Quarter Pounder Beet Burger

Makes 4 big burgers
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes

_{Photo by VK Rees}

This beet burger recipe is the one. Brown rice, lentils, and shredded beets pulsed together in a food processor until it looks like ground meat, seasoned with thyme, fennel, and dry mustard, then charred in a cast iron pan until the edges are crispy and the inside is hearty and substantial. It’s been on the site since 2012 and it has 540 comments for a reason.

You know the song: two all-beet patties, special sauce, lettuce, “cheeze.” These are big, delicious, dinner-sized vegan beet burgers. Not those sad little patties that crumble when you look at them. As the inventor of the Quarter Pounder once said, 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 the point stands. There’s a certain satisfaction to eating your way around the burger before digging in to a full-on bun bite. And yes, this is a vegan Royale with Cheese situation for you Pulp Fiction fans.

It’s not that they taste exactly like hamburgers, but they do taste exactly like awesome veggie beet burgers. A run-down on the ingredients: Rice provides the texture and gives you a substantial bite. Lentils are my go-to ground meat, so they were a natural addition. And beets give the burger an intense (vaguely disturbing) meat-like appearance, but they also add real flavor: earthy and slightly sweet, something that takes your veggie burger to the next level.

Tips from Over a Decade of Beet Burgers

These tips come from making this recipe approximately one million times and from reading every single one of the 540 comments on this post.

Cast iron is non-negotiable for the best char. You want the burger charred, not burnt, which really just means burnt only in some places. A hot cast iron pan is the only way to get that consistently. If you don’t have one, cook the burgers in whatever pan you have and then transfer them to a baking sheet, brush with oil, and stick them under the broiler for a few minutes.

The beets are raw. You don’t cook them first. Just peel and shred them with the shredder attachment on your food processor. When they’re grated that finely they cook through in the pan. Several people have asked this over the years and the answer is always: raw, shredded, straight into the food processor.

Chill the mixture. Don’t skip the 30 minutes in the fridge. Cold burgers hold together better in the pan. If you’re in a rush, stick them in the freezer for 15 minutes instead.

Use a ring mold or cookie cutter for perfect patties. A 3 1/2 inch ring mold gives you that beautiful, uniform, restaurant-looking burger. Pack the mixture in firmly and pop it out. If you don’t have one, just shape them with your hands, but make them thick and compact, not wide and thin.

Tahini works great instead of almond butter. Multiple readers have reported back that tahini adds a nice sesame note and holds the burgers together just as well. Sunbutter and cashew butter also work. Peanut butter is too strong and will take over the flavor.

Frozen brown rice is your friend. I always keep a bag of frozen brown rice in the freezer for exactly this kind of recipe. Most supermarkets carry it. You just need a little over a cup and it’s way faster than cooking rice from scratch for one recipe.

They freeze beautifully. Form the patties, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-top bag. Cook from frozen or thaw in the fridge overnight. Reader Sarah reported stashing seven in the freezer and her husband ate three in one sitting, so make extra.

They hold up on the grill. Multiple readers have confirmed this. Just make sure the patties are well chilled before grilling so they don’t fall apart. Oil the grates well. Never smush the patty, use a thin metal spatula to flip.

Cheeseburgers, Sauces & Spreads: Dress It Up

If you want to go full cheeseburger, or just get saucy, here are some easy ideas!

The coconut queso from the Roommate Nachos spooned on top. Cashew-free and melty.

The vegan Swiss cheese from the Tempeh Beet Reubens if you want something a little tangy and funky against the earthy beets.

Cashew Queso poured over the top while it’s still warm. Spice it up with pickled jalapeños.

This one is a project, but you can smash a ball of Fresh Cashew Mozzarella right on top.

The creamy red pepper scallion spread from the flatbreads recipe is not technically cheese but it acts like one and it’s easy. Smoky, creamy, and really good smeared on a beet burger.

