Vegan Beet Veggie Burgers Made with Aquafaba!
One of the biggest challenges that I’ve had with making vegan veggie burgers from scratch has been getting them to hold together. If you’ve made them you know what I mean. Flax “eggs” work okay, but they don’t really bind as well as real eggs. You have to be extra careful when flipping them so they don’t crack in half and crumble, and grilling can be difficult. Until now.
The other day I was in the mood for a veggie burger made with leftover beets from the night before. I wanted to add protein so I included a can of chickpeas. As I was draining the brine, aka aquafaba, it occurred to me that I should try and use it as the binder for my burgers. I’m so happy that I did because I finally mastered a veggie burger that sticks together as well as the ones that I used to make with eggs.
Aquafaba is really cool. I don’t understand the chemistry of the stuff, but I’ve read that it’s similar to egg whites, that’s why you can whip it into meringue, like this.
Magic, right?
The minute I added it to the beet burger mixture I knew that I had finally uncovered the holy grail of making veggie burgers that will survive grilling. You don’t have to handle these burgers with care, they’re staying together until you sink your teeth into them.
Just look at the texture of this delicious vegan beet burger.
It was juicy, and chewy, and spicy. So delicious and satisfying.
My husband was actually a bit freaked out by the color and texture because it reminded him of a beef patty. You could serve this to your omnivore friends and they wouldn’t miss the meat. What a great way to prove to them that they can give up eating animals and still eat a thick and juicy burger.
How to Make a Vegan Veggie Burger with Beets and Chickpeas
All you’ll need to make these beautiful and healthy patties is a food processor
and the following ingredients:
Whole oats
Breadcrumbs – gluten-free if desired
Roasted Beets
Chickpeas
Aquafaba
Salt and Pepper if desired
This is as simple as it gets. Grind the oats in the processor until it looks like course flour, then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until it forms a stiff ball. Roll the batter into patties and pan fry or grill them. You’ll want to brush them with a bit of oil to prevent them from sticking.
Vegan Beet Burgers that Won't Fall Apart on the Grill
Ingredients
- 1 cup of whole oats ground into a course flour
- 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs – gluten-free is desired
- 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained and rinsed– reserve the bean juice aquafaba
- 2 medium roasted beets
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning – use as much or little as you like. It’s spicy.
- 1/3 cup of aquafaba
- Ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grind the oats into a course flour in the food processor. Add the breadcrumbs, chickpeas, beets, Cajun seasoning, aquafaba, and salt and pepper to the processor and pulse until the ingredients form a stiff ball.
- Carefully remove the blade from the bowl and form the mixture into patties. I made five large patties, you can make them smaller or larger if you like.
- Heat them all the way through (approximately 8 minutes) on a skillet or on the grill on medium heat, flipping every two minutes. Brush them with a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking. Don’t overcook or they’ll dry out.
- You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for one month.
- Enjoy!
Strength and Sunshine says
Ahhhh, yea! I love using aquafaba in my bean burgers (it does work well!)
Hahahaha, so with these burgers you only have one option...rare...;) #beetlove Unless that is...I whip out my golden or white beets!
Linda Meyer says
Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe how well they held together. So exciting! Yep, rare isn't a problem with these. 😉
Becky says
These look so amazing! Love that beautiful beety color. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Becky!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
These sound delicious even if they're a little freaky looking. 🙂 Thanks, can't wait to try this with aquafaba.
Linda Meyer says
LOL! I know, they kind of freaked me out too, but trust me, they're really good. 🙂
Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says
Omg the beet makes them look like such realistic "burgers"!! I have to try these- can't wait to see how well they stay together 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Zena! Isn't it crazy? These are so much better for so many reasons. 🙂 Let me know what you think once you try them.
