Crispy Bean Cakes With Harissa, Lemon and Herbs Recipe (2024)

In case one is looking for a VEGAN version try 3 Tbl. water & 1 Tbl either ground flax seeds of whole chia seeds & whisk instead of the egg white. It's called a 'flax egg' or 'chia egg' & works very well in most egg applications!

Use the water from the chickpeas to replace the egg white.

Made these with kidney beans. Omitted the salt since the harissa I have is on the salty side, but used a heaping tbsp of harissa. Used the whole egg like others. I baked these and they came out well! Coated a foil-lined sheet pan with 2 tbsp walnut oil. 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turned it up to 425 since they weren’t getting crispy. Cooked for another 10 then flipped and cooked on the other side for another 10. Browned nicely and were tasty. Would definitely make these again.

I have a similar recipe and it’s delicious, but I like to throw in a goodly amount of chopped, toasted walnuts, or other nuts will do as well.

I had success baking these at 400 on a well oiled sheet pan, drizzling some extra oil over the top of the patties (all together maybe 2-3 tbsp). Cooked for 30 mins, flipping half way though. I used the time they were in oven to make tzatziki. Big hit. I’ll make these once a week. Great over a simple green salad with some late August tomatoes.

This recipe was delicious! I’m not a huge fan of dill so I substituted basil, and the cakes came out excellent. A word of advice on the method - I recommend measuring out 1/4 cups of the bean mix and then pressing it between your hands to form a firmer patty. The first few cakes, which I made according to the recipe, crumbled and fell apart when frying, but the tightly packed ones came out perfectly.

FYI to easily make this dish vegan, reserve the water from a can of beans and substitute for the egg! Same method, simple as that. Also substitute with vegan yogurt/sour cream/blended silken tofu.

I made this with cooked pinto beans (from dried). I used the fresh herbs I had: Italian parsley, thai basil, oregano, a little mint. I also used shallot instead of scallion. And I used the entire egg instead of just the white. Otherwise, recipe as indicated. These turned out fantastic. They are great as is, but I did try breading them in panko and it adds a nice element. Looking forward to making again.

This was a hit on Meatless Monday. I didn't have harissa so I used Thai red curry paste instead. I used Jack's Quality beans: butter beans and black beans. The butter beans I mostly mashed, which turned into a nice batter-like consistency. Also I was too lazy to separate and whip an egg white so I just fork whipped a whole egg and dumped it in. The cornstarch gave it a nice crispy surface. Served with yogurt, alongside a farro pilaf and tomato burrata salad. Perfect summer meal!

I added roasted bell peppers (yellow, orange), used kidney and northern beans, along with Vidalia and red curry paste. Wow! This got rave reviews!

Made this tonight: put everything (except the egg white) in a food processor and pulsed several times, scraping down the sides between pulses. I didn't have fresh dill so I added a teaspoon of dried. The texture was just right and the patties held together nicely. I used black beans because they are our favorite. Really tasty! This will definitely go into my regular rotation.

Had IP garbanzo beans and Trader Joe's harrissa on hand, which made this a cinch to make but a little salty for my taste (prob due to pre-seasoned beans). Subbed flax egg only because I ran out and I was impatient to wait 15 min so stuck it in the freezer for 5 - cakes stayed together just fine! Saltiness was offset by the yogurt and lemon and ended up delicious and well-balanced so don't skip the garnishes. Highly recommend this for a vegan weeknight meal over greens or nice drinking snack :)

I wonder if aquafaba could substitute for the egg whites? If you’re already using chickpeas, you could whip some up really quick with the liquid. Either way, I’ll try this recipe.

Made this with black beans. Didn’t have dill but it came out crispy and tasty. This recipe will be a regular. Similar to Nigerian akara which is made with skinned black eyed peas.

I didn't have black beans so I used kidney beans. I squished them by hand and that was so satisfying. Like popping the bubbles on the bubble mailer. You don't have to get your hands dirty, but I enjoyed that part. I also really enjoyed eating them, as did hubby. I didn't have labneh so used plain greek yogurt. Really delicious. Will make again.

Why Why only 4 stars? These are fantastic. I used canned chick peas. I didn't have fresh dill, so I used more cilantro, some parsley and some dry dill. I used the whole egg. I baked them on foil in the oven at 425. I didn't use enough oil and they stuck to it so I couldn't flip them at 15 minutes. I cooked another 15 and they were a hit! The yogurt was great but I think I'll make tzatziki next time. I'll also try nonstick parchment paper. I served them with a salad.

Per other reviewers I cut the amount of salt in half and used the whole egg, not just the whites. While the flavors were good, I found the cakes to be very dry with a slightly unpleasant mouth feel. I won't be making these again.

I had to add a ton of eggs to get this recipe to hold together, but it was tasty, and I would make it again. Agree with the comments about squeezing out as much water as possible from the beans – I think that would have made mine work without so many eggs.

I make these on the regular with endless variations. Latest with chick peas and cannellini, mint and basil and skipped the scallions because when I eat them I pair them with pickled red onions and spicy pickle slices. Also, I always serve with a little Greek yogurt mixed with spicy harissa. Great on pita. Great with a salad, as a snack or a main. Also, I form the patties and freeze before cooking. Then straight into the pan from frozen and they are done in no time.

Loved this recipe! Have been trying for years to make bean burgers but have had trouble getting them to hold. Using the food processor solved the problem!! Thank you.

I baked and fried these, both good but like most things frying was better. Great as leftovers, placed on a bed of spinach with a fried egg on top drizzled with tzatziki dressing, delicious!

Loved this for a healthy but very satisfying lunch. Following other reviewers’ advice, I cut salt back to 3/4 tsp and it was perfect. Also used 3/4 cup scoop and made 8 of them, serving 2 per person on romaine leaves. Homemade yogurt was great foil.

Absolutely delicious. Veganized this by whipping 2 tbsp of aquafaba from one can of chickpeas and it worked just fine. Mixed vegan yogurt with some garlic and lemon juice for dipping. A new favorite!

Way too much salt. It ruined the dish.

I split the mixture into 10 equal "pucks" and fried for the time/temp specified in a cast iron skillet in 2 batches. They sizzled the whole time. Exterior was nice and crisp and perfectly browned (on the dark side, even), but the interiors were mushy. Not sure if they cooked through, but I prefer a denser interior.

This was delicious, however I would recommend cutting the salt in half.

I make these pretty much as written. I use chickpeas and mash them with a potato masher. A food processor is not necessary. I think one could use different herbs. These are surprisingly good. Leftovers are nice heated up for the cook's breakfast.

I combined the two Vegan suggestions - I used ~ 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid, in which I soaked 1 largeTbsp chia seeds for 10 minutes, whisked and added in lieu of the egg white. Worked perfectly - patties were crispy and wonderful!Definitely a keeper recipe.

Can these be baked and then frozen to have later? Or, better to make the patties and then freeze before baking, and bake after thawing?

This is delicious- and often i don't make the cakes, just make a bean salad with all these ingredients- easy and wonderful.