You melt my heart.
Picture the most melty, comforting, ooey, gooey, kinda messy (in a good way), mouth watering, delicious thing you can think of. Now replace that image with this vegan lentil Frisco melt, because this patty melt will blow you away. This is like what you want to eat at Midnight, or to cure a hangover. This is comfort food. However, on that note, this is not really all that unhealthy. It may seem that way, since it is so GD amazing, but rest assured, this is definitely a step up from any late night fast food.
This vegan lentil Frisco melt is not just late night food. I must confess, I have had one for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are addictive. The lentil patties are super easy, baked and would be great all on their own. They have incredible flavor, hold together really well, and can be made gluten free very easily.
The lentil patties are mostly lentils and bread crumbs, using a flax egg as a binder. Then if you just switch out the bread crumbs for gluten free bread crumbs and use gluten free bread for the sandwich, you are all set for anyone who does vegan and gluten free.
As the lentil patties bake, you can make the most incredible vegan Frisco sauce! It is so freaking good, and I kinda want to put it on all my sandwiches. Smash the lentil patty with Frisco sauce, onions and vegan cheese if you want (it is actually delicious either way!) on bread in a hot pan. Making the outside of the bread crispy and brown, but ooey gooey on the inside.
After eating this vegan lentil Frisco melt, your life may never be the same! I know I am forever changed. I find myself just wondering off thinking of these patty melts, until I am lost and have no idea where I am.
Vegan Lentil Frisco Melt
Ingredients
Lentil Patties
- 1 C. Cooked lentils
- 2 Tbsp. Flaxseed meal
- 3 Tbsp. Water
- 3/4 C. Panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 tsp. Liquid smoke
- 1 tsp. Soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
- a pinch of Salt and pepper
Vegan Frisco Sauce
- 1/2 C. Vegan mayo
- 2 Tbsp. Ketchup
- 2 tsp. Sweet pickle relish
- 2 tsp. Agave syrup
- 1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. Onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- a pinch of Black pepper
For the Melt
- Sandwich bread of choice
- 1/4 a White onion, sliced thin
- Vegan cheese (optional)
- Vegan butter for spreading on the bread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your cup of cooked lentils. Then smash them, I like to use the back of a fork or a potato masher. Smash them pretty well, but so that they still have some texture, you don't want a smooth paste. It should still be chunky.
- Then in a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed and the water. Set aside to thicken for a minute to make a flax egg.
- Then to the bowl with the lentils, add the panko, olive oil, liquid smoke, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Then add in the flax egg. Stir everything together until fully combined. The mixture should hold together easily.
- Now form patties from the lentil mixture. It will make 2 large patties or 4 small ones. Divide the mixture and roll into a large ball, then flatten into a patty.
- Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray, then place the patties on the baking sheet, and spray the tops of the patties with more non stick spray. Then bake for 20 minutes, flipping the patties after 10 minutes. Or until the patties are firm.
- While the patties are baking make the Frisco sauce. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk all the sauce ingredients together. Taste, adjust seasonings, set aside.
- Once the patties are done, spread one piece of bread with the Frisco sauce, then add sliced onion, then a patty, then vegan cheese if you want. Then more sauce on the other slice of bread. Put the sandwich together.
- Heat a pan on medium high, and either add some olive oil to the pan, or spread the top piece of bread with vegan butter. Then place the sandwich buttered-side down in the pan.
- Press the sandwich down in the pan, and brown one side for a minute or so. Then spread the other piece of bread that is on top now with vegan butter. Flip and brown that side, smashing down the sandwich.
- Then, once the melt is all brown and hot and gooey, remove from the pan, and serve immediately!
Notes
I’ve been vegan for a little less than a year and try a new recipe or two every week, this was by far the best one yet!! My meat loving husband thought it was excellent as well! Thank you so much for the recipe, it will be a regular at our house!
This is so amazing to hear! You are so welcome! This is by far my favorite new recipe!
I love this recipe! But my dad has an allergic to flaxseed, do you have any ingredients in mind that i could use to replace them?
You can use chia seeds instead, would that work? It is the made the same way with the same ratio of seeds to water.
I’m trying this today with chia seed flour.. hope it works
Janei
I’ve been told Sunflower seed is a good substitute for flax seed
What vegan cheese did you use?
I used Parmela’s Mozzarella style shreds. It is my favorite!
