Gluten free and vegan red lentil falafel served in a naanwich, because why not? I make these lentil patties constantly, year round, and they’re a great easy source of plant based protein with a mild flavour (i.e. also great for kids). Made with soaked lentils for an easy weeknight meal or packable lunch. Skip to the recipe →
I started making these little red lentil burgers about a year ago and Graham has been telling me to share them ever since. He says they remind him of chicken nuggets (gross) but can’t explain why – I love how simple and flexible they are to make. I soak and freeze jars of red lentils as part of my weekly batch cooking, but was only making this soup with them.
We were low on groceries on a weekend and the freezer was empty apart from some soaked red lentils, so I tried making burgers from them, thinking I’d end up with one giant pancake falafel. Turns out red lentils make a great solid-textured burger, but only if they’re soaked! Please don’t try this with dry or cooked lentils, you won’t like the results. Another nice thing is that since red lentils only need about an hour for a quick soak if you’re pressed for time, these work well for when there aren’t any cooked legumes on hand and you don’t have time to boil chickpeas for hours.
The plan was to share these patties in a bowl, but I had made naan and it was just good luck that I tried them in a naan taco with a big spread of hummus, greens, and pickled onions. Total sandwich ecstasy. This’d be awesome as a pita for a work/school lunch and it’s a fun dinner idea to give a few fillings with the naan and lentil falafel for a build-it-yourself meal. Here’s a quick tutorial/recipe on how to pickle red onions.
Any kind of pickle works in place of the onions but I think a little crunch and acid makes a big difference, and the onion is such a pretty colour. The lentil falafel are gluten/grain free with a little nuttiness from chickpea flour, which helps hold everything together. Make sure you check the tips below the recipe for some options, I’ve made these a hundred different ways!
This is a partner recipe to the easy spelt naan I posted a couple of days ago, but I often make the lentil falafel with roasted veggies, rice, potatoes, or whatever. They’re like the vegan version of chicken breast. Not sure what to make? Red lentil burgers! With anything at all!
Let’s connect! If you liked this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via facebook, pinterest, and bloglovin.
Red Lentil Falafel in a Naanwich
Gluten free and vegan red lentil falafel in a naanwich. These lentil patties are a great easy source of plant based protein & made with soaked lentils.
Ingredients
Red Lentil Falafel
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- A handful of parsley
- 1 cup soaked red lentils*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour**
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
- Juice of a lemon
For the Naan Sandwiches:
- 1 batch easy spelt naan
- 1 cup hummus
- 1 cup rucola or another green
- 1/4 cup pickled onions, or another pickle
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
Red Lentil Falafel
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the onion, garlic, and parsley into the bowl of a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add the lentils, oil, flour, spices, and lemon juice, then pulse until combined and you can form loose balls with the mixture.
- Form golf ball sized patties and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. They will spread slightly so leave some space between each. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden and serve hot. Leftovers freeze well and can be refrigerated up to three days.
Naan Sandwiches
- Serve each sandwich with about a tablespoon or two of hummus, 2-3 falafel, and some rucola, pickled onions, and parsley. Yogurt is a great addition here (or tzatziki) and other veggies are nice too.
Notes
• You can also add a grated carrot to the lentil falafel (add a beet instead to make them pink), leave out the parsley or sub it for another herb like cilantro, add turmeric and other spices, or use apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon juice. These are very flexible.
• You can use the stems and leaves of the parsley.
* This is measured after the lentils have been soaked. Try to soak them overnight or for 24 hours, but at minimum one hour in warm water.
** I've also made these with rye flour, but prefer using chickpea flour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 62Total Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 267mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
This data is provided by a calculator and is a rough estimation of the nutritional information in this recipe. This is per falafel, at about 14 per batch.
This recipe originally published in January 2018. It was updated in February 2019 with new photos and some new information.
Alex says
Wow, I did not realize you could make lentil patties with uncooked lentils. Must try! All these colors look amazing together.
Alexandra Daum says
It's crazy, isn't it? It was such a lucky fluke! Thanks, Alex 🙂
Anja says
These look really amazing! But I am as well wondering if raw lentils are really ok? I thought they are toxic?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Anja! I understand your concern, but as the lentils are baked in the burgers they are indeed cooked 🙂
Atlin Zahnow says
I read your article above and it had said you soaked them. Must you soak them for 24 hours? Or could you for a couple of hours? Thank you so much for your creative style!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Atlin! I have made these before with just soaking the lentils for a couple of hours in hot water (from a boiled kettle) which works pretty well. Not quite perfectly but if you’re in a pinch that’s what I suggest!
LD says
Can green lentils be substituted for red? Maybe just a longer cooking time? Thanks.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it. I don’t think it would alter the cooking time so much as that they may not hold together as well due to the skin on the outside of the green lentils. You might be able to add an extra tablespoon of chickpea flour to help them hold. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Donna says
I stumbled onto your blog and was so excited when I saw that you do a lot of gluten free. I was especially disappointed with this recipe that stated it was gluten free thinking I found gluten free naan.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Donna, I’m well aware that spelt isn’t gluten free – the naan is actually a separate recipe, included here as an idea rather than instruction. The falafel are gluten free (and the focus of this recipe/post). Thanks for your input.
Melissa says
I made these for the first time today, and I love how simple, easy, and quick they are! Have you tried making them into a larger patty? The golfball shape turned out perfect at 18min, but I wonder if I made a burger sized patty, would it need to be flipped halfway through? Thanks for the unique recipe!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Melissa! I often make these into burgers but haven’t timed them to see how long it takes – they don’t need to be flipped halfway through, and made a great burger patty : )
Mel says
How much dry lentils do you need to soak in order to make 1 cup soaked?
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
About 3/4 cup, I think. You can also just soak 1 cup of lentils – the recipe is flexible with the amount of lentils added and I often don’t measure now if I’m making them for myself.
Ellie says
Can the falafel mixture be frozen?
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Yes, no problem.
michelle says
Hands down the best Falafel recipe I’ve tried. I’ve made it at least 3x now. So easy and so delicious. They freeze well too. Thank you!
Amanda says
I LOVE these. Have made em a bunch and used different herbs vs the parsley based on emptying my fridge (pea shoots, carrot greens, etc) and have all been solid. Based on all the carrot greens i have I want to make a few batches ahead. I sawyou comment you can freeze, if freezing, best to make the batter and freeze or make the falafels (cooked) and reheat?
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Amanda, I’m so glad you like the recipe. I freeze the batter rather than the cooked falafel, and then thaw in the refrigerator. They tend to dry out a bit if frozen after cooking so freezing a container of batter is the better option : )