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Lentil Burgers Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 sliders
- ⚡ Calories: 370kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, earthy patties with herby yogurt sauce and tangy mustard slaw
- ✋ Difficulty: Moderate, easier than our smash burgers once the components are prepped
Quick Answer
Simmer red lentils for 10 minutes, drain well, and mix them with sauteed onion, bell pepper, and garlic, plus panko, egg, cumin, parsley, scallion, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into patties using a 1/4 cup measure, place them on a greased foil lined sheet tray, and broil 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve on buns with chimichurri yogurt sauce and dijon slaw.
Jump to:
- Lentil Burgers Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Lentil Burgers
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Lentil Burgers FAQs
- Other Recommended Burger Night Recipes
- Lentil Burgers (Sliders with Chimichurri Yogurt Sauce)
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Red lentils are the built in binder. Unlike firm green lentils, red lentils soften and get slightly creamy when simmered, so the patties hold together without needing flour or bean paste.
- Draining well prevents mush. Letting the cooked lentils drain and cool removes the excess water that makes most veggie burgers fall apart, which is the step most recipes skip.
- The broiler does what a skillet cannot. Intense top heat crisps both sides of the delicate patties on a stable sheet tray, no risky flipping in a pan required.
- Sauteed vegetables mean no raw crunch. Cooking the onion, pepper, and garlic first sweetens them and softens their texture so the patty interior stays cohesive.
- Yogurt tames the chimichurri. Classic chimichurri is sharp and oily, folding it into yogurt with honey turns it into a creamy sauce that clings to the patty and cools every bite.
- The slaw needs its rest. An hour in the fridge lets the vinegar and sugar lightly pickle the cabbage, turning raw crunch into tangy, tender-crisp topping.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The patties are genuinely crispy outside and hearty inside, no sad mushy veggie burger energy here.
- Both the sauce and slaw can be made a day ahead, so burger night is mostly assembly.
- Meat eaters go back for seconds, the same way they do with our turkey burgers.
Key Ingredients
Three simple components build these burgers: the lentil patties, the chimichurri yogurt sauce, and the dijon slaw. These are the ingredients doing the heavy lifting:
- Red Lentils: They cook in just 10 minutes and break down slightly, which is exactly what binds the patties together. Any lentil works, but red gives the best texture.
- Panko Breadcrumbs and Egg: The structure team. Panko soaks up excess moisture while the egg holds everything together under the broiler.
- Cumin: A little ground cumin gives the patties that savory, almost smoky depth that makes people forget there is no meat involved.
- Italian Parsley and Garlic: Blended with olive oil and vinegar for the chimichurri, then folded into yogurt with honey for a creamy, herby sauce you will want to put on everything.
- Red Cabbage: Shredded and tossed with dijon, vinegar, and a touch of sugar, it brings the crunch and acidity every rich burger needs.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe is a great template for making it your own:
- Full size burgers: Form 4 large patties instead of 8 sliders and add about 2 minutes per side under the broiler.
- Make it vegan: Swap the egg for a flax egg and use a plant based yogurt in the sauce, the panko keeps everything together.
- Spice it up: Add a half teaspoon of smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne to the patty mixture.
- Different lentils: Green or brown lentils work, simmer them a few minutes longer until tender and mash lightly before mixing.
- Cheese, please: A slice of pepper jack or smoked gouda melted over the hot patties right out of the broiler is fantastic.
- Bowl version: Skip the buns and serve the patties over greens with the slaw and sauce, somewhere between a salad and our asian slaw bowls.
How to Make Lentil Burgers
- Make the chimichurri yogurt sauce: pulse the parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (overnight is best), then mix with the yogurt and honey.
- Make the dijon slaw: place the cabbage and onion in a large bowl. Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, dijon, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, toss with the cabbage, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Place the lentils in a small pot, cover with cold water by two inches, bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Drain well and let cool to the touch.
- While the lentils cook, saute the onion, garlic, and bell pepper in the olive oil over medium low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Add the lentils to a large bowl with the onion mixture, panko, parsley, scallion, egg, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Preheat the broiler on high. Form patties using a 1/4 cup measure and place them on a foil lined sheet tray sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tops of the patties too.
- Broil 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Build the sliders: bun, chimichurri yogurt sauce, lentil burger, dijon slaw, top bun. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Drain the lentils thoroughly, even pressing them gently in the strainer. Excess water is the number one cause of crumbly patties.
