Joy the Baker

Spring Pea Veggie Burgers

by 32 Comments

Hey friends!  I made us burgers out of one freezer item + one canned bean item and every green thing you might have in your produce drawer.  

It’s more likely that I have frozen peas and a can of garbanzo beans in my kitchen than a package of meat, so I always make some sort of mishmash of a vegetable patty the is equal parts easy and satisfying.  The flavors are simple but totally malleable.  Add whatever sounds good to you.  

This is a great in between burger.  It’s something thrown together in early evening, it’s-still-sunny-outside Springtime glow.  A prelude to summer grilling.  We’re not quite there yet but we want a stacked burger sensation.

Ya feel me? 

Here’s what you’ll need for these veggie gems: 

•  peas!  You can absolutely use fresh peas if you’ve got a major surplus of peas along with the patience to sort them from their pods.  I’ve found that frozen organic peas are actually perfect in these burgers.

•  garbanzo beans, canned / drained. 

•  eggs for binding the burgers together.

•  diced onions and parsley. 

•  crumbled bread bits from a few slices of bread, dried in the oven to homemade breadcrumbs. 

•  brioche buns and toppings, mostly green- watercress, sliced cucumber, avocado, too!

Listen, I’m the first person to find a reason not to use my food processor.  It feels like such a beast and I’m convinced that blade is after me. But! A food processor is really the best tool for these burger patties.  

Mince the peas and garbanzo beans in a food processor until they still have texture but they’re on their way to paste status.  

Store-bought breadcrumbs from the canister are too fine for these veggie burgers.  

I pulled a few slices of multigrain bread from the fridge, crumbled them up, and dried them in a low oven.  

Coarse breadcrumbs – boom, done! 

Diced, raw onions will add a zip of flavor.  I love the bite.   

Eggs will bind the mixture together.  

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper in generous amounts. 

And chopped parsley.  A bitter bite that I think compliments the onions.  We’re adding simple highlight flavors to our base notes of sweet pea and mellow garbanzos. 

Toss the ingredients around a bowl until thoroughly mixed.   

The mixture will be chunky but have enough stick to it that patties will form.  

I used a large ice cream scooper to potion six even portions.  And I found that slightly damp hands will make pressing the patties together a less sticky situation.  Rinse your hands as often as you need. 

Pea bits.  Bean bites.  Onion and flecks of parsley.  

Chill the patties before pan frying. 

A chill really does solve a multitude of issues, in and out of the kitchen. 

I find that these patties are best pan-fried from chilled.  These aren’t durable enough for a grill cook and tend to fall apart a bit if they’ve been frozen.  

The patties are pan fried to golden and that butter brioche bun is slathered with spicy sriracha mayo. 

Warm veggie patty + a sliced cucumber.

Season as we go! 

Sea salt and cracked pepper atop the avocado and sliced cucumbers.  

Watercress is a great green for these spring burgers.  They’re earthy and bright with a hint of grassy spice. Did I sell that or scare you? 

And! One of my very favorite discoveries: Mustard Pickle Relish from Stonewall Kitchen.  

It’s exactly what you think it is and it’s perfect.  

It’s stacked tall and filled with veggies and beans!  These burgers are satisfying and filling, lightly sweet and wholly dosed with leafy greens.  

I served these burgers with sweet potato fries and the leftovers I ate for the next three days straight. This is LIVING.

Photographs with my dear friend Jon Melendez.

Print

Spring Pea Veggie Burgers

  • Author: Joy the Bkaer
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
Scale

Ingredients

For the Veggie Patties

  • 2 cups thawed frozen peas, drained
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned, rinsed and drained)
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs, from dried out sliced bread that’s been crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • vegetable oil for frying

For the Burgers

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha
  • salt and pepper
  • mustard or mustard pickle relish from Stonewall Farms
  • Brioche buns
  • watercress
  • thinly sliced cucumbers
  • thinly sliced peeled avocado

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add peas and chickpeas. First pulse and then blend on low speed until the mixture is coarsely ground. Some bits will still be chunky, some will be more fine and on the way towards turning into a paste.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add onions, parsley, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. Stir to combine.
  3. Add salt and pepper and stir to incorporate.
  4. Form the mixture into 6 patties about 1-inch thick. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is fine too!
  5. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook a few patties at a time until a deep golden brown on both sides, pressing each patty lightly with the back of a spatula. Each side will have a nice crisp, cooking for about 4 minutes per side.
  6. In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, sriracha, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. Slather one side of each bun with mayonnaise sauce. Add mustard to the other side of the buns. Top with cooked veggie patty. Top the patty with watercress, sliced cucumber and sliced avocado.
  8. Add the top bun and enjoy warm!
  9. I find that these patties are best panfried and eaten within three days of making the patty mixture. These patties aren’t sturdy enough for grilling and I find that they crumble a bit when cooked from frozen.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 6

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Comments

  1. Angela

    This will be my 4th time making these and they are really delicious. It’s nice to be able to try different ingredients with them as well. I’ve changed it up but love the way the recipe “as is”.
    They freeze really well too!

