Every now and again you lovely readers send me emails with recipe requests.
One such request came recently from a mother hoping to recreate the veggie beet burger a local restaurant serves that her daughter just happens to love. All other searches for “beet black bean burger” left her a little overwhelmed at the extensive ingredient lists and time commitments.
Minimalist Baker to the rescue.
This recipe is easy to master, nutritious, flavorful, and most importantly, simple. Just 10 ingredients and roughly 1 hour required (less depending on cooking method). Plus, it’s loaded with nutrient-rich foods like raw walnuts, black beans, quinoa, and raw beets.
These burgers are loosely inspired by the beet-quinoa burgers served seasonally at LT Burger in Sag Harbor, New York. Of course, I haven’t tried them myself, but the reader who emailed just raved about it. And if her daughter who thinks most veggie burgers are “weird” loved this one, there must be something special about it.
After scanning their menu I seriously wanted to visit the area just to sample LT’s menu. But for now, recreating their recipes from afar will have to do.
I was quite pleased with how these little guys turned out. They’re
Hearty
Smoky
Flavorful
Tender and moist on the inside
Perfectly crisp on the outside
Not at all mushy
Simple
Savory
& Perfect for satisfying killer burger cravings
Another thing I love about them is that the raw beets give them a deep magenta hue that makes them irresistibly beautiful. Even veggie burger skeptics are sure to fall in love.
If you give these burgers a try, let us know! Leave a comment below, or tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see how yours turned out. We love seeing your photos – it always makes our day. Cheers!
Smoky Black Bean Beet Burgers
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 large red onion (finely diced // 1/2 onion yields ~3/4 cup)
- 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms (shitake, baby bella, or white button)
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
- 1 15-ounce can black beans (well rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup finely grated raw beet
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (or sub extra cumin)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- ~1/2 cup raw walnuts (crushed or ground into a loose meal)
Instructions
- If you do not already have cooked quinoa, prepare it at this time. 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa will yield ~3/4 cup cooked.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add some nonstick spray or a bit of olive oil. Once hot add the onion and sauté, seasoning with a pinch each salt and pepper.
- When the onions are soft – about 5 minutes – turn up the heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms and onions are slightly browned and fragrant – about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add black beans and mash. You’re looking for a rough mash, so you can leave a bit of texture if you want.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the quinoa, beets, spices and stir. For even more flavor, add a shake of vegan worcestershire or A-1 sauce (optional). Taste and adjust, adding more salt for overall flavor (we added another 1/4 tsp).
- Lastly, add the walnut meal a little at a time until the mixture is able enough to form into patties. Set in the fridge to chill while your oven preheats to 375 degrees F (190 C) (skip this step if cooking on the stovetop – see notes).
- Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or olive oil. Form mixture into roughly 1/3-cup sized patties (8-9 patties // adjust if altering batch size). I use a peanut butter jar lid lined with plastic wrap to get the perfect shape (a tip I learned from Iowa Girl Eats). You can also just take handfuls and mash them into loose patties.
- Arrange burgers on a baking sheet and brush or spray the tops with olive oil. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for a total of 30-45 minutes, gently flipping after 25-30 minutes. Cook longer to dry them out even more and achieve more crisp, but it’s not necessary.
- Serve on small buns or atop mixed greens with desired toppings. See notes for freezing instructions.
Notes
*Prep time does not include cooking quinoa. You can use leftover quinoa.
*For a quicker cook time, form into slightly thinner patties and brown in a skillet over medium heat lightly coated with olive, avocado or coconut oil. Cook until brown on both sides – 3-4 minutes each. NOTE: This method doesn’t get them as well done in the middle, but the crust is more pronounced.
* FREEZING: If you don’t want to cook the whole batch at once, form into 10 patties, par-bake them at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 15-20 minutes. Then cool and stack between layers of parchment paper and cover. Freeze for up to a few weeks. To cook, place on baking sheet still frozen and bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) until desired texture/color is reached – roughly 25-35 minutes.
*If they are falling apart when flipping, that likely means they were formed too large or flipped too early. If that happens with one burger, cook longer before flipping the rest.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Amanda says
I have a very similar recipe that I make frequently but it includes an egg. Despite the egg, my burgers often fall apart. What makes your burger stick together?