This looks so yumm!! Can’t wait to make it!!
I doubled the recipe and the mixture was all crumbly so I made another flax egg. Still not perfect. I used bread crumbs instead of panko. Could that be why? Did get the patties to form but I’m nervous about eating them, that they’ll fall apart easy. They smell awesome, though!
I’m not 100% sure what happened, but they definitely should hold together. I don’t think it would be because of using regular bread crumbs instead of panko. The only thing I can think of is making sure that the lentils are smashed enough so that the mixture is wet enough. However, as long as you got them to form a patty, they shouldn’t fall apart once they are baked. I hope it worked out for you, let me know how it went!
I’ve had issues when using normal bread crumbs instead of panko. They don’t hold together as well pre-baking, bit it still works. Definitely prefer working with panko though. Amazing recipe btw! Long time favorite!
Mine fall apart when using panko and they’re mashed really well. They still taste great and I’ve made them twice now! Yum!
Can these be frozen?
Made this on Sunday and it was so good. Thank you!
Oh, this was delicious. I doubled the recipe since I knew I’d love it and plan on putting some in the freezer. I also used real eggs and caramelized the onion. Served it on focaccia. Yummy, yummy!
I made these last night and wow, I mean wow! They were fantastic. The texture and flavor were amazing. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I didn’t change anything about the burgers and it was perfect. The sauce was great too. Thanks so much for sharing. It is difficult to find a good veggie burger and this one was bomb diggity!
Yes! This is so amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. They are one of my all time favorites!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! Patty Melts we’re always my favorite pre-vegan nosh, and I never figured I’d have that taste and texture again. These are amazing!!!! Even my non-vegan husband agrees. 🌱❤️
Yay! I’m so excited to hear that! Woohoo! You are so welcome.
Can you leave out the oil?
Sure, I would just recommend using a splash of veggie broth instead. Or you can do some other liquid you would like to use as a seasoning.
“don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – me about this sandwich
This is amazing and I literally laughed out loud!
Well unfortunately when I made this my normal vegan mayo was expired because I don’t use it often, but subbed in chipotle vegan mayo with amazing flavor, I don’t feel so bad about it now.
Love this recipe and have made it several times. It’s easy to make and has crispness when taken out of the oven. Makes a delicious patty melt. Next time I make it, I plan to sauté the onion before adding to the sandwich. Definitely a keeper recipe.
This was insanely good! With some carmelized onions and a melted slice of Daiya American cheese, this made an incredible sandwich.
This is the BEST recipe I have ever found on the internet! For real! It was amazing and my family loved it. I instantly read through every other recipe you have ever written and saved about 30 of them haha. PLEASE keep the recipes coming!!
This exceeded my expectations. Wow. SOooo good!!
What kind of bread do you use? That bread looks delightful 😋
It is just whole grain organic sandwich bread from Trader Joe’s.
Can’t wait to try this! Would any type of lentils work? We have three different varieties (green, brown, orange).
Yes, any kind should work. I like to use brown lentils, but whatever you prefer should work!
Let’s just call this what it is….THE BEST DARN BIG MAC YOU’LL EVER TATSTE!!!
Wow! Love these. Made them twice in one week.
I used ground oats instead of panko and I made one big patty and used brown rice tortillas instead of bread.
YUM
I pretty much enjoy EVERY recipe you create!! You are a food genius! Honestly I have been able to slowly convert my 13 yr old twin boys to being vegan with your recipes! These were soooo delicious! They gobbled them up tonight! Bravo!! On another amazing dish! Thank you!!
I can’t tell you how many times I have made these. (at least 6 double batches) I have also eaten them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are *that* good. My husband warned me I was going to burn out. HA! Thank you for such a great recipe(s). That Frisco sauce! Great on fries, tots, tofu bites… I have also made this as a salad protein. Yum! (The original is best, but sometimes you have to throw in something green-besides pickles) :0)
This is one of my keeper recipes. I’ve made it numerous times. The only changes are to use eggs (vegetarian not vegan) and to not use much olive oil. It seems excessive and maybe the eggs mean I don’t need as much oil? Regardless this is a terrific recipe. I get requests for it from friends, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I make double and triple batches and freeze the extras.
Hello – so excited to try this… how do you recommend cooking the lentils prior? Both times we have tried it did not go well. We have not found a good recipe or cooking time. Thank you <3
Can you tell me a little more about what the problem was with the lentils when you cooked them? For the purpose of this recipe, you really only need to worry about them being soft enough to mash.
