Experimenting with different veggie burger combinations is so fun, the varieties are endless! These Lentil and Green Pea Veggie Burgers are full of garden fresh flavors from the green peas and cilantro, hearty and savory from the lentils and tamari, full of warm flavors from the spices, with the option for a little spicy kick! These burgers are easy to make and hold together rather than crumbling into a pile on your plate.
These veggie burgers are more than just mouthwatering; they are incredibly nutritious! Homemade veggie burgers are easy to make, have more flavor than meat burgers, and aren’t the cardboard-esque texture and flavor of the store bought variety.
Tips for success
- Bread crumbs are key for these burgers to hold together. If the mixture is too sticky when forming patties, add more breadcrumbs. It usually takes about 1 cup of breadcrumbs when I make this recipe but I start with ¾ cup and go from there.
- Don’t be afraid to get your hands messy!
I find using my hands to mash the veggie burger mixture together works better than a potato masher or the back of a fork. - When making patties, texture should be tacky, not sticky. If mixture is sticking to your hands and not forming patties, add more breadcrumbs. Patties should be easy to form.
- If you have the time, refrigerate patties for an hour before cooking. It’s not required if you’re in a time crunch, but helps firm up the patties a bit.
Variations
Lentils
Green Lentils will give burgers a colorful hue and brown lentils will give them a savory deep brown color (as pictured). Both work great! I like to change it up for variety.
Gluten-free
I prefer using gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of grinding up oats. I find that oats give the patties a dry, dusty flavor and they are more prone to crumbling. Breadcrumbs work well for both texture and flavor for a solid veggie burger.
Gluten-free burger buns have become more readily available these days but you can always opt for a lettuce wrap instead.
Customize spice
Depending on your preferred spice level, add more or less jalapeño seeds! Omitting all seeds will still give you a hint of the flavor of the pepper without the spice but for spice lovers, add more seeds! For kid-friendly, you can omit entirely.
Eat the rainbow
The more colorful the food on your plate is, the wider variety of nutrients you’ll be eating! These burgers are no exception as the patties themselves are packed with lentils, peas, spices, and even flaxseed meal and then adorned with a rainbow of colorful toppings.
Every fruit, vegetable, and legume brings something unique to the table:
- Lentils are one of the most nutritional legumes! One cup of cooked lentils contains 15.6 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein, as well as 90% of the recommended daily intake of folate.
- Green peas are packed with clean, healthy protein: one cup contains 8 grams of protein! That’s more protein than an egg and without all the cholesterol and saturated fat baggage.
- Flaxseed meal is a fabulous, clean source of omega-3 fatty acids (Bob’s Red Mill boasts 2,430 mg in 2 Tbsp!). Flaxseeds also contain lignans, powerful compounds which can help suppress breast cancer tumor growth.
- Tomatoes get their vibrant red hue because of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant with an array of health benefits. Lycopene is being studied on it’s protection against prostate cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes, and may help with improved skin health, fertility, immune response, and exercise recovery.
Tomatoes are also an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, with most of the vitamins and antioxidants concentrated in the skin of tomatoes. - Red onions have the highest antioxidant content of onions compared to white or yellow. Remember: the darker the color, the higher the antioxidant content (with cauliflower being an exception). Most of the antioxidants are on the outside peel; the outer peel has 10x more antioxidants than the core.
- Spices do so much more than merely flavor dishes! Aside from making food taste amazing, spices contain phytonutrients that provide powerful health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties as well as being overall mood-boosting.
Lentil and Green Pea Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- ¾ cup green or brown lentils dry
- 2 cups water
- ½ of a yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño minced, ½ or all seeds removed
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups green peas frozen is fine
- ¼ cup almond butter or peanut butter
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 3 Tbsp liquid aminos or tamari
- ¾ – 1 cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- In medium-sized pot bring 2 cups of water and ¾ cup lentils to a boil. Cover with a tilted lid and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium heat with a splash of oil or water and sauté onions, jalapeño, and green peas until onion is softened. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
- While everything cooks, place cilantro, flaxseed, cumin, and chili powder in a large bowl. When lentil and onion/pea mixture finishes cooking, add those to the large bowl as well and mix together. Add liquid aminos or tamari and ¾ cup bread crumbs. Use your hands to knead mixture until desired consistency, slowly adding bread crumbs as needed until texture is tacky and not too sticky.
- Form patties with your hands and place on a baking sheet. If you have the time, refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.
- Brush patties lightly with olive oil before cooking.
- Baking: preheat oven to 350°. Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until both sides are lightly browned.Pan frying: cook patties on medium heat on a large (preferably non-stick) skillet, flipping halfway through until both sides are browned.
- Assemble burgers: place the cooked patties on lightly toasted buns and top with any. Enjoy!
Did you enjoy these veggie burgers? I’d love to hear how it turned out in a comment!
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