- Chill the mixture 15 minutes if it feels loose, it firms up fast and forms much cleaner patties.
- Pack the measuring cup firmly when forming patties, a tight press now means they hold together under the broiler.
- Watch the broiler closely, every broiler runs different. Golden brown is the goal, check at 4 minutes the first time.
- Toast the buns for the last minute under the broiler, it keeps the sauce from soaking in.
- Make the sauce and slaw the night before, both genuinely improve overnight and burger night becomes a 30 minute affair.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These lentil burgers headline a meatless dinner without anyone asking where the meat went. We pile a platter of them next to sweet potato fries, the sweet and salty combo with that chimichurri yogurt sauce is unbeatable.
For a cookout spread, they hold their own on the table right next to a bowl of classic potato salad and a scoop of red potato salad for team creamy versus team tangy.
Doing a burger bar? Set these out alongside smash burgers with all the same toppings and let people mix and match, the slaw and sauce disappear first every time.
Leftover patties are gold, tuck them into pitas with the slaw for lunch, or crumble them over a grain bowl with an extra drizzle of the yogurt sauce.
Lentil Burgers FAQs
Three things: drain the cooked lentils very well, use both panko and egg as binders, and broil the patties on a sheet tray instead of pan flipping them. Red lentils also help because they soften into a naturally sticky texture that holds the patties together.
Hearty, savory, and lightly earthy, with cumin and sauteed vegetables giving them a depth that reads closer to a seasoned kofta than a bland bean patty. The broiler adds a crispy browned crust, and the chimichurri yogurt sauce and tangy slaw make every bite bright.
Yes, this recipe loves a head start. The sauce and slaw both improve overnight in the refrigerator. The patty mixture can be made and formed a day ahead, just keep the patties covered on a tray and broil them fresh. Cooked patties also reheat well in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Absolutely. Freeze the broiled and cooled patties in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 375 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Freeze the patties only, the slaw and yogurt sauce should be made fresh.
Red lentils are the best choice because they cook in about 10 minutes and soften into a texture that binds the patties naturally. Green or brown lentils work too, but they hold their shape more, so simmer them until fully tender and mash them lightly before mixing the patty mixture.
They are a genuinely nutritious dinner. Lentils bring plant protein, fiber, iron, and folate, the patties are broiled rather than fried, and the sauce is yogurt based rather than mayo based. One slider comes in around 370 calories with the bun, sauce, and slaw included.
Want the full burger night lineup? Our smash burgers are the beefy counterpart to these.
Lentil Burgers (Sliders with Chimichurri Yogurt Sauce)
Ingredients
Chimichurri Yogurt Sauce
- 1 1/2 cup Italian parsley loose packed
- 3 cloves garlic rough chop
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
Dijon Slaw
- 4 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1/4 cup yellow onion thinly julienne
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
Lentil Burgers
- 3/4 cup red lentils or lentils of your choice
- 1/2 cup yellow onion small dice
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper small dice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons parsley fine chop
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
- cooking spray
- slider buns
Instructions
Chimichurri Yogurt Sauce
- Place parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper into a blender. Pulse until smooth. Set aside in the fridge for at least one hour, but best if overnight. Mix with remaining ingredients.
Dijon Slaw
- Place the cabbage and onion in a large bowl, set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, toss with the cabbage until coated. Set aside in the fridge for at least one hour, up to overnight.
Lentil Burgers
- Place lentils in a small stock pot, cover with cold water two inches above lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Drain well and let cool to the touch.
- While lentils are cooking, saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper with the olive oil until translucent over medium-low heat. About 5 minutes, set aside.
- Add the lentils to a large bowl, add in the onion mixture, and remaining ingredients except for the cooking spray. Mix well.
- Preheat broil on highest heat. Form patties from the lentil mixture in 1/4 cup measurements. Place patties on a foil-lined sheet tray that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tops of the patties as well.
- Broil 5 minutes each side, until slightly golden brown. Top slider buns with yogurt sauce, lentil burgers, and dijon slaw.
Notes
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Delicious especially the chimichurri sauce. 🤤 In your photos it looks like the lentils might be smashed, next time I’ll do that if only slightly. They might hold together better. We used 1/2 cup for each.
Leftovers were broken up & mixed into our salad which was Spicy Sweet Kale Salad with chimichurri sauce.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked them too. I’ve had them for lunches 3 weeks in a row now, lol!
Extremely pleased with the end result! We would definitely make this once again.
I love lentils, never tried them this. It looks delicious ?