These were amazing! I didn’t make the sauce because I was feeling a bit lazy but they were still delicious. I made my melt on Dave’s Killer Bread (21 grain) with Daiya cheddar-like slices and I used a little Just garlic mayo on the outsides. Sooooo good! The second one the next day wasn’t quite as good texture-wise, but I think that was down to how I reheated it. I used my air fryer to reheat – next time I’ll try wrapping it in a damp paper towel and microwaving it. I’ve just recently found your blog and I’m looking forward to trying a lot more of your recipes!
This was SO good! I can’t wait to make it again! I sued red lentils which made the patties really easy to mash together and stick together.
Could you provide nutrition facts for this dish?
Just made this for dinner on marble rye and I caramelized the onions a bit. This was the best patty melt I’ve ever had in my life. If someone had made this for me when I was an omnivore, I never would have guessed it was vegan, but I would have wondered what the “meat” was because it tasted a heck of a lot better than beef. Thank you for this delicious and satisfying recipe!
Your receipe is the 💣. You surely can cook. I just started cooking vegan food all the time 10 months ago. I finally found the secret of holding a sandwich together. I never cooked lentils before or used them in a receipe, but this one taste delicious. The sauce was great too….I will certainly use it again. Yum 😋! Thanks
Excellent, so delicious and flavorful….since it was so hot I didn’t want to heat my oven so I used a little olive oil and cooked them in my cast iron skillet…such a yummy sandwich!!!
I hadn’t made these for ages and was reminded of them by an Instagram ‘memory’ photo. They were still wonderful, but the funny thing is, a day later a friend sent me this recipe and said, these look like you!
These sound delicious. What is liquid smoke and can I leave it out?
Thanks!
Liquid smoke is a liquid seasoning that people usually use for BBQ sauces and marinades. It’s usually found in the store with the condiments. It gives the patties a smoky, meaty flavor. You can leave it out if you need to though. The patties will still be delicious!
What kind of lentils did you use? We have red, but they get very mushy. I’ve heard other colors do not?!
I always use brown lentils, they do seem to be a bit firmer than other kinds. I don’t generally us red lentils though, so I’m not sure quite how they compare.
This looks great!
My non-vegan husband loves this sandwich! Like, he gets excited when it’s on the menu!
Do you use cooked lentils with dry lentils or canned lentils. If using canned lentils, should I drain and rinse them? This sandwich looks amazing and I want to make sure they come out exactly how they look here.
I usually use canned or pre-cooked packaged lentils. I do drain them, but don’t usually rinse them. You can also cook your own.
These were/are hands down the best meal I’ve ever made. My husband loved them just as much. Thank you so much for posting this recipe for everyone to see!! 😘❤️ These will definitely be made again and again.
Made these tonight and holy mother were they good!!! By far the best vegan patty I have ever made and possibly had! The sauce was perfect we grilled the onions and sautéed the patty on rye. I should have stopped at half a sandwich but I ate the whole thing!
You are ah-mazing and never disappoint. Seriously this recipe is awesome! This will definitely be a staple in our household.
Omg! This is so amazing! I originally made a different dinner but the picture of this melt was haunting me, so I made this instead. Wow! My husband and I absolutely loved it! So glad I did triple the recipe and will get to eat this for the next couple days.
I travel for work so I spend many months out of the year in extended stay hotel rooms that have small kitchens and typically don’t have an oven. They usually only have 2 burners, a microwave, and a fridge. Would I be able to bake these at home ahead of time, freeze them, and then reheat them on the stovetop when I am travelling for work? TIA.
I have not tried that myself, I’ve only reheated in the oven, but that works well, so I’m pretty sure they will reheat well on the stove top too!
Based on the great reviews and mouthwatering photo, I took a leap of faith, multiplied the recipe by 5 and made for family and friends last night. I was not disappointed! This is truly a fabulous recipe. Made the lentil mixture, grilled the onions and prepared the sauce ahead of time, Just had to form patties and bake. Prepped bread and had several pans going on the stove to easily finish. Served with “crack slaw” sans meat, and fries. The Frisco sauce seemed to be the favored dipping sauce for the fries as well. Thanks for the great recipe and everyone’s positive comments that led me to try this one.
