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Spiced Lentil Walnut Burgers. Easy Flavorful Burger patties with avocado ranch. Vegan Burger Recipe. Soyfree Easily gluten-free. Serve as burgers or over salad.
These scrumptious and filling patties have lentils, rice, walnuts and loads of flavor in them. It’s been a while since I made burger patties. I am hoping these fantastic burgers will be magical enough to get us some sunny days in the cloudy PNW. Am I ready for warmer days with loads of sunshine. The grey starts to depress even the chirpiest of the people and birds around.
I use cumin, coriander, garam masala in these. Feel free to use your own combination of flavors such as cumin + chipotle + oregano, or coriander + berbere, or a chili powder blend of choice. Add some coarsely ground fennel seeds for a sausagey flavor. Since the burger mixture is cooked, you can fix and adjust the flavors before committing to the patties!
I served these Lentil Walnut Burgers /patties with my avocado ranch, lettuce, juicy tomatoes, onions, pickled jalapeno and a melted chao cheese slice! I am topping he next batch with a load of caramelized onions. The sweet onions go really well with the earthy lentils. Use any vegan ranch or mayo, some ketchup or bbq or other sauces of choice. To troubleshoot any veggie burger patties(crumbly, too soft etc), see my tips on this burger round up post. Happy Burgering!
More burgers from the blog
- BBQ Veggie Burger with Mango Carrot Cabbage slaw
- Spicy Chickpea yellow Lentil Burgers
- Bean Broccoli Lentil Burgers
- Amaranth Black Bean sliders with roasted red pepper sauce
- Red Lentil and Cauliflower Burger with Onion rings and Chipotle Habanero Mayo
- Grill-able Artichoke Cauliflower Spinach Bean Burger
- and a 35 Veggie burger collection round up!
Lately the facebook page has been getting angry non vegans asking me to change the name of the food to something other than burger, as Burger always equals meat. Well, please see this definition on Mirriam Webster. I did not make that definition. Burger is a generic term for a sandwich type food, that can be a hamburger, other meat burger, made with tofu, veggies, beans etc. Lentil Walnut Veggie Burgers!
Reading for the day-
Catch my interview at MasalaMommas this week.
Videos to watch
- This beautiful Indian wedding. It is big, long, cultural and vegan, does not use flowers, non biodegradable waste/plastics, no silk, pearls, leather. Amazing!
- This video shot at Pasado’s safe haven with Children and the sanctuary animals
- Cost of cheap clothing on the people and the planet
The burger patties can also be baked. I prefer to cook them on a pan for a crispy exterior and moist juicy interior. Baking can dry the patties out a bit. If you use a good non stick pan, oil might not be needed for the roasting.
If you try these patties, leave me a comment, rate the recipe(when you try it), tag me on Instagram #veganricha, let me know what you think, love, not like, suggestions. Feedback keeps me motivated (esp in this grey weather) and helps me improve!
Video:
Lentil Walnut Burgers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped red onions
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/4 inch ginger
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro
- 3/4 tsp salt or more, depends on if the lentils were salted
- 3/4 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 1/2 tsp cayenne, hot! or use sweet paprika + a good dash of black pepper for less heat
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 3-4 basil leaves, optional
- 3/4 cup cooked brown or white rice
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils or 1 15 oz can. I used Indian brown lentils
- 2 tsp ketchup or bbq sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 flax egg, 1 tbsp flax seed meal mixed in 2.5 tbsp warm water, let sit for 2 minutes
- 3-4 tbsp breadcrumbs or flour, use gf breadcrumbs or flour to make gf
Instructions
- In a processor, process onion, garlic, ginger, walnuts and cilantro until finely chopped. Alternatively, cook the onions and garlic in 1/2 tsp oil until they are golden and then add to the processor.
- Add the spices, salt, basil, rice, half of the cooked lentils and pulse a few times until well combined. Transfer to a bowl with the rest of the lentils. Add ketchup, oil, flax egg and mix everything until evenly mixed in. Mash a bit if needed and mix in. Taste and adjust salt, spice, herbs if needed. Add in the breadcrumbs or flour and mix in. Let the mixture chill for 10 minutes.
- If the chilled mixture is too wet, add in more flour or breadcrumbs. The amount needed depends on the moisture in the veggies, the kind of lentils and just general mood of things in the mixture. Add more breadcrumbs or flour if too sticky wet. Add another flax egg if too crumbly to make patties.
