It's finally here: the best vegan seitan burger ever!!!!!!!!!! To say I'm excited is an understatement. This girl, loves a good veggie burger, and when I say good I mean it. In my opinion a good veggie burger has certain requirements. It need to have a nice bite and chew (no mushiness!), it needs to be juicy and packed full of flavour, and it has to be strong enough to hold up on the grill. These vegan seitan burgers are all that and more!
To make this recipe, I decided to combine my very popular beet burger recipe with my seitan steak recipe to make the most perfect homemade vegan burger there is. And it worked!
The secret to making these burgers the best ever is the combo of ingredients.
The beets in this recipe add a deep earthiness that really makes these burgers taste authentic. Now if you aren't a beet fan, don't be scared, my Adam is a beet hater but is obsessed with these burgers! Lentils add heartiness, soy sauce adds salt and umami, peanut butter (trust me on this) adds just a bit of richness and good fat, liquid smoke enhances the meaty taste, and the vital wheat gluten is the key that gives these vegan burgers the meatiest texture.
As with all of my setian recipes, these vegan seitan burgers require a few steps to make, but each step is super easy to follow. These burgers need to be prepared at least one day in advance, so this is the perfect recipe to meal prep and have ready to go for later. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze beautifully as well. So whip these up when you have time and then when burger time comes, just fry them up or grill them!
To Make The Best Vegan Seitan Burgers:
Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush.
Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. You could alternatively make mini patties for sliders!
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes.
For the best shape: the burgers can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping, working in batches if needed. Or you could use layered bamboo steamer baskets if you have them.
Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture.
To serve: steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through.
Place on a bun and top with your favourite vegan burger toppings, then prepare to bite into the best vegan seitan burger ever!!
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
The Best Vegan Seitan Burger
Ingredients
- 1 large raw beet (200g) (about 1 cup), peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ cup cooked lentils (I used canned brown lentils)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (sub any other nut or seed butter)
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush. Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
- Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. You could alternatively make mini patties for sliders!
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes. For the best shape: the burgers can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping, working in batches if needed, or you could use layered bamboo steamer baskets if you have them. Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve: steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through. Place on a bun and top with your favourite vegan burger toppings.
Karen says
Made these today. Awesome. Next time I am going to add some Montreal steak spice. Easy and grilled amazing.
Sonya says
I just gotta comment again these are so good. I also tried adding a dash of mesquite seasoning to it and a bit of vegan beef bullion. I Will Never buy store brands again. They freeze up incredibly well. Ty so much. Such a treat.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww you're most welcome, Sonya!
Lea says
Don't know how I missed this recipe when you originally posted it....I recently added ground seitan (from your steak recipe) to my go-to Lentil Wellington recipe on a whim and was quite good. So why not do the same thing with a burger?! Will have to try this out...... But first I have to try the Vegan Salmon recipe that has been marinating in my fridge all night...Can't wait for dinner!......
Marla O says
Best vegan burger recipe I’ve found! Like them even better than store-bought like Beyond Meat! Just the right combo of firmness and mushiness. I did find them a bit “earthy”...to me beets can sometimes taste like dirt. So I use half beet and half carrot, and they are delish!
Laura says
Sam, I've tried a couple of seitan recipes without success (it's a texture thing), but I don't give up easily, which is a good thing, because when I saw your recipe, especially with the beets I decided to give it a try and was I impressed!
Thank you very much, this is the best seitan recipe I've tried yet and I believe good enough for guests.
For me the key was your description of how the texture should appear at the two important steps and it gave me a lot of confidence.
Lisa says
Mmmm all these amazing comments ! I don’t know what happened to mine! First time trying to make seatin . Even before steaming they were like elastic and rubbery, so I had faith they would be better the next day! Hahaha nope they were like giant rubber bouncy balls . Did I steam to long? No idea what happened!
Marna says
From experience my first reaction is that perhaps the vital wheat gluten was processed too long. Sam says to process until just mixed with other ingredients. If over processed they get rubbery...just my guess. Do try again!
