Lentil Patties
Servings: 12 patties
- 2 cans (15 oz each) (460 grams) lentils sub 3 cups cooked lentils / or 1 cup dried lentils boiled in 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt until tender.
- 1 egg
- ½ cup parmesan grated
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour or chickpea flour
- ¼ cup (8 grams) parsley chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 wedges lemon
- To a food processor, add 2 cans (15 oz each) lentils (drained), 1 egg, ½ cup parmesan, 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¼ cup parsley, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.Pulse a few times until coarsely chopped and combined. Don't overblend.
- Shape mixture into 12 patties and arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.You can make the patties by hand or with a cookie cutter, press down the mixture with the back of a teaspoon.
- PAN-FRIED: heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the fritters and fry them on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, turning them once.OVEN-BAKED: brush patties with olive oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F or 200°C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.AIR-FRIED: brush your air fryer basket with olive oil to prevent the patties from sticking.Arrange the patties in the basket, brush with oil, and air fry at 400°F or 200°C for 10 minutes or until golden brown (more brown than golden).
- Serve with 4 wedges lemon to squeeze on top. They are delicious with tzatziki or marinara sauce, next to saffron rice, couscous, or with pita bread.
The video shows the egg-free version of the recipe. The steps are exactly the same.
TIPS
- Garlic: grate it very finely so that it cooks properly. I recommend using a microplane grater. I made a mistake here as you can see in the picture, I didn’t grate the garlic. The result is that we smelled like garlic for a week because the sliced garlic didn’t cook properly. Learn from our mistakes. Grate the garlic, best with a microplane 🧛.
- Chop before processing: chop the onion and the parsley before adding them to the food processor to avoid large pieces in the patties.
- Lentils: we recommend green, brown, or French lentils for best texture. You can use canned or dried lentils that you previously cook in water until tender. Red lentils are not best for this recipe, however, if you want to use them cook 1 cup of dry split red lentils in plenty of lightly salted water or vegetable broth for about 10 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Drain excess water well.
- Parmesan: substitute nutritional yeast, about 4 tablespoons.
- Egg: substitute 2-3 tablespoons of water.
- Flour: substitute chickpea flour or breadcrumbs. Chickpea flour is gluten-free.
- Parsley: substitute chives, dill, or cilantro.
- Cumin: substitute smoked paprika.
- Coriander: substitute turmeric or a grating of lemon zest.
- Black pepper: substitute red pepper flakes or chili powder.
- Onion: substitute shallots or onion powder.
- Garlic: substitute garlic powder.
- Make ahead: This is an excellent recipe for meal prep, as the lentil fritters keep well for 3 days and can be frozen.
- Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.
- Freezer: Shape and freeze before cooking by arranging the patties on a baking tray with parchment paper, freeze for 2 hours, then transfer into a freezer-friendly bag to save space in the freezer.
You can also freeze leftover cooked lentil fritters. Let them cool down completely, transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for 3 months. - Thaw & Reheat: Defrost them in the fridge over several hours or bake them from frozen. Reheat in the microwave or air fryer.
