It’s rare that you’ll find a vegan, gluten-free and easy baked patty that satisfies the appetite of non-veggies and veggies alike. It’s perfect for bringing to get-togethers because you can make the mix in advance, and people who aren’t as open-minded about food will be willing to try it because it’s ingredients are all recognizable. In my experience, the seitan and tempeh realm of food is frowned upon by many.

There’s only 3 main ingredients in the burger patty, and everything else is just seasoning. All the ingredients are easy to find, affordable and recognizable, plus the cooking time is fairly short. It’s also very flexible and admittedly could use a little more tweaking, so don’t be afraid to stray from the recipe!

Just to clear up any confusion, tahini is a paste made purely from sesame seeds—it’s similar to any other seed or nut butter, it’s just traditionally unseasoned with no additives. In this recipe, it helps bind all of the ingredients together. It also tastes really good alongside sweet potato fries, so I figured it would be just as good in a burger.

Ingredients

Makes 4 large patties

• 2 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp. tahini
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and grated
• Olive oil for brushing

Method

Place chickpeas in a food processor and blend until smooth, roughly 1 minute. Add tahini, pepper, baking soda, salt and Worcestershire sauce, and process again until well combined, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place chickpea mixture in a large bowl, then add in shredded sweet potato. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes for flavours to develop, then form into 4 patties (careful—they’re delicate!). Place patties on a greased baking sheet and brush the top of each patty with olive oil.

Cover the patties completely with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, discard the foil, and place back in oven for 10 minutes. Flip patties over and brush with a small amount of olive oil, then bake for 5-10 more minutes. Both sides should be lightly golden.

Allow patties to cool slightly before transferring to burger bun/pita/sandwich/plate.

**Note: Be creative with this recipe! It’s very basic, you could add in garlic, onion, paprika and other fresh herbs for flavour. It also crumbles very easily, so when lifting it using a large, solid spatula and be gentle!