These gluten-free vegan spicy lentil quinoa burgers offer a flavorful blend of protein-rich plant-based ingredients with a little kick.
Veggie burgers can go in many directions. Some offer a hearty burger-on-a-bun dining experience. Others are best enjoyed with a fork. These spicy lentil quinoa burgers are the latter. But don’t let their delicate texture deceive you. They are packed full of protein and flavor. Try them on a bed of baby romaine with chunks of baked sweet potato, sliced tomato and a tart avocado dressing.
Spicy Lentil Quinoa Burgers
You can mix up these spicy lentil quinoa burgers in less than 15 minutes if you have a few ingredients prepared ahead of time. These include:
Lentil Taco Salad is one of my most popular recipes. Now I’ve given you another reason to make lentil taco “meat” – as well as a reason to keep baked sweet potatoes and cooked quinoa on hand.
Spicy Lentil Quinoa Burgers with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. ground chia seeds
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 15.5 oz can low sodium pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups lentil taco meat
- 1/3 cup mashed baked sweet potato
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 Tbsp. salsa
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 large stalk of celery chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Avocado Dressing
- 1/2 large avocado peeled
- 1/2 cup water
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp. garlic granules
- 1/8 tsp. fine sea salt
Instructions
Burgers
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Preheat oven to 400ºF.
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Add ground chia seeds to 1/4 cup of water and stir with a wire whisk. Set aside to thicken.
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Add pinto beans to a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher. (I find twisting the masher as I press down works well.)
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Add chia seed mixture, lentil taco meat, mashed sweet potato, pumpkin sees, salsa, onion, celery, garlic, nutritional yeast and taco seasoning to the mashed pinto beans and stir with a large spoon until well mixed.
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Add cooked quinoa to the mixture and stir until well mixed.
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Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Form burger mixture into patties by rolling and flattening large spoonfuls between your hands.
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Place patties on parchment paper and lightly brush tops with olive oil.
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Bake at 400ºF for approximately 15 minutes then carefully turn patties, brush tops with olive oil and bake for another 15 minutes.
Avocado Dressing
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Combine avocado, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic granules and salt in a blender (or immersion blender cup) and blend until smooth and creamy.
Recipe Notes
Prep time assumes baked sweet potato, quinoa and lentil taco "meat" have been cooked in advance.
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
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