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Red Lentil Quinoa Fritters – spiced with turmeric, cumin and a touch of cinnamon, these crispy fritters are oil free and baked, not fried. An easy, high protein, meatless dinner that will delight your senses.
I’ve made these spiced lentil quinoa patties no less than 3 times this past month. I can’t get enough of them. They’re super healthy. And my kids love them too, which is a huge score. As we had them yet again the other night my son said, “Oh, these again?” I was waiting for the eye roll and groan, but he quickly followed it up with, “Yay!”.
The spices give such great flavor, but are subtle enough for tiny tastebuds. Served up with a simple tomato cucumber salad and a savory Tahini Yogurt Sauce, this is one delicious meal you will make over and over again.
Meatless Monday
No, it’s not Monday today, but most people could benefit from a few more meatless days in their lives. Why should Monday get all the fun? I have nothing against Taco Tuesday – actually I LOVE Taco Tuesday – and if you do too, then check out my collection of must have taco recipes here. But, these quinoa fritters are a good choice for any night of the week. They take about 45 minutes, but nearly all of that is hands-off time. If you have leftover quinoa and lentils or simply want to cook it the night before, these gluten free fritters will come together in no time at all.
Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric
I have been on a huge turmeric kick lately. It’s best known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties. According to The World’s Healthiest Foods website, turmeric can also decrease cancer risk and has the potential to improve “cognitive function, blood sugar balance, and kidney function, as well as lessening the degree of severity associated with certain forms of arthritis and certain digestive disorders.”
Turmeric has an earthy flavor with hints of citrus. I find that it pairs exceptionally well with cumin and I’ve used both in this quinoa fritter recipe.
I’ve even been drinking it at night in a mug of warm almond milk with cinnamon and cocoa powder. It’s so good!
“But, Where Do You Get Your Protein?”
There is one question that vegans and plant based eaters get the most and that’s, “Where do you get your protein?” I promise my bank account would be bountiful if I had a dollar for every time I heard that question. It’s actually really easy to meet your protein requirements on a plant based diet, as nearly all whole foods contain some protein. What’s difficult is trying to meet your daily quota for vitamins and minerals on the standard American diet, but I’m not discussing that today. 😉
Quinoa is a complete protein, as well as boasting high percentages of manganese, copper, phosphorus, fiber, folate and zinc. Lentils are high in protein and also contain fiber, folate, iron, phosphorus, zinc and potassium.
So, if you are indeed worried about your protein intake, serve up a couple of these Red Lentil Quinoa Fritters and relax.
The Sauce Makes the Meal
What makes this meal really come together is this easy Tahini Yogurt Sauce. It only takes a few ingredients and few minutes to whisk together. My kids even loved dipping their steamed broccoli in it. If you want to eat these vegan fritters on a bun, that would certainly work, just spread the sauce on the bun. Otherwise, I like to serve them up with a little cucumber tomato salad on the side and a drizzle of the Tahini Yogurt Sauce over everything. Make sure to get a little bit of everything in each bite – so good!
If you like mixing different components of a meal into one perfect bite, then you must try my Millet Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Avocado Salsa and Spicy Chipotle Sauce! Total heaven on a plate right there!
Red Lentil Quinoa Fritters
I hope you love these quinoa fritters as much as we do! I love hearing from you guys, so if you give them a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it! Enjoy!
- 1 1/2 cup quinoa (I like tri-color quinoa, but any will do)
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- dash pepper (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour) (brown rice flour would work too)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Rinse and drain the quinoa and lentils. Place in a pot with the broth (or water), cover, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to med-low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot. If there is still liquid in the pot, remove the cover and continue to simmer on low for another 3-5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, stirring as needed to prevent sticking. Set aside to cool while you gather the rest of your ingredients. *You can also use quinoa and lentils that have been cooked ahead of time to save time.
Once the quinoa/lentil mixture has cooled a bit, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the parsley, tahini, dijon, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and salt. Stir well to incorporate. Add the cornmeal and chickpea flour and stir again very well. The mixture should easily come together to form patties. It will be slightly sticky, but not wet. If your mixture is too wet, add a little more chickpea flour, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you can easily form patties.
- Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip each one over and bake another 10 minutes.
- Serve with a simple cucumber tomato salad and Tahini Yogurt Sauce (below).
- While the Fritters are baking, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
To save time, you can cook the lentils and quinoa in advance and store them in the fridge until ready to use.
I like these patties on the small side - about 2 inches in diameter.You'll get about 20 patties making them this size. Larger patties, like burger size, will work perfectly as well, but obviously you will get less.
More Meatless Burgers and Patties to Enjoy:
Smoky Millet Pinto Bean Patties
Baked Zucchini Amaranth Patties
Asian Lentil Burger Lettuce Wraps
Cynthia says
What can I use instead of cornmeal? My wants to stay away fro anything corn
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Cynthia. Breadcrumbs would work. Panko would be my first choice, but regular would work too….gluten free or regular. Enjoy!
