Nothing says summer like a burger. The bun, the juicy tomato, the pickles, the ketchup, the mustard, just…yum.
There are no rules that say your summer burger has to be a burger made of meat. Why not switch things up a bit and try this vegan lentil burger? With lentils and black beans, it’s high in protein, iron, fiber, and calcium. The ol’ cow burger can only brag about 2/4 of those essential nutrients.
With cilantro and basil, these burgers have a nice, but not overpowering, flavor. Small bits of dried mango lend a subtle sweetness.
I’m very picky about the texture of non-meat burgers. I can’t stand a mushy patty. You’re never going to get a veggie or bean burger to have the exact texture of a meat burger, but this recipe makes a firm burger you can sink your teeth into. You’ll definitely want to sink your teeth into these healthy lentil burgers!
Lentil burgers
A tasty and healthy vegan burger
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 patties 1x
- Category: main meal
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 15 ounce can, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 5–8 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup dried mango, choppped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- oil for grilling (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring your lentils and water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the lentils, and cook for 20 minutes. If there is any water left, drain it.
- Put your ground flax seed and water in a small bowl and set aside to allow to gel.
- In a food processor, combine the lentils, black beans, cilantro, basil, and oats. Process until everything is combined. You may have some whole lentils, beans, or oats–that’s okay.
- Remove the blade from your food processor and add the flax mixture, mango, and salt and stir until well combined. (I just like not having to dirty another bowl. You can transfer to a new bowl if you prefer.)
- Form the mixture into six patties.
- Heat a good amount of oil (I used olive oil) in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the burgers. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Alternatively, you can bake these in the oven on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Just flip the burgers half way through the cooking time and let them sit for 5 minutes before serving them. This yields a drier burger, but it’s still good and is great if you want/need to eliminate some calories from the oil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pattie
- Calories: 156
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 384mg
- Fat: 6.7g
- Carbohydrates: 18.3g
- Protein: 6.3g
Keywords: vegan burgers
These are delicious on a bun with all the traditional burger fixings, but I’ve also had them without a bun. I turned the patties themselves into buns and sandwiched some avocado and tomatoes in the middle. I found out I like them even better that way. Have fun with this healthy, meatless burger!
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
September 5, 2012 at 12:20 amI finally made these tonight, and we all loved them! I left out the mango and they were still delicious. I will process them for a shorter time next time because they were *almost* mushy, even though I was super careful trying not to overprocess. It needs only a few pulses I’m thinking. Regardless, it was a delicious way to end summer break–thank you!
Maryea says
September 5, 2012 at 8:55 amYou’re welcome. I’m glad you tried them. 🙂 I agree that there’s a very fine line where you can overprocess them, making them mushy. Veggie burgers are so tricky!
Marisa says
July 30, 2012 at 2:19 pmI feel like I followed the directions carefully, but mine came out mushy :(. Any special tricks for getting a firmer burger?
Maryea says
July 30, 2012 at 8:55 pmSo sorry about that. Do you think you over-processed the mixture? That could lead to a mushier texture.
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
June 14, 2012 at 12:12 pmI’m picky about my veggie burgers too! I need to get into the kitchen to make some soon. Have you ever frozen these ones, either raw or partially cooked? I love keeping burgers in the freezer, that way if I decide to make meat burgers for my hubby I can just take out one or two veggie ones and not have to make 2 batches of burgers instead of just the meat ones. The mango in these sounds so interesting! And the cilantro and basil – yummy!
Katey says
June 13, 2012 at 5:56 pmI am loving the idea of mango and basil being incorporated. I have quite a lot of red lentils waiting to be used… do you have any thoughts as to whether red lentils would be a good choice in these burgers?
Maryea says
June 13, 2012 at 8:36 pmThe only thing I would worry about is how mushy red lentils tend to get when you cook them. If you decide to try it, just make sure you don’t overcook them at all. Let me know if you do try them and how they work out!
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
June 13, 2012 at 3:40 pmIt has been my mission to find the perfect non-meat burger. I am big on texture and the mushy ones just don’t work for me! I look forward to trying this one–perhaps it is THE one?
Maryea says
June 13, 2012 at 8:37 pmOh the pressure!! Yikes!
Michelle {the lively kitchen} says
June 13, 2012 at 10:46 pmHee hee. Me to0 – always looking for that perfect veggie burger. And purse, but’s that’s not your problem…
I’m leaving out the mangoes as my husband has a strong policy against fruits in savory things. I think he’s missing out, but I’ll accommodate a man who is more than happy to eat lentil burgers. 🙂
Amy-Nutrition by Nature says
June 13, 2012 at 2:09 pmWow, these look delicious! I have not had lentils in awhile, sounds like its time to pick up a bag again. Thanks for the recipe!
I do think burgers scream summer time!
Marta @ What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today? says
June 13, 2012 at 10:56 amI like that you call it a summer burger 🙂 It has everything I like and I actually eat burgers only during the summer time, and only from a grill 🙂
Sarah says
June 13, 2012 at 10:33 amYUM. This recipe is right up my alley!
Heather @ Fit Mama Real Food says
June 13, 2012 at 10:30 amI have never seen dried mango in burgers. That sounds delish!! Awesome summer time dish 🙂
Laura S. says
June 13, 2012 at 10:18 amCan’t wait to try these. Sooo glad you are back!!!! 🙂
Maryea says
June 13, 2012 at 10:53 amThanks, Laura. I’m glad to be back!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
June 13, 2012 at 10:10 amThese sound delicious!
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
June 13, 2012 at 8:55 amOooo, those sound like they are packed full of flavor! Delicious looking too! I bet it would take the husband a minute to realize that they weren’t meat burgers…
Maryea says
June 13, 2012 at 10:52 amUmm…yeah, these don’t pass for meat burgers in the least. They are a bean burger through and through. But a darn good bean burger! 🙂 Tim eats these, although he prefers my beet burgers when it comes to non-meat burgers. His first choice is always a juicy cow burger, though, unfortunately.
Sarah's Scrumptious Samplings says
June 13, 2012 at 8:17 amOoh these look delicious. I might make a trip to the grocery store to get the mango so I can make them for dinner 🙂
Maryea says
June 13, 2012 at 10:52 amI hope you do!
[email protected] says
June 13, 2012 at 8:15 amYum! When I saw the title of your post, I KNEW i had to check it out because I remember that you told me, a long time ago, that you hate a mushy veggie burger patty. So I figured that yours would not be and I can’t wait to try it!