Makes 4 big burgers
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes
You know the song, two all-beet patties, special sauce, lettuce, “cheeze”…har har.
Well, everyone loves burgers and this is a fine, upstanding, burger-citizen made with some of my favorite ingredients. Brown rice, lentils and beets! They all combine to form the perfect storm of vegan burgerness.
It’s not that they taste exactly like hamburgers or anything, but they do taste exactly like awesome veggie burgers. Rice provides awesome texture, to give you a substantial bite. Lentils are my go-to ground meat so they were a natural addition. And beets are the veggie burger hotness right now! I’ve tried beet burgers at many a restaurant, and I’ve been itching to come up with my own recipe. They give the burger an intense (vaguely disturbing) meat-like appearance, but they also add a lot of flavor, earthy and slightly sweet. Just something that takes your VB to the next level.
I like to make these burgers BIG. Ya’ know, dinner sized. In reading the Wikipedia about the history of the Quarter Pounder (or Royale With Cheese, for you Pulp Fiction fans), the inventor of the burger says he “felt there was a void in our menu vis-à-vis the adult who wanted a higher ratio of beet to bun.” OK, he said meat not beet, but whatever. And I have to agree. There’s a certain satisfaction to eating your way around the burger before digging in to a full-on bun bite.
To make these more fast-foody, top with shredded lettuce, sliced dill pickles, finely diced onion and ketchup. I would add a layer of avocado instead of a vegan cheese, but that’s just me. They really don’t even need it.
One very important part of this recipe is the cooking method. You want to get the burger charred. Not burnt, but charred, which really just means, uh, burnt only in some places. The best way to achieve this is with a very hot cast iron pan. Other pans may react different to high heat, and may not give you that perfect char. So if you’re not using a cast iron pan, the next best thing would be to transfer them to a baking pan after cooking, brush with oil and stick them under the broiler for a few minutes.
Recipe notes: If you’d like to make these gluten-free, just use gluten-free breadcrumbs – ground up gluten-free pretzels would be ideal. And if you’d like to bake them instead, do so at 375 F, 8 to 10 minutes each side, then stick under the broiler to brown them. If you’d like to use a different nut butter, I would recommend cashew or sunbutter. I think PB will be too strong, but who knows? I use a food processor to make these happen quickly, so you’ll have to do some finagling if you don’t have one. And one last tip: I keep a package of frozen brown rice handy at all times. It’s perfect for occasions like this when you just need a little bit for an ingredient.
And don’t forget the fries! Garlic Curry Fries are perfect with these. OK, it’s burgertime!
1 1/4 cups cooked, cooled brown rice (see recipe notes above)
1 cup cooked brown or green lentils, cooled, drained well
1 cup shredded beets
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme, rubbed between your fingers
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel (or finely crushed fennel seed)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons very finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
1/2 cup very fine breadcrumbs
Olive oil for the pan
Peel beets and shred with the shredder attachment of your food processor, then set aside. Change the attachment to a metal blade. Pulse the brown rice, shredded beets and lentils about 15 to 20 times, until the mixture comes together, but still has texture. It should look a lot like ground meat:
Now transfer to a mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Use your hands to mix very well. Everything should be well incorporated, so get in there and take your time, it could take a minute or two.
Place the mixture in the fridge for a half hour to chill.
Preheat a cast iron pan over medium-high. Now form the patties. Each patty will be a heaping 1/2 cup of mixture. To get perfectly shaped patties, use a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter or ring mold (I have pics of how to do it here.) Otherwise, just shape them into burgers with your hands.
Pour a very thin layer of oil into the pan and cook patties for about 12 minutes, flipping occasionally. Do two at a time if you’re pan isn’t big enough. Drizzle in a little more oil or use a bottle of organic cooking spray as needed. Burgers should be charred at the edges and heated through.
Serve immediately. But they taste pretty great heated up as well, so if you want to cook them in advance, refrigerate, then gently heat in the pan later on, then that is cool, too.
Do you think this recipe would transfer nicely into a beet loaf? Would love to try it since Fall is just around the corner…
YUMMMMM!!! I will be making this next week 🙂
Thanks!
