I find most veggie burgers to be lacking in the veggie department. Most of them are just made of beans! How can you call that a veggie burger? Granted, you often need beans to hold a veggie burger together, as I discovered this a few years ago when making my first attempt at cooking up a beet burger. They totally fell apart and I was so sad. So yeah, you need beans to make a veggie burger. But that’s no reason not to put some veggies in there too, right? I’m all about veggie burgers made from actual veggies, as evidenced by some of my past creations like my kale burger, artichoke burger, and sweet potato black bean burger. Beets are a great veggie to add to your burgers because (1) they’re delicious, (2) they’re super healthy, (3) they make for a really pretty burger. These burgers pair beets up with hearty black beans, zippy balsamic vinegar, and dill to create some burgers that pack a serious flavor punch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Balsamic vinegar. Use a good quality balsamic vinegar to give your beet burgers the best flavor. Look for a variety that’s thick and syrupy with some sweetness to it. Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to ensure that you’re keeping the recipe vegan. Rolled oats. Use certified gluten-free oats if needed. Black beans. The recipe calls for canned black beans, but you can cook them from scratch if you’d like. You’ll need about 1 ¾ cups of beans. Beets. Red beets are specified in the recipe, but there’s really no reason you couldn’t use golden beets if preferred. Just expect the color and flavor to be a tad different. Onion. Garlic. Fresh dill. Salt & pepper. Canola oil. Another high heat oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil could be substituted if preferred. Burger buns. Check the ingredients to make sure your buns are vegan. To make the recipe gluten-free, use certified gluten-free buns in addition to oats. Toppings. What you use is totally up to you! I’m a big fan of topping these burgers with some cashew cream cheese (with garlic and dill blended in). Tomatoes, lettuce and fried onion slices are all great options as well.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Make the balsamic reduction first. Simmer some balsamic vinegar and brown sugar until it gets thick and syrupy. While that simmers away you can prep everything else. Place all of the burger ingredients into a food processor bowl, along with a little bit of your balsamic reduction. Pulse the machine until everything is finely chopped (but don’t let it turn to mush).
Tip: You can make these burgers without a food processor with a few modifications. Substitute oat flour for the oats, make sure to shred the beets super finely, and mash the beans with a fork or potato masher. Then mix everything by hand in a large bowl.
Shape the mixture into patties and grill them for a few minutes on each side in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet. For the finishing touch, drizzle the burgers with a bit of the balsamic reduction and cook them for another minute or so on each side.
Stuff the patties into buns and pile on your favorite toppings. You’ll probably have some of the balsamic reduction left over, so pour that on the patties or drizzle it on your greens if you like.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover beet burger patties will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. You can also refrigerate or freeze the mixture used to make these burgers before shaping and cooking the patties. When you’re ready, thaw (if frozen). shape and grill. They’ll taste just like they’re freshly made.
More Vegan Burger Recipes
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