Indian inspired vegan bhaji burger made with red onion, sweet potatoes, and carrots. These vegan burgers are spicy, colorful, and bursting with flavor!
I can eat Indian food every single day. The flavors are so unique, and the food is always so colorful! I love the fact that so much veg and legumes are used in this cuisine, and the spices are just incredible. We first had these bhaji burgers earlier this year in a restaurant in London, and I just fell in love! They were made with paneer cheese and loaded with veggies and colors.
So we veganised the recipe and although it took us a few tries to get it right, I’m finally ready to share my recipe to the best vegan burger that I ever had!
Vegan Bhaji Burger Recipe
This burger is inspired by the onion bhaji, but it’s made with more than just onions and there is no deep-frying involved. In fact, if you eat this burger, it means that you’re having 8 different fresh veggies and herbs at once!
How to Make Bhaji Burgers
These burgers are so quick and easy! They take just 30 minutes to make from start to finish, and the result is always very impressive. It’s really difficult to go wrong with these burgers, so you don’t have to be a really confident cook to make these.
Step 1.
Prepare the mixture. Slice the red onion, grate the sweet potato, carrot, ginger, and garlic. Chop the coriander (the stalks and all), and add the seasonings.
Step 2.
Add gram flour, and water to bind it. If you need to add more water, then add gradually by very small amounts.
Using your hands, shape burger patties. They should be around 1 inch or 3cm thick.
Step 3.
Preheat the oven to 180C (360F).
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, and shallow fry each patty until it’s golden and crispy. Then pop on a baking tray and into the oven for around 10 minutes. This will ensure that the vegetables are cooked through and are no longer crunchy from the inside.
Assembling the Burgers
Take the base, and spread a dollop of vegan mayo over it.
Sprinkle with crushed poppadoms, and let the patty sit over them. The poppadoms give a lovely crunch to the burgers.
Spread a generous amount of mango sauce or chutney. I use Geeta’s premium mango sauce (it’s amazing!).
Top with shredded baby gem lettuce leaves, fresh coriander leaves, and chopped red chili for an extra flavor and a pop of color. Finish with the half top of the bun and enjoy!
Picnics and Barbecues
These vegan burgers are perfect for picnics and dining outdoors. We packed 4 of these bhaji patties last weekend and took them with us to the park. They’re so easy to assemble and can be enjoyed at room temperature/cold as well.
These burgers are also great for barbecues. As long as they’re cooked on a barbecue and not a grill, they’re going to crisp up and cook through just fine.
Looking for more picnic vegan recipes?
- Check out my vegan eggplant sandwich, it’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog.
- These chickpea falafel balls are to die for!
- If you’re looking for something that’s really simple and sweet, try my peanut butter and jam sandwich.
- For the kids, make this colorful kid-friendly pasta salad.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Vegan Bhaji Burger
Ingredients
For the bhaji burger patties
- 1 medium sweet potato coarsely grated
- 2 small carrots coarsely grated
- 1 yellow onion or red onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 green chilli chopped into rings
- 1 bunch (1 cup) cilantro chopped
- 2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 lime juiced
- 75 grams (½ cup) gram flour (chickpea flour)
- 2 tablespoons water use as much as needed to bind the mixture
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
To assemble the burger
- 6 hamburger buns
- 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 6 tablespoons mango sauce optional
- 1 head lettuce shredded
- 2 poppadoms crushed
- 1 fresh red chilli sliced
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
To make the bhaji burger patties
- In a large bowl mix all of the prepared ingredients together (except for the oil). Add the gram flour, and water to bind it. If necessary, add more water. Divide the mixture into 6, and using your hands shape round burger patties. The patties should be around 1 inch (3 cm) thick.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, and brown the patties on each side until they're golden and crispy.
- Pop on a baking tray, and bake for 10 minutes so they are cooked through in the middle.
To assemble the burgers
- Spread a little bit of vegan mayo over the base, then sprinkle with crushed poppadoms and let the burger patty sit on top.
- Add a generous amount of mango sauce, and top with shredded lettuce leaves, fresh coriander leaves and red chilli. Cover with the bun and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
lucy pedder says
I have used this recipe many times!! It’s wonderful.
Could you tell me if the burgers can be made up the night before and kept in the fridge ready to cook, or if it’s better to cook and eat cold.
I want to make them for a party but have no time to cook on the day
Diana says
Yes, you can prep them the night before, and cook on the next day. Thank you for the great review, Lucy!
Rose says
Made these and enjoyed them. Is the nutritional values for the burger only?
Diana says
Glad to hear you enjoyed them, Rose! These are rough estimates for 1 burger with everything including the bun.
Katrina Marshall says
Very yummy! I just had mine plain in some pita bread so next time might add a little honey or brown sugar into the mix for sweetness 🙂 I also left out the onion and garlic as they upset my stomach and it was still very tasty!
Diana says
Glad that you loved it, Katrina!
steph says
These sound amazing.Going to try and make them tomorrow,x