Natalie says
Yes the crumbly burger situation, I've been there. One minute you are eating a burger, the next it's just rice and beans on a bun haha! But these look awesome, aquafaba is such a great idea! I don't understand it either, but it can do anything it seems! So many veggie burgers have an ingredient list a mile long, so I love that these are just simple too 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hahaha! That's the best description of a crumbling veggie burger. I'm going to make my black bean quinoa burgers with aquafaba. They don't turn into rice and beans on a bun, but I do have to be careful flipping them so they don't crack. Thanks, Natalie!
alisamarie says
I've been using the aquafaba in bean burgers, too, and it really seems to help. Love the beet vibe with these - such a cool color.
Linda Meyer says
I don't know why it didn't connect sooner. It's the best binder. Thanks, Alisa!
Aimée / Wallflower Girl says
Is there anything aquafaba can't do!? I never thought to use it in burgers but love that idea! They look amazing 🙂
Linda Meyer says
I know, it's crazy amazing stuff! Thanks, Aimee. 🙂
Evi @ greenevi says
I am freaking out now too, this looks so much like beef burger!
Such an amazing recipe! I have never used aquafaba in savoury recipes before, but it seems to be an amazing binder. Definitely going to try it. Since it’s warmer here nowadays we are grilling every weekend, this burger is going to be my next experiment 😉
Linda Meyer says
Hahaha! I know, it's kind of scary how much it looks like a beef burger. Please let me know what you think, Evi!
Jenn says
These look incredible, Linda! At first glance, they totally look like a beef burger. But I know these will taste so much better!! Bring on the summer BBQs!!
Linda Meyer says
Haha! Thanks, Jenn. I hope I didn't scare off any of my readers with this burger. Yes, it tastes so much better than what I remember a beef burger tasting like. It's been almost thirty years since I've eaten beef or pork so thankfully I don't have much of a memory of eating mammals.
The Vegan 8 says
Wow, Linda this straight up looks like red meat, haha! I had to do a double take! I love aquafaba too and am using it in my spaghetti meatball recipe. It's my first time using it in savory but I've baked with it many times. It's such awesome stuff!
Linda Meyer says
It's crazy, right?! Same for me, I've used it in sweets, and this was the first time in a savory recipe. I absolutely love AF!
Ruby says
It really looks easy. What type of bread is used?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Ruby, if you're talking about the breadcrumbs you can use any gluten-free or conventional brand you like. The same goes for the bun. Let me know what you think. 🙂
Ruby says
I wasn't sure about the buns. Thanks.
Linda Meyer says
You're welcome, Ruby. 🙂
deryn @ running on real food says
Yum! This looks like a great way to try using aquafaba for the first time!
Linda Meyer says
Yes, this is definitely a great way to try it for the first time. Please let me know what you think. 🙂
linda says
What is Aqafaba
Linda Meyer says
Hi Linda, It's the bean juice in a can of chickpeas, or any type of canned bean.
Lamar says
did you whip the garbanzo bean juice to make the aquafaba before adding it to the burger mixture, or did you just ad the liquid straight from the can?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Lamar! No need to whip the aqaufaba. It's only acting as a binding agent. 🙂
hamza sheraz says
These look so first rate! Love that stunning beety colour. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! They're really good. 🙂
GMD says
Do think canned beets would work?
Roasted beets are wonderful but if canned beets worked ............
We would definitely have veggie burger nite more often!!!
Linda Meyer says
Hi! We haven't tried using canned beets. As long as they don't have too much water in them I would think that they'd be fine. If the mixture is too wet, just add more of the dry ingredients. Let us know how they turn out. 🙂
Sab says
Hello!!!
I was looking for a no-frills beet burger recipe and this one was amazing!!!
To update on the canned beets results (saw someone ask about that), YES, they do have a lot more moisture. I compensated by adding an additional ½c of breadcrumbs.
Also, I don't have a good processor, so I put all of the wet ingredients into my nutribullet Rx and I created a beautiful, pink smoothie which I then incorporated into my dry ingredients using the paddle attachment in my mixer.
