These beet burgers are built from shredded raw beets, chickpeas, oats, and peanuts, baked in the oven until firm. They hold together well, taste earthy and a little sweet, and the deep red color makes them stand out on any plate. If you need a vegan option that can feed a group without falling apart on the grill pan, this is a solid choice.
What makes this version work
Two things keep these patties from turning into mush. First, the oats go through a food processor before anything else — coarsely ground oats absorb moisture from the beets far better than whole rolled oats, which means the mix binds without getting soggy. Second, the flaxseed-water mixture (sometimes called a flax egg) acts as the glue that holds everything together once it bakes. Give it a full minute to gel before you add it to the bowl — rushing that step is the most common reason these patties crack when you flip them. Both steps are quick, but skipping either one shows up in the finished burger.
About the ingredients
- Raw beets: Use raw, not pre-cooked or canned. Pre-cooked beets are too wet and will throw off the texture of the whole mix.
- Flaxseed: Ground flaxseed works here, not whole seeds. Whole seeds won’t hydrate properly and won’t bind.
- Peanuts: Chop them fairly fine — large chunks make the patties harder to press into a uniform shape and can cause cracking at the edges. Sunflower seeds are a good swap if you’re cooking for someone with a peanut allergy.
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are fine. Drain and rinse them well, then pat dry — excess liquid from the can will make the mix too loose.
- Lemon juice: Fresh-squeezed matters here. Bottled lemon juice is noticeably more bitter and will compete with the earthy beet flavor.
Mistakes to avoid
- Not squeezing the shredded beets: After grating, beets release a lot of liquid as they sit. Before mixing, grab a handful at a time and squeeze out the excess moisture over the sink. Skipping this is the single biggest reason patties won’t firm up in the oven.
- Making the patties too thick: Keep them to about three-quarters of an inch thick. Thicker patties don’t cook through evenly at 350°F in the allotted time — the outside firms up while the center stays soft and falls apart when you bite in.
- Skipping the parchment paper: These patties will stick to an unlined, ungreased pan and tear when you try to flip them. Parchment is the easiest fix — skip the egg in the mix, not the parchment.
- Overpulsing the chickpeas: A few pulses is all you need. If you blend them smooth, the patties lose the texture that makes them satisfying and become dense and pasty instead.
- Crowding the pan when scaling up: If you’re doubling or tripling the batch, use multiple sheet pans with space between each patty. Crowded patties steam instead of bake, and the edges never get that slight crust that helps them hold together.
The Best Vegan Beet Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cups beets shredded
- 1 cup parsley
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ cup peanuts chopped
- ¼ cup oats
- 2 cups chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
Instructions
- Peel and grate 2 cups of uncooked beets - your hands will turn bright red here!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Chop 1 cup of parsley and add to the bowl.
- Add the garlic, cumin, and dried dill.
- Process the oats in a food processor until they are coarsely ground. Add the chickpeas and pulse a few times until they are partially mashed (you still want to have a few whole ones left).
- Add the chickpea/oat mixture to the veggie mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed and water. Let sit for about one minute. Mix this into the bigger bowl.
- Add the oil and fresh-squeezed lemon juice to the big bowl. Stir until everything is fully combined and starting to stick together.
- Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet or grease it with olive oil.
- Form the burgers with your hands and place them on the cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for about 18 minutes on each side (flipping them over in between).
- When the burgers are done, serve them warm!
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these patties ahead of time for a cookout?
Yes — form the patties up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate them on a parchment-lined tray, covered loosely with plastic wrap. Chilling actually helps them hold their shape better when they hit the oven, so this is worth doing even if you’re not pressed for time.
Can I freeze these burgers?
Freeze them after baking, not before. Let the baked patties cool completely, then stack them with parchment between each one and seal in a freezer bag. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.
Can I cook these on a stovetop or grill instead of the oven?
A cast-iron skillet over medium heat works well — about 5 to 6 minutes per side until a firm crust forms. Avoid a standard outdoor grill grate; the patties are fragile enough that they can fall through or stick badly, even with oil.
How do I keep my hands from staining red while forming the patties?
Wear disposable gloves — beet juice stains skin and is stubborn to wash off. If you don’t have gloves, coat your hands lightly with olive oil before shaping; it won’t stop all staining but makes cleanup much easier.
The mix feels too wet to shape. What do I do?
Add a tablespoon of oats at a time and mix until the texture firms up enough to hold a shape without sticking to your hands. The most likely cause is beets that weren’t squeezed dry enough before mixing.
How do I scale this up for a large group without things going wrong?
Mix in batches of the original recipe size rather than one giant bowl — the flaxseed binder distributes more evenly that way. Bake all the pans at once if your oven fits them, rotating the pans halfway through so everything cooks evenly.
More burger recipes to try
- Veggie Sauce Burger Perfection
- Five Guys Veggie Sandwich Style
- Chef’s McPlant Burger Recreation
- Veggie Whopper Copycat Recipe