- Shape into 4 large patties. Pack well. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and spread it around. Place patties on the skillet and cook for 4 to 6 minutes per side.
- Serve with vegan ranch/avocado ranch or mayo or ketchup, mustard or other dressing of choice. Add some caramelized onions or other toppings.
Video
Notes
Add 2 tbsp nutritional yeast. To Bake: I normally bake lentil burger patties at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 10 or more minutes until golden. I haven't tried baking these particular patties. Let me know if you do.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow, just made the lentil walnut burgers and as a nervous and not so competent cook I was worried about the outcome. However, there was no need to worry as the recipe was clear and easy to follow, the mixture actually looked like meat burger mix and the final result was a delicious tasting and appetising looking burger that was enjoyed by all. Result! Now for the next recipe I think.
What a win!
I made these for my family for the first time today, the recipe was approved by two toddlers and my meat-loving husband.
In fact, I also made beef patties in case anyone hated the recipe, so my husband and I agreed to share one veggie and one beef – he ate half the lentil burger before I’d even taken my first bite of the other, then handed me his so he could start on his half of the beef version. A couple bites in he said, “You won’t believe this, but would you mind eating the beef one? I prefer the lentil burger.”
I was floored.
My only question is about how you get the patties to stay together – ours turned out more like sloppy joes. I followed the recipe almost exactly, I used raw onion, so maybe the water didn’t help? Also, I used a whole whisked egg instead of a flax egg. I fried the patties until they were crispy on both sides and then melted cheese under the oven grill. Even still, they were very moist in the middle. Any suggestions?
Hi Kate, yes the egg and the onions might have added some extra moisture. Before making patties, you can chill the mixture for a while then check the consistency. Add more flour or breadcrumbs till the mixture forms patties with the consistency and moisture you prefer (the patties will crisp on cooking on the outside but will have moisture inside similar to the what the mixture has before shaping). Then press well to make patties and cook them. For very sturdy burgers, add as much as 1/2 to 1 cup of breadcrumbs or flour or a mix of both. I prefer to add less as the flavor of the patties will reduce with that much binder. I like the burgers just sturdy enough to not break apart but moist overall.
Hi Richa- the lentil burgers I tried with black chickpea, kidney beans, etc came out bit dry. Am seeing your recipe includes boiled rice as well, does it help in making them not too dry to taste..?
Black chickpeas are inherently dry. There are different amounts of moisture and texture in different beans, peas and lentils. This recipe is written for brown lentils, so other beans will act differently. When you mash the mixture and it feels crumbly or dry, you can add some moisture ingredients into the mix. You can also taste the mixture to see is the texture is dry. Add 1 or 2 flax seed eggs ( 1 flax egg = 1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water), or add some mashed cooked potato or sweet potato, or mashed cooked rice. The burger mixture should hold together easily and feel somewhat moist as the patties will lose some of the moisture on pan frying. the patties also lose more moisture during baking, so you would add a bit more moist ingredients if you plan to bake.
Good ideas, Thanks a ton Richa, will try them this weekend 🙂
Hands down one of the best veg burger recipes I have ever made and tasted. Made these for dinner this evening for my husband, stepdaughter (age 11) and myself and we all “Oooh-ed” and “Ahhh-ed” and “Mmm-ed.” They stayed together for easy cooking (no crumbling apart as they cooked in the cast iron skillet) and had the most incredible flavor (I opted to caramelize the red onion and garlic before adding to the food processor); you could top these burgers with anything for a good pairing–lettuce tomatoes, sliced avocado, pickled radishes, sweet onion, vegan mayo, spicy mustard, crispy sweet potato crisps, et al. Wonderful texture–seared crisp on the outside with a tender, rich-flavored center. My only regret is that I didn’t double the batch so that we could enjoy these again in another day or two.
Thank you so kindly for this recipe! This has definitely made my dinner rotation list.
Yay! so glad they turned out fabulous!
I’m not sure how this is gluten free if breadcrumbs or flour needs added. I tried with rice flour didn’t workout so well… didn’t stay firm. What do u know we don’t?
I use gf flours or gf breadcrumbs. I usually will use chickpea flour. Burgers can be crumbly for many reasons such as too much moisture, too little moisture, not enough mashing or packing etc, even with regular flours. See this post to troubleshoot. https://fettabbau-trim.today/2015/08/35-vegan-veggie-burger-recipes.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This is the first plant based burger I’ve tried and I love it. I don’t think I need another recipe. My husband enjoys them as well. Thank you so much!
Thats awesome!!