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.
Those look amazing, Isa! But a question from someone who’s not a big fan of beets — is there any attendant beet-sweetness left over in the burger, or do the seasonings take care of that?
Thanks!
Please tell me these are similar to the northstar veggie burger. Can’t wait to try!
Oh yum – I’m so excited!
YES!!!!!! YES YES YES!!!!! Im making this for dinner tonight!!!!
I have one problem and it is this: there aren’t enough meals in the day to try all of the recipes I want!! I just recently discovered your blog so I have years worth of recipes to try but each time I make a little progress on the list, you go and post something new and awesome! Seriously though, thanks so much for the amazing ideas. I think I just might be your new biggest fan 🙂
Aw, thanks! There are worse problems to have I suppose. <3
These look hella beautiful! I’ve been on a veggie burger kick lately, which is happily coinciding with a bunch of bloggers sharing their awesome-looking burger recipes. Using a ring mold is such a good idea, I’ll have to do that up next time.
Making these. Making. THESE.
PS. You stole my line. http://vegankitchendiaries.tumblr.com/post/5254058171/black-bean-burger-with-all-the-trimmings-eff
Hee hee, you need to trademark that!
Looks incredible as always, Isa! You’ve been spoiling us with so many fantastic recipes lately. Please, don’t stop!
Oh yes. I was thinking burgers this weekend but undecided on which way to go with them. Definitely this recipe! Thank you 🙂
Pump Fiction? I love that movie!
I made beet burgers a while ago (beets, barley, black-eyed peas), and you’re right, they look scarily like meat. Looking forward to trying your recipe next time.
so excited to try these – just a quick question… the beets aren’t pre-boiled right? you can just grate regular old uncooked beets? don’t have to roast or boil? seems like they’d be too hard to do that, but sadly i don’t use beets as much as i should!
Oh my. A quick search for “pump fiction” brought up very scary results!
sounds delicious! they look kind of like Luna Burgers, my favorite locally produced veggie burgers, some similar ingredients.. now I’m craving some!
I love you.
Isa, you’re on a roll for diner food these days, love it!
But, important question: do you think these might be barbecue-able?
They’re pretty firm, so I think so. Just make sure they are good and chilled before grilling.
How do you get that amazing shape with your burgers? I was wondering if there is some kind of contraption that makes them into beautifully compact disks. (Digital burgers?). When I make them with my hands they are never quite the right shape and consistent thickness. I get into a frenzy of disappointment. So, what, are you just amazing or do you have a thing for doing it with? ooh OOH is it egg rings?
I tell you how in this very post!
Your mother thanks you. First, you created an orange scone for me, now a beet burger because I fell in love with them at Northstar. You’re the best, and ….. Happy Birthday! So glad I gave birth to veganism.
I think you’ll like them mom!
These are *exactly* what I want today! I’m going to sit at my desk all day wishing that I was at home, shredding beetroot. Thanks! 😛
Just made these for my boyfriend and I,we used the first batch of our homegrown beets. It was the best use for them, TOOTAALLYY DELICIOUS! Thanks!
ps. made the fries too, good idea.
Happy Birthday, Isa! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
There must be a bunch of Ohioans in here, because the first things I thought of were Northstar and Luna Burgers, too!
I pretty much need to try these. Beets are delicious. Beet-based burgers are delicious-er. I can also imagine this being a suitable meatball base.
Dude, beet burgers are my favorite but I’ve never been able to master a recipe on my own. Problem solved. I want these with avocado and daiya and grilled onions … and then I can die happy.
THANK YOU Isa!
I want these! With lettuce and avocado and cashew sour creme! And the garlic curry fries! You’re super awesome
are the beets cooked before you shred them?
I’ve tried a variety of veggie burger recipes in the past and they’ve been either way too dry or so wet that they fell apart instantly. I was beginning to think it was impossible to find one that was moist, yet firm enough to hold it’s shape. Enter the Beat Burger! I tried this recipe last night and the consistency was perfect.
Oh, and it was delicious, too.
Everyone is commenting on the burger and it does look great, But I am stunned by the freezing brown rice idea. So easy and genius. You may have just changed my life.
you are a savior! i have been wanting beet burgers but the only recipe i have uses flour to bind everything together and now that have to be gluten free i wasn’t sure what to do. I can’t wait to make these.
