Vegan Nacho Burgers

These spicy vegan nacho burgers are made with lentil patties topped with creamy tahini nacho cheese and piled high with your favorite nacho toppings.

"Whatcha making there?"

"Nacho burgers."

"Oh. So you're going to eat both of them them?" :(

Sorry. I can't not make that stupid nacho joke in any post involving nacho anything. Also, in my defense, it did happen. My husband is as big a dork as me.

Anyhow, welcome to installment number two in my series of vegan recipes leading up to the Superbowl, coming from a lady who doesn't even watch it. I thought this would be perfect though.

Here's how this recipe works: the burger is made from lentils seasoned up with Tex-Mex spices. Lentil burgers are delicious as they are, but even better when topped with vegan nacho cheese made from tahini, as these are.

I also went with avocado slices, red onions, jalapeño slices, and salsa for toppings. Guacamole would be nice too, but I was feeling a little lazy for that. If you want guac on your vegan nacho burger, use one of these delicious guacamole variations.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Lentils. We're using plain old dried brown lentils. Green lentils should also work for this recipe. You can also use canned lentils as a shortcut if you'd like — you'll need about 2 ½ cups of them.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Walnuts. Similar nuts like pecans can be substituted if needed.
• Panko breadcrumbs.
• Red wine vinegar.
• Spices. You'll need ground cumin, ancho chile powder and cayenne pepper.
• Salt & pepper.
• Oil. Any high heat oil will do! Olive oil, vegetable oil, and coconut oil are all good options.
• Tahini. Tahini is a sesame paste that can be found in the international foods aisle of most supermarkets. If you've never bought tahini before and don't know what to do with the rest of it, try whipping up a batch of jalapeño hummus, which, incidentally, is a great alternative topping for these nacho burgers.
• Non-dairy milk. Use an unflavored and unsweetened type of plant milk. Just about any variety will work, but see my dairy-free milk guide if you need help deciding on one.
• Nutritional yeast flakes. These will add cheesy flavor to your tahini nacho cheese sauce. You can find them in the international aisle of most supermarkets.
• Sriracha hot sauce. Believe it or not, this will also make your tahini cheese taste cheesy.
• Red wine vinegar.
• Burger buns. Check the ingredients to ensure they're vegan. I like Dave's Killer Bread burger buns.
• Additional toppings. You can use any or all of these: avocado, salsa, jalapeño slices, onion slices, lettuce, tomato, or whatever else you like on your burger.

How They're Made

What I love about these burgers is that they don't even require a food processer. Here's what you'll do:

• Cook the lentils. Simply cover them with water and boil them until they're tender but not mushy. Drain them and let them cool a bit when they're done.
• Combine the lentils with diced onion, minced garlic, walnuts, panko breadcrumbs, red wine vinegar, spices, salt and pepper. Mix everything up in a bowl and don't be afraid to use your hands.
• Shape the lentil mixture into patties and briefly grill them in a lightly oiled skillet. Be careful when flipping and removing them from the skillet. Veggie burgers are generally more delicate than conventional burgers and these are no exceptions.
• Mix up your nacho cheese sauce.
• Stuff the patties into buns and drizzle on the sauce. Pile in the toppings and dig in.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover vegan nacho burger patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.

Prep-Ahead Tips

• The lentils can be cooked in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days, or frozen for about 3 months.
• The onion can be diced in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
• The burger mixture can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to enjoy your burgers, simply shape the mixture into patties and grill them as the recipe instructs.
• The tahini nacho cheese sauce can be mixed in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It may thicken up during storge. Whisk it vigorously to loosen it up, and add a bit of water if needed.

More Vegan Burger Recipes

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5 from 2 votes

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Vegan Nacho Burgers

These vegan nacho burgers are made with spicy lentil patties topped with creamy tahini nacho cheese and piled high with your favorite nacho toppings.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 423 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
• About ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Oil for grilling

For the Tahini Cheese

• ¼ cup tahini
• ¼ cup unflavored soy or almond milk, or more, as needed
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or more, to taste

For Serving:

• 6 burger buns
• avocado slices or guacamole
• salsa
• sliced fresh or pickled jalapeño
• sliced red onion
• shredded lettuce

Instructions

Make the Burgers

1. Place the lentils into a small saucepan with 3 cups of water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are just shy of being fully cooked and still a tiny bit firm at their centers. Add water to the pot during cooking if it all dries up. Once finished cooking, drain any excess water and set the lentils aside to coll while you prep the remaining ingredients.
2. Place the lentils into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic, walnut, ½ cup panko, vinegar, cumin, ancho chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Dig in with your hands and mix everything up. Test the mixture by pressing some together in your hands. If it seems too squishy and doesn't hold together, add a bit more panko and try mashing a small portion of the lentils with a fork.
3. Lightly oil the bottom of a large nonstick skillet and place it over medium heat. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties, transferring each directly to the skillet after shaping. Avoid crowding the skillet, and work in batches if needed, adding oil to the skillet as needed between batches. Cook each patty until browned on the bottom, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until browned on the other side.

Make the Tahini Nacho Cheese

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl, thinning with as much milk as is needed. Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve

1. Stuff the burgers into buns, and top with tahini nacho cheese and toppings of choice. Serve.

Recipe Notes

I mixed everything up for my burgers with a food processor, but in hindsight I didn't think that was necessary, so the recipe calls for a mixing bowl. You can uuse a food processor if you're inclined to, just be careful not to overblend everything.

Nutrition information does not include toppings other than tahini nacho cheese sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Nacho Burgers

Amount Per Serving (18.4 g)

Calories 423 Calories from Fat 159

% Daily Value*

Fat 17.7g27%

Saturated Fat 3.9g20%

Sodium 545mg23%

Potassium 573mg16%

Carbohydrates 50.3g17%

Fiber 13.8g55%

Sugar 4.9g5%

Calcium 110mg11%

Iron 6.5mg36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.