Amazing Homemade Veggie Burgers
The BEST homemade veggie burgers! This recipe is completely plant-based, meatless, and easy to make. Protein packed lentils, beets, and walnuts create a hearty meat-like texture and savory seasonings like garlic, smoked paprika, and a sprinkle of cumin take these burgers take these burgers to the next level of deliciousness!
Servings: 6 burgers
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw shredded beets about 2 large red beets
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp smoked parpika smoked is key
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup walnut halves measured whole
- 1 cup cooked black or brown lentils I use canned, see notes below
- 2 tsp light miso paste I use chickpea miso
- 3 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/3 cup chopped parsely
- 2 tbsp chopped scallions
- 2 tbsp water
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep
- Pulse or very finley chop the walnuts and set aside. Rinse and drain the lentils if using canned. Then chop the garlic, parsely, and scallions and set that aside too. Scrub 2 large red beets and trim off the bottom leaving the top intact (this makes it easier hold on to the beet while you're grating!)Grate the beets on the side that has the largest holes and measure out 3 cups.
Cook
- Then transfer the shredded beets to a large frying pan and add 2 tbsp of oil and 3/4 tp of sea salt. Sauté for 2 minutes then add chopped garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook for 4-5 more minutes until the beets are slightly softened and most of the moisture is absorbed. Try not to overcook, or else they'll get too soft. Tip: if you have extra liquid in the pan, dump the beets into a fine colander to remove the extra moisture.
Mix
- Add the cooked beets to a large mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1 cup of lentils, the finely chopped walnuts, 2 tsp miso paste, 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, and 2 tbsp of chopped scallions. Add 1 tbsp of corn starch and a 5-6 grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer 1/3 of the mixture into a food processor along with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of water. Blend until a slightly chunky paste forms. You don't want it to look perfectly smooth like hummus, so stop blending before it gets to that point.
- Add the pureed mixture back into the bowl and mix well. Then divide into 4 large or regular sized 6 burger patties. Tip: Firmly press the burgers into patties so they hold together but not soooo tightly that they're compacted together. That will also make the burgers mushy!
Cook them up! 🍔
- Add 2 tbsp of oil to a large frying pan and set to medium high heat (a 6-7 on my stove) and pan fry the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side, and then flip. Cook for another 3 minutes and then transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm.
Serve
- Serve on toasted burger buns with lettuce, tomato, and vegan mayo or burger sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Lentils: I use canned black or brown for convenience but in the photos I used green lentils because that's what I ha. Green is more visible which is why I like to use black or brown but it doesn't matter flavor wise. Just don't use red or split lentils or the burgers will be mushy and fall apart.
If you want, you can skip pan frying these burgers by simply baking them at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crispy on the top and firm. I prefer the texture when pan fried first so I recommend that method, but you can skip that step if desired.