These Lentil Burgers are perfect for when you’re craving a burger but want something a little lighter and more whole foods based. Everyone knows faux meats like Impossible and Beyond make for a delicious and realistic vegan burger experience, but sometimes you just want an old school veggie patty! Look no further because these patties are savory, protein-packed, and most importantly: not dry.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Lentil Burgers
- Green or brown lentils. I use canned lentils for ease and convenience, but you can feel free to boil your own from dry. Just make sure not to overcook them; we want them tender but still holding their shape, otherwise your lentil burgers might turn out mushy.
- Mushrooms. These add a meaty texture and tons of savory flavor. Regular white or button mushrooms are my go-tos for affordability, but you can get fancy and use any kind of mushrooms you like.
- Sunflower seeds. These add extra protein and a slight crunch to the lentil burgers that I personally love! You can also try replacing them with the same volume of chopped walnuts.
- Onion and garlic. For extra flavor.
- Tomato paste, soy sauce & smoked paprika. These make the lentil burgers more savory and well-rounded in flavor.
- Breadcrumbs. These add body to the lentil patties and help bind everything together. Regular or panko breadcrumbs both work well in this.
- Olive oil. For sautĂ©ing the onion and mushroom mixture, and for pan-frying the shaped lentil patties. I don’t recommend skipping the oil, because it gives the lentil patties a richer texture and keeps them from being too dry or crumbly.
How to Make Lentil Burgers
- Sauté onions, mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil for 5-8 minutes. The mushrooms will shed plenty of moisture, and we want to cook that off to condense the flavor and improve the texture.
- Add in tomato paste, stir to coat, and cook until the tomato paste darkens from a vibrant red color to a deep rust color.
- Add the mushroom mixture to a food processor with cooked lentils, sunflower seeds, soy sauce, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Process until mixture is well-combined but still has a little bit of texture.
- Mix in the breadcrumbs. The mixture should be moist enough that it sticks together and doesn’t crumble. However, it shouldn’t be so wet that it sticks to your hands! If the mixture is still a little on the wet side, add in additional breadcrumbs a few tablespoons at a time and mix well between additions.
- Shape the mixture into patties. Typically I shape mine into 4 or 5 medium-sized burgers, but you can make them larger or smaller as you prefer. You can even shape them into meatballs!
- Preheat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet or cast iron over medium-high heat.
- Pan-fry shaped patties 2-3 minutes per side, or until deep golden brown. Enjoy.
Recipe FAQ
Can You Freeze Lentil Burgers?
Yes! You can freeze the burgers after you’ve shaped them and before pan-frying them. I recommend separating the patties with a piece of parchment or wax paper so they are easy to separate when you’re ready to enjoy them. You’ll want to thaw them out in the fridge overnight prior to pan-frying them.
You can also freeze them after you have shaped and pan-fried them, if you prefer. In that case, you can them reheat them in the microwave or in a pan.
Can You Bake Lentil Burgers?
Pan-frying is my preferred way to cook the patties, because it keeps them moist and gives them a light crunch on the outside. However, you can bake them! They will just have a slightly drier texture and won’t brown as nicely.
I recommend brushing or spraying them with a little bit of olive oil or avocado oil to help them brown a little. Then arrange them on a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 30-35 minutes, flipping them at the 15 minute mark.
Can You Use Red Lentils?
Red and yellow lentils have a much softer texture than green or brown varieties, so they aren’t ideal for this recipe. However, you can substitute in other types of beans that hold their shape well — such as black beans or chickpeas. This will be more like a classic bean burger, which is also delicious.
Are These Lentil Patties Gluten-Free?
This vegan lentil burger recipe is not gluten-free by default, but with a few simple changes it can be done! All you need to do is sub in gluten-free breadcrumbs and a gluten-free soy sauce substitute, such as tamari. That’s it!
More Plant-Based Recipes
Lentil Burgers
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for frying
- 8 oz white or cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 small white or yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups cooked green or brown lentils drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- black pepper to preference
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs plus extra as needed, to adjust texture
Instructions
To boil your own lentils
- I like to use canned lentils for ease and convenience, but you can boil your own from dry if you prefer. Lentils typically double or triple in size, so I recommend cooking 1 cup dried lentils, then measure out 2 cups of cooked lentils for the recipe.
- Pick through lentils, place in a sieve and rinse. Add dried lentils to a pot of water (enough to cover by an inch or two) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low/medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until they are tender but still retaining their shape. It's very important not to overcook them! If the lentils are mushy, it will be hard to achieve the right texture with your burgers.
