I’ve mastered the plant-based hamburger meat replacement with this vegan ground beef recipe with mushrooms, walnuts and lentils—and you can too with this easy recipe. Say goodbye to the packaged TVP or beef crumbles and hello to this homemade version that’s delicious, nutritious and convenient to make and use. A delicious substitute for ground beef in all your favorite recipes.
Ingredient Notes
- Lentils: Use beluga lentils, green or brown lentils. Red or yellow lentils will turn to mush and don’t work well in this recipe.
- Mushrooms: I used shiitake mushrooms, but baby bellas also taste great and any variety will give you the satisfaction of this umami-rich ingredient.
- Spices: garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin and black pepper.
Step by Step
If you have uncooked lentils, you’ll need to cook them before you begin. Go to the recipe card for easy directions to make them on the stovetop or in an instant pot.
I mince the onion, mushrooms and walnuts by hand, but you could also use a food processor.
Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use water or vegetable broth to saute veggies until beginning to soften. Although you could use olive oil in the pan, using a little bit of water or stock works just as well.
Step 2: Sprinkle on the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked paprika and cumin. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring until everything is well distributed. For best results, stir constantly and break up any small pieces that have formed.
Step 3: Whisk together tomato paste, tamari and water, then stir it into the veggie mixture until evenly dispersed.
Step 4: Mix in the cooked lentils. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until crumbly. It will take about 10 minutes to become browned and crumbly, resembling ground beef.
My absolute favorite way to enjoy this vegan lentil ground beef is loaded onto some hummus and scooped up with chips. Use my roasted cauliflower hummus as afor a low carb alternative.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Use 1 ½ cups of this mushroom ground beef as a replacement for a pound of ground beef as an equal swap in your favorite hamburger meat recipes.
- If you’re still using beyond meat, try reading the ingredients and then get back to me and let me know WHY that appeals to you.
- Let the veggies and spices dry out in the pan and become crumbly so they resemble real ground beef in texture.
- Spice blends like taco seasoning, italian seasoning or dry ranch mix are a great way to quickly change this basic vegan hamburger meat into something more tailored to the recipe you’re using.
- Spoon some into lettuce cups the next day for a legit quick high protein lunch.
- Bake sweet potatoes, stuff with this plus some assorted roasted veggies for a delicious and satisfying easy meal.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Ground Beef Recipe with Mushrooms & Lentils
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry beluga lentils
- 1 red onion minced
- 3.5 oz shitake mushrooms minced
- ¾ cup minced walnuts
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Cook lentils. This can be done up to 5 days in advance. Add the 1 cup dry lentils to a small sauce pan with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes for al dente lentils. See notes below for how to cook them in an instant pot.
- Prep: Mince onion, mushrooms and walnuts. You can use a food processor or a sharp knife and cutting board.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Use 1-2 tablespoons water or vegetable broth to saute onions, mushrooms and walnuts for about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low. Stir in nutritional yeast, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and pepper. Keep mixing until everything is evenly dispersed.
- Whisk together tamari, tomato paste and water. Then, pour it onto vegetable mixture and mix well.
- Stir in lentils and cook, stirring occasionally until crumbly, resembling ground beef. It will take about 10 minutes.
Notes
How to store and serve
- Serve: Use in all your homemade recipes that call for ground beef. One and half cups of vegan ground beef is equal to one pound ground beef that’s been cooked. See variations below for some great ideas.
- Store: Completely cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 3 months.
- Freeze: Use freezer safe containers and freeze in smaller portions so you can use in your favorite recipes.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Robynne Gant
I needed a soy free recipe and this is perfect! It was easy and economical. I have used it in a few recipes and it works every time.
Debra Klein
Fabulous! I love that you found this recipe that works so well for you.
Juanita
Omnivore here. I wanted beef over rice with green bell peppers but had most of the ingredients for this recipe on hand so I decided to give it a try. It has an excellent flavor and is an interesting new way to enjoy lentils and rice. The kid enjoyed it as well.
I did sub green lentils and added evoo and extra water as the vegetables dried out after adding spices. Next time I may add more mushrooms for a little more chew. Nevertheless, it is delicious and we will keep this recipe in rotation.
Debra Klein
Thanks for stopping by….I love that you were open to trying this and it worked out well for you! Yay…and glad you’re already looking towards making it again. A little more mushrooms always a good idea in my kitchen!
Aly
I love this recipe–at first, it seemed a little overwhelming, but Debra breaks down the steps and it comes together so nicely! Even my meat-loving husband liked it!
Debra Klein
I love that you were willing to try it, and that he liked it!!!
Shirley Leger
Can this be made nut free?
Debra Klein
Of course, you can skip the walnuts…but I do like the added texture they bring. Are seeds an option? If so, I would substitute with some minced pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Even a handful of hemp seeds would be good. If you can’t use nuts or seeds, try some oats that have been pulsed in the food processor.
Lauren
I don’t have tamari. Could I use worsteshire instead? Also can you freeze this?
Debra Klein
You can use any form of soy sauce that you tolerate well. I think worcestershire will work well…but I haven’t tried it. If you do, please report back for us! Yes, you can freeze, I suggest spreading onto a flat baking tray and flash freezing for a couple hours, then transfer to an airtight container.
Laura
Is there an adequate substitute for walnuts in this recipe?
Debra Klein
I would try pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds….still mince them like you would the walnuts.
Laura
Thank you. I will. I like both of those alternatives. I just happen to be allergic to walnuts. Your recipe looks delicious. I plan to try it soon.
Debra Klein
Great. I look forward to hearing how it comes out with the seeds instead of the nuts.
Cassondra Carito
Can this be frozen?
Debra Klein
Yes. You can freeze this vegan ground beef recipe. I recommend freezing in portion sizes that you think you’d use like 1 cup, 1/2 cup. I use souper cubes to make it super easy…freeze and then pop them into a freezer safe zip top silicone bag.
Rita
Really delicious! I mixed this into some tomato sauce and served over whole wheat spaghetti. My non-vegetarian husband declared this a keeper! I take that as the highest compliment coming from him for a vegan recipe! I plan to try the sloppy Joe’s with the remainder. Thank you, Debra!
Debra Klein
A high compliment indeed. Thank you! I also made this vegan ground beef recipe over the weekend for non-vegans to rave reviews…it really is that good!