Vegan Lentil Burger Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to keep lentil burgers from falling apart? ›

Place the ingredients into a canister: Add the drained lentils, garlic, shallot, carrot, tomato paste, cilantro, salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Shape the patties: Scoop out ¼ cup of the mixture at a time. Option 1 Bake: Bake the patties for 10 minutes.

The binder holds the patties together and keeps them from falling apart as they cook, and can also add extra flavor to your burger. Common veggie burger binders include eggs, flax egg, wheat germ, breadcrumbs, oats, miso paste, or even water.

Ground Flax – for binding, like a vegan egg! Flour – also for binding, but use GF flour if you wish. Breadcrumbs – another binder! Or use oats for gluten free! Start with about 1 cups worth and add more until the mixture comes together.

Common binding agents include flax eggs (a mixture of ground flaxseed and water), chia seeds, mashed potatoes, tapioca flour, or even your favorite nut butter. These ingredients help hold everything together and prevent your burger from crumbling.

Just make sure not to overcook them; we want them tender but still holding their shape, otherwise your lentil burgers might turn out mushy.

All three Melbourne locations of Lentil As Anything, the pay-what-you-feel restaurant that opened in 2000, will permanently close their doors on February 27. Founder Shanaka Fernando cited a downturn in trade, loss of volunteers and repayment of debts as the reasons for the decision.

Pound for pound, raw lentils have more protein than steak. While not as protein-dense once cooked, they pack even more iron than meat, in addition to other vitamins and minerals. Fast to cook, easy to store and exalted enough to be buried with the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, these seeds have sustained empires.

Chickpea and lentils both only contain what scientists consider "good fats." Therefore, Chickpeas are better as they have more "good fats." Lentils have more dietary fiber than Chickpeas. Fiber is a strange nutrient. It doesn't provide calories and doesn't stick around your body.

Flaxseed (aka linseed)

Combine a tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water, stir to combine, and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken. Ground flaxseed emulates eggs' binding qualities in breads, cakes, muffins, cookies, burgers, and vegan meatballs.

What can I use as a binder instead of eggs in burgers? ›

One of the most common substitutes is breadcrumbs, but sometimes the breadcrumbs can fall off when the burgers are cooking if there are too many or they are too dry. Other popular substitutions for eggs include cornstarch, flour, ketchup, porridge oats, cracker crumbs, and ground flaxseed.

Eggs are the most common and effective binder, and egg replacers are an excellent alternative for vegan burgers. Other common binders include wheat germ, bread crumbs, oats, and ground flaxseeds. These are dry ingredients, though the recipe's other ingredients often add just enough moisture to make a sufficient binder.

Spices and tomato paste: Smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper combine to make these burgers a little smoky and incredibly delicious. Tomato paste adds color, sweetness, and an umami flavor to the burgers (highly recommended!). Cooked rice: Adds more texture to the veggie burgers.

In my experience, the best way to prevent your burger patties from falling apart during cooking is to use both egg and breadcrumbs to make them. You can add eggs to the mixture and then, coat them with breadcrumbs before shaping them into burger patties.

Not using a binder to hold the ingredients together.

A good veggie burger isn't just, well, veggies — it needs a binder, something to hold all the ingredients together and keep the burger intact. Without a binder, your burger might completely crumble and fall apart the second it hits the grill or when you bite into it.

Cook them in batches if your pan isn't large enough. Place the burgers in the pan or on the grill and don't touch them until they sear. If you try to move them too early, they will stick and break apart. When a burger is ready to be moved, it will release easily from the pan or grill.

Refrigeration – After you've formed your patties, refrigerate (or freeze) them for an hour or two. This will give the breadcrumbs time to absorb some of the moisture in the burger, making them more apt to stay together during cooking.