This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
These Red Lentil Cauliflower Burger patties are baked and vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and grain-free. Sometimes all you need in life is a good, loaded burger and this vegan burger recipe hits the spot! Topped with homemade onion rings, roasted mini peppers and Chipotle habanero mayo…yum! Jump to Recipe
This red lentil cauliflower burger is so uber delicious that you really have to make it to know. Those buns are multigrain. Or make these pillowy white dinner rolls.
The red lentil cauliflower patties are just that.. lentils and cauliflower with spices and a little chickpea flour.. And the No Fail trick to use Cauliflower in burger patties!
Serve these vegan burgers with a side salad and a dipping sauce and you have one delicious wholesome meal. If you like lentils and cauliflower, this is it!
Ingredients for Red Lentil Cauliflower Burgers:
- Dried whole red/Indian brown lentils (Sabut Masoor) or other lentils (brown/green)
- Water
- Salt
- Garlic powder or fresh garlic cloves
- Spice mix of choice like berbere or garam masala
- Cauliflower
- Onion flakes or finely chopped onion
- Cumin powder
- Piri piri or cayenne or chili powder or other chili
- Olive oil
- Chickpea flour or breadcrumbs
Ingredients for Vegan Burger Toppings
- Baby spinach/greens
- Roasted mini peppers
- Onion rings with chickpea flour
- Pickled jalapeno
- Fresh cilantro
- Vegan Chipotle habanero mayo/cream(recipe below)
- Avocado slices, tomato slices or lettuce or other greens
Substitutions for Red Lentil Cauliflower Burger Recipe
- If you don’t have time to cook the lentils, use 1.5 cups canned, cooked lentils, drained and rinsed.
- Change up the toppings with sweet or cooling offsets like cucumber, raw red onions, or plain mayo
- Use a different sauce like BBQ or BBQ mayo
- Use different spices in the patty like curry powder, ranch, chipotle flakes, lemon zest, cajun blend, ethiopian berbere.
You can also freeze and keep the patties. Shape the patties and don’t bake, layer in an airtight container, separated with pieces of parchment paper. Thaw and bake.
How to Make Lentil Burgers with Cauliflower:
- Soak the lentils for 30 minutes or more in warm, hot water.
- Wash, drain, add to a pot with all the ingredients (salt, garlic, spice, 1 3/4 cups water) and cook on low-medium, partially covered for half an hour or until easily squished. Stir a few times in between. Cook until all the water is absorbed. (drain the lentils if they are well cooked and water is not absorbed). Or use 1.5 cups of cooked lentils.
- Grate the cauliflower (in a food processor, blender, or by hand), spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at pre-heated 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until some of the cauliflower gets crisp and golden. (You can also dry roast the grated cauliflower on stove top in a large pan at medium heat for 5-6 minutes).
- Add cooked red lentils, roasted cauliflower, spices, salt to a bowl and mix well. Mash a bit. Taste and adjust salt and spice.
- Add chickpea flour, mix until the lentil cauliflower mixture easily comes together. Add more flour or breadcrumbs, if needed (depends on moisture content in the lentils, cauliflower, etc.).
- Shape into burger patties by hand or by pushing through a 3 inch cookie cutter.
- Bake on parchment lined sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Step by Step Photos:
Cook the lentils. These are whole red lentils or Indian brown lentils (Sabut Masoor).
Grate cauliflower. I make the cauliflower rice in my Blendtec these days. Just pulse small florets a few times (1.5 to 2 cups at a time) and voila!
Spread and bake until lightly crisp on the edges.
Mix with cooked lentils, onion flakes, salt, spices.
Add a tablespoon or so chickpea flour so the patties can come together.
Make 4-5 inch 3/4 inch thick patties, or any size you want.
Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Prep the vegan burger sandwich. Layer the mayo, spinach, onion rings.
Layer the burger patty, roasted peppers, pickled jaalpeno.
Add loads of spicy mayo.
Top with fresh cilantro and burger bun top. Enjoy!
More Vegan Burger Recipes from the Blog:
- Spicy Chickpea Lentil Burgers
- Lentil Walnut Burgers
- Lentil Quinoa Meatloaf Burger
- Kidney Bean Millet Beet Burger
- Easy Vegan Falafel Burger Recipe
- Peanut Carrot White Bean Burgers
- Grillable Veggie Burger – Black Bean Sunflower Seed Burger
Red Lentil Cauliflower Burger
This red lentil cauliflower burger with chipotle habanero mayo is fantastic. Topped with onion rings and roasted peppers. Vegan, gluten-free option.
Ingredients
Red Lentil Cauliflower Burger Patties
- 1/2 cup dried whole red/Indian brown lentils(sabut Masoor) or other lentils (brown/green), or use 1 1/2 cups canned, cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp spice mix of choice, like berbere or garam masala
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 head cauliflower grated, 1 1/2 - 2 cups
- 1 Tbsp onion flakes, or 3 Tbsp finely chopped onion
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp piri piri, or cayenne or chili powder or other chili to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp chickpea flour, or breadcrumbs or other flour as needed
Toppings
- Baby spinach/greens, onion rings (recipe below), roasted mini peppers (recipe below), pickled jalapenos, chopped fresh cilantro, chipotle habanero mayo (recipe below), avocado slices, tomato slices
Instructions
- Soak the lentils for half an hour or more in warm hot water.
