These Lentil Walnut-Apple Burgers are tucked away in the burgers chapter in LTEV. I wanted to show people in that chapter just how fantastically delicious whole foods vegan burgers can be!
Our family loves these Lentil Walnut Burgers, and I think the kids quite enjoy the small bites of sweet apple inside the otherwise very savory burger (as do I). Don’t skip the apple, I promise it works!
Along with these Lentil Walnut Burgers, I’m sharing my Almonnaise recipe. It’s a fresh take on mayonnaise, made by blending presoaked almonds with a few essential seasonings. No, it doesn’t taste quite like mayonnaise. Nor like vegennaise. It has the creamy, rich texture and more-ish flavor that you expect from mayonnaise, just fresher and healthier. Scrumptious on and sandwiches, but also wonderful in green wraps, baked spuds, and wherever you’d like a dollop of creamy/salty/rich sauce. I love it, but then those of you that have LTEV know that I am a little saucy.
These Lentil Walnut Burgers will be a hit year-round, and especially for summer BBQs and celebrations. Enjoy!
Lentil Walnut Burgers
These savory burgers will surprise you with little bites of sweetness, courtesy of fresh apple. Plus, they hold together quite well, without being too starchy or heavy. Makes 9-11 patties.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp water for saute, see note for skipping saute and cooking onions/garlic with lentils
- 1 1/2 cups onion chopped
- 3 medium-large cloves garlic
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper generous is good
- 2 cups cooked green lentils will need about ¾ cup dry lentils, see note
- 1/2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce omit for wheat/gluten-free version or use a gluten-free vegan worcestershire
- 1 ½ tbsp mild miso I use Genmai brown rice Miso
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3/4 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- ¾ - 1 cup ground steel cut oats or ¾ - 1 cup rolled or quick oats; see note for firmer burgers (use gf-certified oats for gluten-free option)
- 3/4 cup raw walnuts or can toast to enhance the flavor
- 1 cup apple firm, crisp apple like Gala, Fuji, or Yellow Delicious, peeled and diced (in small cubes) – *toss with a squeeze of lemon juice (see note)
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the water. Add the add onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and let cook 7-8 minutes until onions have softened. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add the cooked lentils, worcestershire sauce, miso, thyme, sage, basil and salt, and blend through. When onion mixture is ready, add this to the food processor and puree through again, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add the oats and walnuts, and pulse through a few times to break up the walnut (but not fully pulverize, leave in a rough chop). Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add apple and mix through until well combined. At this point, you can refrigerate mixture until ready to fry in patties (refrigerating for at least 1⁄2 hour will make it firmer and easier to form). Take scoops of the mixture and form into patties with your hands. In a non-skillet over medium-high heat (use a wipe of oil unless you have a very good non-stick pan), add the patties, flatten gently on the pan, and fry for 6-9 minutes on each side, until golden and a crust has developed; flip them over only once or twice (the second side will cook quicker than the first).
Notes
Serving Suggestions: Instead of whole-wheat burger buns, try serving in pitas, or a folded whole-grain tortilla with your favorite fixings! Try a dollop of “Raw-nch Dressing”, p<>, or a large romaine salad tossed with “Classic Caesar Dressing”, p.<>.
Saute Note: Some days you might want to skip the step of sautéing the onions and garlic. If you’re having one of those days, simply toss the onion and garlic in with the dry lentils and water (see lentil cooking note below), and cook through while the lentils simmer. You can omit the oil and salt, and simply add a titch more salt with the puree (lightly round the ¼ tsp salt in the pureed mix).
Leftovers? Use leftover patties in sandwiches, much like a pate, or crumble and add to other fixings in a pita or wrap sandwich.
Oats Note: For ground steel cut oats, simply add steel cut oats to a food processor or blender and process until very fine, like a coarse flour. If you don’t have steel cut oats, you can substitute quick oats for the ground steel cut oats. These burgers form patties that will hold together, but are still fairly soft. For firmer burgers, add another ¼ - 1/3 cup of oats.
