Lentil Burgers

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4.74 from 19 votes

These easy Lentil Burgers are a great protein alternative to meat dinners

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Main Meal

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Servings: burgers

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Amy

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Oil
½ onion
½ teaspoon Minced Garlic
½ Celery Stalk
1 Medium Carrot
250g (0.55 lb) Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes *SEE NOTE 2
1 tablespoon Curry Powder *SEE NOTE 1
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
½ teaspoon Cumuin
115g (½ cup) Dry Green Lentils *SEE NOTE 3
(1 ½ cups) Water
1 Egg
24g ¼ cup Dried Breadcrumbs *SEE NOTE 4
1 tablespoon Oil (for frying patties)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pan over a 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 then 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 water absorbed (approx. 25 mins)
(OPTIONAL) If your children do not like seeing "bits" in their food or prefer smoother textured burgers then you can blend the mixture at this stage. Add to a food processor until blend until smooth.
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 4 patties. (You can make smaller ones if prefered)
Heat the oil in a large frypan over a medium heat. Cook the patties for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden and warmed through. (*SEE NOTE 5 for Oven Cooking)

Notes

Curry powders can vary greatly and can change the taste of the dish. Check the ingredients and avoid those that have a high salt content if cooking for babies and young toddlers.
You can replace the sweet potato with regular potato.
You can sub the green lentils for other varieties. Please see above post for my results. If using canned lentils, you can replace the 115g of uncooked lentils with 1 400g can of lentils. You will not need to cook the lentils and you will need to cook the potato separately (using your preferred cooking method.) If using leftover cooked potato add 130g (½ cup) mashed potato.) Be mindful of the added sodium in canned lentils. Drain and rinse the lentils thoroughly to reduce the salt levels.
I tried the recipe with both fresh and dried breadcrumbs. The dried breadcrumbs gave a better result. If you do wish to sub with fresh breadcrumbs you can use the same g weight or replace the ¼ cup of dried with ⅓ cup of fresh.
If you prefer, you can bake these lentil burgers. The end result is slightly dryer but they are still good and my boys were happy to eat them. Preheat oven to 190C / 375F. Add the burgers to a lined baking tray, lightly spray with oil and bake for around 25min, turning halfway through the cooking time. For babies and younger children, who like smaller portion sizes, you can use the mixture to make small balls or croquettes.

Nutritional information is a rough GUIDE only, calculated using an online calculator. Results will vary depending on lentil variety, potato variety, cooking method etc.

Nutrition