Sara says
We used a plain chickpea hummus instead of the tahini as thats what i had in the fridge. It doesn’t say anywhere online that hummus is an alternative for tahini but it worked a treat!! My dad has just started eating lentils and he said these were a winner so I was very pleased. Made enough to have some for lunch the next day as well. And yes the sauce defiantly makes them.. so yum!!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Oh, that’s wonderful! Hummus sounds like a perfect sub for tahini – so glad it worked out. Thanks for your comment, Sara!
Ilea Kay says
Is it just me or does the instructions not include what to do with the juice of the half of lemon?
Jenn S. says
Sorry! Going to fix it now. Just add it in with the other ingredients when making the fritters. Enjoy!
Melissa says
These look great! If you use already cooked quinoa and lentils, what are the quantities?
I assume the quantities you show are for dry quinoa and lentils?
Thanks!
Melissa
Jenn S. says
Hi, Melissa. You’ll need about 4.5 cups of cooked quinoa and about 1 to 1.25 cups of cooked red lentils. Make sure to follow the instructions above to get the right consistency. Enjoy!
Sarah says
These sound delicious! I’ll give them a try with my kiddos too!
Jenn S. says
Hope you all love them. Enjoy!
Vegan Heaven says
These fritters look so yummy! And I love the sauce…so delicious.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Sina!
Nicole Dawson says
Looks like another wonderful recipe and that sauce…yum!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Nicole!
Dreena Burton says
These fritters sounds so delicious! Love that you haven’t been shy with the turmeric – I’ve been adding turmeric to more of my foods lately, including green smoothies.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Dreena. I’ve been putting turmeric in everything lately! It started out with a 1/2 tsp in recipes, but now I love it so much, I really pack it in there. And it’s so good for you!
Alisa Fleming says
These look amazing as is, but you really drew me in with all of those drizzles. I love my food saucy 🙂
Jenn S. says
A good sauce is always key! Thanks, Alisa!
Melissa says
These look heavenly! I love that these are baked and uber healthy, And that tahini sauce is calling my name!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Melissa! Anything with tahini is good, right?!
Mandy says
YUM!! I love that you used tri-color quinoa, I think it makes everything look prettier. How awesome that your kiddos approve these – they really do look amazing and crispy! Maybe this is how I can get Willow to eat quinoa again – darn finicky eater ? These are definitely packed with protein, no question there! And that tahini yogurt sauce looks like the perfect addition!
Jenn S. says
I almost always use tri-color quinoa. Tastes the same, but prettier to look at. 🙂 I was a little shocked at how much my kids loved these. Cumin and turmeric are pretty strong flavors, although mild enough in this recipe. Score! I hope Willow likes them too!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
These fritters look delicious! But what I’m most excited about is that yogurt sauce. I haven’t had anything like that in years!
Jenn S. says
It was really good! I don’t usually make sauces with yogurt anymore because I generally just buy the individual cups for eating on their own (and that’s all I can usually find around here). These new family size containers from So Delicious are a game changer! 🙂
Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen says
I love fritters and I love lentils so I’m sure I would love these! Especially with that tahini sauce… YUM.
Jenn S. says
I mean, who wouldn’t want crispy fritters with sauce? Duh. 🙂 Thanks, Aimee!!
Mel says
Oooo these look so crispy and delicious and I love that yogurt tahini sauce! I can see why they are so popular in your house :O)
Jenn S. says
Addictive! Thanks, Mel!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite says
I love fritters! I mean, who doesn’t like a fritter?! Sounds delish, I think I’ll drown them in sauce…
Jenn S. says
Always sauce. Always. The. Sauce. 🙂
Stella at Stellicious Life says
These look fantastic! I always love veggie burgers/fritters and wanted to save this recipe to my veggie burger Pinterest board but couldn’t find a Pin it button, Jen, you don’t have one? (I tried loading your blog both in Chrome and IE, but no social media share option appeared…)
Jenn S. says
Hi, Stella! Thanks. That is so weird – I think there must just have been a glitch or something. I have floating social share buttons along the right side and the buttons are also at the bottom of the post. Plus, if you hover over any image, a PIN button should appear. Very strange that none of those were working. Anyway, here’s the pin if you want to pin it from here. 🙂 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/128282289366237548/ Enjoy!!
Stella at Stellicious Life says
Thanks Jenn, pinned it to make later! 🙂
I tried reloading your blog, but the share/pin buttons are still missing.. 🙁
Jenn S. says
That’s so strange. Maybe you need to clear your cache? No matter, glad you got it pinned anyway. Thanks!
Becky Striepe says
These look awesome! I’ll have to make them for Darrol. He has been so picky lately, and I’m tired of making the same few things that I know he will eat!
Jenn S. says
My son got super picky once he started school and eating lunch there. The kids were making fun of some of the things in his lunchbox…and I never even sent anything weird…it was things like sugar snap peas and raw broccoli (some of his faves at the time). For awhile he refused to take most any veggies except cucumbers and bell peppers. He’s gotten much better now…he’s in 3rd grade..and even requests salad in his lunch sometimes. But those sugar snap peas he still refuses to take. Makes me so sad because he truly loved them and he won’t even eat them at home anymore. 🙁 Hopefully, Darrol is just going through a phase and it will get better again soon!
Linda says
These look SO good! I can see why your kids love them, the spices are perfect. And yes, the sauce does make the meal. 🙂
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Linda! So many sauces, so little time. 🙂