Sonya says
I have been cooking with seitan for years and if you mix/knead the dough too much the seitan will turn out rubbery. Sam's way of just mixing the things together does turn out juicy and delicious. Hope this helps
Lisa says
Thank you! I’ve seen two types of VWG, one more gestures and one a powder, what works best for the burgers?
Abbe says
I so want to try the seitan burgers and have all the ingredients on hand (amazing) but have a question first. I do not have a steamer basket, but my microwave has a steamer setting. It works great for veggies so I'm wondering if it would suffice for the seitan — what do you think? If you think it could work, would the timing be different?
Erica Bigelow says
microwave likely will not work here; probably ruin the texture.
Benjamin says
Yup. These were as good as everyone said. I had to substitute carrot for beef, and I forgot the pumpkin seed butter I had planned to put in. Plus I added a teaspoon of chipotle powder. I also thought about adding some cumin, but didn't.
Made them for Valentine's day. Incredible.
Benjamin says
Oops - carrot for beet, lol - no beef in these here patties
Sara says
Hi Sam a couple of questions: 1) is it ok to sub the peanut butter with miyoko’s kitchen European style butter made with cashews? 2) do you flip the burgers half way through while steaming? Thanks! Sara from NYC
Andrea says
I made these last night and couldn’t wait to try, so I had a hamburger for breakfast! Loved the taste and texture. I may have one for lunch as well...
Zach says
So after my failed first attempt at making these burgers I tried again but this time per Sam's suggestion I steamed them for even longer and this time the texture was perfect! Like some other commenters I also used canned beats and tahini instead of peanut butter and the flavor was good but I still felt like it was missing something. I think the next time I am going to cut a bit of the soy sauce and replace it with some Trader Joe's Mushroom Umami seasoning blend but either way I just wanted to thank you again for the great recipe and suggestions to help me correct my wrongs on the first attempt.
David says
Definitely can taste the beetroot
Rachel says
Having just fried these after making yesterday. The had a really strong earthy taste to them- you could taste the earthy beetroot. Is there anyway to ensure I don’t taste that so strong. I followed the recipe. Could I possibly leave out the beetroot or use cooked beetroot. Or is it supposed to have that taste? Normal burgers aren’t particularly earthy flavoured (I’ve only recently become vegan)
Isaac says
The beets are integral for the 'heme' (blood) flavor to make the burgers 'juicy.' They use it in commercial plant-based burgers commonly.
A common way to reduce the earthy flavor of beets (not just for these burgers) is either a citrus to neutralize it, or fresh garlic/vinegar to overpower it. Depending on the flavor most agreeable to you.
Marla O says
I use half beet and half carrot!
Sandra says
Loved it, honestly!
At first, I was skeptical to put the beet in the blender without cooking it beforehand, but it turned out perfectly. The only mistake I made was that I forgot to peel the beet, but it still was really good (and it just made it a liiiittle bit more taste like beet). And even then, my father, who was very skeptical as he hates beet, loved the burgers and said I definitely need to do them again. I also used fresh, pressed garlic instead of garlic powder.
As some other people said, next time I would make 8 out of them instead of 6, because I like a thinner patty 🙂
I will definitely make those again and freeze a batch as well!
Thanks Sam, I love your recipes and creativity!! Never would've tried to make seitan-food without you.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful, Sandra! I'm so happy you loved them and that you were inspired to try making seitan!
Ren says
You know those jerks who rate a recipe, but didn’t even follow it properly? Yeah, that’s me today, but only because I know they would have turned out fabbo with the right ingredients too. 😉
I only had canned beets, and tahini instead of nut butter (I can’t trust myself with nut butter in the house) and I added some vegan bacon seasoning because why the heck not, and they still turned out great.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Wonderful!!
Michael says
I found putting them in the oven after steaming helped with firmness and texture. Then I fried the burgers. I would also try a flax egg substitute next time to make them more firm.
Also, I find it pairs well with barbeque sauce. I enjoyed the burgers. I also used pickles, tomato, ginger and arugula for topping on a whole wheat bun.
Michael . S. L.
Sarah Oliver says
Holy Heck!!! These were INCREDIBLE!!! I am so impressed with how they turned out! However did you decide to use the beet?? That made it so great! THANK YOU for sharing this!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome! Thrilled you loved them, Sarah. 🙂 I was inspired by my beet burger recipe to use beets!
