Whip up these easy lentil burgers for a delicious and nutritious meal. Double the batch and stock your freezer, as this baby and kid-friendly recipe is versatile and sure to become a household favourite
I feel that lentils are an underrated food, but we love them here at Healthy Little Foodies! They are fantastic for babies and beyond and on our site, you can find various ways to enjoy them.
These lentil burgers are a favourite, but if you're looking for more lentil recipes, be sure to try our red lentil curry, lentil bake, lentil croquettes, lentil puree, lentil cottage pie, and lentil lasagna.
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Freezer Friendly: Great for meal prepping
- Kid Friendly: A fun way to serve lentils
- Nutritious: packed with goodness
Ingredient Information (and Alternative Suggestions)
- Green/Brown Lentils: Can be substituted with other lentil varieties; refer the lentil substitution section for more details
- Onion, Garlic, Celery, Carrot: Added for extra flavour.
- Sweet Potatoes: Can be replaced with regular potatoes.
- Curry Powder, Smoked Paprika, Cumin: Added for flavour; can be skipped or replaced with other spices or fresh herbs for different flavour profiles.
- Egg: Used for binding; no egg replacement has been tested although a reader said they used a chia egg with success.
- Breadcrumbs: Add body to the lentil patties and help bind everything together. No replacements have been tested but other readers have replaced with oats and cornflakes with success.
- Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the onion and mushroom mixture, and for pan-frying the lentil burger patties.
See recipe card for quantities.
Lentil Substitution Results
When developing this recipe, I dried various lentil types. Here are the results:
- Red Split Lentils: Smooth texture, ideal for babies/kids with textural issues. Burgers are softer and harder to handle but will fry with care.
- Puy Lentils: Good flavour, very textured. Doesn't stick together as well; requires more care when frying.
- Canned Lentils: Good texture and flavour. Easy to handle and holds together well.
For canned lentils the cooking instructions differ, cook the vegetables and spices as instructed, then mix with a drained can of lentils and 130g (½ cup) of mashed sweet potato. The rest of the instructions remain the same
Step-by-Step Instructions (with Images)
- Saute onion, garlic, celery and carrots in a large saucepan. Once softened add the sweet potato and spices.
- Add the lentils & water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer, uncovered, until cooked, soft and liquid absorbed.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Add the egg and breadcrumbs, and stir until combined.
- If you would like a smoother pattie, add the mixture to a food processor and pulse to desired consistency.
- Divide the lentil mixture to form 6 patties.
- Fry the patties for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden brown and heated throughout.
HINT: The smoother the mixture the harder to handle when frying so just pulse the burger mixture unless you want a really smooth burger for textural issues.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these veggie burgers just as you would regular burgers. Why not try them:
- In a burger bun with all your favourite toppings
- With a side salad and creamy sauce (such as avocado dip, lemon yogurt sauce or this burger sauce from this burger bowl recipe)
- Sliced up in lettuce wraps, topped with a delicious sauce and salad
- Added to a pitta or wrap with salad and sauce.
- With veggie fries such as carrot fries, zucchini fries, or broccoli fries.
- With grilled vegetables.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigeration: Store any leftover patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing (Before Cooking - Recommended): Freeze lentil patties flat on a parchment paper lined baking sheet until solid, about 3 hours. Individually wrap each burger in cling wrap and transfer to a freezer-safe container or zip-lock bag. They will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.
- Freezing (After Cooking): Alternatively, you can freeze the burgers after cooking using the same method as before cooking
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can serve these lentil burgers to a baby when they are developmentally ready and at least 6 months.
However, there are some considerations to take into account. These burgers contain egg and wheat, both of which are potential food allergens for babies. These should be introduced separately and safely before offering these burgers.
Using red lentils produces a smoother and softer burger that babies may prefer. You can also blend the burger mixture to achieve a smooth texture. However, remember that introducing texture to your baby is important, too.
You can either slice the burger into fingers or make bite-sized balls or croquettes with the mixture and bake them.
As always, ensure your child is seated at a table and supervised at all times when eating.
For informational purposes only. Not a substitute for personalised advice from your health professional.
Pan frying produces the best results for these burgers. If you prefer to bake them, they will be slightly drier. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Place the burgers on a lined baking tray, lightly spray with oil, and bake for approximately 25 minutes, turning halfway through.
