• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Oh My Veggies logo

  • Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian Main Dishes
    • Vegetarian Appetizers
    • Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes
    • Vegetarian Side Dishes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Sauces, Spreads and Condiments
    • Holiday Recipes
    • From our Readers
  • Cooking Tips & Hints
    • Cooking Tips
    • Plant-Based Nutrition
    • Product Reviews
  • Shop Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Find Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Free Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Find Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Free Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Oh My Veggies » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Sandwiches & Wraps

    Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

    Published: Jun 11, 2017 · by Nicole · Updated: Feb 15, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

    Falafel is one of my guilty pleasure foods, and it's kind of deceiving. On the one hand, falafel is vegan by default, made from healthy chickpeas, and served with loads of raw veggies. This all kind of screams "healthy." On the other hand, it's fried. Not just fried, but so fried, with a thin crispy coating you need to break through to unleash falafel's spicy deliciousness. So even though there's lots to love about it, I try to enjoy conventional falafel in moderation.

    Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

    Healthy falafel, however, I'm always down with.

    Fortunately it's not that hard to make a batch of extra healthy falafel without sacrificing flavor. These open-faced falafel burgers include all the good, i.e. healthy and delicious, stuff that you find in falafel, but are considerably lighter than what you'd get at your local falafel joint. Pan-frying the patties keeps the oil content to a minimum, while crispy panko breadcrumbs do a great job of mimicking the crispy coating we're all so fond of. They're also served on mini pitas which are generally lower in calories than your typical burger bun or full-sized pita.

    Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

    The recipe for these falafel burgers comes from Everyday Vegetarian by the editors of Cooking Light. I've been a big fan of Cooking Light for a while, because I love their ability to make healthy versions of dishes that are just as delicious and appealing as their not-so-healthy conventional counterparts. This book is packed with just those types of recipes! As I flipped through the pages of the book, none of the recipes seemed like low calorie or diet food, and I'm guessing that if you tasted them without knowing you'd have no idea they were light.

    Everyday Vegetarian

    The next few recipes I'm planning to try are the Quinoa-Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes with Romesco, Spaghetti with Spinach Avocado Sauce, and Grilled Eggplant and Tofu Steaks with Sticky Hoisin Glaze.

    You can buy Everyday Vegetarian on Amazon.

    Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

    Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

    These healthy falafel burgers are made with a crispy panko coating, pan-fried until crisp and served over mini pitas with veggies and tahini sauce.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Total Time: 29 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Keyword: falafel burgers, Open-Faced Falafel Burgers
    Servings: 6 burgers
    Calories: 320kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    Sauce:

    • 1 cup hot water
    • ¼ cup tahini sesame seed paste
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 garlic cloves minced

    Patties:

    • 1 cup chopped red onion
    • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
    • 4 garlic cloves minced
    • ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
    • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

    Remaining ingredients:

    • 6 mini pitas about 5 inches wide
    • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
    • 2 cups chopped tomato
    • 2 cups sliced peeled cucumber
    • ½ cup finely chopped red onion
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Make the sauce: Place the first 5 ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.
    • Make the patties: Place 1 cup onion and the next 7 ingredients (through 4 garlic cloves) in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Place the bean mixture in a large bowl; stir in ¼ cup of the breadcrumbs. Divide the bean mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a ½-inch-thick patty. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge the patties in the breadcrumbs.
    • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil to the pan; swirl to coat. Add 3 patties to the pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with the remaining oil and patties.
    • Warm the mini pitas according to package directions. Top each pita with ½ cup lettuce, ⅓ cup tomato, ⅓ cup cucumber, and 4 teaspoons onion. Drizzle each serving with about 3 tablespoons of the sauce; top with 1 patty.

    Notes

    Excerpted from Everyday Vegetarian by the Editors of Cooking Light. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 10gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 641mgPotassium: 521mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2606IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 147mgIron: 4mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « How to Cook Fried Rice
    Lightened-Up Guacamole »

    Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sherrie says

      October 24, 2017 at 3:19 pm

      This falafel recipe was not satisfactory. The sauce was extremely thin. I think too much water. And it required only three minutes per side to cook the falafel, that is not Cooked enough.

      Reply
      • Katie Trant says

        October 25, 2017 at 3:27 am

        Hey Sherrie, we're bummed that this recipe didn't work for you. If you're using a thinner tahini sauce, it may be too much water. And of course it's three minutes per side or until browned (as specified in the recipe). Hopefully we'll have better luck next time!

        Reply
    2. gloria says

      November 14, 2017 at 4:18 am

      I can't get the "print" function to work. All it shows is the title of the recipe. Pls check on this.
      thanks!

      Reply
      • Katie Trant says

        November 15, 2017 at 3:48 am

        Hey Gloria, you're right, that happened for me too. We're in the process of updating to a new recipe plugin so that may be why there is a problem, but I'll have our tech guys look into it.

        Reply
    3. Alysia says

      May 09, 2021 at 3:03 pm

      5 stars
      My daughter loved this recipe! She just recently became vegetarian- this recipe is much healthier and better than the ones we buy that are heavily fried. I agree that the sauce recipe as written was too much water. The second time I made it, I just kept adding water until it was the consistency I liked.

      Reply

    Something to say? Leave a comment. Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    image of the author

    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
    Learn more here.

    signature of author

    get a free 5 day vegetarian meal plan

    shop our vegetarian and vegan cookbooks

    Trending Recipes

    • 15+ Vegan Taco Recipes
    • Vegetarian Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas
    • Tasty Vegetarian Pot Pies
    • 35+ Sweet Treats for Valentine’s Day

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Shop Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Still hungry? Check out our delicious family of blogs.

    link to VegKitchen.com - vegan recipes website
    link to deliciouseveryday.com - a vegetarian and vegan recipes website
    link to allshecooks.com - a food blog
    link to wandertooth.com - a travel website

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Hook & Porter Media

    867 shares