Sanctuary Dip is basically ranch, and ranch on a burger is an underrated move. Spread it on the bun or use it as a dipping sauce for fries while you’re at it.

The Caesar dressing from the Kale Caesar makes a surprisingly good burger sauce. Garlicky, lemony, creamy.

Or skip all of it and just do avocado, pickles, shredded lettuce, and ketchup. Sometimes simple wins. I like sprouts, too!

What to Serve with Beet Burgers

You might need a little sumthin sumthin on the side.

Baked Garlic Curry Fries are the original pairing and they’re still perfect.

Creamy Avocado Potato Salad is a natural burger night side. Creamy, tangy, and it rounds out the plate. So easy, too! TBH I sometimes top my burger with potato salad.

Kale Caesar with Brussels Sprout Croutons for when you want to feel fancy about your burger night.

Sour Cream & Onion Potato Skins as the appetizer while the burgers cook.

Chickpea Egg Salad on the side, because sometimes you want a burger and a scoop of something creamy and that’s a whole meal.

VEGGIE BEET BURGER FAQ

Are the beets raw or cooked? Raw. Peel them and shred them with a food processor or box grater. They cook through in the pan. No need to roast or boil them first.

Can I use canned lentils? For sure. Drain them well so that the liquid doesn’t turn things too mushy, but canned lentils are always consistent and a great choice here. 

What can I use instead of almond butter? Tahini is the most popular swap and adds a nice, mellow flavor. Cashew butter and sunbutter both work too. Peanut butter is too strong and will take over.

Can I make these beet burgers gluten free? Yup. Just use gluten-free breadcrumbs. GF Panko or ground-up gluten-free pretzels are ideal. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Can I bake these instead of pan-frying? Yes. Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes per side, then stick them under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown, if you like. You won’t get the same char as cast iron but they’ll still be good.

Can I grill these beet burgers? Yes. Make sure they’re well chilled, oil the grates, and handle them gently. They hold up well once they get a sear on the first side. Don’t press them down with the spatula.

My burgers fell apart. What happened? Where to begin? A few culprits: the lentils might have been too wet (drain them really well) or, the opposite, not cooked enough so not mushing to bind. Other thoughts: The mixture might not have been chilled long enough. Or you might not have mixed it thoroughly enough. Get in there with your hands and really work it together for a good minute or two.

Do these taste like beets? A little, in a wonderful way! The beets add an earthy sweetness that plays really well with the thyme and fennel. If you’re expecting an overwhelming beet flavor, don’t worry. It’s subtle and blends into the overall burger flavor. A reader who’s not a big beet fan noted that the seasonings take care of it.

What’s a beetroot burger? Same thing. “Beetroot” is what they call beets in the UK and Australia. Same vegetable, same burger, just a different word. I need to use that word for SEO if you must know.

Can I freeze beet burger patties? Hells yeah. Form the patties, freeze on a parchment-lined sheet until solid, then bag them. They keep for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen or thaw overnight in the fridge.

Can I make these into sliders? Yes. Use about 1/4 cup of mixture per slider instead of a heaping 1/2 cup. Reduce cook time to about 8 minutes total, flipping once.

Do I need a food processor? If you have one in your kitchen, it makes things much faster and gives you the best texture (that ground-meat look). Without one, you can mash the lentils with a fork, grate the beets on a box grater, and chop the rice as finely as you can. It works, it’s just more effort.

Quarter Pounder Beet Burger

Isa Chandra

Hearty vegan beet burgers made with brown rice, lentils, and shredded beets, seasoned with thyme, fennel, and dry mustard. Charred in cast iron until crispy on the edges and substantial in the middle. Big, dinner-sized, and they hold together beautifully. A PPK classic.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Burger, Main Course, Sandwich

Cuisine American, British

Servings 4 big burgers

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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 onion very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
• 1/2 cup very fine breadcrumbs
• Olive oil for the pan

Instructions

 

• 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.

Keyword Beet Burger, Beetroot Burger, Veggie Burger

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