The original plan for today’s post was to share this triple layer carrot cake. I was hoping for a birthday miracle – maybe just this once it would work on the first try? Yea right. Three trials later, I don’t want anything to do with cake. (Let’s be real, that probably won’t last more than a day.) Vegan and gluten-free cake creation is not for the faint of heart, I tell you.
Enter Birthday Burgers. This might have to become a yearly tradition! I think I like this meal better than cake anyway. You’ve probably heard of those BB skin creams and potions that are everywhere these days. Well, I like to think of this as a BB meal. There’s no sugar crash – just a boost of energy for hours, a kick in your step, a glow to the skin. Total BB meal. Nourish that skin from the inside out. Wrapped in curly lettuce and topped with a cilantro-lime-tahini sauce and homemade salsa, it’s just about the most balancing meal I could’ve hoped for to kick off turning 31. It’s going to be a great year.
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Moroccan Yam Veggie Burgers with Cilantro Lime Tahini Sauce
Yield
6-8 patties
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A flavourful Moroccan-style veggie burger served with a tangy and fresh cilantro-lime tahini sauce. You can make these burgers soy-free by using coconut aminos and they are naturally gluten-free when using certified gluten-free rolled oats/oat flour. Burger recipe is inspired by Ryan's Moroccan Yam veggie burgers from the Whitewater Cooks Cookbook.
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS:
- 1.5 cups grated yam (I used a sweet potato in a pinch)
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 small piece of fresh ginger (1 cm cube), peeled
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup rolled oats, ground into a flour (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or low-sodium tamari
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
FOR THE CILANTRO-LIME TAHINI SAUCE (makes 1/2 cup):
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- 2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- FOR THE BURGERS: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Peel the yam. Using the regular-sized grate hole, grate the yam until you have 1 1/2 lightly packed cups. I used the grater attachment disc in my food processor to save time (it takes less than 20 seconds). Place into large bowl.
- Remove grater attachment from food processor, and add the regular "s" blade. Mince the garlic, cilantro, and ginger until finely chopped.
- Add drained chickpeas and process again until finely chopped, but leave some texture. Scoop this mixture into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flax and water mixture.
- Grind the oats into a flour using a blender or a food processor. Or you can use 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon pre-ground oat flour. Stir this into the mixture along with the flax mixture.
- Now stir in the oil, aminos/tamari, salt/pepper, and spices until thoroughly combined. Adjust to taste if desired.
- Shape 6-8 patties, packing the mixture firmly together. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully flip, and bake for another 18-23 minutes until golden and firm. Cool on pan.
- FOR THE CILANTRO SAUCE: Mince garlic in a food processor, followed by the cilantro. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and process until smooth and creamy.
- Serve the patties with a generous dollop of sauce and optional homemade salsa (from OSG cookbook, p.95) with a bun or lettuce wrap.
Tip:
Note: I was missing a bit of crunch in these burgers, so next time I think I will add 1/4 cup sunflower seeds into the mix.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Don’t forget – today is the last day to enter the #osgcookbook Vitamix Contest. Keep those pictures coming!
I just made these today and they were soooo good. The mixture did look a bit dry but they held their shape so I just left it. Glad I did because they were perfect! The chickpeas and yam crisped up so nicely on the edges. I didnt have sesame oil or sunflower seeds so I dipped one side of the patties in sesame seeds, yum. And unlike sooo many other veggie burgers I have had they were not mushy inside. Oh, and the sauce was deliciously creamy. Dont you just love tahina? Yessssss! Will for sure make again. Thanks for the great recipe!
I really like these and so appreciate when the nutrition information is included as I am pre diabetic and have to consider the ratio of carbs:protein. Love these!!
Hey all! I just have a question about these burgers. I know this sounds silly but I am new to vegan. Do I pre-cook the yam? …
Thanks!
no you don’t. I have made these several times, and other veggie burgers. OSGs has a great black bean burger in her recipe book that uses grated carrot, and again no need to precook it.
Love these burgers Angela. I have made them many times, especially for friends. The sauce is divine. I think calling them ‘burgers’ a a misnomer though. Being bunless people initially think that something is missing, but then when they try them -love them!!
I am making them again for a pool party tomorrow.
LOVE these but they aren’t filling and are too much work to eat them all in one sitting :) Non-vegans, you can paleofy these into a more filling meal by subbing two eggs for the flax seed and almond flour for the oat flour.
Hi,
Can i bake them in apan wiht little oil ? Will the burger break ?
Thank you.
Hi Joanne, I’m not positive as I haven’t tried it. For best results I would recommend cooking as the recipe states, but if you try anything else out please report back!
This recipe looks amazing! What could I substitute for the oats though? I am totally grain free.
Hey Brenda, Have you experimented with cassava flour yet? It’s grain-free, and while I haven’t tried it in a veggie burger yet, you might be able to add a bit of it into these burgers for binding purposes.
Made this last night and it was so tasty! I did the whole recipe by hand (I don’t own a food processor) and it turned out really well. I used a small-medium sized yam and it turned out to be perfect. My bf loved it too!
Hey Carolina, I’m so happy you made it and loved it! Thanks for letting me know.
Just made these. Everyone loved them. Even my picky husband. Didn’t change a thing. Had these with some home made, dense, sweet buns. A bit like a felafal, eh? But sweeter. Will make a double batch next time. Thanks :)
These look yummy. Do you think it would be okay if I don’t use sesame oil?
Looking for a “make ahead” vegan burger for our camp of 30 for a festival. Do you think these would freeze well and reheat? Or take the “raw” burger to freeze then cook on site? We are trying to avoid camp kitchen prep. Thanks for the recipe!
I know I’m late to respond, but my vote is freeze it without cooking and then cook on the day you plan to eat them… If you cook first, freeze and then reheat I would think it’ll be drier and you lose some of the nutritional benefits.
These are up there with the best veggie burgers I’ve ever tasted or made!
The sauce is also next level.
All I could say as I was eating them was oh my! Again and again. I told my daughter as we ate them, I’m drunk on their deliciousness!
I made just a few modifications… I used chipotle chili spice and just a half teaspoon. I upped the spice level for everything else.
With the sauce, an extra tsp of lime, extra cumin and a pinch of salt went a long way towards finding an incredible flavor for my taste…
Also so easy to make and they hold their shape so well.
11 stars!!! Will be making them often and freezing them as uncooked patties that I then pop in the toaster oven