the apricots contribute a honey-like sweetness and are used a lot in Moroccan cuisine. If you’re unable to use them dried figs are another option. You could also use raisins though I would probably use slightly less. Yes, cranberries should be fine too. Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy these burgers! <3
Can’t wait to try these! My husband is Moroccan so we always have preserved lemon and fermented butter (smen), and harissa at home.
Can I substitute quinoa for the millet? If I can’t find Garbanzo beans can another canned bean be used?
Hi Leone, I haven’t tried quinoa with these particular burgers but that may work – the texture of the millet may be a little firmer and it may also retain a little less liquid, so it may impact the overall texture of the burgers but I’m not quite sure. I saw from your other comment that you solved the mystery of the garbanzo beans :) We use the terms interchangeably here in the U.S. too.
Hi Kimberly, I’ve just subscribed to your website and I love it. The recipes are wonderful and colourfully laid out and the pics make everything look so appetizing. I’ve already tried out 3 of your recipes: I made hummus with the homemade tahini; I made the berbere and marinated chicken breasts and also used it for a lamb curry the next day but modified it by adding curry powder- delicious! Finally, made Moroccan veggie burger today but also added fresh red chillies and crumbled home made paneer. I love millet grain and have it with meals all the time either as a salad or a substitute for rice for a healthier option with curry. Thank you for your website- will be learning so much from you. Best of luck!!
Thank you very much, Shanti, and welcome! I’m so pleased you’ve enjoyed the recipes you’ve tried and greatly appreciate your support.
Pardon me if you already addressed this, but can the extras be easily frozen and used later? Would you suggest thawing them before cooking or cooking from a frozen state?
Hi Cory, I have not already addressed that and thanks for asking! Yes, they can be frozen for up to a month. Place the patties on a lined cookie sheet and freeze for about an hour, then transfer them to a ziploc bag with a sheet of parchment paper between layers, squeezing as much air out of the bag as you can. Let them thaw completely before frying them. Enjoy!
Will do! I’ll report back on how it goes :)
I’m preserving my lemons today to make these for a vegetarian friend in a few weeks and I’m excited. I was wondering if you thought quinoa could work in place of millet or if the grains are not interchangeable (only because I already have some leftover from making a quinoa tabbouleh).
Hi Bunny, I’m excited that you’re making the preserved lemons and these burgers! Yes, you can absolutely use quinoa. You can really use any grain of choice. Happy cooking and ENJOY!
These were delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
Barb, I’m so happy you enjoyed them and really appreciate the feedback!
I have a dear friend who is a vegetarian and so badly needed a treat of an awesome supper that she didn’t have to cook- mission accomplished, thanks to this awesome recipe!
Wonderful, I’m so glad it was a hit, Barb, and thanks for letting me know how it went!
Well, it’s done. Did I say “short notice? Forget it.
There’s a german comedian who complains about cooking shows in TV. He’s right when he says, that the most important thing is missing in TV while preparing dishes: It doesn’t smell!
Preparing this burgers I was remembered to this. After putting together all the ingredients, there was the first burst of smell. The whole house was smelling so tasty…
The second burst happened while frying the patties in the pan. Whoa!
And the third burst was not smell but taste.
Of course you’ll get six out of five stars for it.
If you tell me this is what awaits me when I will resign to eat meat, I’ll be a vegetarian tomorrow.
Great as usual. Thank you for this.
And never do this on a TV-show. The audience will have no idea of what you’re really doing there!
So you have converted to vegetarianism, have you Rolf? ;) I’m thrilled you made and enjoyed these! I had a lot of fun experimenting with this recipe and, like you, was really blown away by the outcome. Next time I’m going to form the mixture into very small balls, fry them crispy, and stuff them in pita bread with shredded lettuce, cabbage, red onions, tomatoes and drench it with the preserved lemon yogurt sauce. Thank you for your feedback, Rolf, and generous compliments! Best, Kimberly
Hi Kimberly,
I’m absolutely a carnivore. But in opposite to the vegetarians or even vegans I have no problems to change the side. Because this sounds so grreat (meanwhile I’m fan of the morroccan “cuisine”) I’ll give it a try next sunday.
Millet seems hard to find. It’s commonly used as bird food nowdays. Well, I’m going to visit the bio-market on friday. Hopefully I’ll find it there.
Will write a short notice on sunday. I’m pretty sure you’ll get again 5 out of 5 stars for it.
Yours,
Rolf
Hallo, Rolf! Well, I’ll tell you, Germany consistently sets the trends on practically everything having to do with whole foods and healthy eating and if you can’t find a particular grain in Germany you won’t find it anywhere! Germany has always been way ahead of the trends and America is now just starting to catch up. Spelt (Dinkel) is just one example. It’s such a marvelous grain and practically unknown here, such a shame! America is (very slowly) starting to wise up. Millet (Hirse) is another example. Hardly anyone knows what to do with it but it’s readily available. You’ll have no problem finding it in Germany, especially in your local Reformhaus. Have fun with these burgers! Just keep in mind when judging them, they’re not meat and don’t expect them to hold together like meat. Be patient with the frying process so they get nice and browned before very carefully turning them over. Then let them cool for a while before eating them and they’ll hold together even better. Guten Appetit!
These look and sound SO good!
Thanks, jbm! Our favorite veggie burgers!
I can tell just by looking over the list of ingredients that that’s one flavorful burger! I’m going to get to work making those preserved lemons and look forward to trying these burgers. Can’t wait!
Woo-hoo! You’ll love these, Nathan, and will be happy to have extra preserved lemons to use in other dishes as well. Be sure to make the yogurt sauce with these burgers – it’s fabulous!
Wow, these look so amazing!!
Thanks, Brandi, they really are fantastic!