Lentils, mushrooms and walnuts. That’s the whole secret to a vegan ground beef that’s crumbly, savory and genuinely MEATY, with no TVP, no oil and nothing from a package. Make one big batch, freeze it in portions, and you’re halfway to tacos, chili or a weeknight pasta sauce. Even the non-vegans at my table go back for seconds. It’s that good!
1 ½ cups of this vegan ground beef can be substituted for 1 pound of cooked hamburger meat in your favorite recipes. I like to use it in my vegan enchilada casserole for a hearty plant-based dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Lentils: I use beluga lentils because they hold their shape, which gives this its crumbly ground beef texture. Green or brown work too. I tested red and yellow lentils and they turned to mush.
- Mushrooms: Shiitakes bring a deep, savory umami that makes this taste genuinely meaty. Baby bellas work great too.
- Walnuts: Minced walnuts add a hearty, meaty bite…plus a bonus of omega-3s, fiber and plant-based protein. (Nut-free? See the recipe notes for my swaps.)
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 like chopping by hand, I find it meditative. If you don’t enjoy the process, use this inexpensive small manual food chopper to make the prep easy.
Water or broth works just as well as oil for softening the veggies.
Mix in the nutritional yeast and spices, continuing to cook over medium-low heat.
Keep stirring and breaking up clumps, so it starts to look like ground meat.
After mixing in the lentils, cook until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes.
Don’t rush this part…the drying out is what gives it that ground beef texture.
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 for a low-carb alternative.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- If you’re still using Beyond Meat, try reading the ingredients and then let me know if you have any questions about making this homemade vegan beef recipe instead.
- Spice blends like taco seasoning help turn this basic vegan hamburger meat into the perfect filling for all your favorite Mexican recipes.
- Freeze ½ cup portions in Souper Cubes silicone molds and pop frozen cubes into silicone freezer bags to have a stash that comes in super handy.
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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 shiitake mushrooms minced
- ¾ cup minced walnuts
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons 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 saucepan 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 sauté 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 a half cups of vegan ground beef is equal to one pound ground beef that’s been cooked.
- Store: Completely cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 3 months.
- Freeze: flash-freeze it spread out on a tray, then move to an airtight container.
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.
MS
This recipe is fantastic and I love that it’s made with ingredients that I normally have on hand. I’d love to double it but that won’t work in one batch – instead of two batches I was thinking of doing in on a sheet pan or two in the oven – have you tried it that way?
Debra Klein
I haven’t made this in the oven…but it’s a fantastic idea. Let me know if you try it, and I will put it onto our menu for this week and report back!
MS
I tried it in the oven and it didn’t save any time! I double it all the time for a large baked pasta and it just takes forever to get dry and crumbly so I’ll have to do one batch at a time on the stovetop. Worth a shot!
Marybeth
Can I make swedish meatballs with tradional seasonings with this
Thank you
Debra Klein
Yes…just be sure to use the same binder as you normally would in swedish meatballs for everything to hold together.
Charmaine M
Hi Debra, I found a burger recipe that included a purchased mince beef alternative. I would like to use your recipe to make burgers would this recipe work for that?
I know there are veggie patties (I’ve seen some of yours). Thanks
Debra Klein
Absolutely you can substitute this healthy recipe for vegan meat crumbles in a recipe.
Georgette
Can I use this recipe when making chili?
Debra Klein
Absolutely. This vegan ground beef recipe is an awesome addition to chili.
Angela W
This is a fantastic recipe, and the alternative to store-bought vegan beefless crumbles that I needed. Thank you so much.
Debra Klein
Awesome….I don’t eat those beefless crumbles and, as you said, this is an awesome alternative. I make a batch every week.
Kim Bankston
I tried making another recipe that had you saute mushrooms and almonds in olive oil. No matter how much I reduced the heat and added more olive oil and water the mushrooms stuck to the pan. I use stainless steel and will not use non stick due to the toxic nature of these pans when they get just the tiniest of scratches. And I don’t use cast iron because they are too heavy for me to handle when full of food. Your recipe looks great, but before I try it, can you recommend what I should do to avoid this from happening. Is my only option non stick or cast iron?
Debra Klein
I usually use cast iron for these types of recipes, and, like you, I don’t use non-stick. I was at a friends house recently and made this in her stainless steel pan and it worked out fine. I can’t speak for the other recipe you tried, but in this vegan ground beef recipe, stick to a medium heat, constantly keeping the pan moist from a bit of water at a time…the mushrooms will release additional liquid as they cook. Keep an eye on things, stir as often as needed for things to not stick to the pan. That method worked well for me.
Kim Bankston
Thank you so much for the advice and getting back to me so quickly! Why do you like to use cast iron for these types of recipes and are there any tips you could provide on buying a cast iron pan or any specific recommendations. I think I will invest in one and do my best to handle the weight.
Debra Klein
I use field company cast iron which is a bit lighter than many brands.
Mikayla Katz
I’m going to try this in a variety of recipes, but im wondering if red lentils can be used I’m place of the beluga lentils? (It’s all I have in the house at the moment.)
Debra Klein
There will be a texture difference as red lentils don’t hold their shape as well. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not.
Wes
Looks fantastic! Gonna make it this week. It appears the link to your recommended San Marzano sauce is broken. Can you tell me what you use?