These are the greatest burgers I’ve ever come across. My omni father has been demanding more since he polished off the final 2 & what crumbs were left of the plate. (no joke.) I already have plans to remake them tomorrow & on Sunday. Probably a double batch for Sunday. I’ll be testing them as sliders for tomorrow though. Followed the recipe to the letter & wouldn’t change a thing! My father (again) who is never happy with anything & always wants to make changes to recipes to “improve” them says not to change a thing! SHOCKING! and a huge compliment. Awesome-sauce. Thank you for this recipe!
Wow! First I though it was real beef burgers! I was wondering what they do on a vegetarian blog food))
THESE ARE AMAZING! I LOVE THEM! 🙂
Isa, do you think it would be okay to make the mixture the night before and then cook the patties the next day? Or would you cook them ahead of time then reheat?
Thanks!
Yep! But they might be a bit stiffer, so perhaps use a few extra tablespoons veg broth.
holy smokes, these burgers were amazing!!! i made them last night — one bite and i have a new favorite dish. i made a few substitutions since i didn’t have all ingredients on hand. i use jasmine rice instead of brown, ground cumin instead of fennel, and gluten free bread crumbs. i love beets, but for those who dont, there is no beet-y taste in these burgers. all i taste is deliciousness!!!! my mouth is in love. thank you
I made these the other night and made a double batch so I could freeze the extra patties to have for future quick meals. They turned out great, and my omnivorous hubby proclaimed them the best veggie burger he’s had so far and gobbled his down with much relish. I thought they’re really good, too. I cooked a frozen one since and it cooked well without falling apart. I used ground almonds because I didn’t have almond butter, soI had to add a little more liquid to make them stick together better, but that was a minor adjustment.
Have you ever tried this with black beans?
I think I’m going to try it with black beans…
I’m really digging this blog. I’m a recent vegan, and I’m not in to the whole “substitute” thing – like vegan cheese, tofu everything, etc… It seems like that’s sort of your style.
I think black beans would be yum! Mayne a little mushier, but still yum. And yeah, I try to avoid store-bought meat and dairy analogs.
I’d make these again, but next time I’ll cut the thyme down to .25 t. It was really overwhelming. All I could taste was the thyme. Thank goodness my son is a little sick. I could convince him to eat it, since I often make thyme tea with honey for him when his throat hurts….. A great recipe, though!
Wonderful! I made them Oktoberfest burgers by serving with vegenaise, tomato slices, horseradish mustard, and sauerkraut. I also made a small plain one for my dog, who loves beets, and he munched it right up and then drooled on my knees while I ate mine.
I loved these burgers! I made six fat little sliders instead of four big ones. Amazing stuff! Thanks for sharing!
Can I replace the almond butter with peanut butter? or will that taste weird? or is there something else I should replace this with? I want to make them in bulk for the cooperative I live in and almond butter is too expensive for those purposes 🙂
THANKS
I say why not.
Thank you….these were awesome!
Excellent burger and you are spot on that it tastes like a veggie burger, it’s exactly true. I usually make my own mix inspired by the ingredients list from the 1970’s frozen Sunshine Burger, whose last ingredient was love, and whose packaging I saved all these years. I like the idea of beets instead of carrots and this was a real success.
I used peanut butter because the line at trader joes was out the door so I couldn’t get almond butter for less than $18, and the tahini has disappeared from my house, quite mysteriously. Cooked up mushrooms in the same pan for a topping. Thanks for your vegan recipes, always inspiring and always beautifully thought out.
thought Morgan might want to make her own veggie burger
My husband thought these were Facebook worthy and posted a picture of them before I cooked them with the following caption, “Where’s the beef? Beef patties? Think again, beets, lentils, rice and spices.” Of course a link to this recipe.
Cute!