Michael says
What kind of sauce pairs well with these beet burgers? Please let me know, and I will try the recipe. Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Whatever you normally like on your burgers. I like vegan mayo, mustard, and ketchup.
Marsha Bowman says
I put off trying these because I DESPISE beets but the promise of a firm texture kept pulling me in. Finally made them and they are WONDERFUL! No beet flavor at all and the texture is perfect. We had them for dinner the day I made them and they were chewy, however, after I let the rest of them sit in the fridge overnight then froze them they lost the chewiness and the texture/bite was great! The next time I will make them smaller, 8-10 from the recipe, because I like a thinner burger. Also did a cost analysis and they are cheaper to make than the store bought frozen brands. Thank you for this recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
SO happy you loved them, Marsha!!! 🙂
Lisa says
We have a local restaurant that makes a very thin vegan burger that we love. I wanted to replicate their burger and this recipe is perfect. I cut the dough into 12 pieces with a pizza cutter and then use a rolling pin to make them super thin. The texture is perfect. Your site is my go-to for all recipes!! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you were able to replicate your favourite burger at home 🙂
Lou Andover says
HI Sam, Followed your recipe to the letter (had disasters before) and they worked out perfect. Even husband likes them and he is a really fussy eater. Very tasty burger, great texture, maybe less soy sauce next time (reduce the salt) but still the best seitan recipe I’ve made so far with the best results. Thanks for posting. We’re going to try your meatballs next. Mmmm.
Rachel says
These are fantastic! I made them for the family the other night and served them on homemade vegan pretzel buns with your mushroom bacon (made with portobello mushrooms for longer strips), a smoky cashew cheeze sauce, and all the other burger fixin's. I have missed good burgers since becoming vegetarian in 1996. These are juicy and tasty and we will make these again and again. Thanks for the recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!! So thrilled you loved them so much, Rachel 🙂
Trish Aussem says
Hi Sam, I just made these burgers for the first time. I used the instant pot to cook them so hopefully they won’t be dry. I have a question. I assume steaming the burgers cooks them. It they are cooked what do they have to go in the refrigerator overnight before eating them? Your meatballs can be eaten right away. I’m guessing it has something to do with texture. Also, is there a worry about being left unrefrigerated for several hours since there is essentially nothing that spoils like real meat in the ingredients.
Thanks so much! Trish
Kaylyn Taylor says
In the directions, she stated the overnight refrigeration helps with the texture. I have left seitan similar to this out for a few hours to cool before freezing and it was fine.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Trish, that's correct they get the best texture after they are left in the fridge overnight. They should be fine for a few hours at room temp. 🙂
Jacob Masters says
Hey I haven't made these burgers yet but just wanted to know if I could get away with not using a nut butter as I'm not a fan of peanut butter like things.
Sam Turnbull says
You can't taste the peanut butter, it just adds to the perfect texture and taste. 🙂
Kelly says
Another fabulous recipe - thank you so much! My hubby is non-vegan but plays along when I make food (I do most of the cooking) & we both think these are better than the two big name meat substitute burgers (which have a strange almost chemical odor before they are cooked). These are so good - this recipe will definitely be added to my rotation!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing!! So happy you both enjoyed!!
Jo says
Amazing. This was my first experience of cooking with vital wheat gluten and I really picked the right recipe!!! So much better than I ever could have expected. Far and away the best burger I've ever made. Just a note... I didn't chill them overnight. I refrigerated them for 5 hours and they had a perfect burger texture.
Lisa Woolery says
Best recipe for vegan burgers ever! They are delicious and hold up well in a bun! Excellent!!!
Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww so happy you think so!! Thanks Lisa 🙂
Amy says
These look delicious! Is there anything I can substitute for nut/seed butter? We have allergies in our household. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Here's a list of peanut butter alternatives 🙂
Lisa says
So I've made this recipe twice and found that a few modifications made for an amazing burger.