Debra Klein
Ooh….it looks like that brand is no longer available. You can find Raos Tomato Sauce in your local grocery store and that’s a good alternative to making homemade sauce.
C
Awesome….Easy…tasty!
Debra Klein
Yes to all of that. Thank you.
Ben
I really love this recipe! It has become a go-to and works well in tacos and as a component in nachos. I have two hacks to offer both Trader Joe’s related:
1. TJ’s has premade lentils that can be found in the produce isle and they are perfect for this recipe. Using them greatly cuts down on prep-time. Simply double the ingredients and use the whole package of lentils.
2. TJs sells a great taco mix, which I now substitute for the seasoning offered in this recipe. I still use the nutritional yeast and tomato paste but skip the spices and soy sauce since the taco mix is plenty salty.
Anyway it always comes out great! I hope these suggestions are helpful.
Debra Klein
Thanks Ben. Great suggestions!
Barbara
Can I use different mushrooms?
Debra Klein
Absolutely. I’ve made this with portobello mushrooms with great results.
Lisa Green
I loved this recipe. It had all the flavorings of my favorite comfort foods plus it had the right texture. I doubled the batch and froze it in small containers to use for taco night and spaghetti night. Last night I used this delicious recipe with some homemade tomato sauce and poured it over garlicky spaghetti squash and served it with a salad. It is so much better tasting than the store bought brands and way better for you!
Debra Klein
I couldn’t have said it better! I love all those use cases….especially the tomato sauce on spaghetti squash, one of my favorite dinners.
Tina
I love that this vegan ground beef uses whole-food ingredients. I used it for tacos and it was sooo good!!
Debra Klein
The simple, whole ingredients is exactly why I make it myself! Perfect for tacos.
Deborah
This recipe was amazing. I always buy Beefless crumbles and never knew I could make my own with lentils.
Debra Klein
So glad you found this recipe…it’s easy, convenient and so much healthier than beefless crumbles!
Nora
Used it for my spaghetti bolognese. Turned out really tasty!
Debra Klein
That sounds terrific!
Carol
I just made this Vegan Ground Beef. I tasted it and I’m very pleased. I think I over processed the onion, mushrooms and walnuts. I had to cook it a VERY long time to dry it out so that it would brown and crumble. I hope that was my only error. Has anyone else had to cook it way way longer than recommended? I will definitely make it again though. Thank for the recipe.
Debra Klein
Onions can produce onion juice when over processed. If you find yourself in that situation again, omit the broth/water and saute in the onion juice instead. I make this all the time and never have had to cook it longer than 10-15 minutes total, but I usually chop by hand.
Maya
Hubby is allergic to mushrooms, what would be a good substitute? Cauliflower? Zucchini?
Debra Klein
You can try tofu (extra firm, cut into super small pieces) or maybe eggplant would also work. Cauliflower rice would probably have good texture, but wouldn’t add much flavor.
Kathleen Allen
I have made something like this before but could not get past the crunchiness of the walnuts, even after soaking and chopping finely. The taste and the look is good but the texture is not . I guess I can leave them out
Debra Klein
I like the extra texture the walnuts provide. If you don’t like the texture, I would grind the nuts in a spice grinder or coffee grinder…or, as you say, just leave them out.
NATALIA
What a delicious alternative to the traditional meat-based ground beef! I’m vegan and this recipe has been a wonderful discover for me! I will definitely be making it this weekend.
Debra Klein
So easy, delicious and versatile. You’re going to love it Natalia!
Lisa Matsui
This is a great meat substitute for a variety of meals. Thank you.
Debra Klein
You’re welcome….would love to hear what you’re using it in.
Lisa Matsui
Loved all the great ideas listed in your blog post. Had recently made a cauliflower walnut meat substitute that I enjoyed so I added a bunch of crumbled cauliflower to your recipe. I like how you can season it up it different ways and love the quantity it makes. Think I will try out your idea for seed use also (sunflower, pumpkin seeds, hemp). Have used in wraps, bowls with different sauce toppings, nachos with cheese sauce, on baked potato’s, on seed crackers with hummus or avocado. Must try your pasta ideas and lasagne roll ups. So versatile!
Lisa Matsui
It’s also great tossed into my green salads! A regular staple for sure. So glad you shared this! Thanks again.
Debra Klein
You’re welcome…I love your enthusiasm for good food 🙂
Oscar
I have been searching for a vegan ground beef recipe that isn’t made with a whole bunch of processed ingredients. This was spot on and the whole family enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe.
Debra Klein
Yay…exactly why I developed this recipe.
Andrea White
this vegan ground beef is awesome! perfect for taco night!
Debra Klein
Yes. Awesome vegan tacos…we do it all the time and not just on Tuesday’s!
Jan
This recipe would be a real life-saver to have on hand but I can’t have nuts. Could I leave them out (I know the texture would be affected) or is there a substitute?
Debra Klein
You could omit the walnuts….or, if you can have seeds, substitute with sunflower seeds. I would pulse them in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, because they’re a bit tricky to chop by hand. Another option would be to use hemp seeds, if you can eat them.
Mina
This is perfect for my tacos and spaghetti! Yay!
Debra Klein
Yay is right!
Alexandra
This is such a superb recipe – so hearty, delicious and a great vegan meat substitute. This is the perfect filling for tacos or as a topping to nachos.
Debra Klein
Totally!