Looking for a delicious plant-based alternative to traditional mince? Give this Hemp Seed & Hemp Protein Mince a try!
Made with hemp hearts, hemp protein, mushrooms and lentils, this recipe delivers a hearty, satisfying texture while packing in plant-based goodness.
🍝 How to use it
Perfect for:
🌮 Tacos
🍝 Bolognese
🥧 Cottage pie
🍔 Burgers
🫑 Stuffed capsicums
🥟 Meatballs
🌯 Burritos
🌿 Why Hemp?
Hemp hearts provide a delicious nutty flavour and natural healthy fats, while hemp protein adds an extra plant-based protein boost.
🎯 Final texture
You want the finished mince to be:
Moist → cohesive → slightly chewy → coarse and mince-like
It should hold together when pressed but still break apart easily with a fork or spatula.
🍳 Cooking suggestion
For the best result, brown the finished mince in a hot frying pan for 3–5 minutes before using it in tacos, pasta, burgers, lasagne or other dishes.
This will give the mushrooms and hemp a deeper roasted flavour and make the texture more like traditional mince.
Ingredients
- 150 g Hemp Hearts
- 100 g Hemp Protein
- 125 g cooked lentils
- 150 g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp Hemp Seed Oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 225–275 ml vegetable stock
Directions
- Prepare the hemp hearts Lightly toast the 150 g hemp hearts in a dry frying pan for 3–4 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
- Prepare the mushrooms Finely chop or pulse 150 g mushrooms in a food processor until they resemble small mince pieces. Heat the hemp seed oil in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms for 5–7 minutes, stirring regularly, until most of their natural moisture has evaporated.
- Add the onion and garlic Add the finely chopped onion and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flavour Add the tomato paste, smoked paprika, onion powder, cumin, black pepper and salt. Cook for another 1–2 minutes to develop the flavour.
- Prepare the hemp mixture While the mushrooms are cooking, pulse the toasted hemp hearts in a food processor until they have a coarse mince-like texture. Combine the hemp hearts with the 100 g hemp protein
- Add the lentils Add the 125 g cooked lentils to the food processor and pulse just a few times. Don't turn them into a puree — retain some texture.
- Combine everything Add the hemp mixture and lentils to the mushroom mixture. Add the soy sauce/tamari and nutritional yeast and mix thoroughly.
- Add the liquid gradually Slowly add approximately 200 ml vegetable stock, stirring continuously. Cook over medium heat for 5–8 minutes. The hemp protein will absorb a considerable amount of liquid.
- Rest the mixture Remove from the heat and allow the mince to rest for 5–10 minutes. This is important because the hemp protein will continue absorbing moisture.
- Adjust the texture If the mixture is too dry, gradually add another 25–50 ml vegetable stock. If it is too wet, return it to the pan and cook for another few minutes.