This gluten-free and vegan beet burger is the queen of all veggie burgers. We show you how easy it is to make them using only 7 simple and easy to find ingredients. The result is a real crowd-pleaser, hearty and delicious.
Whenever we have a guest over for lunch or dinner, who is willing to try something plant-based, we usually choose to make them these easy beet burgers to impress them. And so far everyone loved it.
For an appetizer, we usually make one of our 3 simple veggie dips. Either we make our Muhamarra dip (with roasted bell pepper and walnut) or our Baba Ganoush dip (with roasted eggplant) or our Roasted Zucchini and Chickpea dip. We serve them with raw vegetable sticks like kohlrabi, carrot, celery or cucumber. And then we serve the Beet Burgers with Oven-baked Sweet Potato Fries.
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A Veggie Burger with Beets AND Beans?
Who wouldn’t like purple burgers? 🙂 But seriously, beetroot is awesome and nutritious. It is one of the high iron vegetables combined with Vitamin C for better absorption. If you are interested in learning more about the impressive benefits of beets, read Healthline’s article.
In this recipe, beetroot is grated raw and the patties are only cooked for a short time to keep as many nutrients as possible. My trusted resource when it comes to nutrition is Dr. Greger’s website. He has a series of 17 videos if you would like to learn more about the awesome benefits of raw beetroot.
To have a full-proof plant-based or vegan meal, I always try to add legumes and/or grains. In this veggie burger recipe, I added cannellini or white beans.
I like cannellini beans because they have a quite neutral taste. Adding them to any recipe they add extra protein, remain fairly hidden and will not turn it into a dish that tastes like beans.
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How to make a Beet Burger?
You need ONLY 7 simple, easy to buy ingredients:
- beetroot,
- cannellini beans or white beans,
- onion,
- garlic,
- oats,
- oat flour, and
- seasoning (thyme, salt, and pepper)
First, peel and grate the beetroot. Add HALF of the grated beetroot to a bowl (photo #1). Next, add the canned cannellini beans without water (photo #2), then the cooked or raw chopped onion and garlic (photo #3). Use a hand blender to mix them thoroughly (photo #4).
When you have a mixture with a purée consistency, add the other HALF of the grated beetroot (photo #1), the oats and the seasoning (photo #2). Mix them with a spoon and chill it in a fridge for 30 minutes, while the oats can absorb any excess liquid from the beetroot and the beans.
After 30 minutes continue…
Add the oat flour (photos #1-2) to get to the final texture for the burger patties. The mixture should still feel soft, but not too wet. You should be able to form the patties without a problem. Add more or less depending on the moisture you have from the beetroot and the beans.
Pre-heat a frying pan on medium heat with some olive oil and cook each side for 3-5 minutes until the patties are getting brown (photo #3). Flip and cook the other side as well (photo #4). The burgers are still soft at this point, you need to wait a bit for them to cool down and they will firm up.
Top tips to make perfect vegan and gluten-free beet burger patties:
- Use a food processor to make the burgers even quicker. Most of the food processors have a grater attachment so you can grate the beetroot directly into the processor. Don’t forget to take HALF of them out before adding the other ingredients. Pulse, stop, scrape and pulse again until you reach the right texture.
- We recommend using half of the grated beetroot for the puree, but you can increase or decrease the amount. If you leave more grated, then the burger will be closer to a hash brown. If you leave more for puree, then the texture will be too soft and you need to add more flour.
- I use fine oats / quick oats. If you prefer to use rolled oats, you might need more oat flour as rolled oats tend to absorb less moisture.
- Depending on the actual size of your beetroots, you might need to add more or less oat flour. That’s why I recommend to add the flour after the mixture has chilled in the fridge.
- If you make thick burgers, you need to reduce heat to low/medium and cook them longer. The middle might not get well done. If you make thin burgers, you need a shorter cooking time for sure.
- Don’t serve them while hot as the burgers will firm up after cooling.
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FAQ and Substitutions
Can you substitute cannellini beans?
Yes, you can use black beans or red kidney beans. I haven’t tested with any other beans or lentils, but if you have please let us know in the comments.
Can you bake these beet burger patties in the oven?