Isa, you really are the greatest. I love this.
THANK YOU BIG TIME!!!!! You are the best! And Happy Happy Birthday!!!
that comment from your mom is the BEST
My mom is good times!
Highly allergic to nuts (except peanuts, darn). Is there something i can use besides “nut butter?” As i can tell peanut butter is not a good sub. Thanks!
Tahini, soybutter or sunbutter would all work.
“Two all-beet patties” haha that’s great! These look wonderful. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
The beets are raw, I suppose? Does that make the final product really crunch or do they soften up with cooking? (I love beets but am useless when it comes to cooking them)
They soften, but when they’re grated up so finely they wouldn’t crunch anyway.
Reporting back: I just did throw these on the grill, and they came out lovely!!
I used semolina instead of breadcrumbs, which looks like it worked fine. I think I’ll add some vinegar or maybe ketchup to give them a bit more “zing” next time though, they were just a tad bland for my taste in the end.
Oh, and there was tahini in them, not almond, and I loved that sesame note. Go for it, you nut allergics 🙂
Isa, I made these tonight for dinner. We LOVED them! I think they’ll hold up well on the grill in the summer too. Happy Birthday!
why isn’t peanut butter a good sub? i made these last night – very tasty; a little creepily red and ground-beef-looking – they wanted to crumble apart a little bit? was it the peanut butter i used in place of almond butter?
I just think PB is too strong a flavor. If they’re crumbly it could be that there was too much liquid in the lentils or that the mixture wasn’t chilled enough. But if it was just a little bit as you described then, eh, whatever! Don’t worry about it.
Gorgeous!! Made these for the first time this evening (along with the fries, as recommended) and they were tremendous! I made a large batch and have seven stashed away in the freezer for next time. 🙂 My daughter enjoyed them very much but was completely stuffed after just one burger … so my husband ate THREE. Oink oink oink …
Just great… and cooked up so well in my cast iron pan. Charred–just like you say… and love how they’re oversized. Served with whole wheat “deli flats”, lettuce, tomato, vegenaise and ketchup. I think I’ll do the lentil olive burgers this size next time too (my other fave)…. Thanks so much!
Great burger bite with a crisp outside without dry interior. I did them in the frying pan and another set in the oven. The next time I will start in frypan and at the flip I will transfer pan to the oven for 8 minutes…should be perfect because I have bad ventilation and it cuts down on the cooking fumes of the high heat fryingpan. The second batch I made, I sub’d out 1/4 cup of beets for carrot and leftover Chick Peas for Lentils (I used tahini for both as I didn’t have the recommended paste) — still very good.
Anybody that wants less beets, carrot worked really well to compliment the flavours without changing recipe ratio; however, the carrots need to be wrung out in paper towel to dry them out.
Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Waw! What an appetizing & amazingly tasty beetroot burger! The burger looks great! 🙂
Yummmmm,…& withthis tasty garlicky fries! ooh yes!
YES YES YES! A couple of months ago I made a beet burger recipe, and I whined to my folks afterwards that (despite it still being delicious), “If this were an Isa recipe, it wouldn’t fall apart when flipped!” I find it’s pretty rare to come across a VB recipe that isn’t so delicate you feel like you’re trying to flip a sleeping baby, but I always have enormous success with yours! I don’t make a habit of flipping sleeping babies, though…
These look amazing! I had a beet burger at Cheesecake Factory and it was nothing special. This one however, makes me drool! I am totally making these! I hope you survived the NE snow storm! No fun! Thanks for the recipe!
Excellent! Made last night and had a leftover one on my salad today with avocado. Yum!
Made these using sesame paste and they were outstanding!
The carni loved them and asked that these be made again, soon.
Yum! I love how beets make burgers look all meaty … but in a totally un-gross way.
W-O-W I made them tonight using thaini instead of almond butter, and I can’t stop eating them. The very perfect balance of sweetness, texture, and “weight”. They will become a staple! Thank you Isa!!!
I can’t wait to try these this weekend! Would canned lentils work or should i cook dried lentils?