    Reply

  2. Angela

    I made this and my husband (who is not a veggie guy) LOVED these! Fresh and versatile.
    I put them on a crusty French bun (Costco), tomatoe, lettuce, sprouts, mayo, avo, but really you can put whatever you want on these. Served them with roasted sweet potato fries, sprinkled with sea salt. YUMMMMM!!

    Reply

  3. Krystian

    I cannot rave more about this recipe!
    IT. IS. FRICKIN-MINDBLOWING! I made them and left them in the fridge overnight and fried them the next evening. Even my husband who thinks plants are for rabbits loved them. I’ve put a shlice of friend halloumi on top of the burger, some quick-pickled red onion and attacked with my face like my life depended upon it.

    Reply

  5. Megan

    My mixture didn’t quite hold together, so I let 4 patties chill and turned the rest into “spring waffles”. The waffle iron worked like a charm on the remaining un-chilled batter—griddled them up with plenty of crispy edges. And no oil, to boot! I gave the 4 patties a spin on the stove but found them to be pretty crumbly and too fussy for my taste. Next time, I’ll waffle all of them. Would recommend!

    Reply

  6. Lauren

    We made these on Friday night and were blown away! They held together no problem and the Sriracha mayo was the perfect spicy pop to contrast the fresh sorta-sweet taste of the burgers. I will so make these again!

    Reply

  7. Hannah

    OMG!!!! Just made these for dinner, cut the recipe in half and melted cheese on top. So amazing! Held together so well and really were incredibly tasty! Thanks Joy! I have been making your recipes for years but this is my first comment. These really hit the spot!

    Reply

  8. Morgan

    Made these today & I halved the recipe because I only had a cup of frozen peas. Everything was delicious- it was nice to find a recipe that I had everything on hand. The burgers held together really well, sometimes they fall apart but these were stalwart & ultimately delicious. Thanks!

    Reply

  10. Angela

    Made these a few days ago and they were great! I didn’t read your recipe completely- just left the bread out on the counter and let it dry out and tore it into small pieces- worked great! Didn’t have the brioche buns but Trader Joe’s has some parmesan cheese rolls that worked beautifully. I never met a vegetable I didn’t like and these were to die for. Also… made them, let them sit for a day in the fridge, couldn’t eat them the next day so I froze them, defrosted them on the pan on low and then browned them on high for the last few minutes and they were perfect. I could see myself making these again and adding different kinds of herbs and vegetables with these patties- thanks for the great recipe! Happy spring!

    Reply

  11. Kate

    Joy, this looks scrumptious and colored for springtime!
    You mentioned the paties crumble some after freezing, too much to use on the grill, but that means that they can be frozen? Mine is a small (but growing!) household, only two mouths to feed for the moment, but I’m due in June and have been repeatedly forewarned about needing to have lots to eat ready and waiting in the freezer to be able to prepare hearty meals while sleep deprived, and I thought these might fit the bill perfectly. Do you recommend freezing in parchment, freezer bags, etc? Good for 3 months?
    Thanks for your help, your tasty recipes and your sense of humour!

    Reply

  13. Brittani

    I read this recipe at 8am, realized I had all the ingredients on hand, and made them for lunch for my family! These are so tasty, and are great as leftovers.

    Reply

  14. Kristie

    I made these for dinner tonight and we absolutely loved them! What a fantastic, lighter take on a veggie burger! Definitely keeping this in my recipe book :) Thank you!!

    Reply

  15. mg

    Fantastic!! Soo good and did bring a touch of spring up here where it is still way too cold. Now I have to order the mustard relish.

    Reply

    • Sharon Cobley

      We LOVE these burgers!! My husband not so much but I just make him a chicken burger. Anywho we will be heading to the beach for a week and I would like to prepare these ahead and freeze to make our first night there. Do you think they would freeze for transport and then thaw ok? Thanks! Sharon

      Reply

  17. Dana

    Can’t wait to make these delightful burgers this weekend! Just wondering, in lieu of bread crumbs, can finely ground almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill) be used to bind?

    Reply

  18. Melissa

    I am always looking for ways to get more veggies into my darling son, I am definitely adding this to our recipe book XO – I will let you know how I go when I get around to it

    Reply

  19. Kathy

    These sound good, don’t think the husband would like them :( He’ll be out of town soon, know what I am making for myself!!!
    I would like to know how you made your sweet potato fries?
    They look amazing too!

    Reply

  20. Kasey Knose

    Wow, this just sounds like spring in a bun. :) I can’t wait to give them a try. I love the bright colors of the little burgers. I bet they taste awesome. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  24. Janabelle

    This looks like a veggie situation I can thoroughly get behind! YUM!

    And…LOVE the advice “A chill really does solve a multitude of issues, in and out of the kitchen.” Perfection! :-D

    Reply

  25. Emily

    Not only do these burgers sound delightful, but the photography in this post is so bright and springy, I feel inspired and happy just scrolling through the recipe. Thanks for uplift!

    Side note; I just got Over Easy as a gift from my wedding registry. Can’t wait for brunch this weekend!

    Reply

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