More Lentil Recipes
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Lentil Burgers
Equipment
- Food Processor (optional step)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion , finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- ½ celery stalk , finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot , finely chopped
- 250g (0.55lb) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes (approx. half a medium sweet potato)
- 1 tablespoon curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 115g (½ cup) dry green lentils
- 365ml (1½ cups) water
- 1 egg
- 25g (⅓ cup) dried breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots then reduce the heat to low and cook for approx. 5 mins (until softened.)
- Add the sweet potato, curry powder, smoked paprika & cumin, stir for a further minute.
- Add the lentils & water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer until cooked, soft and all the water is absorbed (approx. 25 mins)
- (OPTIONAL) Add the mixture to a food processor and gently pulse to desired consistency (do not over blend as the mixture will become too soft to handle when frying)
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Add the egg and breadcrumbs then stir until combined.
- Divide the mixture to form 6 patties.
- Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden and warmed through.
Kat
Hello! With what can I replace breadcrumbs? Can I use some kind of flour? Recipe looks fantastic! Not to mention all your hard work in the descriptions❤️! x
Amy
Thanks for your kind comment Kat, I would have to experiment to say for sure. Maybe some rolled oats, crushed crackers or quinoa?
Spiros
I blended only 1/3 of the amount and the result was very sticky and therefore hard to form into patties. Should I not blend any amount for better result or add more breadcrumbs?
Also, I made meatball sized balls and the amount was more than 15 patties. What is the approximate size of the 4 burgers it is supposed to yield?
Thank you. Great Recipe!
Amy
Hi Spiros, I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you but many of my comments were getting filtered to spam. What type of lentils did you use? Did the mixture look like the raw mixture in my photo? Did you measure the breadcrumbs by weight or cups? I find weighing is more accurate. I find if I wet my hands the forming of the patties is a lot easier.
I am unsure of the approx size of the burgers off hand, sorry. I just split the mixture into 4 patties but you can make them smaller if you prefer.
Did they turn out ok once cooked?
Andrew Leese
It's always a challenge for me to make something that the children will eat and this was a big success with one out of two of hours.
I have a gluten allergy so I made some breadcrumbs from gluten free bread that I already had. And I blended the ingredients as I thought would be more visually appealing. I also used potatoe instead of sweet potato. The mixture turned out to be rather soft and I was wondering if you have any gluten free suggestions to make the mix more firm and suitable for shaping without being so sticky?
Amy
Hi Andrew, thanks for your feedback and i'm glad that it was a success with one of your kids. I'd try adding more breadcrumbs to see if that soaks up the moisture a bit more. Also what type of lentils did you use? The red split lentils def produce a softer pattie, maybe try using a firmer lentil?
Amber Busall
Do you have to use potato? i'm trying to keep carbs lower.
Amy
Hi Amber, without trying I can't say how they would hold up. Sorry 🙂
Michelle
What is the white dipping sauce that the balls are dipped into? Looks delicious and about to make thes for my 14 month old! Thank you 🙂
Amy
Hi Michelle, I can't remember, I think it may just be Greek yoghurt mixed with a little smoked paprika. My kids love it! Hope your little one likes them 🙂
Cristin
My 19 month old loved this (though to be honest, I think she loves just about every single one of your recipes!). I blended about 3/4 of the mixture in my food processor for a smoother texture, since she doesn’t really like the texture of green lentils and added a little spinach for extra veggies. Thanks for another great recipe!
Amy
Thanks, Cristin. I love that your little one has been enjoying the recipes and thanks for taking the time to tell me. Great idea to add spinach for extra nutrition 🙂
Marion
Loving the lentil extravaganza. Good to know how all the different lentils behave. Pleasantly surprised by the canned lentils, they are so reasonably priced. Keep up the good work!
Amy
Thanks, Marion! I'm glad you found the lentil info interesting. Let me know if you try them 🙂
Anna
This recipe looks great, looking forward to trying it. Can you tell me how long they take to cook from frozen? Thank you!
joyce
what can I use instead of the egg to make it vegan
Amy
Hi Joyce, you could try a flax or chia egg. Without trying I can't guarantee how it will turn out. You can read more about egg replacements here.