Lentils Note: If cooking lentils yourself, use about 3/4 cup dry lentils to about 1 ¾ - 2 cups water. Add a bay leaf, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer covered for about 35 minutes or longer, until lentils are tender and the water is mostly absorbed. If the lentils are tender but there is extra water, either drain off the water, or remove cover and simmer until water has evaporated). Of course, feel free to use canned or packaged cooked lentils in a pinch!
Apple Note: You can also grate the apple for the mixture if you prefer. Use a large-holed grater, and then toss the grated apple with the lemon juice as per directions. Also, if refrigerating the mix for more than ½ - 1 hour, reserve the apples. This mixture can be refrigerated up to a day or two in advance, however, the apples will lose their texture and taste if they sit in the mixture that long. So, if preparing burgers in advance, you can prepare the entire mixture and refrigerate, and then stir in the chopped apple later, before getting ready to pan-fry the patties.
Almonnaise
This thick, rich sauce can easily take the place of mayo for your favorite burgers or in sandwiches. You might just find yourself topping it on just about everything, from baked spuds to pasta, beans and rice, or just a big ol' dollop on a raw salad. Make a double-batch (see note); it is that good! Makes about 1 cup, single-batch.
Servings 1 cup
Ingredients
- ¾ cup soaked and drained raw almonds (see notes)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- ¼ tsp dill seed or ¼ scant celery seed, or omit either, see note
- ¼ tsp ground mustard optional, see note
- ¼ + 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup + 2-3 tbsp water (as needed to blend/thin)
Instructions
- Using a blender or immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all ingredients (starting with 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of water) until very, very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. (A high-powered blender works best to achieve a smooth consistency, but a standard blender or immersion blender can step in, just takes a little longer to smooth.) If texture is very thick, add another 2-3 tablespoons of water (or more, if needed). I like this mixture fairly thick, so if you want to thin it out more, go ahead and add more water until you have your desired consistency.
Notes
Almonds Note: Soaking almonds makes them softer for pureeing, and will give a little creamier consistency (plus make the blending easier). If you don’t have time to soak the almonds, go ahead and still use ¾ cup of raw almonds – and just add more water. You will need to start with ½ cup, and then add another tablespoon or two if needed to get the mixture blended and thinned out a little. I use raw almonds that have the skins intact, so this ‘naise has some flecks of color from the almond skins. If you don’t want this color, feel free to use blanched almonds, or remove the almond skins after soaking (it's easy, they slip off)!
Double-Batch Note: The blender has an easier time working through this mixture if you double the batch. It’s not essential, but if you think you will use it up within 4-5 days, consider a double whammy!
Kid-Friendly: I love this ‘naise best with the dill seed and also the dried mustard, but our kids like it without the dill (or celery seed) and dried mustard. Also, our children like the addition of just 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast to this mix – give it a try!
photos credit: Emma Potts
Do you have any inventive burger toppings? Share your ideas!
Margreet says
Hello Dreena,
Is it possible to freeze the almonnaise ?
Thank you, Margreet
Heidi says
Can the burgers be baked instead of fried?
The veggie burgers I have tried to bake in the past seem to not stay together very well, even the recipes where it said to bake them.
Thanks, Heidi
Dreena says
Yes, they can. Usually I bake for about 8-10 minutes for each side, at about 400.
Corrin Radd says
Made these tonight with the almond sauce. They’re great!
Amanda says
Hi Dreena,
How long do you soak the almonds for the sauce? I’ve not had good results blending almonds after they have been soaked, but maybe I’m not soaking long enough. I usually soak a few hours. I’ve had good results with cashews, though.
Thanks! These look amazing!
Dreena says
I soak them about 6-8 hrs. They do need longer soaking than cashews, and they don’t smooth out *quite* as much, but they will get fairly creamy! A high-speed blender makes a big diff too, but not entirely necessary. Good luck!
Shonalika says
I love apples as a compliment to savoury foods. These burgers (and the sauce!) look absolutely amazing!