Yellow Split Pea Burgers are so hearty and flavorful that they are loved by vegetarians and carnivores alike. Whether you serve this recipe at a summer barbecue, a winter dinner party, or simply need to get a healthy dinner on the table, it'll be a hit.
In my (humble) opinion, a burger is a sandwich that includes a bun, cooked meat, and usually other ingredients such as cheese, onion, tomatoes, etc.
That said, it didn't sound quite as delicious to me to call these split pea patties -- so Yellow Split Pea Burgers it is. And it's so good assembled burger-style with all of your favorite condiments.
Let's talk about split peas for a moment, shall we?
What are split peas?
- Split peas are a type of legume, a field pea to be exact.
- They're grown specifically for drying.
- Once hulled, these peas are split in half along a natural seam, to become "split peas." Since they are split in half, the cooking time is fairly fast and there's no need to pre-soak them.
- Split peas are either yellow or green. The green are slightly sweet and a bit less starchy than the yellow.
- They're high in protein and fiber, and are low in fat, making them a very healthy ingredient.
How to Make Split Pea Burgers
- Cook and cool the split peas.
- Blend the cooked split peas with zucchini, onion, olives, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor until relatively smooth.
- Add an egg and blend.
- Then in a mixing bowl, combine this wet mixture with almond flour, corn flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.
- Shape the mixture into six burgers, and lightly dust both sides with corn flour.
- Sauté them in a very hot, non-stick skillet with olive oil for about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through and golden. (You can also put the skillet directly on an outdoor grill.)
(More detailed instructions are below.)
How to Serve Them
- Of course they're fantastic served with a bun and typical burger fixings. Pictured here, they're served on a pretzel bun with chipotle mayonnaise, avocado, tomatoes and red onion.
- I also love serving them tostada-style. Just layer one of the split pea burgers on a crisp tortilla with lettuce, tomato, salsa and avocado.
- And these burgers are so hearty and flavorful, that you might just eat them on their own. Delicious!
Delicious Vegetarian Sides to Serve with Them
Call it what you will, but the blend of ingredients in these Split Pea Burgers, make for an incredibly flavorful meal any way you serve them.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- You can use green split peas if you like. (I prefer the look of them with yellow, but both will be very tasty.
- These burger ingredients need to be as dry as possible while you're making them. (They will not turn out dry when cooked, though!) To achieve this, most importantly, do not skip "wringing" out the zucchini, or cooling/drying the split peas after they've cooked.
- I use black olives in this recipe, but feel free to mix it up with Kalamatas or any other olive you like.
- This yellow split pea recipe will be the most successful when cooked in a non-stick skillet.
- The touch of cayenne is for a little heat. Skip it if you like a more mild flavor.
- These hold together best in a pan, so for outdoor grilling, you can actually place the skillet right on the BBQ.
Can you make them ahead?
You can make split pea burgers up to four days ahead of time.
Refrigerator. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat just to warm them to serve. (They will however, be the most delicious up to about two days.)
Freezer. They can be stored for up to three months in the freezer. They should be in an airtight container, and thawed in the refrigerator the night before you want to serve them. Reheat just to warm them to serve.
I hope you enjoy this yellow split pea burger as much as we do!
More vegetarian burger recipes:
Vegetarian Yellow Split Pea Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry yellow split peas
- 1½ cups grated zucchini
- ¼ cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup black olives
- 3 tablespoons olive oil marinated sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup almond meal (not flour)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon corn flour (not meal), divided
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1-2 pinches cayenne
- a few turns freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil for the pan
Instructions
- Prepare two sheet pans. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cook the split peas. In a medium-sized pot, mix the dry split peas with 3 cups water, bring to a boil, and then simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. (You will need 2 cups cooked split peas, and likely have a bit extra.) Pour them onto one of the parchment-lined sheet pans. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes to cool and dry out. *(You can do this portion up to a day ahead of time, keeping them refrigerated until you're ready to use them. If you do this, let them air dry the same way for about 10 minutes.)
