The Best Vegan Burger Patty

Burgers have a special place in my heart. It is the ultimate sandwich in my mind. I also believe it is a universal food around the world. If you grew up in India in the 80's and 90's, you may not have a traditional burger, but you had something called the vada pav. As a vegetarian, my definition of a burger may be atypical...but we can all agree that a well seasoned patty, in between crisp greens, served up with your favorite condiments is a feeling of pure happiness.

Being a 90's kid, vegetarian and vegan burgers were not common. Yes, you has some places serve up a morning star patty but most places gave you lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles (if you are lucky!) stuffed in hamburger buns with mayo and ketchup. Nope, not happening. We have come a long way since then. I believe we are on the other end of the spectrum where our food is plant based but looks and tastes like beef. Also, nope.

One of the reasons I am vegetarian because I don't like the look or taste of meat. If someone tells me "Oh My Goodness, this tastes exactly like chicken," I will steer clear. With that in mind, enter my red lentil and beet patty. If you are someone, who likes the look of a beefy patty but hates the taste, this one is for you. This is the easiest recipe that comes together with the help of a food processor in minutes. It is friendly for various dietary restrictions but it does not sacrifice taste.

Red Lentil Veggie Burgers

Makes 7-8 Patties

Ingredients:

1 C of Oat Flour

1 C of Red Lentils or Masoor Dal

1 Beet

1 Zucchini

1 Tsp of Italian Seasoning

2 Tsp of Coriander Powder

2 Tsp of Cumin Powder

1/2 Tsp of Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp of White Pepper

1 Tbs of Sesame Seeds

Salt to taste (I used about 1.25 Tsp)

Methods

Rinse the red lentils and soak in water for 4-6 hours.
In a food process, blend your oats into a fine powder. You can always buy oat flour but it is so simple to make this in a Vitamix or Food Processor.

Drain the lentils and add the soaked lentil to the oat flour in the food processor. Pulse to combine everything.
Add the vegetable and pulse again till everything is combines. Make sure that you do not have chunks of beets. You definitely want some texture but the veggies should be finely grated.
Transfer everything to a mixing bowl and add the spices and the sesame seeds. Use your hands to mix everything.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with avocado oil if needed.
Divide the patty mixture into equal balls. I used my palm as a measurement and was able to make 7 patties.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 mins. You can flip them at the halfway point but you don't have to.
Serve these up with your favorite toppings! Make sure to checkout Instagram to see how I served these to fit various dietary needs.

Notes

The patty mixture should be wet. I did not squeeze the water from the zucchini because red lentils can be drying and you don't want this to be chewy.
These are freezer friendly; however, make sure to bake them for 12-15 minutes. When you are ready to eat them, heat it up on a skillet. This way, they will not get extra crispy on the outside.
You can still make these if you don't have a food processor. Use a box grater to finely grate the veggies. You will need to buy oat flour. As for the lentil, you can cook them on the stove top for 20 minutes in 1-1.5 cup of water to get them mushy enough to make the patties.