Can I use canned chickpeas for falafel?

Yes, of course. We recommend it due to the convenience, but you can also use dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight and drained.

What is the best lactose-free cheese for burgers?

Arla LactoFREE Mature Cheddar Cheese is an excellent choice for burgers. Its delicious, full-on Cheddar taste and its excellent melt makes it the perfect rich and gooey topper.

Can I make this ahead of time?

It’s best to make these falafel burgers just before serving, but the falafel mix can be made in advance. Just cook and form the falafel balls as described, tightly cover with cling film and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Remove and cook as described just before serving.

Lactose-free falafel smash burger

For healthy dinner ideas to enjoy in the summer sun, our Lactose-Free Falafel Smash Burger is just the answer. Stacked with fresh veggies, vibrant flavours, crisp smashed falafel patties and finished with a layer of oozing cheese sauce, this homemade burger recipe brings together textures and tastes you’ll never want to end.

Ingredients

Falafel patties

Olive oil	4 tbsp
Red onion, , ½ finely diced and ½ sliced	1
Garlic cloves, finely chopped	2
Tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed	400 g
Ground cumin	1 tsp
Ground coriander	1 tsp
Ground cayenne pepper	½ tsp
Lemon, zested and juiced	1
Salt and pepper
Small handful fresh coriander
Small handful fresh parsley
Egg, beaten	1

Burger

Arla® LactoFREE Natural Yogurt	45 g
Ground cumin	1 pinch
Sriracha sauce (optional)
Arla® LactoFREE Mature Cheddar Cheese 200g, grated	80 g
Arla® LactoFREE Semi Skimmed Milk Drink 1L	40 ml
Smoked paprika	½ tsp
Corn flour	½ tsp
Burger buns	4
Cucumbers	12 slices
Handfuk lettuce

Instructions

Falafel Patties

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan over a medium heat, add the diced onion and fry until soft, about 5 minutes, then add in the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to a large bowl to cool down.
Once cooled, add the washed chickpeas, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, half the lemon zest and some salt and pepper to the bowl, and with a fork or potato masher, mash the mix until broken down.
Leaving a few sprigs aside, finely chop the fresh coriander and parsley and add to the chickpea mix. Add the beaten egg, mix and form into 4 falafel balls.
Add the remaining oil to the frying pan over a medium heat and place the patties in the pan, leaving enough space for them to ‘smash’ (this may need to be done in batches, depending on the size of your pan). Next, take a large spatula or fish slice and press down each patty until around 10cm wide, then fry for 3 minutes or so on one side before flipping and frying for a further 2 minutes on the other.
Once the patties are golden and cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.

Burger

While the falafel mix cools, place the sliced onion in a bowl with half the lemon juice and a little salt, mix and leave to pickle.
To make the yogurt sauce, add the Arla LactoFREE Natural Yogurt, a pinch of cumin, the remaining lemon zest and a squeeze of sriracha (optional) in a bowl and mix to combine.
Once the falafel patties are cooked and removed, in the same pan, stir the Arla LactoFREE Cheddar, Arla LactoFREE Milk Drink and paprika together, then add the cornflour and mix until thickened. Meanwhile, toast the burger buns.
To serve, layer the yogurt sauce over each side of the toasted burger buns, top the bases with the salad leaves and 3 cucumber slices each, then add the falafel patties, drizzle over the cheese sauce, top with the pickled red onion and a few fresh coriander leaves and finish with the burger bun lids.