From day one of this blog, I had the idea to make "fuss-free" vegan recipes, but it took me awhile before I really nailed down what that meant. In the beginning, I thought the best approach was to use no specific measurements and vague instructions for my recipes... Unsurprisingly, recipe testers had varied results. Yep, not the smartest idea I've ever had.
Luckily, it wasn't long before I re-thought "fuss-free" and made it all about simple ingredients, and quick and easy recipes. That doesn't mean that my original fuss-free recipes (if you can call them that), were bad, it just means there was a dreadful lack of guidance and poor food photography to boot.
So every now and then I like to go back in time and revise one of the original fuss-free recipes. I've done it before with my 6 Ingredient Pulled Jackfruit, and Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce, and today I am doing it with these Vegan Beet Burgers.
Because omnomnom!! My first version for vegan beet burgers required too many ingredients, a couple of flavours were competing, and of course, some measurements would be helpful. I've taken it from 14 ingredients to just 10, made it simpler and quicker, and got those flavour notes on point.
The intense colour of these burgers is so neat, but what's really rocking my socks is how the beets provide this deep rich earthiness to the burgers. So much flavour depth. The oats and lentils make a great base, and the sneaky trick is adding a bit of peanut butter which adds some richness and good fat balancing everything out perfectly.
When you make these, the dough is really sticky, but once cooked, they firm up and have a nice texture bite (no mushy burger here)!
To make Vegan Beet Burgers: peel the beets. I have a grater attachment for my Breville food processor so I used it to grate the beets directly into the processor. If you don't have that, just grate beets with the grater you have.
Then just add the beets, along with all of the remaining ingredients to the food processor.
Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides, until the mixture comes together.
Form into 4 patties. The patty mixture will be very sticky, so wet your hands in between forming each patty, to help stop the sticking.
Then you can either fry or bake the burgers, until brown on the outside and tender on the inside.
Leftover burgers get quite firm in the fridge overnight, so I prefer mine freshly made. However, if you like a nice firm bite, you might enjoy them even more!
Vegan Beet Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated raw peeled beets (about 2 medium beets)
- ¾ cup large flake rolled oats
- ½ cup cooked lentils (I used canned)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ yellow onion , finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- If you have a grater attachment for your food processor you can use it to grate the beets directly into the processor. If not grate beets with the grater you have, then add the beets, along with all of the remaining ingredients to the food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides, until the mixture comes together.
- Form into 4 patties. The patty mixture will be very sticky, so wet your hands in between forming each patty, to help stop the sticking.
To fry the patties (my fave):
- Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the patties. Cooking them low and slow is the key for good texture. Cook about 3 to 5 minutes per side, until they are nicely browned on both sides and hold together well. Serve hot on a bun with your favourite burger toppings.
To bake the patties:
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Lay the patties out in a single layer with room around them for air to circulate. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through until firmed up and lightly brown on both sides. Serve hot on a bun with your favourite burger toppings.
To air fry the patties:
- Preheat your air fryer to 325F (170C). Lightly grease the air fryer basket.
- Lay the patties out in a single layer with room around them for air to circulate. You may need to work in batches. Bake 15 - 25 minutes, flipping halfway through until firmed up and lightly brown on both sides. Serve hot on a bun with your favourite burger toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Karaokegirl says
Can I use Tahini or almond butter in place of the peanut butter?
Margaret cachia says
I’d like to try these burgers, would it I get the same results if I used quinoa as I’m unable to eat pulses or beans. Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that will work fine 🙂
Paul says
Awesome recipe. I squeezed the moisture out of the beet into some kitchen towel and they were perfect. Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Paul!
Lila says
Great recipe! I tried first with pre-packaged cooked beets from the grocery and although good, it was soft. This time I followed the recipe, adding some Worcestershire sauce and also brushing with soy sauce as I cooked in the pan. This is my favorite veggie burger recipe now. I was worried the beets would be raw tasting but they gave the burger a great texture and you’d never know there are beets in there. Wonderful flavor!
Shawn says
Love, love, love this recipe! I have made them several times now using well drained canned beets as they are less labor intensive for me than fresh. I also use black beans instead of lentils and substitute asafoetida powder for garlic and onion due to dietary restrictions. We cook them low and slow on the stove. Perfection!
I'm interested in chopping the mix up as it cooks for tacos etc. I hope to try that soon.
Karen says
I can't get Jack fruit here what else should I use
Yuli says
Delicious! I didn't have any lentils so used the same amount of tinned chickpeas. Didn't have thyme either so used rosemary, cumin and smoked paprika. The texture and flavour reminded me of Beyond Burger.
The only downside is I don't like using beetroot in my kitchen, it stains so easily and everything looks like a murder scene might try making these with readily shredded beetroots next time!
Sheryl says
Love these burgers. Thank you for posting this recipe! What I particularly like about your recipe is that it isn't complex with lots of different ingredients. as an added note....before forming the patties, I rolled the beet mixture into balls and refrigerated them for about 30 minutes. I found the mixture wasn't as sticky and held together better when making the patties.
Aggy says
We're not vegan but we are trying to eat healthy. We have a healthy seasonal vegatables delivered and i was stuck what to do with beets. I love beetroot soup, kids not so much. I came across your recipe that was simple and didn't require tonnes of strange ingredients they're delicious! Kids absolutely loved it. I added some ground cumin too.
We're no longer buying vegan burgers saving quite a bit of money. We have one of your books and planning more vegan meals
Kumari says
Love this recipe!! Easy and delicious! Everyone in the family loved it including my five year old.
Tip: I used an ice cream scooper to portion out the burgers into my pan so that I didn’t have to get all sticky and it worked like a charm!
Thanks for this recipe!
Emily D. says
This is hands down, my favorite veggie burger recipe out there. A local restaurant used to serve a beet burger but took it off their menu, so I had to find a way to get my beet burger fix! I never have natural peanut butter, so I usually use tahini or almond butter. I've passed this recipe on to many friends, with the caveat that having a food processor with a grater attachment largely cuts down on the time these take to make. I made this for the first time in March, and have since then made it for friends and family, meat eaters and plant based folk alike, EVERYONE LOVES IT!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! That's wonderful, Emily! So thrilled you love it so much 🙂
Robin Gill says
Made these for the first time tonight as I loads of beetroot.
OMG absolutely delicious!
Didn't serve in the traditional burger sense in a bun (although I will for sure) but had with fried plantain and a mixed bean, pepper, avocado salad.
Really quick and simple to made, good texture and delicious. This will.now be only the second vegan burger recipe I make.
Dana says
Dang, these are good. I didn’t have lentils so I substituted black beans. I made them a couple of weeks ago and had 3 burgers left over, which I froze. It was so successful that I’m making them again but I plan to freeze all of them. Impromptu dinners for the future,
JESS says
These are delicious! I've been making them for about a year now, and they turn out delicious every time. I make them exactly as written and use the baking method. Oddly they taste even better cold. Thank you for the recipe.