You read the title right: Cauliflower Hummus Burgers with Mint Tzatziki. I finally made a veggie burger recipe for the blog.
But they're not burger-y burgers. They're hummus burgers. I wanted something with the flavors of hummus, in burger form. And because I like a little texture in my burgers, I didn't want to use actual hummus. So instead, I smashed some chickpeas and cauliflower together with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.
The first time I made this, I did it without the cauliflower and it just didn't work out. The burgers needed a little more moisture, so I thought I'd experiment by adding steamed cauliflower the next time around. The cauliflower doesn't take away from the hummus flavor, but it makes the burgers less crumbly and adds some veggie goodness to the patties.
I should mention, these burgers aren't really made for grilling. Most veggie burgers are either cooked in a skillet, on a grill (indoor or outdoor), or baked in the oven. I pretty much hate doing them in the skillet and avoid it at all costs—they seem to end up greasy and fall apart on me. Grilling works for some burgers, but not others (again, with the crumbling). Baking seems to work the best—you can do it with a limited amount of added oil and with a solid surface, you don't run the risk of burgers crumbling into the grates of a grill.
Why Tzatziki?
Chobani sent me some samples of their Greek yogurt (thanks, Chobani!), so I figured the appropriate topping for hummus burgers was tzatziki. Traditionally, dill is used in tzatziki sauce, but since my dill is pretty pathetic right now, I used mint instead. I'm not big on yogurt unless it's in something and I feel the same way about tzatziki—it's great on these burgers, but a little too much for me on its own. (But I guess you're not supposed to eat tzatziki on its own, right?)
Ingredients
Mint Tzatziki
- ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup cucumber diced and peeled
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh mint leaves minced
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Cauliflower Hummus Burgers
Instructions
Mint Tzatziki
- Combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and olive oil in the smallest bowl of your food processor. Process until completely smooth. Stir in mint leaves and lemon zest.
Cauliflower Hummus Burgers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with olive oil mister or cooking spray.
- Use a potato masher or fork to smash together cauliflower and chickpeas in a medium bowl. Don't mash them until they're mush—you want the burger to have a little bit of texture. Stir in the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, then add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the beaten egg.
- This mixture is a little bit wet, so you won't be able to form patties with your hands. Instead, divide it into 6 mounds on the baking sheet, then use your hands to pat the rounds into burgers.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then use a spatula to carefully flip burgers (if they fall apart, press them back together) and bake for 5 minutes more, until lightly browned. Serve on rolls or in pitas and top with spinach leaves, tomato and onion slices, and mint tzatziki.
Cathryn says
I made these tonight and thought I'd share a couple of things. I am, honestly, a rubbish cook, so it may well just have been me.
They tasted great, but a little bland. Next time I'll add some herbs to the mix. They also needed much longer to bake in the oven - maybe 30 mins or more. But the mint tzatziki was fantastic and made great salad dressing as well. Thanks!!
Kiersten says
I tested this recipe three times and the burgers were definitely done around 20 minutes every time I made them--anymore than that and they started to dry out. Sorry they didn't turn out for you!
Cathryn says
See, told you I'm a rubbish cook 🙂
Viswa says
Interesting.. I love chickpeas and i love cauliflower..
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
I didn't realize you could make burgers out of cauliflower - such an interesting idea but it sounds like the flavors would really work!
Lisa @ Greek Vegetarian says
Yep. That's it. Making these next. God Kiersten, will you stop posting these amazing recipes?! I can't keep up...
Kiersten says
I hope you don't judge my tzatziki harshly! 😉 Because I know it's completely inauthentic...
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Cauliflower. Hummus. Burger. Mint tzatziki. OMG!!
Carol X. Davenport says
We have a huge batch of homemade red pepper hummus in our fridge… just need to fold in the crushed oats and pepitas, and we’ll have burgers for dinner tonight. Thanks for the great idea!
Kiersten says
That sounds delicious! 🙂
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
Mmmmm! Hummus burgers! Great idea 🙂 The mint tzatziki sounds awesome too.
Holly says
I know you made these w/ egg as a binder. What would you suggest as a substitute to make it vegan. I love cauliflower and hummus, and would really like to attempt these. However, I'm new to veganism, and could use some advice. (The tzatziki isn't a problem as I make my own soy yogurt.)
Love your recipes/ blog! Thanks for any assistance.
Kiersten says
You could try pureeing part of the mixture and using that to bind it together. They might need a gentle touch when you're moving them, but they should at least stick together enough to get them on a bun. 🙂 I know a lot of people use a ground flax + water egg substitute to make burgers, but for some reason, that never works for me!
susie says
I would use gram (besan) flour...
Vicki says
I LOVE these. Since finding your blog about a month ago we've eaten these 3 times! I find the mixture a little wet, almost sloppy, but just add a little gram flour to thicken. And we like them served with sweet chilli sauce 🙂
Kiersten says
I'm glad you like them! 😀
Marfigs says
I just made these for tomorrow and WOW! I couldn't resist a nibble along the edges and it's awesome 😀 I added lots of different spices and 1 TBSP of oat bran and they made surprisingly sturdy burgers - I'm rather chuffed to use a recipe that doesn't depend on buckets of flour *skips*
Kiersten Frase says
Ha! I nibble along the edges of my burgers too. 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed them!
whitney says
I'm looking for more veg meals to make (though I eat meat). I really don't like cauliflower but this does look tasty. Does it taste very cauliflower-y?
Kiersten Frase says
I think it depends just how much you don't like cauliflower. 🙂 There are other flavors in these, so it's not like eating straight cauliflower florets, but there definitely is some cauliflower flavor!
Rachel says
These look good! I want to try them
Shoshana says
When you say tahini, do you mean the thick paste (just sesame)?
Kiersten Frase says
Yes, tahini paste.
Jeanette says
what can I use instead of egg?
Kiersten Frase says
I haven't made this without egg, so I can't say for sure what would work. You could try using 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons of warm water.
Maria Torres says
I love this recipe!! yummy!
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