- Wash, drain, add to a pot with all the ingredients (salt, garlic, spice, 1 3/4 cups water) and cook on low-medium, partially covered for half an hour or until easily squished. Stir a few times in between. Cook until all the water is absorbed. (drain the lentils if they are well cooked and water is not absorbed). Or use 1.5 cups of cooked lentils.
- Grate the cauliflower (in a food processor, blender or by hand), spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at pre-heated 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until some of the cauliflower gets crisp and golden. (You can also dry roast the grated cauliflower on stove top in a large pan at medium heat for 5-6 minutes).
- Add cooked red lentils, roasted cauliflower, spices, salt to a bowl and mix well. Mash a bit. Taste and adjust salt and spice. (You can use this mixture as is to load a burger or a taco too.)
- Add chickpea flour, mix until the lentil cauliflower mixture easily comes together. Add more flour or breadcrumbs if needed (depends on moisture content in the lentils, cauliflower, etc). Shape into burger patties by hand or by pushing through a 3 inch cookie cutter.
- Drizzle with olive oil, if using. Bake on parchment lined sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Assemble the Burger: Top the bun with spinach/greens, some mayo, onion rings, warm lentil patties, roasted peppers, pickled jalapenos, more chipotle habanero mayo, fresh cilantro and bun.Or use your own toppings like cucumbers, raw red onion slices, pepper slices and such for a quicker fix up.
Onion Rings
- Mix 3 Tablespoons chickpea flour, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon oil, salt, garlic powder into a paste. Add a teaspoon rice flour for crunchyness. (optional)Dip red onion slice in the the batter and place on parchment lined sheet.Bake for 15 or so minutes at 400 degrees F. You can bake them when baking the cauliflower or the patties.
Roasted Mini Peppers
- Chop up the mini peppers or red pepper, and bake with the onion rings or patties for 15-20 minutes. You can toss them in oil if you want. I did not use any.
Chipotle Habanero Mayo
- Mix 1 Tablespoon Chipotle habanero (I used Melinda's Chipotle Habanero) sauce or chipotle sauce or hot sauce with 4 Tablespoons vegenaise or homemade mayo or cashew cream or coconut cream.
Notes
Variations: Add spice blends like curry powder, ranch, chipotle flakes, lemon zest, cajun blend, ethiopian berbere.
Nutrition based on 1 lentil cauliflower burger patty only.
Nutrition
Calories: 82kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 337mg, Potassium: 321mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated on Oct 15, 2019 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
I love your cauliflower burger. They look so yummy! I’ll try to make it for my family some time. Thanks for the recipe, Richa!
Looks amazing! I had never tried lentil patties at home before. Ia m going to try this one and every dish you have on your blog. 😉
You blog make me want to quit my job and start cooking. 😉
This comment has been removed by the author.
These were awesome.. I cheated and used Chipotle vegannaise and traders joe’s soft square rolls… But oh so yummy
Awesome! you dont have to stick to the toppings and spices etc. use anything in the burger and on the burger:)) the base of the burger can pick up so many variations! it is one amazing yum thing 🙂
I know the first time I try and do as much to the recipe as I can and then after that..experiment..the roasted cauliflower is good
Wow! So good. I went vegetarian about 2 months ago and was suddenly craving a burger big time. (Not to mention sugar – is that normal?) Anyway, this is a fantastic idea and I had a fantastic meal. I will admit that I caramelized some onions to make this extra indulgent. Topped these awesome patties with sprouts, arugula and a chipotle mayo. Many thanks for your blog! I’ll be keeping up with it.
Awesome.. so great that you added caramelized onions:)
If you did it suddenly then the body needs a little time to adjust to the different types of foods and nutrients it is getting. You might want to add more protein, more beans/ lentils, quinoa, nuts, whole grains. more number of times(more small meals in between with added protein) to your diet right now and then balance them out to what makes you feel full after a few weeks.
All the best!
Makes sense. Thanks for your thoughts 🙂
I’ve made the patties before and they’re great. Today for Cinco de Mayo, I’m making them as my enchilada filling. I added garlic and wakame to the lentils to cook together for extra flavor and minerals. Since I’m not making patties, I won’t be baking, so I’m not adding the flour. Just putting filling into tortillas with cashew cheese and topping with enchilada sauce, then baking for 20 min. Should be yummy:)
Awesome! let me know how they work out:))
This looks like a great recipe, but the instructions are kind of hard to follow. Theres a reason tons of other recipes follow the same format. A little organization would be fabulous.
Hi Dana. I am not sure what format you are referring to. I try to keep the instructions in order as much as possible. Thanks.
Sorry, nevermind… I scanned the post and saw that you touched on freezing recommendations at the top… missed it the first go ’round!
Sorry it was hidden in the write up:). you can easily freeze the shaped patties and bake them later. Since the lentils and cauliflower are already cooked i dont recommend baking and freezing and rebaking. They will dry out a bit on the edges with the twice baking, though will still work out well.
Hope you like them!
Hi, this looks fab, going to make a double batch tonight to freeze (love having veggie burgers in the freezer to top with random veggie concoctions!), do you have any freezing tips? I planned to cook them all the way and freeze them, please let me know if you think I should do otherwise. Can’t wait to try them!
These look great, I am going to make a double batch and freeze them… would you recommend baking them until fully cooked and then freezing or freezing raw or half cooked? So glad to have stumbled over your blog, excited to start cooking from it! 😉