Using raw beets gave the burgers a strong taste of beets but cooking them beforehand (boiling them till fork tender) eliminated the beet taste. I also reduced the soy sauce to 2 tbsp as 4 tbsp made for a really salty patty. Also reducing the soy sauce gave me the room to use the seitan as grounds in other recipes. Lastly, I doubled the liquid smoke which made the burgers taste even meatier.
Remember to not overwork the dough and stop mixing when it just comes together or you'll get a tough patty.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Irene says
I'm a new vegan and really appreciate your daily recipes that you send me.
Would this recipe work for meatballs in spagetti sauce?
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! I would recommend making my seitan meatballs instead 🙂
JP says
Another genius recipe! So quick to make and totally delicious, nice texture, great flavour. I have to admit I didn't have any beets so I used 200g of a mix of carrot and sweet potato instead and added a spoonful of beetroot powder (which I strangely happened to have). Anyway, even with those changes, they worked out great! Definitely on the "to-make-again" list. Thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So fan you enjoyed them JP 🙂
Zach says
Hi Sam, I made these yesterday and cooked one up today. The flavor was fantastic but the burgers weren't chewy like I expected, they were almost soft. I will admit I ended up with 5 burgers instead of 6 so perhaps mine were too big and needed to steam longer? I am still new to making my own seitan so not quite sure how to get the texture right but these tasted so good I really want to make sure I get them perfect next time!
Sam Turnbull says
These burgers should have the perfect burger like bite. Are you sure you measured everything exactly and didn't miss an ingredient? Seitan is more like baking in that the ingredients and techniques have to be followed exactly for the best results. Hope that helps!
Zach says
Thanks for the reply Sam!
I definitely measured everything correctly although I will add that I used my instant pot to "steam" them by pressure cooking them on low. I have done this successfully with your meatballs but since they are smaller they might be less prone to understeaming whereas my burgers ended up doughy because I should have steamed them for longer?
Sam Turnbull says
That's definitely a possibility! I would up the time for steaming next time. You can steam seitan for a long time and it won't affect it much so better to steam for longer to be safe 🙂
Suzy says
I had the same results. They were gummy. 🙁 They didn't have a "burger" mouth-feel at all. The flavor was good, but the texture wasn't. I followed directions to a T and I steamed in a regular steamer (I also got 5 burgers, each 4 ounces).
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Suzy, if you only got 5 burgers it sounds like the burgers were too thick and therefore would need longer to steam fully through. I would add another 10 - 15 minutes of steaming to fully cook them if you're going to make them bigger. This will ensure they are fully cooked and not gummy.
Sara says
This recipe is AMAZING! I actually used my Instant Pot on the steam setting to steam the burgers and it worked like a charm - and so easy in the heat. These burgers are absolutely delicious Sam! You always have recipes that wow, but this one is off the charts. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks, thank you so much, Sara! 🙂
Stephanie says
Can you provide settings & time for instapot please? I’ve only cooked recipes in the instapot that have specific instructions and don’t know how to modify.
Jessica says
This was a huge hit in my house. My partner couldn't believe how much it tasted like the real thing. It wasn't a surprised for me, though. All your seitan recipes are so fantastic!
Here's a blanket 'thank you' for all of your amazing recipes! You have made vegan cooking so easy, affordable and delicious.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, thank you so much, Jessica!! I'm so thrilled you loved them 🙂
Steve says
Wow these are fantastic. I did a little improv with goods on hand. No lentils but i had made a pot of pinto beans so went with that. Tossed in teriyaki instead of soy. Skipped the liquid smoke and doubled up on garlic since i was out of onion powder. Grilled them up with a splash of bbq sauce and all the burger fixins!!!
This is my go to burger recipe and much cheaper than buying store bought patties! Fantastico!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled you loved them so much, Steve 🙂
Iris says
Hi Sam, first of all, thanks for sharing all your great (and really easy to make) recipes. I made the seitan burgers, they tasted great. But... The texture is not so meaty as I loved it in your italian meatball recipe. Or maybe I did something wrong, the burgers are like smooth not "chunky" inside, I hope you understand what I mean, english isn`t my native language:-) Do you mash the beet (i used fresh uncooked) and lentils (i used brown canned ones) until they are like puree? Maybe I should leave that mixture more chunky? Any advice?
