Smoky Plant-Based Shredded Beet Burgers
These smoky vegan beet burgers are un-beetable! With a hearty plant-based base of brown rice and black beans, they pack big flavor. Make a batch for a satisfying healthy dinner.
This recipe came as a request from one of my readers. She was missing the smoky beet burger of her local restaurant, LeRoy Illinois Old Bank. She sent me the ingredient list…and I was off to the testing kitchen.
What resulted was this satisfying, plant-based burger. I love how the mushrooms and onions give hearty, umami flavor. The black beans and rice add protein. Plus, the shredded red beets look so pretty in the final burgers. I’m excited to add this recipe to my summer cooking list. These are simply un-beetable!
Nutrition Benefits of Beets
Beets are well-known to be a source of healthy nutrition. Beets can help lower blood pressure and disrupt the development of cancer cells. They’ve been linked with lower one’s risk of type-2 Diabetes and improving heart health. In fact, some athletes profess that beetroot juice helps improve oxygen circulation.
A Satisfying, Plant-Based Vegan Burger Recipe
You’ll love this plant-based beet burger recipe. It is:
- Full of smoky flavor
- Satisfying and Hearty
- Travel-Friendly
- Freezer-Friendly
- Perfect for Batch Cooking
Get more Veggie Burger Recipes at: Collection of the Best Veggie Burger Recipes
Get more Veggie Burger Toppings and Sauces at: The Best Collection of Veggie Burger Toppings and Sauces
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips for Smoky Un-Beetable Beet and Black Bean Burgers:
Veggie Burger Tricks: There are three tricks to making sure your veggie burger can hold up on a grill: Make sure your burger “base” is very dry. Puree the base completely smooth – crumbly burgers tend to fall apart. Freeze the burger patties for at least 30 minutes before throwing on the grill. This will help them hold.
No Food Processor? This recipe calls for a food processor to mash the burger mixture. However, if you don’t have one, you can also use an immersion blender. You can even use your hands to mash. But, try to get a relatively smooth mixture. This will help the burgers hold together.
Frozen Brown Rice: To save a step in cooking the brown rice, use frozen. You can find pre-cooked brown rice in the freezer section of most groceries. Try to find one without any extra added ingredients (like oil or salt).
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire is a dark brown sauce full of rich, umami flavors. It is usually made with anchovies, but you can find plant-based vegan Worcestershire sauce that doesn’t have this. It’s a great ingredient to keep in the pantry. A little goes a long way. Add a teaspoon to veggie burgers, BBQ sauce, stews, or marinades.
Smoky Flavor: Smoked paprika offers delicious smoky-sweet flavor, reminiscent of bacon. I call it my “vegan secret weapon” because it can really help you adjust to eating more plants. I use it on roasted potatoes, grilled corn, and potato leek soup.
Smoked Salt: Smoked salt is made by smoking sea salt. This is something I like to keep in my pantry to add smoky flavor to recipes. You can sprinkle it over grilled vegetables, baked potatoes, or sweet potato fries. A little goes a long way. It can really help for those just starting a more plant-based diet.
Cremini mushrooms add hearty, umami flavor to this plant-based recipe 
Saute the mushrooms and onion without any oil. 
Smoked paprika adds smoky, sweet flavor to this plant-based recipe. Some call it “vegan bacon flavor” 
Vegan worcestershire sauce is a secret ingredient for adding deep, umami flavor 
Cook the mushrooms and onion until golden brown on the edges. This gives you deeper, more intense flavor
Freezer-Friendly Veggie Burgers: Make a double-batch of these burgers. After baking them in the oven, store extra burgers in an airtight container (or wrap in foil) in your freezer. When you’re hungry, pop right into a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes, until warm in the center.
Oil-Free: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. Using a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper makes it easy to bake without using oil. This makes a healthy, fat-free, low-calorie recipe.
Make them Sliders: These veggie burgers also make delicious sliders. Portion about ¼ cup of the veggie burger mix per slider. Reduce your cooking time to 30 minutes, flipping after the first 15 minutes. Serve them in lettuce cups, on slider buns, or in whole wheat pita pockets. They also make a great finger-food appetizer!
You can easily grate the beets on a box grater. Use extras for salads, slaw, or filling wraps 
Beets are heart-healthy and have naturally sweet flavor. 
This veggie mixture combines beets, brown rice, black beans, mushrooms, and onion 
You’ll love the gorgeous red color of these beet burgers 
Use a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper for baking the veggie burgers
Watch this Video to Learn More:
Smoky Un-Beetable Beet and Black Bean Burgers
Smoky Un-Beetable Beet and Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms roughly chopped
- 1 15- ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup cooked brown rice
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire
- 1 ½ cup grated raw beet about 1 large or 2 medium beets
- Whole Grain Buns Lettuce, Tomato (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
To make the Smoky Un-Beetable Beet and Black Bean Burgers:
- In a medium saute pan, saute the red onion and mushrooms and brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning. If the mixture starts to burn, add a little bit of water and lower the heat.
- Transfer the mushroom onion mixture to a food processor. Add the black beans, rice, chile powder, smoked paprika, smoked salt, and vegan Worcestershire. Puree until quite smooth. It’s okay to have a few chunks of mushrooms and rice, but you want the mixture to stick together. Remove the blade from the food processor. Add the grated beets. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To shape and cook the Smoky Un-Beetable Beet and Black Bean Burgers:
- Divide the beet mixture into 4 equal portions. Scoop out one of the four portions and shape into a burger. Your hands are going to be the best tool to do this. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Place the burgers in the oven and bake until crisp around the edges, 45-50 minutes. Flip over about 25 minutes into the baking.
- Remove from the oven. Assemble burgers with buns, lettuce, tomato. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Facts
- Nutrition does not include buns or toppings
- Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (1 burger).
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 195 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 1 g | 1 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 360 mg | 15 % |
| Potassium 704 mg | 20 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 35 g | 12 % |
| Dietary Fiber 7 g | 27 % |
| Sugars 5 g | |
| Protein 10 g | 21 % |
| Vitamin A | 6 % |
| Vitamin C | 14 % |
| Calcium | 8 % |
| Iron | 13 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- THE WIZARDS SAUCES Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
- Badia Smoked Paprika
- Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt 5 oz. Pouch – San Francisco Salt Company
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