Vegan “ground beef!” It is easy to prepare, high in protein (12.4 g per 1/4 pound!), and free of grains, gluten, soy and nuts. One batch makes about 3 pounds.
This post began life as a simple idea for a great summer burger recipe. But as I tested and tasted, I soon realized that what I was making had potential for more. So much more!
Specifically, a versatile, vegan substitute for ground beef.
It can be browned, for use in casseroles, tacos, or spaghetti sauce.
Shaped and baked into meatballs.
Or meatloaf.
And, of course, burgers!
You can season the vegan beef with herbs, spices, hot sauce, or whatever else suits your fancy. It boasts all of the following attributes:
*Vegan
*Soy-Free
*Grain-free
*Nut-free
*Gluten-free
*High in protein (12.4 g per 1/4 pound)
*Very high in fiber (12.7 g per 1/4 pound)
The ingredients are familiar and frugal: uncooked lentils, canned beets, onion, flaxseed meal, coconut flour, mushrooms, and seasonings (garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper}.
I add nutritional yeast, too. It adds tremendous umami flavor, as well as protein and B vitamins. If you cannot eat yeast, not to worry; leave it out (see the recipe notes for adjustments).
Making this vegan ground beef is a straightforward affair. First, cook the lentils in a saucepan with enough water to cover the lentils by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer for 10 minutes.
The lentils should be plumped and mostly, but not entirely, soft. They will still have some bite. Rinse and drain the lentils.
Place the lentils in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped with only a few irregular pieces. Scrape the lentils into a large bowl (no need to clean the food processor).
Place the mushrooms and onion in the food processor bowl. Before adding the beets, first press them between layers of paper towels to remove as much excess moisture as you can (it will look like you’ve cleaned up a crime scene).
Add the blotted beets to the processor and pulse all of the vegetables until you have a very finely chopped, uniform mixture, but not a puree. Stop to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times. Add to the bowl of lentils, along with the remaining ingredients.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes.
I chose a combination of flavors and spices (nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper) that boost the umami flavor profile of the “meat” while still keeping the overall flavor fairly neutral. Take the flavors in whichever flavor direction you like, depending on your tastes/needs, as well as the recipe you are planning for its use.
The moisture in vegetables can vary, so adjust the flax and coconut flour as needed, too. The meat should be moist, but not wet, and should hold together easily when gathered together into a small ball or patty.
This is the end result, in “raw” form:
But wait, there is no fat in the recipe! It’s true, and it is not an accident. You can keep the meat oil-free, or add the amount of fat you would like for any given recipe. For example, I like to brown the meat (1 pound/454 g) in 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil, or add the same amount for burgers, meatballs or meatloaf. It’s entirely up to you!
Use the vegan beef right away, refrigerate for several days, or freeze for future use!. I like to separate the mixture into 1 pound or half pound packages.
Oh, one more note: The meat will darken slightly (it will look even more meat-y) after a few days of refrigeration, or after freezing and thawing. Here is the same mixture after 1 day:
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Making this recipe? I would love to see it!
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Vegan Ground Beef {Grain-Free, High-Protein, Soy-Free}
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 3 lbs (1.36 kg) 1x
Description
Vegan “ground beef!” Use it to make burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf, or brown it to use in any recipe that calls for ground beef. It is easy to prepare, high in protein, and free of grains, gluten, soy and nuts. One batch makes about 3 pounds.
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
- water
- 1 can (15 oz/425 g) whole or sliced beets, drained
- 6 oz (170 g) white mushrooms, quartered
- 1 small (about 5 oz/142 g) or 1/2 of a medium-large onion, trimmed, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 cup (40 g) nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt (more or less to taste)
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils and enough water to cover by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes (the lentils will be slightly undercooked). Drain and rinse under cool water.
- Place lentils in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped with only a few irregular pieces. Scrape the lentils into a large bowl (no need to clean the food processor).
- Place the mushrooms and onions in food processor bowl. Firmly press beets between layers of paper towel to remove excess liquid; add to food processor. Process until very finely chopped, but not a puree. Add to lentils in bowl.
- Add remaining ingredient to bowl. Stir everything together until blended. Taste; adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes. Use immediately or see storage options for future use!
Notes
Storage: Divide the vegan beef into smaller portions (e.g., half pound or pound). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days or the freezer for up to 6 months. Once thawed, you may need to add a few more teaspoons of coconut flour.
Lentils: I used common brown lentils, but you can use any variety of lentils in this recipe. If using split lentils (e.g., red), you may only need to reduce the cooking time by 1-2 minutes.
Leaving out the Nutritional Yeast: If you cannot eat yeast, leave It out. Add more coconut flour and/or flaxseed meal (2 to 3 tablespoons) to make up for its absence.
For Browning: Cook 1/2 or 1 pound in a large nonstick skillet (optional: add oil to skillet) over medium/medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes until browned.
For Meatballs: Shape 1 pound of meat into 1-1/4 inch (3 cm) balls (about 20 total). Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in preheated 375F(190C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes until browned.
For Burgers: If desired, add fat (e.g., oil of choice) to meat (no more than 2 tablespoons max per pound; add a small amount more coconut flour, as needed). Shape 1 pound of meat into 4 patties. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in preheated 375F(190C) oven for 18 to 23 minutes until browned. The tops will look plain, but the bottom side will look browned and grilled when flipped!
For Meatloaf: Shape 2 pounds of meat into a loaf. Place in a parchment paper lined 9×5-inch (22.5 x 12.5 cm) loaf pan. Bake in preheated 375F(190C) oven for 50 to 55 minutes until browned (If desired, brush top of loaf with barbecue sauce or ketchup during last 15 minutes of baking.
- Category: Entree
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 lb (114 g)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 335.1 mg
- Fat: 1.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.8 g
- Fiber: 12.7 g
- Protein: 12.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Made last night and used for meatloaf, I followed recipe as listed. Flavor was good however mixture stayed mushy (never set up) .
Hi Lisa,
I am glad the flavor was good, but I’m sorry the texture did not work. I am not sure why that might have happened, it should come out quite firm. Did you use the whole recipe for the meatloaf? Or the two pounds (2/3 of recipe) per the recipe notes? I am wondering if that might be the reason.
Hello! My husband is gluten free and is also allergic to beef and other items, so I’m here looking for a new flavor profile. I’m wondering if we could substitute something else for the flax seed. Maybe chia seeds?
Hi Joni,
Yes, chia seeds will work in place of the flax, but grind or crush them (chia meal) rather than using whole.
Do you happen to know the potassium values for this recipe. It looks delicious but being a kidney patient we have to consider potassium counts.
Thank you!
I am sorry Diane, I do not have the potassium values. I will recalculate the nutrition when I have a chance and post when I do!
I sadly ran out of coconut flour. I don’t know if I should use red lentil flour or tigernut flour
Hi Faith!
I would definitely go with the tiger but flour, that should work well 😊 you may need to use a little bit more (since coconut flour is so absorbent, tiger nut flour less so)
Is the 2 cups of lentils cook or uncooked?
I’m assuming cooked.
I just left out the coconut flower, what does this add to the mixture? Can I use regular flour?
It seemed fine without and I did not substitute or add more of other ingredients.
I did add some cumin as I was making this for tacos.
Came out pretty good.
Hi Curtis,
So glad you tried the recipe and it came out ok!
In answer to your questions:
1. the 2 cups lentils are uncooked. You cook them in step 1 of the recipe.
2. The coconut flour absorbs liquid from the vegetables in the recipe and lends a lightness/springiness to the mixture (closer to meat in texture) I am glad you still liked it/and it worked ok without it! 😊 That will be helpful to others, I’m sure.
I love cumin-/ great addition for tacos!
I’m sorry, the info I was looking for is in the recipe! I was just too excited to get started haha!
★★★★★
😊😊😊😊😊🌈
Thank you Camilla for this recipe! I was wondering how long and at which temperature you bake the meatloaf variation in the oven? Thanks so much!
Can’t seem to find the Brown Lentils looked in several grocery stores. Can I swap out for green lentils? Would this change the cook time for lentils?
Any lentils will work! Use the same quantity 2cups). If using split red lentils, they will cook in about half the time 🙂
Hi,
I am really excited to try your recipe! I’m new to plant based and I went to get Brown Lentils and all the stores I called including Whole Foods only carry Red and Green lentils. What are your thoughts of using green lentils would that be a good substitute? Would this change the cook time on lentils?
Hi Camilla,
I can’t wait to try this recipe.
I don’t wish to use flaxseed meal-can you please recommend a substitute.
Thanks so much
Charmayne
Hi Charmayne,
You could try an equal amount of ground chia seeds.
Hi.I made this recipe using the beets that came from my juice extractor, after I make my beet juice I used that beet to do the “beef”With the “beef” I made a ” pastelon de platano” that’s a Puerto Rican version of a meat pie, it has a bed of yellow sweet fried plantain, then the “beef” then another bed of plantain.I cover it with vegan mozzarella cheese and put it on the oven Delicious!!
Oh my word, Adrin, that sounds heavenly! I am a sucker for savory pastries, that sounds like some of my favorite flavors in one fell swoop. So glad to hear about your creative application of the vegan “meat”!
These look really good. Im not a fan of beets (Ive tried!!) Do these taste like beets?
Hi Susan! I understand the dislike of beets (I am married to a devoted beet avoider). The mixture does not taste like beets, especially when cooked. It just adds to the overall umami flavor of the mixture. I would not skip it. Just think of it as a necessary ingredient (much like baking powder, oil, onions in another recipe) that adds to the backbone of the overall recipe. 🙂
This is great! Thank you so much for sharing.
Beyond Meat is $6 for two quarter pound patties at Whole Foods, so this looks delicious AND economical.
★★★★★
Hi Geoff,
Great, so glad you like it! Yes, a bargain compared to ready-made plant-based meat, such a bargain. And made with real, unprocessed ingredients 🙂
Hello! I tried looking through all of the comments to make sure that my question was not duplicated.
Do we need to add a binder for making the meatballs?
Hi Christy,
No, no binder required! The meatballs pictured are made without anything but the ingredients in the recipe 🙂 BUt you can add or change the spices/seasonings any which way you like! 🙂
This looks so good and I’m excited to try it! I’m allergic to lentils, chickpeas, soy, and mung beans. Do you think pinto or white beans could work instead? Thanks!
I made a batch of this a few weeks ago and froze them for when back to school madness set in. Cooked up one package last night for burritos. It earned my husband and 9 year old’s seal of approval (though on his very last bite of his 2nd burrito he exclaimed that it was good “except for the seed things”! I assured him that lentils have protein and he happily gobbled the rest up!😆)Thanks for giving me a vegetarian meat replacement not made of soy and made of easily found ingredients that don’t break the bank. Excited to try it out with meatballs, etc.
So so thrilled by your message, Teri! I love your son’s comment, and your reply, about the “seed things”— sounds very familiar to my son 🤣
Hello, The recipe looks wonderful, l’m looking forward to trying it but, I have an allergy to mushrooms can I leave them out? Or will that affect the recipe? Is there anything to replace them with? Thank you.
Hi Lello,
Peeled eggplant, or, if you eat soy, tofu — both work well to replace mushrooms 😊
Hi! This looks good! However, I really, am not a fan of beets, and though I will use them, its it essential to use the whole can, or could I substitute half of the can of beets for something else?
Thanks!
Hi Gaby,
You could use more mushrooms, or perhaps cooked cauliflower for half the beets.
Sorry but I didn’t read the other posts before I asked about the coconut flour. It seems my question has been answered so please don’t worry about replying Camilla. I’m sure you have enough to do with all the experimenting!
What is the purpose of the coconut flour? I want to try these and may have a problem getting the flour. Can I leave it out?
My family can’t eat onion, could I just leave it out do you think?
Hi Min,
Yes, you can leave it out, but you will need to make up the volume & moisture with something else (e.g., more mushrooms, or fresh red peppers would be great).
Hi Camilla,
Can’t wait to try your vegan burger recipe. Just wondering if I could substitute lentils? Maybe quinoa? Lentils are rare here in Indonesia and if I found one it’s be pretty expensive so does quinoa though. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Hi Lisa! I am so glad you want to try the burgers. I would not use a grain, but instead, another legume. It looks like (my quick google investigation :)) mung beans are common in Indonesia. Is that right? They make a perfect substitute for lentils (not just this recipe, but you can se them in other recipes that call for lentils). Like lentils, they do not need to be soaked the way that many other legumes do. I would use the same amount of mung beans (uncooked, as the lentils are in the ingredients list) as lentils. Enjoy!
I recently discovered Beyond Meat and am wondering if this recipe is along the lines of how BM is made?
Hi Mary,
I have not tried beyond meat, I just looked at their website for their product information. It looks like mine is pretty different in terms of ingredients, but there are some similarities (e.g., legumes–I use lentils, their product uses pea protein and mung bean protein, and BM has beet juice while I use whole beets). Looks like we are after the same thing but there’s definitely sounds high-tech while my version is the DIY, whole foods, at home version 🙂
Wow, this is amazing! I can’t wait to make this recipe. I’ve never seen a vegan “meat” recipe that looks so delicious! Thank you!
Let me know what you think, Lori, if you try it! 😊
I;m going to have to try this!
I hope you do— and more importantly, hope you like it!
I’m so glad your recipe dropped into my inbox. I was wonder what to feed the non-vegan kids this weekend. This will become tacos. It already tastes delicious but I’ll add taco seasonings and brown it in a little olive oil. Thank you.
I am thrilled to hear, Tracey!
I am tempted to try this but I like to avoid things which are canned (especially laughter). BPA and all that jazz. What alternative form of beets could I use? Surely fresh ones would be good?
Hi Chris— I understand! You can use cooked beets instead of the canned. You would need about 11 ounces of cooked beets. I am not sure where you are located, but here in the states, you can often buy roasted beets that are vacuum packed. They are located with the fresh produce in the produce department. All the best 🙂
What about replacing the coconut? Would gf flour do?
Thanks, Camilla!
Hi Alyson, I would not recommend adding a gluten-free flour blend, that would result in a very different end product. Coconut flour has a fluffy texture when moistened that lightens up the texture of the lentils so that the end result is not too dense. The only sub that might work here is almond flour, but you would have to play around with the proportions and the results would still be quite different.
Thank you—allergic to coconut! I was excited…
Tigernut flour would be a good substitute— probably need to add another tablespoon or two. 😊
I have the same problem. What about chickpea flour, or potato starch or arrowroot?
Hi Liz,
You can definitely experiment with other flours. I have not tried any other variations, so I am not sure just how they will turn out. I do not think that starches such as arrowroot or potato starch would be good subs; the coconut flour adds lightness to the recipe, it’s not to hold the meat together. I fear the starches would be gummy. Some almond flour, hemp hearts, or ground nuts or seeds would probably be more successful.
I left out the coconut and increased the ground flax by 2 tablespoons. It worked out well.
Great, Tracey! Thanks for sharing your changes ❤️