Thanks a lot and big hi from switzerland
Iris
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Iris! Glad you enjoyed. The burgers are supposed to resemble a classic ground meat burger, so the recipe isn't intended to have any kind of chunks in it. If you prefer my meatballs you can always form them into patty shapes and enjoy them as burgers. Enjoy!
Marie says
Sam, I made these to the letter except I do not use black pepper. First time I made seitan. These were EXCELLENT! They looked just like your pictures every step. Amazing! Served them to 4 other people and everyone said they were delicious, I was the 5th! My husband put claims on the 6th one left after eating one. :-))) I'm going to make them again and freeze them, even to give as gifts to people to let them see and taste a good vegan burger; and tell them about your site. We are thankful for your hard work. OOOO Hugs!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful Marie!!! SO thrilled they were such a hit. And I love that you want to give them out to people too!! 🙂
Sue says
Mine are steaming now and realized I forgot to add the peanut butter! Keeping my fingers crossed. First time using Vital Wheat Gluten.
Carly says
Wow. 100% amazing. Made exactly as the recipe stated and we are blown away, including omnivore husband and children. These will be my go-to for burgers from now on! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!!! SO happy you loved them Carly 🙂
Lisa says
Hey Sam! I made these today and my mixture after I added the VWG didn't look like yours. It was very dry. I'm wondering if you measure your VWG with a scale or if you use cups/spoons. I added 180g (30g = 1/4 cup). They tasted pretty good regardless but definitely looked more bread like than yours. Letting them chill overnight and hoping for the best. <3
Lisa says
Sam!!! I just wanted to follow up: These were great!
So my mix/patties looked a bit drier than yours but they tasted fantastic. I ended up slicing the patties in half to reduce chewiness/thickness. I served each patty halved with cashew cheese sauce smothered in between, an herbed mayo slathered on the homemade bun and some quick pickles. It was the best burger I’ve had in a while. You r let me down.
Lisa says
You never let me down *
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved them so much!! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Lisa, I always use cups as that's what's customary here in Canada and also in the US. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. Were you sure to add the soy sauce, water, and the correct amount of beets? That's what adds most of the moisture. Hopefully, they turn out for you!
Jobie says
Sam, you are a culinary genius. I made these burgers for my dinner tonight and they were amazing. 1000x’s better than any store bought product I have tried, admittedly not many as they all have a funny texture and after taste but these, these are off the chart good. I don’t have a powerful food processor so next time I will chop the the beets first before adding the other ingredients because I had a few chunkies of beets to pull out during the shaping process. I steamed the burgers in my instant pot on high for 15 minutes and allowed them to sit for 10 before releasing the pressure. This worked well. The hard part was waiting overnight before tucking into one of those burgers. Thank you for another great recipe and I love that it fits into my WFPB lifestyle. Stay healthy.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Jobie! And thanks for sharing your Instantpot tips 🙂
sue says
I detest beets, but took a leap of faith. These were amazing. Next time I think I'll add some chopped onion to the dough. Thanks (again) Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing! So happy you loved them Sue 🙂
Alexa Wright says
Amazing! I used this recipe to make meatballs. They are perfect. Perfectly meaty and savory. I always get excited when your recipes hit my inbox!
Thanks, Sam!!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome, glad you enjoyed 🙂 I also recommend you try my vegan seitan meatballs recipe 🙂
Alexa Wright says
Ah! Yes! I’ll definitely try that, thanks!!
Dani says
I just made these and it was so yummy! I didn't have liquid smoke so I omitted it (didn't replace it with anything since I didn't have anything similar) and the burger was BOMB! Thank you so much for this recipe, I'm so glad I found your website!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Dani 🙂
Kelsey says
Can I use something in place of the lentils? Like a bean or something? That’s the only thing I’m missing.....
Sam Turnbull says
I love the texture and flavour of lentils best, but any other cooked bean should work. Make sure to blend well 🙂
Heather Gilbert says
Wow! Thank you Sam, for another great "Easy" recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome Heather 🙂
Shilpa Sharma says
Hey Sam,
Thanks for this recipe. I made it yesterday and just polished off a burger. I loved the flavour and texture and how easy it was. A few modifications based on what I had:
- I had some plain roasted beets, so I used that and it worked beauifully
- I realized that I ran out of onion powder (!) so I added 1 1/2 T iced red onion
- Added tahini in place of PB (again, that's all I had)
-Left out the water (to compensate for the moisture from the onions
And all of this worked! Can't wait to try it using your actual recipe, but I'm thrilled with the results nevertheless!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed them Shilpa!