Hi Amanda, it’s hard to say without seeing the other recipe! It could be the quantities of ingredients (wet vs. dry). These ones are a little tender, but we find they hold together well as long as they aren’t formed too large or flipped too early. Perhaps the others do hold together better though?
Sarah says
Can the mixture be stored in the fridge overnight and formed into patties/cooked the next day?
Hi Sarah, Yes, that should work beautifully! Cover well to prevent the mixture from drying out. Hope that helps!
Ann Sherba says
I have made these quite a few times!! They have always turned out great. Sometimes I don’t have everything, ex, quinoa or lentils, but regardless they still taste awesome!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Ann. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Luca says
This recipe sounds absolutely delish. Can I used cooked beets vs raw?
Hi Luca, we haven’t tried it with cooked beets, but it might work? It probably won’t have quite the same texture, but you could try shredding it. Let us know if you try it!
Carmen says
Hey! it is possible to freeze them? thanks!! :)
Yes! See the notes section below the recipe for details.
Laurel says
These came out great, prepared exactly as the recipe instructs. I liked them a lot but my husband doesn’t like any hint of sweetness in something he thinks is supposed to be savory, and the beets did give them a slightly sweet flavor. I will definitely make them again but will try to make them have a stronger savory flavor, maybe by adding fresh garlic?
Garlic powder or onion powder should work here! We’re so glad you enjoy them. xo
Alisha says
Is there something that I can substitute for the mushrooms? I’ve tried but I just can’t eat them.
Thank you 😊
Hi Alisha, you could try subbing additional walnuts, onions, and beets for the mushrooms. Hope that helps!
Paul says
Anyone try the on the BBQ?
Miranda says
Fantastic recipe. Quite possibly the best veggie burger I have made or had! Thank you! I stuck pretty close to the recipe, with the slight modifications of skipping the cumin (w compensating increase in chili powder), and adding the generous dash of A1 for extra flavor. Noting here that the smoked paprika (I used amt listed) is what makes this. Absolutely will make again (and again and again). I served mine bun-less in lettuce wraps, topped w vegan mayo, mustard and onion rings. The smokiness reminds me of chargrilled burgers from my meatist days, but now vegan and super satisfying. Bravo!
Whoop! We’re honored it’s at the top of your list, Miranda. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Diana says
The burgers had a a nice flavor..heavy on the beet side and I used a good splash of worcheshire and added a dash of garlic salt and only used 1/2 tsp cumin. I added a 1/4 cup pureed ooked sweet potato which cut the beet flavor or I think it really would’ve been beety. I’d recommend using the directions on pkg for quinoa…1/4 didn’t make 3/4 here.. it was 1/4 c.short. I served with jack cheese melted on top, stone ground mustard and mayo on bun w sliced tomato. I tried a bite w homemade bbq sauce and it didn’t complement the burger flavor at all. Overall..I felt it was a lot of prep work for the outcome. I probably wont make it again for that reason alone. It was far from a meaty tasting burger and the consistency was not very solid…I’d use bulgar or oats or something to give it more stability. Thank you for sharing but for us..the search for the best veggie burger goes on.
Sorry they weren’t quite what you were hoping for, Diana! We do have several other veggie burger recipes that might be closer to what you’re looking for.
SUSAN says
I am looking for some meatless meals as I am noticing a lot of discomfort when I have beef. I will try this recipe tomorrow and post. Thank you to all who commented on this recipe.
We hope you love it, Susan!
Jill Stride says
Such tasty burgers my husband is converted he absolutely loves them ! We seldom have meat burgers at home now only occasionally if we go out, I have cooked them for veggi friends and they loved them .
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jill. We are so glad everyone you’ve made them for has enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Heather says
Would these work with vacuum packed steamed beets instead of raw?
Hi Heather, we haven’t tried it, but it might work!
mike says
remade these today with 1tsp of each: cayenne/chili and coriander (wild guess)
;refrigerated for an hour
,used a bit more pressure on the patty forming (more mass of ingredients under same size lid)
,skipped the oil and put them in an oven air fryer w/ grill.