OMG, just made this for my husband and me for lunch and it was absolutely delicious! I haven’t had anything like this for years. The sauce was wonderful and the patty was so easy to make and very tasty. I can’t wait to make these for my spiritual fellowship group next week. Thank you for a wonderful recipe – it’s a keeper!
This *clap* was *clap* incredible *clap*! The sauce was out of this world, and the patties were delightfully smoky. This was a great meal for the coldest night of the year!
This recipe was a hit! The only thing I changed was in the Frisco sauce, I didn’t have pickle relish. So I chopped up some sweet and spicy pickled jalapenos. I sauteed some onions to go on top and I used bread I made and served with sweet potato fries.My meat eating husband LOVED it. Very intrigued by your blog! I pinned a TON of your recipes yesterday, Excited to try!
I made this today. It was delicious. The only thing I would change for me is next time leave out the apple cider vinegar. I feel like it took over the flavor. And since this is a version of a party melt, maybe try rye bread.
Made it today ! Amazing!
The whole family ( three generations!)enjoyed it!
Hands down the BEST thing i have EVER made and I love to cook! I am not vegan but i enjoy your dishes so much. It’ll be hard to top this one! This one did not disappoint!!
OMG…this was amazing! The best sandwich we’ve had ever. It fulfilled our needs for a ‘dirty burger’ type experience that we’ve had since becoming vegan in Veganuary. People…try this!!!!!
Just made this today after it has been on my Pinterest board for a while, so delicious! I am not vegan, but cook vegetarian meals quite often. I made a few substitutions (used dairy/eggs) and really enjoyed the results. In the rotation of recipes for sure!
I made this last night and it was amazing! My fiance and I started eating vegan in March and this is by far our favorite vegan recipe yet!
I’m in love with this, so delicious and easy to make. I forgot I had put a couple patties in the freezer, which I just discovered. I’m tickled, guess what I’m having for dinner? I cooked the patties in the air fryer , they turned out wonderful. I think I better check out more of your recipes. Thanks!
This was amazing! I’ve recently discovered this blog and IT IS FEEDING ME THROUGH QUARANTINE! So easy and delicious. Thank you!!
This was everything!!!! Satisfied my finer craving without the extra grease that always dripped down my arm when I used to eat meat.
this is incredible thank you
This was really great. I was in search of a vegan sandwich filling that wasn’t fried and that my husband and I would like enough to keep in rotation. Great find in this recipe – thanks for sharing!
Wow that was really good and easy to make and the sauce I could put in everything,thank you this I will make fir even my carnivore friends and family 👍👍
tasty! The sauce really makes this what it is. It may not be on regular rotation but it’ll be a nice addition as a change up from black-bean burgers/sandwiches now and then.
Is it possible to make the patties ahead and freeze them for another day?
Yes you definitely can!
My non-vegan boyfriend loved this and said it reminded him of a real meaty patty melt! It is so easy to make, and the patties crisp up nicely in the oven.
This was a huge hit in my house. Had never cooked with lentils before and was wondering what I would do with the bag sitting in my cabinet. Now I know! Loved the tanginess of the sauce combined with the sharpness of the cheese, and the soft center and crisp outside. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
My husband and I love these! He is always happy when I have left over lentils because it means I’ll be making these sandwiches.
Amazing! Super delicious. Hubby ate 2!
Any clue on nutrition? I couldn’t find it…
Just made these and ate them so hard
I’m not vegan but sometimes like to make vegan recipes because they just look or sound particularly yummy to me. These are A-MAZE-ZING. I made 4 patties last night…and ate 2 of them before I could even get them into the fridge. Made the full on sammie tonight for dinner and immediately came to the conclusion that I will need to have them in my life now forever. Thank you for such a crazy good recipe!
Ohhhhh myyyyyy godddddddd this was soo good!!! I caramelized onions while the patties were baking 🤤🤤🤤🤤
This is so good. Like, so good. No critiques, but you should make it. Added extra bread and butter pickles and it was great ❤️
This was better than any burger I’ve ever eaten! So flavorful and that sauce is just perfect. Trying to get more into plant based eating. I didn’t have cheese on mine as I haven’t found a vegan alternative I enjoy. I did make more and froze them and just baked them from frozen, probably took 5-10 minutes longer. Easily my favorite vegan recipe I have ever tried. Thank you so much!
Yay! Thank you for the feedback!