Yes, you can bake them in the oven. Pre-heat the oven for 390 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius). Sprinkle some oil on the parchment paper or use a non-stick / silicone one to bake the burgers. Bake them for 20 minutes while flipping them halfway.
Can beetroot burgers be frozen?
Yes, they freeze well. However, you need to pre-cook or pre-bake them to give the burgers a bit of a crust. Freeze them in a stack with parchment paper in between.
If you don’t pre-cook them, then after thawing they will moisten up. When you’re ready to use them, thaw them in the fridge before frying or baking as per instructions.
This Beet Burger recipe is vegan so meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free.
This recipe is WFPB-friendly if you fry the burgers without oil in a non-stick frying pan or bake them in the oven.
However, it is only gluten-free if you buy certified gluten-free oats and oat flour. Oats are naturally gluten-free, although they are usually cross-contaminated with other grains. If you are interested to read more about oats, you can always visit Coeliac.org.uk or NCA’s Stance on Gluten-free Oats.
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More lunch recipes
You can browse our vegan and gluten-free lunch recipe gallery or see all recipes using beetroot or check out
- Raw Beetroot Salad Gondolas
- Eggplant Meatballs Spaghetti
- Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese (NO NUTS)
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
What more you need to try it? If you’re ready, watch this short video:
Vegan Beet Burger
Ingredients
- 1/2 Onion (medium)
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 Beetroot (medium)
- 3 cup Cannellini or White beans 250g
- 1 cup Fine oats 100g
- 2 tsp Thyme
- 2 tsp Salt
- Pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup Oat flour 150g
Instructions
- Peel and chop onion and garlic. Cook them with a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. However, if you prefer a more distinctive onion/garlic taste, you can add them chopped and raw later.
- Peel and grate raw beetroot. I prefer to use the grater attachment of my food processor to get the job done faster.
- Take half of the grated beetroot, all canned cannellini beans (without water) and the cooked or the raw onions/garlic (as preferred) and puree them thoroughly with a hand blender or food processor.
- Chill the mixture in a fridge for 30 minutes, while the oats can absorb any excess liquid from the beetroot and the beans.
- When ready, add the oat flour. The mixture should still feel soft, but not too wet. Add more or less depending on texture.
- Pre-heat non-stick frying pan on medium heat and fry the beetroot burgers on both sides for a couple of minutes or until light brown. Turn them gently as the burgers tend to be quite soft while hot.
- Wait a bit until the beetroot burger is chilled before serving. As it cools down, it will harden, and gets in a real burger shape.
- Now, you are ready to assemble your burger. We added lettuce, tomato, onion, and a barbecue sauce-mayo mix dip.
Recipe Notes
- Use a food processor to make the burgers even quicker. Most of the food processors have a grater attachment so you can grate the beetroot directly into the processor. Don't forget to take HALF of them out before adding the other ingredients. Pulse, stop, scrape and pulse again until you reach the right texture.
- We recommend using half of the grated beetroot for the puree, but you can increase or decrease the amount. If you leave more grated, then the burger will be closer to a hash brown. If you leave more for puree, then the texture will be too soft and you need to add more flour.
- I use fine oats / quick oats. If you prefer to use rolled oats, you might need more oat flour as rolled oats tend to absorb less moisture.
- Depending on the actual size of your beetroots, you might need to add more or less oat flour. That's why I recommend to add the flour after the mixture has chilled in the fridge.
- If you make thick burgers, you need to reduce heat to low/medium and cook them longer. The middle might not get well done. If you make thin burgers, you need a shorter cooking time for sure.
- Don't serve them while hot as the burgers will firm up after cooling.
Josh
Oh gosh! I have such an aversion to beets because of the taste but this recipe appears to change that a little bit. I might have to add a few more seasonings to get rid of the taste of the beetroot. One day I guess I’ll learn to like the taste, I’ve just not had a great experience. That sauce will probably help as well. Thanks for the recipe.
Angelina Anzalone
Such a great recipe! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂
dani
I turned Vegan a month ago and always on the lookout for options to combat taste fatigue. I will print this and will be giving it a try. I love the colors. =)
Jessica
This recipe looks delicious! I also have a beer root burger recipe of my own and I had served it to some friends when they were over for a visit. I love to introduce plant based dining to friends and am so joyous that they are satisfied at the end of the meal!