These lentil patties are coming to you from my mother’s Israeli kitchen. These are healthy and filling vegetarian lentil patties (can easily be made vegan as well) that can be served as a main dish or made smaller and served as an appetizer or a snack.
In Israel, falafel is very popular. You’ve probably heard of it… Fried balls made from garbanzo beans served in a pita with salad and tahini sauce. It’s one of our most delicious fast/street foods.
My foodie mother took the same concept and used lentils instead of garbanzo beans to create those delicious lentil patties that can easily be made at home without any special restaurant equipment (they use a special kitchen thingy to make the falafel balls) or a ton of oil. They were so so delicious that I had to share the recipe with you.
Vegetarian Lentil Patties Recipe…
The mixture that you’d mix to make falafel doesn’t have vegetables in it. But, since these were made by my mother, of course, she added vegetables to them. The addition of vegetables really took those patties to the next level and adding vegetables gives you the option to make them a little different each time or personalize them since you can add whatever you like. More on variations below, but first, let me show you how we made these delicious lentil patties at home.
Ingredients…
- Lentils – we used a combination of black a green lentils.
- Zucchini
- Garlic cloves
- Red onion
- Parsley
- Quick oats
- Almond flour
- Seasoning – black pepper, cumin, salt
- Baking powder
- Water
- Eggs
- Olive oil
Kitchen Tools…
- Mixing bowl
- Strainer
- Food processor
- Grater
- Measuring spoons
- Non-stick pan or baking sheet (depending on if you are frying or baking your patties, more on this below)
- Spatula
- Plate lined with a paper towel (if you are frying your patties)
How to Make Lentil Patties…
Step one – soak the lentils. You have two options here… Option number one is to place the lentils in a bowl of boiling water and leave them to soak overnight. The second option is to put them in a pot, cover them with an inch of water, and boil them until they are soft but not completely mushy (usually about 30 minutes or so). The texture of the patties will change a bit depending on the option that you choose. We chose to soak them overnight. After soaking or boiling, transfer the lentils to a strainer and let them dry (and cool if you boiled them) for a few minutes.
Step two – process the lentils. Add the lentils to the bowl of the food processor and process until you get a paste. Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl.
Step three – add the vegetables. Use a grater (or the food processor with the grater plate) to grate the onion and zucchini. Add them to the lentil paste. Peel and mince the garlic and finely chop the parsley, add those to the lentil mixture as well and mix the vegetables and the lentils until combined.
Step four – add the seasonings. Add the quick oats, almond flour, black pepper, cumin, salt, baking powder, and water. Use your hands to mix them in. Then, add the eggs and the olive oil and use your hands again to combine the patty mixture. Let it rest for five minutes.
Step five – fry or bake the patties. We choose to fry the patties, however, you can bake them in the oven as well. Rub your hands with a bit of olive oil and shape a couple of tablespoons of the lentil mixture into patties, about 1/2 inch thick. If frying, set a non-stick pan on the stovetop and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and when the oil is hot fry the patties for a few minutes on each side until they are golden. Once golden, transfer the patties onto a plate lined with a paper towel to cool.
If you choose to bake the patties instead of frying them, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set the patties on the baking sheet so they aren’t touching one another, and bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven, flip the patties and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
How to Serve Lentil Patties…
- As the main dish – these lentil patties are healthy and filling and can easily be the main dish of a meal. Serve them next to a salad like this Israeli beet salad, red cabbage salad, Mediterranean egg salad, or simple green beans. Next to cooked veggies like this cooked fennel, or serve them next to fermented vegetables like fermented beets, fermented tomatoes, fermented Jalapenos, or fermented radish.
- As an appetizer – you can make them small and cute and serve them as an appetizer. They work great with dressing as a dip. Ranch or spicy ranch, honey mustard, or a Thousand Islands dressing all work well!
- As a quick breakfast – these lentil patties can be served cold as well. Make a batch of them and store them in the fridge, then grab one or two for breakfast.
- With soup instead of croutons – serve them next to pumpkin soup, tomato soup, or any other that you like.
- Take them outdoors with you – since they can be served cold and are very filling, they are great to take with you on a hike or for a picnic.
- With some sort of pesto/paste – try to add some cilantro pesto, basil pesto, carrot top pesto, or red pepper paste on top of the patties before serving.
Options And Variations…
- Cauliflower – feel free to boil a cup or so of cauliflower until soft, let it cool and add it to the lentil mixture.
- Tahini – if you want to make these lentil patties vegan, you can substitute the eggs with tahini (a couple tablespoons of raw tahini) or ground flax seed.
- Bread crumbs – if you don’t have quick oats on hand or can’t use them for some reason, feel free to use bread crumbs instead.
