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Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese

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These vegan French onion burgers are made with savory caramelized onion and lentil patties, topped with an extra layer of caramelized onions and creamy herbed cashew cheese.

Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese

I realized after making these that I have a thing for turning non-burger foods into veggie burgers. Check it out: meatloaf, Reuben sandwich, falafel, nachos…

I didn’t actually go into this one intending to turn French onion soup into a burger — it was more of a loose idea to put caramelized onions into a burger. Once I got rolling though I realized it had to be French onion soup, because duh, French onion soup is fantastic.

Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese

It’s also something that I really miss from time to time, and as my husband and I discovered while chatting one day, lots of new vegetarians are apt to eat by mistake before realizing it’s totally not vegetarian. So I think lots of us probably have a good deal of attachment to French onion soup. It’s obviously not vegan, so no more goofing up in that department.

So maybe some day I’ll make a vegan French onion soup that’s actually a soup, but for now…burgers!

Lentil patties seemed appropriate, so I went with that and added some savory seasonings.

Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese

Then I topped everything with a creamy herbed cashew cheese. You could use some homemade or store-bought vegan mozzarella if you’re a real stickler when it comes to French onion soup-themed things, but honestly, the spreadable cheese is delicious and it really does taste French onioney when paired up with the burger and caramelized onions, so you should make it.

Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese

My only regret was going with regular old burger buns. How perfect and delicious would these have been on crusty French rolls? Kind of like the croutons in French onion soup, right? But by the time I figured that out I’d photographed and devoured my burgers, so too late. But maybe some nice person will try out the crusty bread variation and let me know how great it is. :)

Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese
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Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese

These vegan French onion burgers are made with savory caramelized onion and lentil patties, topped with an extra layer of caramelized onions and creamy herbed cashew cheese.
Course Sandwich
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Calories 522 kcal
Author Alissa

Ingredients

For the Patties and Caramelized Onion Topping

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus a little extra for grilling the patties
  • 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions about 3 medium, sliced thin
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 2 cups cooked brown lentils see note
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Herbed Cashew Cheese

  • 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1/4 cup unflavored unsweetened soy or almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

For Serving

  • 4-6 burger buns or crusty French rolls
  • Lettuce tomato, and any other burger toppings of your choice

Instructions

  1. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place it over medium-low heat. Add the onion and stir a few times to coat with the oil. Allow to cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Stir in the garlic, raise heat to medium, and cook for another minute, until very fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer the onions to a plate.
  2. Place the oats into the bowl of a food processor and blend to a flour. Add in the lentils, walnuts, parsley, thyme, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and about 2/3 of the caramelized onions. Pulse until the ingredients are well mixed, being careful not to overdo it. Taste-test and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
  3. Make the cashew cheese by placing the cashews, garlic, red wine vinegar, milk, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and blending until smooth. Add in the herbs and pulse a few times until finely chopped and well mixed. Scoop the mixture into a bowl.
  4. To make the burgers, shape the lentil mixture into 4 to 6 patties. Add a touch more oil to the skillet you used for the onions and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the patties and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until browned.
  5. Stuff the patties into buns or rolls and top with the cashew cheese, remaining caramelized onions, and any other toppings you like. Serve.

Recipe Notes

You can use canned lentils, or cook up some dried lentils while the onions caramelize. If using dried, place 3/4 cup into a saucepan and cover with about 3 cups of water. Boil until the lentils are tender, about 35 minutes, then remove from heat and drain any excess water. If you forget to soak your cashews, you can just boil them in water for about 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Vegan French Onion Burgers with Herbed Cashew Cheese
Amount Per Serving
Calories 522 Calories from Fat 221
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24.6g 38%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Sodium 812mg 34%
Potassium 603mg 17%
Total Carbohydrates 61.2g 20%
Dietary Fiber 11.1g 44%
Sugars 7.4g
Protein 19.4g 39%
Calcium 6%
Iron 33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. I’m so glad to see more gluten free recipes! I am vegan, but I also am allergic to dairy and eggs, plus I’m gluten sensitive. Thank you for all you yummy recipes!

    Reply

  4. In the herbed cashew cheese recipe, I am confused with the two additions of fresh thyme.. Recipe calls for 2 T fresh thyme leaves, and 2 T chopped fresh thyme?? Is this correct? Why two different additions of fresh thyme? Please clarify

    Reply

  6. WOW! I made this and it is absolutely spectacular! I can hardly wait to make it again! I had some left and instead of letting it die in the fridge, I froze it for another day. I’m hoping that’s okay…time will tell (unless you tell us before hand!). One reason I had to stop eating it is I had a tooth pulled and couldn’t get anything in the whole that was left. Hopefully, soon all that will be resolved and out of the freezer it will come. YUM!

    As always Ailssa, you struck gold again. Thank you for making so many incredible dishes for all of us. PS I give it 5 stars!

    Marcia

    Reply

  8. So I want to make these but is there something that you would suggest to replace the oats? My boyfriend is allergic but we both love French onion soup and these sound so good!

    Reply

  9. Hi Alissa…I am very interested in making these and freezing them. Have you tried freezing any of your burger recipes and if so how did they come out?

    Thanks so much,

    Alissa

    Reply

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