Amanda says
I hate beets. The smell of them repulses me. But you know what doesn’t repulse need? These delicious burgers!! You cannot taste the beets at all, and my god the texture is amazing. Sam, you are a vegan food sorceress! Your recipes never fail me and I’ve only been successful with seitan with your recipes. Thanks for another great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Yay!!!!
Karen says
I never post comments, but had to, I stumbled upon your website, and made these burgers with canned beets, it was a small can, maybe 130 grams,and just went with it and hoped for the best. Every step of the recipe, I couldn't believe how great it smelled and the crumble texture was so amazing. I didn't have liquid smoke so I subbed worcestershire sauce. It all worked out great. I've been vegetarian for over 20 years and never really had the knack for cooking with seitan until I found your site. Absolutely amazing. Loved these burgers so much, will definitely try them again with raw beets and liquid smoke when I can get some. Also made the Italian sausage, so great. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww wonderful!! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Karen 🙂
Chris says
Hi Sam, you’ve taken seitan to another (incredible) level with these burgers. Wonderful chewy umami texture and they taste absolutely fabulous. You nailed it girl!
Greetings from Australia.
Chris
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!!! Thanks so much, Chris! Thrilled you enjoyed them 🙂
Renee says
Ok I’m officially calling you the queen of seitan! Your chicken, steak and now these beet burgers!!! I will never buy beyond or any other substitute ‘meat’. I made the recipe yesterday, chilled overnight, and just cooked them on the cast iron stove top ‘grill’ - I feel like I’m eating a restaurant quality burger! Delicious!!!! Thank you so much for creating such wonderful plant based recipes. Adds so many more layers to my love of cooking and being vegan. Stay safe and be well.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks, thank you Renee!! I'm so thrilled you loved them so much! And thank you for being one of the first recipe testers 🙂
Tracy Lee Sullivan says
Hi Sam!!
I can't wait to make this, I'm sure it's a FIVE star recipe as every one that I've made of yours is amazing!! My favorite is the Thyme, Cranberry Cheeseball - such a huge hit at parties (although, for now, I'll be making just for myself)
Curious, what kind of lentils do you use?
I realize they all have different flavors
Thanks for all your YUMMY recipes!!
and most of all, helping to save the animals & the planet
: )
Tracy
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Tracy!! For this recipe, I used brown lentils but you can really use any kind of lentil as they get all mashed up anyway. I hope you love the burgers when you try them! And the cranberry & thyme cheese ball is one of my faves too 🙂
Tracy says
Thanks Sam!! Gonna stick to your suggestion on the brown lentils for the first go!
thanks for your reply! : )
Tracy
Veronika Caslavsky says
I am very excited to try these burgers. They look like they have the perfect texture. I've tried many different ways to make veggie burgers with more or less success. This recipe seems to truly solve the texture/taste problem of being more like a burger.
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Veronika! I think they are very meaty in taste and texture, so I hope you agree with me when you try them! 🙂
Cathy says
What, if anything, could I sub for beets? carrots? Or what is the purpose of the beets? I do not have any at the moment but have all the other ingredients. Thank so much.
Sam Turnbull says
Beets add texture, colour, and flavour. I haven't tried anything else as they are a pretty unique veggie, but you're welcome to experiment.
Julie Aguilar says
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. It was so easy. I froze the other three burgers, but I ended up cooking the last three. They were so good! I plan on making a bunch and freezing them just to have on hand. Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! So happy you enjoyed them! They will taste even better when chilled in the fridge overnight 🙂
Dru McCutchenHotz says
I need to eat gluten-free. What is your fave (and best) gluten-free burger recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
You could make my beet burgers with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour and gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. 🙂
Dru says
Thanks, I'll give it a try. Have been craving a good burger!
