These savory lentil burgers are healthy, packed with flavor, and super easy to make! Pair them up with your favorite toppings for a scrumptious vegan meal that's perfect for feeding a crowd, but also easy enough for a weeknight.

My kitchen has always been a bit out of control. I guess that happens when you like to cook. A mere weeks after I moved into my current house I can remember having a somewhat embarrassing conversation with coworkers about how badly overflowing my refrigerator was. Already.
"But overflowing with what?" They asked.
"I'm not really sure. I've got a lot of chutneys." That was all I could come up with. But that was one of many examples of foods jamming up my fridge. And we didn't even get started on the pantry. Ugh.
As you can imagine, the whole situation has gotten much, much worse since I started blogging.
Every now and then though, I make a point of developing some recipes backwards. Instead of starting with an idea and going out to buy ingredients (making the whole overflowing kitchen situation worse), I dive deep into the pantry for some inspiration.
Most recently I emerged with a bunch of treasures: lentils, oats, sunflower seeds. Hmmm...sounded like a burger in the making. And I could season it up with some hot sauce from the fridge and chives from the garden. This was sounding good.
How to Cook Lentils
Whenever I post a recipe that includes lentils people seem to get a little stuck on how to cook them properly. Do your lentils always come out mushy or undercooked? You are not alone!
Cooking perfect lentils is really easy though. Place your lentils into a saucepan and cover them with a few inches of water. Don't add anything to your water at this point — certain ingredients, such as acidic ones, can prevent lentils from softening. Also, use more water than you think you'll need — much of it cooks off or gets absorbed by the lentils.
Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Let your lentils cook at a moderate boil — not a low simmer or a roaring boil.
For this recipe I like to keep them a tad firm, so I cook the lentils for about 25 minutes, but you can use this technique for other recipes and let them cook for a bit longer you'd like them to be softer.
When the lentils are done, take the pot off of the heat and drain them into a fine mesh strainer.
Tip: cook extra lentils and freeze some for later, so you always have cooked lentils on hand for this or other lentil recipes, like my lentil meatballs or vegan goulash.
How to Make Lentil Burgers
Now that your lentils are cooked, you're ready to make the lentil burgers. Start by placing your oats and sunflower seeds into a food processor. Blend them to a powder.
Now add your lentils, some red onion, garlic, chives, cumin, soy sauce, and hot sauce.
Pulse the food processor once or twice. Don't let it run and don't pulse it too much! Your lentils might quickly turn to mush if you do. Open up the food processor and have a look. Can you get away with a couple more pulses? Then go to it! Also have a taste. Does anything need adjusting? Do you need to add some salt? Do it now.
Now it's time to cook the burgers. Heat up some oil in a skillet.
Grab a handful of your lentil mixture and shape it into a patty. I like to use wet hands here to keep the mixture from sticking too much.
Form as many patties as you can fit into the skillet without crowding them. You can cook the rest later in a second batch.
Cook the patties for about 4 minutes on each side. I like to use my spatula to gently shape the patties as they cook.
Stuff your patties into buns along with your favorite toppings and serve!
Lentil Burger FAQ & Tips
- Can I substitute red or green lentils for brown? You could probably substitute green lentils, though I haven't tested the recipe with them, so no guarantees! Red lentils cook up much softer than brown and probably wouldn't work for this recipe.
- Is there a substitute for the oats? Panko breadcrumbs might work, though you might need to use a bit more than a cup. Try stirring them in until the mixture is thick enough that it can easily be shaped into patties.
- I followed your instructions above for cooking lentils and mine are hard as rocks. What gives? Usually when this happens it means your lentils are old. Have they been sitting in your pantry for a while? Or maybe on the store shelf? It might be time to start over with a new bag.
- Can these burgers be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use certified gluten-free oats and burger buns.
- How spicy are these burgers? It really depends on how much hot sauce you use and what brand. If you keep it at a tablespoon and use a brand like Cholula, Franks or Crystal, they'll be pretty mild. Feel free to add as much as you like for extra kick, or for a heat-free burger, substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice for the hot sauce.
- What kind of cheese is that on your burgers in the photos/video? That's Follow Your Heart American-Style Slices in the photos, and Chao Tomato Cayenne Slices in the video.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Zesty Lentil Burgers
These savory lentil burgers are healthy, packed with flavor, and super easy to make! Pair them up with your favorite toppings for a scrumptious vegan meal that's perfect for feeding a crowd, but also easy enough for a weeknight.
Ingredients
For the Patties
- 1 cup dried brown lentils
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- ½ cup chopped red onion (or substitute yellow onion if you run out, like I did when I made the video. Oops!)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Cholula), plus more to taste (I use 2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or high-heat oil of choice
For Serving
- 4 burger buns
- Toppings of choice, such as vegan mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, vegan cheese, ketchup and mustard
Instructions
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Place the lentils into a medium saucepan and cover them with a few inches of water.
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Place the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
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Lower the heat and allow the lentils to boil until they're still just a tiny bit firm, about 25 minutes.
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Drain the lentils into a colander. Be sure to drain them well to avoid the burgers coming out soggy.
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Place the oats and sunflower seeds into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade and blend them to a powder.
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Add 2 cups of the cooked lentils (you should have a bit leftover — save them for another use), onion, garlic, soy sauce, hot sauce, cumin, and chives to the food processor.
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Pulse the food processor once or twice.
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Remove the lid from the food processor and take a look at the mixture to determine if it needs more blending. Also have a taste to see if any seasonings need adjusting. Add some salt and pepper if desired.
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Pulse the mixture a few more times if desired, being careful to avoid overblending.
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Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.
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Shape the lentil mixture into patties, and once the oil is hot, add as many as you can fit into the skillet without crowding. Cook the rest in a second batch.
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Cook the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
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Stuff the patties into buns and top with toppings of choice. Serve.
I would like to make these, but I don't fry food. Can they be baked?
I think they should bake up just fine! I'd use parchment paper and try 400F for about 15 minutes on each side.
LOOKs so yummy! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!
How about using walnuts instead of sunflower seeds? I’m allergic.
Walnuts should work just fine! Enjoy!
what can be used for the oats? i’m allergic to oats and not sure what to sub for them in this kind of recipe. thanks!
Panko breadcrumbs usually work in burgers like this. You might just need a little extra - I'd add a bit at a time until the mixture holds together enough to form patties. Enjoy!
Not my favorite recipe, but not bad. I found them to be overly seasoned and a bit too spicy. I love Cholula, so I used 1.5 tablespoons. I found them kind of hard to keep stuck together while frying. Mine wanted to fall apart a bit. I also could not seem to get the lentils to blend very well. I used the plastic blades of my food processor, but I think next time I would use the regular metal blades to hopefully chop up the lentils more. Next time I will also reduce the seasoning and hot sauce.
I usually don't worry about blending the lentils in this type of burger - they're so small that most of them get missed by the blades. They end up embedded in the other ingredients. Thanks for sharing your results! You can certainly adjust the seasonings to your liking.
I have green lentils. I have not been able to find organic brown lentils at Whole Foods. Would the green work as well?
I think they'd work!
This is the best burger I've ever had! I recently became vegan and I was craving for burger. I tried some of the plant based ones that you can find at the store but this one beats them all, not only because of the flavor but because you know exactly what you are eating, no weird ingredients you can't pronounce. My husband and I have them every week, with bread or just like a lettuce wrap, LOVE THEM!
Wanted to know if you can freeze them one they are done :)
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that! You can definitely freeze them! I'd just stack them with pieces of parchment paper in between, then stick them into a freezer container or bag.
These are unbelievably delicious. I cooked them in a dry ceramic 'fry' pan and they came out just fine. A new favorite! Thank you!
This looks so good! Can I replace the chives for something else? They are out of stock in the grocery store. Thanks!
I replaced the chives with scallions and it came out really good! I will try it with chives in the next batch. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! Glad it worked out! I just saw your comment from earlier and was about to suggest chives - great choice. :)
Great to make ahead of time for a quick lunch. Held together nicely and tasted amazing.
Made these today for non vegan boyfriend he liked them.