They held together well uncooked and cooked.
The beet flavor was very obvious
Probably a new go to (with regular variations) to serve over rice, with potatoes or as a hamburger.
Thank you for encouraging recipe!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Mike!
Chloe says
Question: do you have any suggestions for substitutions of the walnut meal? I find recently I have been getting horrible cramping from tree nuts, but this recipe looks perfect otherwise!
Hi Chloe, we’d suggest raw shelled sunflower seeds or a lesser amount of breadcrumbs. Hope that helps!
Diana says
When I read a lesser amount of bread crumbs I thought..dud I miss that ingredient? I went back and didn’t see it in your ingredient list?
Sorry for the confusion, Diana! What we mean is if subbing breadcrumbs instead of walnuts, use less breadcrumbs than you would walnuts because they’re more absorbent.
mike says
This was my first go at making a vegi burger and I am not trying to make something that tastes like meat, I prefer the bean/beet.
I substituted the Chili powder for cumin but that was a mistake.
Next time I add Chili or another spice mix.
The lid trick for forming patties is brilliant.
I air fried the 8 patties all at once and the texture was great.
Thanks for the great review, Mike! Glad you enjoyed!
Jessica says
This is the best veggie burger I’ve ever had! Topped it with some greens, red onion, spicy brown mustard, Gouda cheese, and truffle oil hot sauce. Incredible!
Those toppings sound delicious, Jessica! Thank you for sharing! xo
Mario S says
I made a batch of these for a vegetarian friend of ours at our BBQ. She loved them but the rest went as quickly with the meat eaters enjoying them as well. They were superb made as per recipe as long as they are chilled for long enough before cooking
Woohoo! So glad you all enjoyed. Thanks for the great review, Mario!
Betty says
Hi due to the cost of food I’m looking for a substitute for the quinoa. What do you suggest? Thanks
Hi Betty, we’d suggest brown rice. Hope that helps!
Brielle says
Looking forward to making this because I too am OBSESSED with the veggie burger from LT burger!
Hope you enjoy Brielle!
Kate says
Any ideas on what I could sub for the mushrooms?
Hi Kate! We would sub additional walnuts, onions, and beets for the mushrooms. Hope that helps! If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes.
Alex says
Hands down best veggie burgers.
I have made these multiple times now and they turn out absolutely amazing everytime. They freeze really well so I can prepare them ahead of time for an easy meal.
Woohoo! So glad you enjoy this recipe, Alex. Thanks so much for the great review!
Steve says
Hi, I must say I followed the recipe exactly and don’t understand how so many people broke them! They were easy to flip and very tasty. I didn’t have my food processor available and it only took an hour of prep. Not a vegan myself but would make again because of the good taste. You must be lightweights if you thought this was too much work. My guests were impressed also.
Yay! So glad this recipe was a success for you, Steve. Thanks so much for the great review!
STEPHANIE DIAZ says
Can I omit the walnuts? Or use roasted salted ones( I already have in my pantry)
Hi Stephanie, that should be okay! Or you could sub raw almonds or pecans. Hope that helps!
Valerie says
These burgers are amazing. I made them almost per the recipe but substituted ground up sunflower seeds for the walnuts as I am sensitive to nuts. I also added some cayenne for a bit of a kick and was generous with the cumin as I love the warmth it brings to food like this. After forming the burger patties i chilled them for a good hour in the fridge before baking. They were loose-ish before I put them in the fridge but were much firmer after being chilled so I recommend not skipping that step for those who have trouble with them falling apart. I was able to flip them halfway through baking without a problem and they stayed together when plating. I served them on a bed of baked sweet plantain instead of a burger bun, topped with some guac and and they were fantastic.
Yum, love that serving idea! Thank you for sharing your experience, Valerie! xo
Stacie says
Oh yeah. I have have a vegan guest visiting so, as a fish and feather eater, I was gathering some vegan recipes. I happen to have some cooked black beans, black quinoa, and roasted beets in the freezer and it came together beautifully in these delicious burgers. Even my beef burger loving husband chowed down on these. I did, however, fail to mention anything about beets.
We’re so glad to hear it, Stacie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo