Cauliflower Hummus Burgers with Mint Tzatziki

You read the title right: Cauliflower Hummus Burgers with Mint Tzatziki. I finally made a veggie burger recipe for the blog.

But they’re not burger-y burgers. They’re hummus burgers. I wanted something with the flavors of hummus, in burger form. And because I like a little texture in my burgers, I didn’t want to use actual hummus. So instead, I smashed some chickpeas and cauliflower together with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.

The first time I made this, I did it without the cauliflower and it just didn’t work out. The burgers needed a little more moisture, so I thought I’d experiment by adding steamed cauliflower the next time around. The cauliflower doesn’t take away from the hummus flavor, but it makes the burgers less crumbly and adds some veggie goodness to the patties.

I should mention, these burgers aren’t really made for grilling. Most veggie burgers are either cooked in a skillet, on a grill (indoor or outdoor), or baked in the oven. I pretty much hate doing them in the skillet and avoid it at all costs—they seem to end up greasy and fall apart on me. Grilling works for some burgers, but not others (again, with the crumbling). Baking seems to work the best—you can do it with a limited amount of added oil and with a solid surface, you don’t run the risk of burgers crumbling into the grates of a grill.

Why Tzatziki?

Chobani sent me some samples of their Greek yogurt (thanks, Chobani!), so I figured the appropriate topping for hummus burgers was tzatziki. Traditionally, dill is used in tzatziki sauce, but since my dill is pretty pathetic right now, I used mint instead. I’m not big on yogurt unless it’s in something and I feel the same way about tzatziki—it’s great on these burgers, but a little too much for me on its own. (But I guess you’re not supposed to eat tzatziki on its own, right?)

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Cauliflower Hummus Burgers with Mint Tzatziki

Veggie burgers made with cauliflower and chickpeas, topped with mint tzatziki.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 burgers

Ingredients

Mint Tzatziki

• 1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup cucumber, diced and peeled
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh mint leaves, minced
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Cauliflower Hummus Burgers

• 2 cups steamed cauliflower florets
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 (15 oz) can
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 6 hamburger rolls or pita halves
• baby spinach, tomato and onion slices, and mint tzatziki for serving

Instructions

Mint Tzatziki

1. Combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and olive oil in the smallest bowl of your food processor. Process until completely smooth. Stir in mint leaves and lemon zest.

Cauliflower Hummus Burgers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with olive oil mister or cooking spray.
2. Use a potato masher or fork to smash together cauliflower and chickpeas in a medium bowl. Don’t mash them until they’re mush—you want the burger to have a little bit of texture. Stir in the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, then add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the beaten egg.
3. This mixture is a little bit wet, so you won’t be able to form patties with your hands. Instead, divide it into 6 mounds on the baking sheet, then use your hands to pat the rounds into burgers.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then use a spatula to carefully flip burgers (if they fall apart, press them back together) and bake for 5 minutes more, until lightly browned. Serve on rolls or in pitas and top with spinach leaves, tomato and onion slices, and mint tzatziki.