Here’s my attempt at creating a newly flavored veggie burger. These sweet potato burgers have a mix of sweet potato, cauliflower, chickpeas, and spinach (all delicious in their own right, so of course they taste great when mixed) and lots of spices. The flavor is amazing – Mr. Smith agreed – curry and coriander and lemon juice for a bit of bright, fresh flavor.
The first version of my experiment wasn’t too pretty (a lot of sweet potatoes were processed in the food processor, so they were super wet/sticky and hard to shape). I made them use up some leftover cauliflower bites from last week, and I liked the mix of cauliflower and sweet potato. I also tested between baking them and frying, and the frying version is better. Because there is flour in the mix, the baked version came out a bit cakey and heavy (in my opinion. Again, Mr. Smith liked them, so you may, too!), while the skillet version was soft and moist.
I tried these out both over a bed of greens and on whole wheat buns, and both versions make a perfect lunch! These curried sweet potato burgers smell just as good when reheated as they do fresh, which is heavenly and spicy. So good in my book. Try these out for your next homemade lunch!
Curried Sweet Potato Burgers
These curried sweet potato burgers are just as good when reheated as fresh: heavenly and spicy. So good! Try them out for your next homemade lunch!
Prep Time: 55 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
Yield: 6-8 patties
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 cup cauliflower florets (can use leftovers of roasted cauliflower bites)
- 1 handful of baby spinach or other greens (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup flour, plus more for your hands when shaping patties
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- oil for sautéing
- greens (baby spinach, baby arugula) or burger buns for serving
- cilantro for topping
- mayo, ketchup, etc. for topping
Instructions
- Pierce sweet potato all over with a fork.
- Cook sweet potato in the microwave, for approximately 5-8 minutes. Turn over halfway.
- Allow to cool, then slice in half and scoop out the flesh. Add to a large bowl and mash.
- Cook cauliflower florets in the microwave, covered, for approximately 4 minutes. Allow cooling.
- Add chickpeas, cauliflower florets, and spinach to a food processor and pulse to combine well.
- Add mashed sweet potato and all the spices and lemon juice. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Remove the food processor blade.
- Add flour and bread crumbs to the sweet potato mixture, and use a spatula to combine well. The mixture will be wet/sticky.
- Flour your hands and then shape the mixture into patties. Flour your hands between each patty. Place burgers on a baking sheet.
- Refrigerate burgers for 30 minutes to firm up, if needed.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add burger patties to the skillet and cook for 4-6 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Serve over a bed of greens or on a bun. Serve with your choice of toppings: cilantro mayo, curried ketchup, avocado slices, etc.
