Vegan Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato & Wild Rice Burgers

How was your weekend? We finally set up our living room with our new rug, plus I just ordered a custom designed ottoman, which I’m really quite excited about. We picked a dark blue velvet color and can’t wait to see it when it arrives in a few weeks. Other new things? A black custom french-looking desk and a small side table that’s going to be painted a bronze gold. Obsessed is an understatement.

Hmmm what else? Chicago’s been insane lately. We’ve had the Chicago marathon, the Cubs in the playoffs and the Bears actually won TWO games. Thus, I’ve been eating a little too much pizza and bar food lately. What I’m really craving now is a seriously good veggie burger with a huge side salad.

Veggie burgers are wonderful because like regular burgers, you can get creative with the ingredients and toppings. I’ve made a few favorite versions but this one is cozy, seasonal and flavored with curry and cumin. The vibrant flavors bring out the sweetness of the sweet potato and the savory goodness of the chickpeas. Love, love.

The nutrition shines in this recipe too! Nearly 6g of fiber and over 7g of protein for under 200 calories. It’s a real, wholesome veggie burger you can truly feel good about eating. And bonus! These are totally freezer friendly. Just pop the uncooked patties in a freezer-safe container! Once ready to cook, simply thaw the burgers out and cook them up as you normally would.

How to serve these burgers: I’ve been topping mine with bold arugula, creamy avocado and enjoying with homemade sweet potato fries. Highly recommend you do the same!

I hope you absolutely adore these burgers. If you make them, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or by taking a photo, uploading it to Instagram and tagging #ambitiouskitchen.

Happy #MeatlessMonday!

If you’re looking for more veggie burger recipes, here are some of my other favorites:

New Mexican Green Chile Black Bean Burgers

Chickpea, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Burgers

Jalapeno Chickpea Lentil Burgers with Mango Avocado Pico

Garlic + Basil Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Creamy Avocado Pesto

Vegan Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato & Wild Rice Burgers

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Nutritious, amazing sweet potato wild rice burgers made with chickpeas and curry spices. They’re cozy, seasonal, and bursting with vibrant flavors. Freezer friendly too!

1
large sweet potato
1/2
cup
uncooked wild rice blend
1 – 15
oz
can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1
teaspoon
curry powder
1 1/2
teaspoons
cumin
1/4
teaspoon
garlic powder
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
1/3-1/2
cup
breadcrumbs OR oat flour
1/3
cup
dried cranberries
2
teaspoons
coconut oil, for cooking
Optional: 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
For topping: avocado, arugula, red onion

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Use a fork to poke sweet potato several times. Place sweet potato on a small pan lined with foil and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until fork tender.
While sweet potato is cooking, cook the wild rice by adding 1 cup water and wild rice to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
Add cooked sweet potato (not the skin) and chickpeas to a large bowl; mash with a fork or potato masher. (Alternatively you can use a food processor and pulse them until somewhat, but not completely smooth.)
Next stir in cooked wild rice, curry powder, cumin and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then stir in breadcrumbs (or oat flour), cranberries and pecans, if using. The pecans add a lovely flavor, but aren’t necessary.
Shape mixture into six patties. It’s easier to shape and cook the patties when they are cold, so if you’d like you can keep the mixture in the fridge until cold, then form patties (I recommend doing it this way!).
Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan. Once oil is hot, add patties and cook for about 7-9 minutes, then VERY carefully flip. Cook for an additional 7-9 minutes on the other side, adding more oil to the pan if necessary. Serve on their own or in a bun! I love mine with avocado & arugula. Makes 6 burgers.