Chipotle Lentil Burgers

Lentil Burgers are spiced to perfection with chipotle, chili powder, and cayenne. Homemade veggie burgers are much easier to make than you might think, and they’re much healthier, too! They’re great for meal prepping. Make them ahead of time, pop them in the freezer, and then defrost them when you’re ready for lunch or dinner. This easy lentil patty recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Chipotle Lentil Burgers

Have you ever made your own veggie burgers? I used to think that it seemed like an incredibly daunting task, and coming up with my own recipe for one seemed even more difficult. But a few years ago I enrolled in Rouxbe to push myself as a cook. So when I was tasked with creating a dish with lentils and rice, I chose to make something new – a spicy Chipotle Lentil Burger.

Homemade Veggie Burgers

You never know what could be lurking in store-bought veggie burgers. What exactly is modified cellulose? Where does caramel color come from? Should we be eating l-cysteine hydrochloride? I recently discovered a new brand of veggie burger that I really liked, only to discover that the third ingredient listed on the package was oil. That’s a lot of oil. No wonder they were so juicy.

When you make your own veggie burgers you’re in control of what they’re made with, and you don’t need a dictionary to decipher the ingredients list. These Chipotle Lentil Burgers are easy to make, and they’re versatile, so just about any leftover grain or bean will work in the place of lentils and rice.

How to Make Chipotle Lentil Burgers

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make!

• First you preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Then you mix together all of the burger ingredients by placing them in a food processor and pulsing until everything is well combined. If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the ingredients in a large bowl and mixing them together, mashing everything together as you go. I use a potato masher.
• Next you form the burgers into four patties. If you have one, a ring mold will help shape them, but forming patties by hand is completely fine.
• Finally you bake the burgers for 20 minutes, then flip them and bake for an addition 5 to 10 minutes. They’re done when they’re golden brown and firm.
• Serve your burgers on whole wheat buns with all the toppings and enjoy!

When I use canned lentils, I double the recipe so that I can use the whole can. And then I freeze the remaining burgers for later. 

Lentil Burger Toppings

Some of my favorite burger toppings include:

• Cashew Cheese Sauce 
• Jalapeno slices
• Sliced pickles
• Leafy lettuce
• Thinly sliced red onions
• Avocado slices

How to Customize Your Burgers

You can easily customize this recipe to your liking!

• If you don’t have lentils on hand, you can use black beans, pinto beans, or even chickpeas!
• You can use cooked quinoa or millet instead of rice
• If you like your burgers super spicy, you can add more cayenne pepper.
• The chipotles in adobo can be replaced with another 1/4 cup of roasted red pepper, if you’re sensitive to heat.

Storing Your Lentil Burgers

Cooked burgers will stay fresh for about 3 days in the fridge. If you’d like to freeze them, allow them to cool completely, then place slices of parchment paper between them and place them in an air-tight container or freezer bag. They can be stored in the freezer for about a month. To reheat them, thaw them in the fridge or counter and then pan fry them for a few minutes, or pop them into a 400° oven for about 10 minutes.

Chipotles in Adobo

Did you know that chipotles are actually dried, smoked jalapeños? It’s something I only learned a few years ago, even after eating them for quite a while! Adobo is a slightly sweet red sauce. The two can usually be found together in cans in the same area of the grocery store as the beans and taco shells.

Chickpea Flour

Chickpea flour is made from ground chickpeas, of course! It’s sometimes called garbanzo bean flour, besan, or gram flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes a garbanzo and fava combo flour that will also work in this recipe, if you can’t find garbanzo flour on its own. You can make your own by processing dried chickpeas in your food processor or a high power blender on high until a flour forms.

I use it in this recipe as a binder, because it works well to hold ingredients together. If you can’t find it, you can use whole wheat or all-purpose gluten-free flour, but keep in mind that your burgers might not hold together as well. 

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Chipotle Lentil Burgers

Lentil Burgers are spiced to perfection with chipotle, chili powder, and cayenne. Homemade veggie burgers are much easier to make than you might think, and they're much healthier, too! They're great for meal prepping. Make them ahead of time, pop them in the freezer, and then defrost them when you're ready for lunch or dinner. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword lentil burgers, veggie burgers

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Yields 4 burgers

Calories 200 kcal

Author Dianne

Ingredients

Burger Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked brown lentils
• ½ cup cooked brown rice
• ¼ cup chickpea flour
• ¼ cup chipotles in adobo minced (include both some chiles and the sauce)
• ¼ cup roasted red pepper minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 tablespoons onion finely minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

For Serving (optional):

• Whole wheat buns
• Vegan Cheese Sauce
• Sliced onions
• Pickled Jalapenos
• Lettuce
• Sliced tomatoes
• Chopped avocado

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix together all of the burger ingredients by placing them in a food processor and pulsing until everything is well combined. If you don't have a food processor, you can place the ingredients in a large bowl and mixing them together, mashing everything together as you go. A potato masher can help.

3. Form the burgers into four patties. If you have one, a ring mold will help shape them, but forming patties by hand is completely fine.
4. Bake the burgers for 20 minutes. Flip them and bake for an addition 5 to 10 minutes. They should be golden brown and firm.
5. Serve the burgers on whole wheat buns with all the toppings and enjoy!

More homemade veggie burger recipes you might enjoy include:

• Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Garlic Aioli
• Baked Falafel Burgers
• Thai Tofu Burgers
• Super Quinoa Burgers
• Hajiki Tofu Burgers