- Pour lentils into a sieve or colander and allow to drain thoroughly. We don't want extra moisture in our veggie burger mix. This will also give them an opportunity to cool.
Sauté the vegetables
- In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 5-8 minutes. The goal here is to cook off as much extra moisture from the mushrooms as possible. Add extra time as needed if there is still extra liquid in the pan.
- Add in tomato paste and stir to coat ingredients. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato paste darkens from a vibrant red color to a deep rust color. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Make the lentil burger mix
- To a food processor, add your cooked and thoroughly drained lentils, along with the sautéed mushroom mixture. Add in the remaining ingredients: sunflower seeds, soy sauce, paprika, and black pepper to preference. Process until mixture is well-combined but still has a little bit of texture. Scrape down the bowl of the food processor as needed to ensure the texture is consistent.
- Add breadcrumbs and stir to combine. (You can do this directly in your food processor if there is room, or transfer to a bowl if you need extra space to mix.) Stir to evenly distribute the breadcrumbs.
- The mixture should be moist enough that it sticks together and doesn't crumble. However, it shouldn't be so wet that it sticks to your hands. If the mixture is still a little on the wet side, add in additional breadcrumbs a few tablespoons at a time and mix well between additions. Go by feel — the exact amount you need will depend heavily on the texture of your cooked lentils, and how much moisture you cooked out of your mushrooms.
Shape & cook the burger patties
- Divide mixture and shape into patties. Typically I shape mine into 4-6 medium-sized burgers, but you can make them larger or smaller as you prefer. You can even shape them into meatballs.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (or other vegetable oil) to a nonstick skillet or cast iron over medium heat. (I recommend using a pan that is quite heavy/thick to keep the heat nice and even.) Heat until the oil glistens.
- Pan-fry the patties 2-3 minutes per side, or until deep golden brown. Typically using my 10" skillet, I can fry 3 patties at a time. Between batches, I like to wipe down my pan with a paper towel (to clear out any stray breadcrumbs or bits that might burn). Then I add another tablespoon or two of fresh oil and heat it again before adding more patties.
Made these tonight for dinner and they were delicious! Super easy and quick to make! Will definitely be making again! Thanks ! 🙂
Hi Martie! She explains the cooking instructions on her youtube channel, which you can watch here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ds-5vd11gs
Hi love these burgers! Can you freeze them before you cook them?
Hi Stacy. Our apologies for not listing the cooking steps in the original recipe. That was an oversight on our part. The recipe is now updated with instructions on how to pan-fry the patties.
Best lentil burger recipe up on Google recipes!
I just put uncooked patties in the freezer. I’ll let you know how it goes!
These were amazing. Surprisingly meaty, even though I was not necessarily craving that. They go great with BBQ sauce. Held together great too, and pretty damn easy.
I did not ise a processor but it still came out good and found some good bread crumbs
The family loved it. I made lentil pita pockets with her Tahini Lemon dressing adding lettuce and cucumber and hummus. Not a crumb left on the table. I made more and freezed them for a quick future dinner meal.
I made these with gluten free bread crumbs and walnuts instead of sunflower seeds and they turned out delicious! My favorite veggie burgers that I’ve made so far.
Easy ingredients, had all in the fridge/cupboard, easy to make. Lovely to eat. I rolled mine into sausage shapes and had with mash, red onion gravy and curly kale. Just yum. Rest I am going to freeze.
My burgers dident stay firm when in the pan .
Watched the video a couple days ago and I couldn’t stop thinking about these patties! I did not have lentils but I did have black beans and let me tell you they’re just as delicious as I imagined. The sunflower seeds add so much to it! I loved it. Can’t wait to try them with actual lentils hahaha. Thank you for this recipe!!
The smoked paprika is a nice complement to the flavor profile of this dish. My mom gave me a ton of lentils, which typically I hate. But after mixing them in the food processor, and discovering their meaty texture and versatility, I may give them more of a chance. My first try came out too wet. I wonder, if I could have air fried them?
I was looking for a recipe for a meat substitute, in making stuffed cabbage, and this is the best one I found. I substituted partially cooked rice for breadcrumbs, as that’s what the stuffed cabbage recipe calls for, and as a bonus, I had enough of the faux meat left over to make 2 burger patties. Lentils are so versatile! Thanks for this!
I just found your website. I have been eating whole food plant based for 6 years. We loved these lentil burgers. I made them without any oil, and substituted liquid smoke for the smoked paprika. I have made many lentil and bean burgers before but have never added sunflower seeds. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe.