Smashburgers are all about embracing the perfectly imperfect: thin patties, rugged edges, onions spilling out, and cheese melting into every crack. They’re beautifully messy, unapologetically juicy, and almost impossible to eat politely.
In these vegan cheeseburgers, from my cookbook The 29-Minute Vegan, puréed lentils are mixed with miso, vital wheat gluten, breadcrumbs, and spices for a super meaty bite. No expensive store-bought vegan meat crumbles required! Everything comes together quickly with basic pantry ingredients, and you don’t even have to shape perfect patties. In fact, please don’t.
You roll the dough into rustic circles with scraggly edges, sear them in a cast-iron pan, and then smash them right into a pile of golden onions. Add melty vegan cheese (this you can buy or make) and a classic burger sauce and prepare to use several napkins.
If you’ve made my Chickpea Cutlets, the easy mix-knead-shape method will feel familiar. It’s super easy! And maybe the most fun you can have in 30 minutes?
Let’s Talk About the Flavor
The most important thing about a burger, I think, is that they are craveable.
For this vegan lentil burger recipe, the red miso is clutch. It brings salt, depth, and that savory, beefy richness that makes every bite taste hearty. A quarter cup sounds like a lot, and it is, because that is what makes these so juicy and delish.
Smoked paprika adds a whisper of smoke, the suggestion that these came off a flame even though they came out of your cast-iron. Onion and garlic powder round it out and season the dough all the way through, so every bite is flavor-packed start to finish.
But beyond the ingredients, there’s the all-important sear! Smashing the patties thin and cooking them hard builds a deep, browned crust, and that crust is flavor you can’t get any other way. And of course, it doesn’t get any better than caramelized onions. You smush the burger into them in little piles, so all that yummy onion goodness soaks right in. I love these burgers so much.
Tips to Make The Smashiest Vegan Smashburgers
Roll them thin. The whole idea is maximum surface area hitting the hot pan. Thin patties give you more crust, more craggy edges, and all that good stuff.
Leave the edges scraggly. Do not roll a tidy circle. Uneven, ragged edges are what crisp up into those lacy, craggy bits, so imperfect is the goal.
Give them room. If your cast iron isn’t gigantic, cook 2 or 3 at a time. Crowd the pan and you can’t get in there to smash.
Use a sturdy metal spatula. You’re pressing these down with real force, so a flimsy silicone one won’t cut it. Metal, and lean into it.
Don’t overcook. About 4 minutes a side. You want them cooked through but tender inside, not dried out.
A Note on the Cheese
Use a light-colored vegan cheese that you know melts. I’m partial to my Homemade Provolone here, it melts into the onions and burger like a dream, but use whatever you love and trust. The only rule is that it has to actually melt, so this is not the moment for a cheese that just sits there and sweats. You can also use a homemade saucy blender cheese. (This one from the Reubens is great! You can leave the truffle oil out.)
Super Important Recipe Note:
This vegan smashburger recipe makes 8 patties. However, unless you have two cast-iron pans, you might not get them all cooked in 29 minutes. So you can save half the filling for another night, it keeps for 5 days in the fridge. Or you can freeze it for later. Also, in the photo I made the burger a double, because who doesn’t want a double? But you can make them singles too, obviously.
Bonus Recipe: “Of Course Burger Sauce”
Do you want mayo, ketchup, or mustard on your burger? All three! I throw this together whenever there’s a burger involved, no measurements needed. Grab a coffee mug and fill it about a third of the way with mayo, squirt in about 2 tablespoons ketchup, and add a squeeze of yellow mustard. Mix and adjust to taste.
Vegan Smashburger FAQ
Can I make these ahead? For sure. The filling keeps for 5 days in the fridge or freezes well, so you can make the dough now and cook burgers whenever the craving hits. It’s a great thing to have stashed.
Do I need two cast-iron pans? Not required, but they speed things up. With one pan you cook in batches of 2 or 3, since the patties need room to smash. Two pans means you can pull the whole thing off faster.
What cheese melts best? Any light-colored vegan cheese made to melt, provolone-style or mozzarella-style slices are great. My homemade provolone works great. Steer clear of anything that stays firm when heated.
Can I make these gluten-free? No, sorry. The gluten is what gives these their chew and holds them together through all that smashing. Without it you’ve got mashed lentils, which is delicious to be fair, but is not a smashburger.
More Vegan Burger Recipes To Try
Cheezy Lentil Smashburgers
Notes
Ingredients
For the onions:
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the burgers:
- 1 15-ounce can lentils, drained
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup red miso
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- About 3 tablespoons olive oil for pan-frying
- Vegan white cheese slices provolone, or whatever melts
For assembly:
- 1 recipe Of Course Burger Sauce or your favorite condiments
- 4 to 8 sturdy burger buns like kaiser rolls, depending on whether you’re doing singles or doubles
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Pickles
Instructions
- Cook the onions. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Slice the onion into thin half-moons. Add 2 tablespoons oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, season with the salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized, golden on the edges but still with some crunch. Transfer to a plate and turn off the heat, but don't clean the pan.
- While the onions cook, make the smash dough. Drain the lentils well so there’s very little extra liquid. In a blender, puree the lentils, vegetable broth, miso, and oil until the mixture resembles hummus.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add the vital wheat gluten, breadcrumbs, onion powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Knead until a pliable, gluten-y dough forms, about 2 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half. If you’re not making the full recipe, wrap one half and refrigerate for later. Divide the remaining dough into 4 pieces. On a cutting board or clean counter, roll each piece with a rolling pin into a thin disc about 6 inches across. The edges should be scraggly and uneven, not a tidy circle.
- Heat the cast-iron pan over medium heat. If it isn’t gigantic, cook 2 or 3 burgers at a time so they have room to smash.
- Drizzle in oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the patties and squish them down with a metal spatula. Cover and cook for about 4 minutes, until seared. Smash again, drizzle the tops with oil, and flip, smashing the other side. Cover and cook for about another 4 minutes, until cooked through but tender inside, not mushy.
- Stack the burgers up in the pan and add the onions back in 4 piles. Place the burgers on top of the onions, smash them in, and lay the cheese on top. Raise the heat a little, add ¼ cup water right to the center of the pan, cover, and steam for a minute or so to melt the cheese.
- Assemble. For singles, spread a little burger sauce on the bun and add lettuce. Lift the onions and burger onto the bottom bun with a spatula. Follow with tomato and a few pickle slices, drizzle with more burger sauce, and finish with the top bun. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. For doubles, stack a second layer of burger and onions before adding the tomato and pickle. Serve immediately.
Made these burgers this week and they are SOOO good. (I used the “swiss” cheese sauce suggested from your Reuben recipe) The chickpea cutlets are also on frequent rotation in my house!
Two thumbs up! These are great! It did take me a little longer than 29 minutes — the next batch will be faster.
These are amazing!!! My kids (and their friends) LOVE them! Added bonus…they’re super easy to make. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Any substitutes for vital wheat gluten?
No 🙁
This recipe really did come together quickly and both my kids loved it. A super success!
We had this tonight and it was delicious. Only cheese we had was TJs cheddar slices but they melted using the steaming method. It was quick to make as promised. I used canned lentil this time because I wanted to make it as written the first time. I usually make my own lentils and will try that in the future.
This recipe is a keeper.
Hi Isa. Amazing recipe! The miso really hits. However, I made too much of the dough. Do you know if it’s ok to freeze or steam ie adapt into a roast?
I haven’t tried steaming but I don’t think so because of the breadcrumbs. It is good to freeze and make into burgers later!