I threw in a small can of shitakes and a couple tablespoons of hemp hearts for added texture.
I definitely want to try fresh beets next time. I LOVE beets, but the canned ones seem to add more color than anything. In a pinch, canned is fast and it works, but they're no substitute for fresh/roasted ones.
This is now a staple and I can't wait to play around with it! I'm thinking of trying black beans instead of chickpeas next time. What do you think?
Thanks for this amazing recipe!!! Yay!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Sab! Thank you so much for letting us know how much you enjoyed the burger. We really appreciate that you took the time to let us know how canned beets turned out in this recipe. Black beans should work great, and we love the idea of adding hemp hearts and shiitake mushrooms. YUM!
DXX says
Hello! I'm anxious to try this recipe, but why do you say to rinse the chickpeas and reserve the liquid if we're going to process everything together anyway? Can't I just dump in the chickpeas with the liquid all at once? Thank you.
Linda Meyer says
Hi! We don't recommend that because there could be more than 1/3 of a cup of bean juice in the can, which would result in a wet batter. You can skip the rinsing, just add the bean juice slowly so you don't add too much of the juice. Enjoy!
Suzy says
It didn't fall apart. That much I can say. But the flavor just wasn't there and the texturewas still off. Mine came out a bit mushy inside. I put lettuce and tomato on top, and should have added a thin slice of vidalia onion. I also brushed lightly with Kitchen Bouquet, which made them brown on the outside and look a bit more "burger-y," but overall, we were left with a "meh" feeling about them. I'm sorry.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Suzy, we're sorry you didn't enjoy the flavor. Did you taste the mixture before grilling? We advice using one to two tsp of cajun seasoning so you can adjust the flavor to suit your taste. We love spicy food and our spice mixture is really spicy, so we add two heaping teaspoons. We also add a lot of salt and pepper. If you make them again we suggest tasting and adjusting the spices before grilling. In regards to the texture, we've yet to have a veggie burger that was perfectly firm inside, besides the Beyond Meat burgers, which are highly processed. We did our best to make these as firm as possible considering the main ingredient was made with beets. Thanks for your comment, we hope you give them another try.
Sabino says
Dear Linda & Alex –
Thanks and compliments on this article.
I came across you site and the page on Beet Burgers during some online searching & reading for solutions to the “crumbling burger dilemma”. I read about other solutions for binders (egg white substitute, corn starch, flaxseed, more bread crumbs, etc) but I am most enthusiastic about the solution you shared. Plus, aquafaba seems a versatile solution for a number of other uses. Have not tried it yet, but wanted to pose a couple of questions, if you don’t mind taking time to help me.
…
I have a beet burger recipe that I **really** like.
Except for the issue of brittleness and crumbling, it has good texture and "mouth feel" AND a great, very bright, fresh flavor.
There is a good deal of overlap of ingredients in our recipes, but ... some marked differences too.
I use cooked bulgur, shredded *raw* beets and panko. I also use some walnuts and fresh basil,
In contrast, your recipe uses whole oats, roasted beets and bread crumbs.
Also, I pulse the mixture to "finely chopped", whereas you process to “form a stiff ball” so our starting textures are likely different.
…
Questions & Comments
By “whole oats” are you referring to groats or whole rolled oats ?
What bread crumbs have you used -and- how fine is the crumb ?
What differences do you think using panko makes ?
Would welcome your thoughts and ideas.
Thank you.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Sabino! Thank you for your great questions. We're happy to answer them for you. We use rolled oats and plain regular breadcrumbs. Panko would work quiet well, too.
We love the idea of using shredded beets, like you do. We'll definitely try that. We also love that you add fresh basil, we're always excited about using fresh herbs to cook. Thanks for the great ideas!
Susie says
I am making these today. I live alone. Should I Cook ahead before freezing or freeze than cook from frozen?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Susie, you can make the patties and freeze the extra before cooking. Thaw them in the refrigerator and cook. Enjoy and stay well!