I double this recipe form it in a loaf pan, bake, slice, and use it with mashed potatoes and gravy or on sandwiches. It is good cold or hot. I have substituted other veggies in place of the beets or varied the seasonings depending on what I am craving. My carniverous boyfriend even liked my Thanksgiving version of it.
i came across this recipe awhile back and have thought about it everyday since then.. THEY LOOK SO GOOD!! This is probably a dumb question.. but is there anyway to make them without a food processor? Would finely chopping work or perhaps a blender? I’m newer to cooking and I don’t have all the jazzy stuff yet, but I can’t stop thinking about these dreamy burgers!!
or perhaps could anyone recommend a food processor they like that is on the cheaper side? Thanks!! Can’t wait to make these!!!
These are beyond amazing. Great texture and taste!
Sorry, these didn’t live up to my expectations. I prefer the Beet and Potato Cakes in Jack Bishop’s “Vegetables Everyday” (yes, a different concept). My three year old grandson and I make your pancakes EVERY Saturday morning!
Thank you for such a fabulous recipe. I made these for my vegan mom and meat-eating dad (working on this) and they both LOVED them.
I just made these tonight with orange beets and orange lentils. They looked like chickpea burgers! They were by far the firmest veggie burger I’ve ever made. I think its the brown rice. I tripled the salt, but thats just me. This is my go to homemade veggie burger from now on!
Holy crap. These are good. I’ve never eaten beets because I’m still traumatized from the horrible smell of my mom pickling/canning them when I was a kid, but I had to give them a shot finally. Wow! I went a little heavy on the thyme and fennel and they tasted like PIZZA BURGERS. Highly recommended.
BEST burger I have ever tasted!!! Thx for the recipe! I even made some homemade whole wheat buns to go with it. And of course the garlic curry fries.
O.m.g. Delicious!!!! I used panko breadcrumbs (extra on the outside) and my husband was convinced I put bacon bits inside the veggie burger! Haha. Thank goodness I doubled the recipe and used the leftover mixture to make “meatballs” which we thoroughly enjoyed with some whole wheat spaghetti and mushroom sauce 🙂
This was amazing, even before it was cooked! I did not have the almond butter so I used half peanut butter and half tahini it was great! I am so glad I found this site!
These look so good, trying them tonight!
I thought these were really good! Didn’t have almond butter so just used peanut butter. I didn’t make them quarter pounder sized so I got 8 out of the mix. I will for sure be making these again.
would love it if you could provide calorie and other nutritional information for the recipes.
I made these beet burgers yesterday! I didn’t have bread crumbs on hand so I used some graham flour and a bit of wheat flour to get them to stick together a little more. When I fried these babies up, they stuck together like no other homemade veggie burger I’ve cooked! They smelled great and the taste was wonderful. I had mine on a whole wheat bun with ketchup and Swiss chard. I think these are my favorite veggie burgers and they inspired me to incorporate beets into my diet more often! 5 stars from me!
Are the beets cooked or raw?
Yeeeeeeeeeah! It’s the best veggie burger ever invented. Double the recipe, make them, and eat them. Do it now.
Made these several times in the last year, and my boyfriend has become completely indifferent to all other veggie burgers. BTW, to extrapolate on some of that sans food processor “finagling” … If you grate the raw beets with a regular ole cheese grater and then hack at the beet/rice/lentil mixture with a paring knife in a mixing bowl (while slowly rotating it), that works splendidly. And works out those forearms. Thanks for the recipe!
These are awesome!!!!!!
Just made them for lunch. I’m low carb vegan girl, so I had to make adjustments the way I always do, and they still came out great
I’d never cooked with beets before, this was my first time. Will def be making these over and over, thanks so much for the recipe:)
Made these today for a second time (still low carb) and added in a bunch more vegetables. They still came out well, so glad! Am now totally obsessed with beets and will be Googling tons of vegan beet recipes:)
These are fantastic! I made them for my Christmas Eve meal and they’re the best vegan burger ever.
Can I use split yellow dahl instead of lentils?
Just made these, excited to fry them up, I just had a tip to share: I was looking for something to use as mold for the patties, but my biscuit cutter was too small, so I used an old Earth Balance container and cut several rings out of it depending on the size of patty I wanted.
MacGuyver!