- Nuts – use any other nut instead of almond flour. make sure to process the nuts in the food processor before adding them to the mixture.
How to Store Lentil Patties…
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge. They should last for a few days. You can reheat the lentil patties in the microwave or in the oven. I’ve never tried to freeze them, but I can’t see a reason for them not to freeze well. If you freeze them, place them in a freezer bag or an air-tight container. I think that the best way to reheat them would be in the oven. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper while they are still frozen and reheat in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 15-20 minutes (I am guessing here since I’ve never frozen these before, so if you give this a try please report in the comments below if it worked).
Frequently Asked Questions…
No, feel free to fry them in any other oil. Animal fat like tallow or lard works well too and adds flavor if you are not a vegetarian.
These patties are very similar in texture to falafel which is made with garbanzo beans. So you can definitely use garbanzo beans instead of lentils and maybe even kidney beans or other kinds.
We ended up with 22 patties for the size that you see in the images above. Feel free to make them smaller for kids or to serve as an appetizer or a snack.
Yes. Feel free to try different things. I always say, keep the onion and garlic because they add a lot of flavor but you can try using other vegetables and leaves (steamed spinach might be a nice addition) if you’d like.
These lentil patties are great to have in the fridge. They are healthy and filling and I love making a large batch of them and just grabbing one here and one there. They are a healthier food to reach for when you need something quick and filling. But there are many other ways to serve them. I hope that you’ll like them as much as we do!
More Healthy Recipes…
- Spinach Patties Recipe
- Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
- Zucchini and Corn Fritters
- Fried Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Gizzard Recipe
- Middle Eastern Chicken And Rice
Lentil Patties Recipe
Healthy and filling vegetarian lentil patties (can easily be made vegan as well) that can be served as a main dish or made smaller and served as an appetizer or a snack.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of lentils (we used a combination of black and green)
- 2 small zucchinis
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 2 tablespoons of quick oats
- 3 tablespoons of almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 4 tablespoons of water
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
- You have two options here… Option number one is to place the lentils in a bowl of boiling water and leave them to soak overnight. The second option is to put them in a pot, cover them with an inch of water, and boil them until they are soft but not completely mushy (usually about 30 minutes or so). The texture of the patties will change a bit depending on the option that you choose. We chose to soak them overnight. After soaking or boiling, transfer the lentils to a strainer and let them dry (and cool if you boiled them) for a few minutes.
- Add the lentils to the bowl of the food processor and process until you get a paste. Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl.
- Use a grater (or the food processor with the grater plate) to grate the onion and zucchini. Add them to the lentil paste. Peel and mince the garlic and finely chop the parsley, add those to the lentil mixture as well and mix the vegetables and the lentils until combined.
- Add the quick oats, almond flour, black pepper, cumin, salt, baking powder, and water. Use your hands to mix them in. Then, add the eggs and the olive oil and use your hands again to combine the patty mixture. Let it rest for five minutes.
- We choose to fry the patties, however, you can bake them in the oven as well. Rub your hands with a bit of olive oil and shape a couple tablespoons of the lentil mixture into patties, about 1/2 inch thick. If frying, set a non-stick pan on the stovetop and add a coupletablespoons of olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and when the oil is hot fry the patties for a few minutes on each side until they are golden. Once golden, transfer the patties onto a plate lined with a paper towel to cool.
If you choose to bake the patties instead of frying them, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set the patties on the baking sheet so they aren’t touching one another, and bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven, flip the patties and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Notes
Options and Variations...
- Cauliflower – feel free to boil a cup or so of cauliflower until soft, let it cool and add it to the lentil mixture.
- Tahini – if you want to make these lentil patties vegan, you can substitute the eggs with tahini (a couple of tablespoons of raw tahini) or ground flax seed.
- Bread crumbs – if you don’t have quick oats on hand or can’t use them for some reason, feel free to use bread crumbs instead.
- Nuts – use any other nut instead of almond flour. make sure to process the nuts in the food processor before adding them to the mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Do I have to fry these lentil patties in olive oil?
No, feel free to fry them in any other oil. Animal fat like tallow or lard works well too and adds flavor if you are not a vegetarian. - Can I use other kinds of beans?
These patties are very similar in texture to falafel which is made with garbanzo beans. So you can definitely use garbanzo beans instead of lentils and maybe even kidney beans or other kinds. - How many patties does this recipe make?
We ended up with 22 patties for the size that you see in the images above. Feel free to make them smaller for kids or to serve as an appetizer or a snack. - Can I use different kinds of vegetables?
Yes. Feel free to try different things. I always say, keep the onion and garlic because they add a lot of flavor but you can try using other vegetables and leaves (steamed spinach might be a nice addition) if you’d like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 22 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 50Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 175mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.