Step 1

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, reserving the liquid (aquafaba) in a shallow bowl.

Step 2

Mash the chickpeas with 2 Tbsp olive oil until no whole chickpeas are left, but still leaving some chunky pieces. Add the bread crumbs, bouillon, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, sea salt, and lemon juice. Mix with a fork or your hands until just combined.

Step 3

Sprinkle in the gluten. Knead the dough with your hands until gluten strings form, about 2-3 minutes. Add more gluten 1 Tbsp at a time if the dough feels too wet and sticky. Add a small amount of water or olive oil if it's seems dry. Form the dough into patties using small handfuls of dough. Press the patty into a shape slightly larger than the size of your palm, about ½" thick.

Step 4

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the dredge ingredients. In a separate shallow bowl, prepare your buffalo sauce by combining the melted butter, hot sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, and optional cayenne. Whisk together until smooth.

Step 5

In a skillet on medium heat, pour enough olive oil to cover ⅓" of then pan, about ⅔ cup depending on the size of your skillet. Working quickly so the oil doesn't burn, coat the chickpea patties in the aquafaba, then dip them into the flour mixture. To keep your fingers from becoming too sticky, use a fork to transfer the patty from the aquafaba to the flour, then use a dry hand to sprinkle flour and coat the patty. Transfer the battered chickpea patties to the pan with a fork.

Step 6

Working in batches, fry each patty until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on both sides. When finished, transfer the fried patties to a plate lined with kitchen towels to drain the oil.

Step 7

Give the buffalo sauce a good whisk in case it separated, then lightly coat the chickpea patties in sauce. Serve immediately on lightly toasted vegan buns with lettuce, tomato, and vegan ranch.