Veggie burgers are a staple for so many vegetarians – us included – and these lentil burgers really fit the bill for a great base burger recipe that can take just about any toppings. They’re dairy- and gluten-free, made with eggs and oats to bind (there are several vegan burger recipes on the site if you need an eggless option) and we make them all the time. Since lentils take so little time to cook, they’re a great option for when you don’t have cooked or canned beans on hand.
Why You’ll Love Lentil Burgers
- They can be made without a food processor, using a potato masher and plenty of elbow grease or an immersion blender. You can use a food processor if you’d like.
- Slowly cooked onion, tomato paste, spices, and both dried and fresh herbs add loads of flavour and depth to the burgers – no boring veggie burgers here.
- Baked in the oven rather than fried, the burgers are really easy to make and take less active time so you don’t need to stand in front of the stove top. They can be fried if you’d rather.
Ingredients
This is a bit of a quicker burger because you don’t need any cooked grains, like rice, to start with, so you don’t need to plan ahead. The lentils will cook while the onions are on the stove.
- Lentils: I recommend using brown lentils for this recipe as the slightly higher starch level helps them to bind more effectively. Black and green lentils can be used in a pinch, but don’t use red lentils. See red lentil falafel.
- Flour: use chickpea flour for gluten-free burgers or rye or another whole grain flour if that’s not an issue. I haven’t tested these with a light or sifted flour and think you’d need to add a little more in that case.
- Oats: quick-cook oats. If you only have rolled oats, it’s best to give them a chop in the food processor so that they’re in smaller pieces. If you use rolled oats, the burgers will be less sturdy and more likely to fall apart.
- Tomato paste: this adds a lot of depth to the burgers but be sure to cook it as instructed to avoid a raw taste.
- Eggs: I have tested these burgers without eggs and they were too delicate. I recommend trying one of my several vegan burgers recipes instead.
- Vinegar: replace with lemon juice if preferred. It balances out the burgers.
For some vegan burger recipes, try these: spicy black bean burgers (also featuring lentils), kidney bean burgers, and vegan chickpea burgers. All great recipes.
Step by Step Photos
Step 1: cook the onions until softened and starting to brown.
Step 2: cook the garlic and tomato paste, then stir in the spices.
Step 3: while the onions are on the stove, cook the lentils.
Step 4: add all of the ingredients to a large pot or bowl.
Step 5: mash the mixture together or blend part of it (see recipe card).
Step 6: the burger mixture should hold together easily.
Step 7: form patties and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Step 8: bake until solid and lightly golden, flipping halfway through.
How to Store
Storage: the uncooked mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. For cooked burgers, cool fully before placing in a sealed container and refrigerating up to three days.
Freezing: I recommend freezing the uncooked burger mixture and thawing that in the refrigerator before cooking as usual. The cooked burgers tend to dry out when frozen. If you have leftovers it is possible to freeze them, and they should be gently reheated in a frying pan with a little oil after thawing in the refrigerator.
Expert Tips
- Make sure it’s the right texture: the mixture should hold together when formed into a ball and not crumble at all. If it’s not holding, it needs to be blended or crushed more until it reaches that texture.
- Change up the spices: try different herbs and spices to suit what you’re planning on topping the burgers with. They’re fairly neutral as-is and you could really dial up the amount of fresh herbs or add more savoury spices like toasted cumin.
- Season the lentils: it makes such a difference to the overall flavour of dishes made with lentils if they’re cooked in well-seasoned water, like pasta. It doesn’t increase cooking time.
More Lentil Recipes
Lentil Patties
Simple Lentil Salad
Lentil Chili
Lentil Bolognese
If you make this Lentil Burgers recipe or any other vegetarian main dishes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Lentil Burgers
Description
Ingredients
- 200 grams (1 cup) dried brown lentils
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes reduce or omit to taste
- 30 grams (⅓ cup) quick-cook oats* gluten-free if needed
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour or rye flour
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Large handful chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs like oregano, thyme, or a blend
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Start by cooking the lentils. Add them to a pot and cover with plenty of well-salted water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook on a low boil, covered, for about 20 minutes or until soft. They should be a little softer than you would usually cook them.200 grams (1 cup) dried brown lentils
- While the lentils are cooking, start the onions. Preheat a frying pan over low-medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes or until the onions are softened and starting to turn golden.1 tablespoon oil, 1 medium onion
- Add the garlic and tomato paste to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in the smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and hot pepper, then remove from the heat.2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet.
- Once the lentils are cooked, drain well. Add to a large bowl along with the cooked onion mixture, oats, chickpea flour, vinegar, parsley, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine and then mash very well with a potato masher. Alternatively, blend about halfway with an immersion blender or remove approximately ⅓ of the mixture and blend into a paste in a food processor before returning to the bowl and mixing well.30 grams (⅓ cup) quick-cook oats*, 1 tablespoon chickpea flour, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, Large handful chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon dried herbs, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Mix in the two eggs, stirring well to combine. The burger mixture should be fairly sticky and hold its shape when pressed. If it's crumbly, mash a little more.2 large eggs
- Form six burgers of approximately equal size and place onto the baking sheet. Baking times are for burgers that are about 2cm (⅔ in.) thick but it doesn't vary much if they're slightly larger or smaller.
- Bake for 20 minutes, carefully flipping the burgers with a spatula halfway through the cooking time. Serve hot with any toppings or buns you'd like.
- Lentil burgers are best fresh but can be refrigerated for up to three days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.