Beet Burgers
These beet burgers are hearty, earthy-sweet veggie patties built on brown rice and roasted-tasting beetroot, pan-fried until crisp and then finished in the oven so they hold together. They are comforting, easy to make, and a fun way to put a real vegetable at the center of your burger instead of hiding it behind a bean mash. Made as written with an egg they are vegetarian, and they swap easily to fully vegan by using psyllium husks as the binder.
Why a beet patty (and not just another bean burger)
Who doesn’t love a good burger? I know I do. Most veggie burger recipes have the patty made out of beans, which is fine, I like some of those, but you can’t really call it a veggie burger, can you? One of my favorite vegan burger recipes is the beet burger, and it’s no secret that I love beets. I love putting them in salads, I love how well they go with garlic sauce, I love everything about them. Making a burger patty out of beets might seem a bit unconventional, and I do see why, but just bear with me here: wait till you taste your first beet burger, and your mouth will say otherwise. That’s just my opinion though, it’s your burger, you can do as you wish.
The ingredients that make these patties work
There is nothing exotic here, and most of it you may already have on hand. A few notes on the ones that matter most:
- Brown rice is the backbone. It gives the patties body and a chewy bite, and this is a perfect place to use up leftover cooked rice from another meal.
- Beetroot brings the color, the natural sweetness, and that earthy depth. Peel and cube it so the food processor can break it down evenly.
- Onion, garlic, and fresh parsley carry the savory side and keep the sweetness of the beet in check. A full cup of parsley sounds like a lot but it lifts the whole patty.
- Curry powder is the warm background note that ties beet and rice together. It’s subtle, not spicy.
- Flour and Panko breadcrumbs are the structure. They soak up moisture from the beet so the mixture is shapeable rather than wet. Both can be swapped for gluten-free versions if you need to.
- Egg or psyllium husks is your binder choice. One egg keeps these vegetarian; 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks make them fully vegan and still hold beautifully.
If you want to go deeper on the vegetable itself, my guide on how to cook beetroot covers roasting, boiling, and prepping beets for recipes like this one.
How to shape and cook them so they hold
The method here is what keeps a wet, high-moisture vegetable from falling apart. Add everything except the olive oil and the assembly toppings to a food processor and pulse until well combined. You want it incorporated but not pureed into a paste, so pulse rather than run it continuously. If the mixture feels too loose to shape, add extra breadcrumbs a spoonful at a time until it holds together when you press it. Form about 6 patties.
Then comes the two-step cook that makes the difference. Heat a large skillet over medium with the olive oil and fry the patties about 5 minutes per side, until the outside is crisp. Move them onto a lined baking tray and bake at 200 C for about 30 minutes. The frying builds a crust so they don’t stick or crumble, and the oven time cooks them through and dries out the interior moisture from the beet, which is exactly what stops a beet patty from staying mushy in the middle.
Building the burger and what to serve alongside
To assemble, cut each bun in half and spread a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce on the bottom. Layer on sliced cucumber, a beet patty, more sweet chili sauce, and crumbled fried onions, then close it with the top bun. Serve with chili pickles on the side for a sharp, tangy contrast to the sweet patty. Gluten-free buns work perfectly here if that’s what you need.
These sit right at home in a bigger spread. If you’re feeding a crowd, set them out with more of my vegan veggie burger recipes so everyone has a patty they love, or lean into the season with a few vegan grilling recipes on the side. A crisp grilled zucchini and beetroot salad keeps the beet theme going and rounds out the plate.
Make-ahead and storage tips
These are friendly to batch cooking. You can shape the patties ahead and keep them raw in the fridge for a day, or fully cook them and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days, reheating in a hot skillet or the oven to bring the crust back. They also freeze well once cooked and cooled, so wrap them individually and reheat straight from frozen. If you love having veggie patties on standby, my guide to perfecting veggie patties has more on texture and binding, and for a totally different make-ahead option there are these gluten-free lentil and sweet potato burgers.
I hope you’ll have fun cooking this recipe, I know I do, every time I make it. If it just became your favorite beet burger, rate the recipe below and leave a comment telling me how the patties held up and whether you went the egg route or the psyllium one. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
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Beet Burgers
Ingredients
Beetroot patties:
- 2 cups brown rice cooked; you can use from leftover rice dishes
- 2 beetroot peeled and cubed
- 1 onion peeled and cubed
- 1 cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs use gluten-free if needed
- ½ cup flour use gluten-free if needed
- 1 egg or 2 Tbsp psyllium husks for vegan version
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
To assemble:
- 6 burger buns use gluten-free if needed
- 6 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 6 chili pickles
- 6 cucumbers sliced
- 6 tsp fried onions crumbled
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200 C.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Add all burger patty ingredients except for the olive oil and the assembly ingredients, to a food processor, pulse until well combined and incorporate.
- Add extra breadcrumbs to get the desired consistency.
- Form about 6 patties.
- Heat a large skillet on medium with olive oil.
- Fry the patties on each side for about 5 minutes or until crispy on the exterior.
- Remove the patties to the prepared baking tray.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the buns.
- Cut them in half to assemble.
- Add a Tbsp sauce to the top of the first layer bun.
- Top with sliced cucumbers, a beetroot pattie, sweet chili sauce, onions, and another bun half.
- Serve with chili pickles on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
As written with one egg as the binder, they are vegetarian. To make them fully vegan, swap the egg for 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks, which bind the patties just as well. Every other ingredient in the recipe is plant-based, so the vegan version is a single easy substitution.
Two things do most of the work: the binder and the cook. Use either an egg or 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks, and add extra Panko breadcrumbs a spoonful at a time until the mixture holds together when pressed. Then fry the patties to build a crust before baking them at 200 C for about 30 minutes, which dries out the moisture from the beet and firms up the interior.
Yes. Use gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs, gluten-free flour, and gluten-free burger buns. The rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free, so those three swaps cover it without changing the method.
The recipe uses both steps on purpose. Frying gives the patties a crisp crust and helps them hold their shape, while the 30 minutes in the oven cooks them through and drives off the interior moisture from the beetroot. Skipping the bake tends to leave the center soft and mushy.
Absolutely, and it’s encouraged. The recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked brown rice, and leftover rice from another meal works perfectly. Cold, already-cooked rice actually blends into the patty mixture nicely in the food processor.
Yes. You can shape the patties and keep them raw in the fridge for up to a day, or cook them fully and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Cooked patties also freeze well; wrap them individually and reheat in a hot skillet or the oven straight from frozen to bring the crust back.
Seriously one of the best burgers I’ve ever tried. Better than any of the restaurant ones I’ve tried!!! Congrats for the recipe, I love it!
Thank you!