These vegan lentil burgers are packed with yummy ingredients like lentils, mushrooms, quinoa and spinach. They’re so hearty and delicious and sure to be on your regular burger rotation!
Food excites me.
There, I said it.
For some people, it’s the latest movie, a new book, vacay or whatever.
For Dawn? Food.
Sometimes I get so excited that hubby has to tell me to calm down.
And when I’m not talking about it, I’m dreaming about it. No lie.
Sometimes I even lay in bed at night pondering ideas to share with you guys.
The love is real, people. It’s real.
So, with that little confession out of the way, enter vegan lentil mushroom burgers. These are so dang good! I promise, eat one of these (maybe two, I won’t judge) and you’ll never think the same way again about a veggie burger.
And don’t think you have to be a vegan or vegetarian to enjoy these! These easy veggie burgers are a delicious way to insert more plant-based meals into your diet, perfect for ‘meatless Monday’ or a random Wednesday night alike.
Looking for a side? Serve these lentil burgers with homemade wedges!
Why We Love Lentil Mushroom Burgers
- Loaded with hearty lentils and lots of yummy veggies
- Made with some humble ingredients, they’re pretty inexpensive to make
- Can be garnished to taste with your favourite toppings
- Most importantly, they taste really good!
How to Make Lentil Burgers
Making lentil burgers is easy! There’s just a little prep, but nothing complicated!
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a pan, cook shallot and garlic in some olive oil.
- Add mushrooms and cook.
- Next add spinach.
- Cook until spinach has wilted, then season. Remove from the pan and let cool slightly.
- To food processor, add all ingredients, except cooked quinoa.
- Process everything until combined. Then, add cooked quinoa and process (just a little) to incorporate everything.
- Form into patties and freeze for a bit.
- Fry patties in a greased pan.
- To assemble the lentil burger, place the lentil patty on a burger bun and garnish as desired. Enjoy!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to the Girl Heart Food Newsletter!
How Do You Make Veggie Burgers Stick Together?
There’s a lot of moisture goin’ on here from the lentils to the mushrooms to the spinach, so there needs to be a binder of so sort to keep things together. To bind these lentil burgers, I used some ‘flax egg’, which is basically ground flax seed meal (also known as ground flax seed) mixed with water. I also used gluten-free oats.
Don’t have ground flax seed? Use a large egg (though, these burgers won’t be vegan). And if you happen to have regular oats on hand (not gluten free) you can totally use those. You do you!
Garnish Options
- Sliced red or white onion
- Tomato
- Vegan cheese
- Spinach or lettuce
- Hot peppers
- Vegan mayo (mix with your fave hot sauce for a little heat)
- BBQ sauce
More Recipe Tips
Ensure that the mushroom and spinach mixture has cooled a little before adding to processor.
Same goes for the quinoa.
Rather cook your own lentils than used canned? No prob! Just use an equivalent amount of dried lentils that have been cooked and proceed with the recipe.
Need a little more binder for these lentil burgers? Are they too wet? Add a little more oats.
For the cheese component here I used a vegan cheese. Use your favourite variety.
More Yummy Recipes
- Black Bean Burgers
- Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Italian Antipasto Sandwich (Vegetarian Sandwich) from Killing Thyme
Hope you love these vegan lentil burgers as much as we do!
If you make this lentil burger recipe, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed!
Let’s Be Social!
Follow Girl Heart Food on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter for all the latest delicious eats! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter!
Vegan Lentil Burgers with Mushrooms, Spinach and Quinoa
Ingredients
- ½ cup cooked quinoa (about 3 tablespoons raw quinoa before cooking (see 'Recipe Note' below)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 shallot , peeled and minced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (like cremini or white button) , sliced (about a 227 gram package)
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1.25 teaspoons salt , divided
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (see 'Notes' below for substitution.)
- 5 tablespoons water
- 19 ounce can of lentils , rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 1.25 cups oats (gluten free)
- ½ cup walnuts , roughly chopped
- Cooking spray or olive oil (to fry lentil burgers)
- 6 burger buns (use gluten free and vegan, if desired)
Instructions
- Cook quinoa per package instructions. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until mushrooms have released some of their moisture.
- Add spinach and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every so often, until spinach has wilted. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix flaxseed meal with water and let sit 5 minutes.
- Add lentils to processor, along with cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, oats, walnuts, mushroom/spinach mixture, flax/water mixture, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Process until the mixture comes together. Don't overmix; you want a little texture.
- Add cooked quinoa and process until just combined (again, don't overmix).
- Once done, you can transfer the mixture to a bowl. Form into patties (about a standard sized ice cream scoop and a half or about 6 tablespoons per burger) and place onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Note: I like to get the quantity I need and roll around in my hands to form a ball and then press down to form patties. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Spray a non-stick pan pan with cooking spray (or grease with cooking oil) and set over medium heat.
- Once hot, fry lentil burgers in batches (replacing oil, as necessary, between batches), about 3 minutes per side or until heated through.
- To assemble each lentil burger: spread your favourite condiment or sauce on the insides of the bottom and top bun. Place the lentil burger on the bottom bun, then garnish (if desired) with your favourite burger toppings. Place the top bun over top to form the burger. Enjoy!
Notes
- Quinoa typically triples its size when cooked. To get ½ cup of cooked quinoa, use roughly 3 tablespoons of uncooked and use appropriate ratio of water per package instructions to cook. Always rinse quinoa before cooking.
- Don’t have ground flax seed? Use a large egg (though, these burgers won’t be vegan).
- Ensure that the mushroom and spinach mixture has cooled a little before adding to processor. Same goes for the quinoa.
- Rather cook your own lentils than used canned? No prob! Just use an equivalent amount of dried lentils that have been cooked and proceed with the recipe.
- Need a little more binder for these lentil burgers? Are they too wet? Add a little more oats.
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
