These Greek-inspired burgers are made with chickpeas, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and walnuts for a thick, texture-filled meatless burger that everyone will love!
Once I mastered my Grillable BBQ Black Bean Burgers, I knew it was only a matter of time before I used the same base recipe to make a greek-inspired version; I’m such a sucker for the combination of feta, cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, and garlic.
So, think of this burger as a Greek salad, in sandwich form.
This burger starts just like the original: with quinoa, walnuts, and oats forming the firm, slightly crunchy, protein-packed base.
Instead of black beans, we’re using chickpeas for a mediterranean vibe and a more neutral color. Feel free to sub cannelini beans or another small, white bean instead, if needed.
Then, to ensure every bite is packed with greek flavor, we’re adding crumbled feta, chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and lots of garlic and oregano to the mix.
It’s a serious flavor bomb, and you’re totally gonna love it.
The best part is, since they’re based off my grillable burger recipe, these babies are totally grill approved, too! While I opted to cook mine in a pan, I am confident that their firm, solid texture would hold up just as well on the grill as the originals.
Top with your favorite burger toppings like lettuce and tomato, or go all out with cucumber and red onion slices, pepperoncini peppers, and a big smear of greek yogurt on the bun, like I did!
Either way, these Greek Chickpea + Feta Veggie Burgers need to make their way into your summer meal rotation! They’re firm, full of big texture + flavor, naturally gluten-free thanks to the oats and quinoa, hearty, protein-packed, and totally meat-eater-approved.
If you make these veggie burgers, let me know how they turn out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your burgers and share it with me on Instagram! I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen.
- 1/2 cup dry (uncooked) quinoa + 1 cup water, to cook it
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained well
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup crumbled or finely diced feta cheese
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 Tablespoon each of garlic powder and dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes
- 1. Put quinoa, water, and a pinch of salt into a small pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low and put a lid on the pot, letting the quinoa cook for 15 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from the heat, take off the lid, and stir to let the quinoa start cooling off.
- 2. Put walnuts and oats into a food processor or blender and pulse several times until coarse and crumbly- about the texture of very coarse cornmeal. Some larger bits of walnut are great, as they add texture to the burgers; don't completely turn this into flour!
- 3. Put chickpeas into a large mixing bowl and slightly mash with a fork or potato masher, to break up some of the chickpeas into smaller bits. Some whole chickpeas remaining is fine; don't mash completely. Finely dice the olives and sun-dried tomatoes, then add them to the chickpeas with all remaining ingredients, including the walnut mixture and the cooked (and slightly cooled) quinoa, and mix everything well to fully combine. Let sit for 10 minutes before shaping them, to let the oats soak up some of the moisture.
- 4. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to help you portion the mixture into 6 evenly sized burger patties, using your hands to compress and shape them into discs. If cooking immediately, heat a skillet over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden. Alternately, brush both sides with olive oil and place over a hot grill, using care when flipping them. If not cooking immediately, store burgers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day, or in a freezer bag or other container of choice in the freezer for up to 2 months. Frozen burgers can be cooked directly from frozen, adding another 2-3 minutes per side, or can be defrosted and cooked as previously mentioned.
- 5. Serve as you would any burger: on a bun with lettuce tomato, onion, etc; or make them extra greek with a smear of thick, full-fat greek yogurt on the buns and pepperoncini peppers!