Vegan Smash Burger Tacos w/Butter Chicken Lentils (1 pan!)

These vegan smash burger tacos are a 3-step, 1-pan dinner that is so easy to make! We use a lentil mash made in the food processor topped with no-cook butter chicken sauce to give them just an amazing flavor and all of the hearty, crispy texture of a smash burger.

So, I hopped on to the smashed burger taco trend, but of course I had to put my own spin on it. These tacos are topped with lettuce, onion, and my super delicious, one-bowl Indian butter chicken sauce. For the meat, we are using lentils and mushrooms seasoned with Indian spices, black pepper, garlic powder and some of the butter chicken sauce. All of those flavors and textures go so well together! These make a great starter for your dinner party too! Serve them as open faced tacos or slice to make kind of nachos with toppings and the sauce! Or fold them over to make mini quesadilla!

To make the butter chicken sauce, we just add all of the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and mix really well. That’s it! The sauce is the dressing for the tacos and you’ll use some of it to season the lentil meat mixture

You mix the sauce, process the lentil mixture, so that the lentils break down a little bit are kind of like a spreadable consistency, and then you spread that coarse, meaty mixture all over the tortillas. Then, crisp them up on both sides in a skillet. Top these vegan smash burger tacos with some onion, lettuce, cilantro, and butter chicken sauce and serve.

The lentil mixture smells and tastes so meaty, it’s amazing, and the butter chicken sauce pairs incredibly with it! Together, they have this crisp texture and meaty flavor with a creamy dressing.

This is a super versatile recipe. If you don’t want to make the smashed tacos, you can add a little bit of vegan cheese in between, then fold the tortilla over to make mini quesadillas instead. You can also cook the lentil filling on a skillet until it is golden, and then use that to fill tacos, if you don’t want to make smash burger taco version. 

You know I love Indian flavors, and I love my butter chicken sauce. I use it in several ways to make my Indian recipes, like butter chickpeas and vegan butter chicken. But I also use it in lots of fusion recipes, like butter chicken ramen, butter chicken lasagna, butter chicken enchiladas, and butter chicken bao. Today’s fusion recipe is a smashed taco. It’s super easy and very delicious, so do try these tacos. 

Why You’ll Love Vegan Smash Burger Tacos

• incredible, crispy smash burger texture and flavor in vegan taco form
• lentil-mushroom meat is packed with Indian spices
• 1-bowl butter chicken sauce doesn’t need any cooking
• naturally soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free

Ingredients and Substitutions

• tomato paste – Adds umami and gives the vegan butter chicken sauce its signature red color.
• coconut milk – Use full-fat coconut milk. For coconut-free, use another thick, non-dairy milk such as cashew milk
• dried herbs and spices – For the butter chicken sauce, you will need dried fenugreek leaves, garam masala, salt, and cayenne. For the lentil meat mixture, you will need garlic powder, salt, black pepper, garam masala, and dried fenugreek leaves.
• maple syrup – A little sweetness brings out the other flavors in the butter chicken sauce.
• ginger garlic paste – Adds lovely flavor to the sauce.
• mushrooms – Gives the lentil mixture such a meaty texture! Use white, cremini, or portobello. You can use soaked and drained soy curls or another prepared vegan meat substitute instead, if you prefer.
• onion – To season the meat mixture and to top the smashed tacos.
• hemp seeds – Add more texture to the lentil meat.
• lentils – Combined with the mushrooms, they are your meat substitute. You can substitute chickpeas, if you like.
• corn tortillas – Use gluten-free, if needed.
• toppings – Top your smash burger tacos with chopped red onion, shredded lettuce, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and the butter chicken sauce.

How to Make Vegan Smashed Tacos

Add all of the butter chicken sauce ingredients, using just 1/2 cup of the coconut milk to a bowl, and mix really well.

Press and mix to break down the tomato paste, then mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Set the sauce aside to sit while you make the tacos. You can also heat the sauce in a skillet or microwave to just bring to a boil. This helps the flavors to meld more.

Add the mushrooms, onion, hemp seeds, and all of the spices to a food processor, and process until the mushrooms and onion are chopped up.

Then, add in 2/3 of the lentils and 2 tablespoons of the butter chicken sauce. Process again, until the lentils break down and the mixture becomes homogeneous, kind of like a pate.

Transfer this to a bowl, and mix in the remaining lentils. 

Scoop up 3 to 4 tablespoon of the lentil mixture, and spread it onto a tortilla, even it out. Repeat for all the tortillas. 

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add a bit of oil, and place the tortillas on the skillet with the lentil side down. Place as many tortillas as fit on the skillet, but you don’t want to overlap them. Continue to cook for a minute, then press the tortillas down with your spatula, because the heat will make the corn tortillas’ edges to start to turn, and you want them to keep sticking to the lentil mixture. Let these tortillas cook for at least 5 to 6 minutes. Press again after a few minutes to flatten the tortillas, so that they keep sticking to the lentil mixture.

Once the edges of the tortilla start to turn a little golden brown, check if the lentil mixture is also golden brown and crisping up a little bit, then flip the tacos and continue to cook to crisp up the other side of the tortilla, another 2-3 minutes. Repeat for all of the remaining tortillas. Once they are all crisped up, place them on your serving plate, then top with some chopped onion, shredded lettuce, cilantro, a good drizzle of the remaining butter chicken sauce, and a squeeze of lime and serve.

What to Serve with Smashed Tacos

These make a delicious meal on their own, but you can also serve with tortilla chips on the side or with rice or even jackfruit biryani!