Fire up your grills and dig out your tongs, it’s grilling time! My Vegan Mushroom Lentil Burger is the ideal burger for your summer BBQ’s. While most bean burgers can be extremely mushy, this one is unlike the rest before them – it’s actually firm!

I experimented with a couple of iterations of this burger and figured out that less is actually more. Specifically, I cut out an additional three ingredients that did not affect the taste at all, but helped make it more firm. It becomes a win-win for you because the ingredient list is smaller and you still will turn out with an awesome Vegan Mushroom Lentil Burger.

Unlike my 25-minute Hearty Vegan Black Bean Burger, this one takes just a little bit more time to prep. That’s because sauteing of veggies is required, which is a critical step in the process to make this burger firm. Why? Well because we want to remove any extra liquid that is not part of the ingredient list; in this case water trapped inside the veggies.

To start this burger recipe, pour your lentils in a pot with water and cook according to package. This should take about 30 minutes. As they cook, you can begin preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Chop up your onions and mushrooms and then add them to skillet over medium heat. Saute for 10 minutes without oil and minimal water (since mushrooms hold water, you’ll find you won’t need but a a couple of tbsp’s to prevent sticking). Two minutes before your veggies are done sauteing, add in the garlic. Adding the garlic at the end helps prevent it from overcooking or burning. You can use this trick with any recipe that uses garlic (it really only needs 30s-60s to bring out the flavor).

Now, add the cooked onion, mushrooms, and garlic to a food processor and pulse until they are finely diced. It took me 10-15 pulses for this to happen.

Directly from your food processor, pour the diced veggies into a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out any excess water with a silicone spatula or the back of a spoon. Press hard to ensure all the water drains into your sink. Just like my other burger recipe, it pays to take your time here.

At this point your beans should be finished cooking. Drain any excess water then smash them in a large mixing bowl (aim to smash at least 75% of beans). You can then add in your drained veggies, and the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and combine. You want the consistency dry enough to be able to shape a burger patty without pieces breaking off

If the mixture is still too wet, add one extra tablespoon of additional oat flour or all-purpose flour. Remember, you can always add more, but not less, so test one patty after you mix in the flour and adjust from there.

To form patties, roll the mixture into the size of a tennis ball in your hands, then flatten with your palms to the desired shape. I shaped my patties about one-half inch thick and 3-4 inches wide (no need to measure, just use these as guidelines). 

Lastly, using same skillet you used for the veggies, place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add vegetable oil (use one with a high smoke point like canola or avocado) or coconut oil and spread around in your skillet. Then add a couple burgers at a time to fry. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.

If you’re oil free, you can bake these at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping once. However, to get a nice crisp and help firm up the burgers, frying or grilling is recommended. If you grill, make sure to coat or spray your grill with cooking spray and cook 3-5 minutes on each side. 

Top the burger with my Vegan Thousand Island Dressing, arugula, red onions, pickles and/or peppercinis. Pairing this burger with more acidic condiments enhances the flavors best. But if you prefer other toppings, have at it!

Do you want fries with that? Serve with my healthy Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potato Fries for a complete meal!