Sebastien says
Thanks Sam, can't wait to try this one ! Are fresh beets available this time of year ? Oh and I'm in the "love beets" team...;-)
Sam Turnbull says
Yep, beets are generally available year round 🙂
Sebastien says
Great, thanks !
Nina says
Looks like a great recipe . Thank you! what kind of Canned lentils did you use green or puy? What do you recommend? Do the burgers taste earthy re the beetroot? Thanks. Stay safe
Sam Turnbull says
I used brown lentils, but really any kind of lentil should work fine. And not, the burgers taste very meaty. Enjoy!
Nina says
I need to make this recipe and thank you for replying re my question, very much appreciated. Also, lockdown greetings from the UK. Keep well and stay safe
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Nina! Greetings from Canada (which is also pretty much on lockdown). 🙂
Patti says
Hi Sam,
I am with Adam on the beets- they always taste like dirt to me!
But I am going to try these because I have had great success with your recipes & you have always been "spot on" with your recommendations : )
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! He agrees. These burgers don't taste like beets tho, they taste pretty meaty. I hope you love them!
Jill says
Does it matter if the peanut butter is salted? Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Nope! Either will work fine. And you're most welcome 🙂
Kristina says
Please keep these seitan recipes coming! We will never have to buy a commercial meat substitute again! And the shelf-stability of these ingredients make it them perfect for pandemic living. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! I'm so happy you're loving all the recipes 🙂
Cait says
So excited to try this! Is there another liquid smoke you recommend? We were using it (and loved it!) based on your recommendation for awhile, but it hasn't been available on Amazon for months now! Every other one I've found is full of artificial junk. Thanks!
Kellan says
Try a tsp of smoked paprika
Renee says
That’s what I did. About to go leave my review now because oh my goodness, Sam does it again! Delicious!!!
Sebastien says
I was going to suggest Encore Woodland liquis smoke in mesquite or hickory cause that's what I have at home, but both aren't in stock on Amazon.ca or anywhere else ! What's going with liquid smoke ? Did the "pandemic crazy horders grocery shopping people" buy up all the liquid smoke ?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, I agree with Kellan, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika is a good sub. 🙂
Helen says
I've used Wright's Liquid Smoke for years as it it readily available in my area of California. Cook's Illustrated rated it years ago when there were few alternative brands. It doesn't have any added salt, sugars or preservative that some brands have now.
Sarah says
Quick question, is the beet raw or cooked?
Sam Turnbull says
Raw! I just updated the recipe to make it more clear. Enjoy! 🙂
Pauline says
Looks great! I have red, green, brown and blond lentils, which one do you advise? And do you think I could steam the burgers in the Instant Pot?
Sam Turnbull says
I used brown, but really any kind should work. As for the Instant pot, I'm not very skilled at that thing, haha, but I know some people have steamed my seitan steaks in an Instant pot with success and left comments about how they did it, so you could try that. Enjoy!
Ben O. says
I used an instant pot, about 2-3 cups of water (water level was just below the steamer inset) and steamed for 30 minutes (under pressure) and it worked really well.
I only divided the amount into 4 instead of 6, so my patties were a lot larger. I don't think that would make a big difference in the steaming time though.
I put a layer of parchment paper under the patty and had 2 patties on the bottom and then another layer of parchment with the final 2 patties on top.
The only issue is the steamer inset makes an impression on the bottom of the burger patty so I might triple layer the parchment paper at the bottom next time.
jenn says
This sounds amazing! Could a can of beets replace fresh?
Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it. It might change the texture slightly but I think should still work...
Jenn says
Thanks Sam!!
So one can should be ok?
Sam Turnbull says
I would weight them to be sure. 200 grams of beets. It will likely say the weight on the can. 🙂
jenn says
Fantastic, thanks again!
Be well
Bernadette says
Please let’s us know if you tried canned beets and how they worked. Thanks!
Melusine says
You can totally use canned beets. Mary's Test Kitchen has a similar seitan burger recipe that uses canned beets. Both recipes are good, but Sam's is easier.
AMY l CAMPBELL says
I definitely want to know if canned beets will work! following!
Luz says
I used can beets and after steamed them they lost its red color 🙁