High Protein Lentil Walnut Burgers with Mushrooms and Smoky Dijon Sauce
Hearty green lentil, walnut and mushroom burgers bound with vital wheat gluten so they sear and grill without falling apart, topped with a smoky Dijon sauce.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Serves
- 6
High Protein Lentil Walnut Burgers with Mushrooms and Smoky Dijon Sauce is a vegan lunch recipe made with dried green lentils, water, walnuts. It takes 65 minutes of hands-on time, plus 30 minutes resting, serves 6, and each serving has 578 calories, 26 g of protein and 8 g of fiber.
These patties hold together because of vital wheat gluten. A quick knead develops the gluten, so the lentil and walnut mix firms into a chewy, sliceable burger instead of a soft mash, and it can go on the grill. Cooking the mushrooms until they're dry and draining the lentils well keeps excess moisture out. Soy sauce, tomato paste and smoked paprika add the savory, charred flavor.
A protein boost + base legume (green lentil, walnut and mushroom patties bound with vital wheat gluten for ~20g protein that grill without crumbling, instead of soft sweet potato black bean) take on our Smoky Baked Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers.
Ingredients
Patties
- 1 cup192 gdried green lentils, rinsed
- 3 cups711 gwater, for cooking the lentils
- 1 cup117 gwalnuts
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil, for the vegetables
- 8 oz227 gcremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 small70 gyellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves9 ggarlic, minced
- 1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
- 2 tbsp32 gsoy sauce
- 1 tbsp15 gDijon mustard
- 2 tsp4.6 gsmoked paprika
- ½ tsp1.2 gblack pepper
- ½ cup41 grolled oats
- ½ cup60 gvital wheat gluten
- 2 tbsp28 gneutral oil, for searing or grilling
Smoky Dijon Sauce
- ⅓ cup74 gvegan mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp15 gDijon mustard
- ½ tsp1.2 gsmoked paprika
- 1 tsp6.7 gmaple syrup
- 1 tsp5.1 glemon juice
To Serve
- 6 264 gburger buns, toasted
- 6 60 gromaine leaves (optional)
- 1 large160 gtomato, sliced (optional)
- ¼ medium28 gred onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Kit: medium saucepan, large skillet or grill, food processor, fine-mesh strainer, large mixing bowl
Tips
- Make sure the lentils and mushrooms are as dry as you can get them. If the mixture feels wet, the gluten turns gummy instead of firming up.
- Knead briefly, then stop once the mix feels springy. Overworking makes the patties rubbery.
- Leave the patties alone on the grill until they release on their own. If they stick, give them another minute.
Swap ideas
- Pecans instead of walnuts
- A slightly sweeter, more buttery patty with the same texture.
- Tamari instead of soy sauce
- Same savory depth, but the patties still contain gluten from the vital wheat gluten, so this doesn't make them gluten-free.
- 2 cups cooked lentils (lentils-cooked) instead of cooking dried
- Saves about 25 minutes. Drain and pat them very dry first.
- Shiitake instead of cremini mushrooms
- A meatier, more intense umami flavor. Remove the tough stems.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
578kcal per serving
Everything else · 6 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 2.9 g 14%
- Sugars
- 6.8 g
- Sodium
- 669 mg 29%
- Potassium
- 669 mg 14%
- Calcium
- 137 mg 11%
- Iron
- 5.6 mg 31%
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg 5%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.04 µg 2%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Lentils, raw, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Nuts, walnuts, english, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Mushrooms, brown, italian, or crimini, raw, Onions, raw, Garlic, raw, Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu), Mustard, prepared, yellow, Spices, paprika, Spices, pepper, black, Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry, Vital wheat gluten, Oil, canola, Hellmann's Vegan Dressing and Spread (1 tbsp/14 g: 70 kcal, 8 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 100 mg sodium, 1 g carbs, 0 g protein), converted to per 100 g, Syrups, maple, Lemon juice, raw, Rolls, hamburger or hotdog, plain (USDA SR Legacy). Values read via a mirror of FDC 172796; B12 set to 0 because the SR entry's 0.20 µg reflects dairy ingredients that vegan buns omit. Toasting not adjusted.
Method
Put the lentils and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 20–25 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer and leave them there for at least 10 minutes so the excess water drips off.
While the lentils cook, toast the walnuts in a dry large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and a shade darker, 4–5 minutes. Tip them into a food processor.
Heat the olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring now and then, until the mushrooms release their liquid and it fully evaporates and the pan looks dry and browned, 8–10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, then take the pan off the heat.
Pulse the walnuts and oats until coarsely ground, about 8 pulses. Add the drained lentils, the mushroom mixture, soy sauce, Dijon, smoked paprika and pepper. Pulse until the mix is chunky and holds together when pinched, with some lentils still visible. Don't purée it smooth.
Scrape the mixture into a bowl and sprinkle the vital wheat gluten over it. Stir, then knead with your hands for 1–2 minutes until the mixture feels elastic and slightly springy. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the gluten hydrates and the mix firms up.
While the mixture chills, stir together the mayonnaise, Dijon, smoked paprika, maple syrup and lemon juice for the sauce. Refrigerate until serving.
With damp hands, shape the mixture into 6 patties about 3/4 inch thick and 4 inches across. Press each one firmly so the edges have no cracks.
Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium heat, or brush it over the patties and well-oiled grill grates heated to medium-high. Cook the patties until deeply browned and firm to the touch, 4–5 minutes per side, flipping only once. Cut one open to check: the center should be springy and hot all the way through, not pasty.
Toast the buns, then spread them with the smoky Dijon sauce. Add a patty to each with lettuce, tomato and red onion if you like.
Storage: Refrigerate cooked patties in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes per side. To freeze, layer cooked or uncooked patties between parchment for up to 3 months. Thaw uncooked patties in the fridge overnight before cooking. Keep the sauce refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Questions
- How much protein is in high protein lentil walnut burgers with mushrooms and smoky dijon sauce?
- Each of the 6 servings has 26 g of protein, 8 g of fiber and 578 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is high protein lentil walnut burgers with mushrooms and smoky dijon sauce vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does high protein lentil walnut burgers with mushrooms and smoky dijon sauce take to make?
- 25 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, so 65 minutes of hands-on time, plus 30 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make high protein lentil walnut burgers with mushrooms and smoky dijon sauce ahead?
- Refrigerate cooked patties in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes per side. To freeze, layer cooked or uncooked patties between parchment for up to 3 months. Thaw uncooked patties in the fridge overnight before cooking. Keep the sauce refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- What can I substitute in high protein lentil walnut burgers with mushrooms and smoky dijon sauce?
- Pecans instead of walnuts — a slightly sweeter, more buttery patty with the same texture.. Tamari instead of soy sauce — same savory depth, but the patties still contain gluten from the vital wheat gluten, so this doesn't make them gluten-free.. 2 cups cooked lentils (lentils-cooked) instead of cooking dried — saves about 25 minutes. drain and pat them very dry first.. Shiitake instead of cremini mushrooms — a meatier, more intense umami flavor. remove the tough stems..
- Does high protein lentil walnut burgers with mushrooms and smoky dijon sauce contain gluten or tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten and tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 22, 2026 ·American