- Blend the "wet" ingredients. Use your hands to "wring out" the grated zucchini to remove as much liquid as possible. Add it to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Then add the cooked, cooled/dried split peas, onion, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic. Blend until everything is incorporated and it's relatively smooth. Then add the egg and process just until it's blended in.
- Combine the pea mixture with the dry ingredients. Add the almond meal, corn flour, paprika, salt and cayenne to a large mixing bowl. Add the pea mixture and mix until smooth.
- Shape the burgers. Dust a clean dry surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon of corn flour. Divide the batter into six equal portions (about a very generous ⅓ cup each), and shape it into approximately 1 inch thick burgers. Place them on the corn flour-dusted surface as you make them. Then flip them over to coat the other side. This should be a very light coating and you can gently even it out with your hands. Place them on the second parchment-lined baking sheet as you go.
- Cook the burgers. Coat the bottom of a large non-stick skillet with olive oil and place it over high-medium heat. Carefully add the shaped burgers to the pan. You should hear a sizzling sound — if you don’t, wait! (You won’t get a nice “crust” on the burger if it’s not hot enough.) Sauté until the bottoms are nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Drizzle a bit more olive oil over them if the skillet looks dry, carefully flip them over, and reduce the heat to low-medium. Sauté to brown the other side and cook them through, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Serve!
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Kim Lange
I'd definitely be down for one of these! I'll have to try it soon! I've got the green split peas and this sounds perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
valentina
Thanks, Kim. Hope you love them. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
A fantastic recipe I shall try out soonest . . . and let lots of friends know ! But as a patty one can use whichever way ! It may be very strange for an American to comprehend - I do not like or usually eat gorgeous healthy stuff in between a useless bun !!! And, yes of course hamburgers are both made and sold in Australia . . . methinks you would find the usual inclusion of beetroot and pineapple and lots of browned onions a wee bit strange 🙂 ! Meanwhile love your recipe, especially the inclusion of the olives and, no doubt, shall be back to praise !!!
valentina
Hi Eha! I get it about the bun. My husband has all of his burgers wrapped in lettuce instead. (So healthy!) I'm intrigued by having pineapple and beets in a veggie burger -- sounds so interesting and I think I'd like the sweetness they would bring to the flavor. Thank you for writing in. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Love this, Valentina! Especially now that we are out if split pea soup season! I have a lot of yellow split peas in the cupboard… and I think all the flavors you add really make these so different from the standard veggie burgers.
valentina
Hi David. I think you must have a very well stocked pantry. Thank you and enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
Wow. Neat recipe. I love split peas -- any color of them. Use them much more in soup and curries, though. Like the patty idea -- definitely want to try. Fun pictures, BTW -- really like the first one.
valentina
Thanks so much for the photo compliment, John. Much appreciated! Hope you try and love these! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Okay, I'm seriously loving these burgers, Valentina! We always have yellow split peas on hand so these have to happen soon! They look too good not to try!
valentina
Thank you my friend. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
We use split pea quite often but the creativity is not our best friend when using them. Thank you so much for this burger; as I read the list of other ingredients, I find this one really exquisite !!! Grilling season is about to start and we'll be making these soon !
valentina
Thanks so much, Davorka! Hope you love them! 🙂 ~Valentina
Liz
YUM!! These veggie burgers sound terrific....no lack of flavor here! I do love split peas so am onboard with these tempting split pe burgers!
valentina
Thanks, Liz. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
Interesting! I've only ever used split peas in soups, but this is a fun way to break out the split peas in the summertime. I need to try these on the grill!
Terri Lyman
If you want to take these fully vegan, what would you use? Chia seed or psyllium maybe?
valentina
Hi Terri! While I haven't tried it, I think to replace the egg, I'd use 3 tablespoons of water mixed with flax powder OR maybe garbanzo juice from the can. I don't have experience with psyllium. Let me know if you try a vegan version, and when I do, I'll let you know. Hope all is well in Cyprus! 🙂 ~Valentina