Vegan burgers, where do you stand on those? At some point I concluded that the plethora of plant-based burgers in shops is so staggering that there is little point in me coming up with a recipe as no one will bother to make them. Since then my opinion has changed…I developed a taste for a vegan burger recipe that only features wholefood ingredients and is easy to make and these vegan beet burger recipe ticks both of these boxes…
While I am a firm believer in wholefood plant based diet approach 90% of the time, I don’t have anything against shop-bought plant-based burgers, sausages, meats now and then, I use them to add variety and excitement to my meals. Through a bit of a trial and error, I found a few products I enjoy and so we have them on a regular basis, once or twice a week I would say. I sometimes add soy-based vegan chicken to my lunches or plant-based chorizo to some of my meals, but I have not had as much luck in finding a vegan burger I truly enjoy. I did try BeyondMeat burger and while the taste blew my mind and I kept on checking with the waiter (I had it at a restaurant) that it definitely isn’t beef, I disliked its funny aftertaste and it didn’t feel so great on my stomach afterwards. It’s something I could maybe have once a year, tops! This beet burger isn’t an attempt to reinvent BeyondMeat patties with wholesome ingredients and without any of their clever food chemistry – as I don’t think that’s possible, but to offer and easy and healthy plant-based burger alterantive. For me personally, the burger eating experience is so much more than the patty itself, it’s greater than a sum of its parts. It’s almost as much about the quality of the bread, the selection of condiments, the freshness and intentionality of the remaining ingredients: crispy lettuce providing freshness, pickles adding a pleasant crunch and tang, etc. I hope you’ll be tempted to give these burgers a go! They are easy and cheap (that’s another thing about plant based meat substitues – since, unlike meat, they are not subsidised by governments, they tend to be quite expensive) to make. I use minimal oil (about 1-2 tsp per burger) as I bake them in the oven and they contain only plant based wholefoods. I personally prefer making these with uncooked, soaked chickpeas – they make for a moistier patty, but I also tested them with tinned chickpeas and they are still quite good if dry chickpeas is not something you have at home. I hope you’ll enjoy these healthy vegan beet burger buns as much as we have.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
CHICKPEAS: Chickpeas are one of the main builiding blocks of this simple vegan beet burger. I used dry, soaked overnight, chickpeas to give it the desired texture, but I also tested a version made with cooked (tinned) chickpeas and it works well enough too. I personally prefer the former and the interior is moist while the outside has a firm skin that is ever so slightly crispy. BEETROOT: The other building block of this simple burger is, of course, beetroot. I used shop-bought vacuum packed beetroot, which is a staple of UK supermakets’ shelves – pretty much every large supermarket has its own brand of this product. Be sure to purchase one preserved in natural juices as opposed to the one in vinegar. While I haven’t tested these with raw beetroot, this recipe is based on my previous recipe for beetroot falafels and I used raw beets there with great success. Use the same amount of raw beetroot per weight (250 g / 8.8 oz). ONION, GARLIC: These two aromatics add flavour to the burger. You can either pan-fry them in little oil to mellow their flavour before adding to the burger mixture or you can simply add raw onion and garlic and a tablespoon of oil directly to the burger mixture instead. The latter is less time consuming, but it does contribute a harsher onion & garlic taste so I recommend using only one clove of garlic and maybe one eigth of an onion. Oil helps to keep the burger moist inside. PSYLLIUM HUSKS / GROUND FLAX: Psyllium husks or ground flax are used to keep the burgers whole. Psyllium is more potent and therefore works better, but ground flax works well enough too. I tested pysllium husks as I ran out of powder, so if you were to use psyllium husk powder, use only about half a tablespoon as it’s even more potent than whole husks. HARISSA PASTE: Harissa paste is used for flavour and it adds a bit of a kick too. If you don’t have it, use some chilli sauce (like Sriracha) and a bit of ground cumin and coriander istead. BAKING POWDER: A small amount of baking power is added to the mixture to stop these burgers from getting dense and to help raw chickpeas cook in the oven. HERBS: I added a handful of fresh herbs for flavour. I opted for a mixture of parsley and coriander, but either of them on their own will work well too. BALSAMIC: A dash of balsamic gives a bit of acidity and some umami. You can also use lemon juice instead. RICE FLOUR: A small amount of rice flour is used to make these burgers hold together and to help with shaping. Don’t be tempted to add any more flour – the mixture is designed to be as wet as possible so that it doesn’t dry out too much in the oven. I haven’t tested any other flours but I am pretty sure they will work just as well. SESAME SEEDS: Sesame seeds are optional. I used them to coat the patties to make them look pretty. OLIVE OIL: I small amount of olive oil is used to keep these patties from drying out too much and to enable them to crisp up a little in the oven. I haven’t tried making these oil-free and I worry that it will render them really dry and unpleasant to eat.
burger buns, shop-bought or homemade* ripe avocado, sliced little gem lettuce favourite pickles, I used dill pickled cucumbers favourite condiments: vegan mayo, chilli jam / chilli sauce
*CHICKPEAS: You could make these burgers with soaked dry chickpeas or cooked chickpeas. I recommend the former as I prefer their texture but the tinned chickpea option is also possible. *HARISSA PASTE: You can use 1 tsp of any chilli sauce, 1 heaped tsp of cumin and coriander instead. *BUNS: I made my burger buns by simplifying my vegan brioche buns recipe. I used 1 tbsp of sugar (you can skip it completely) and only 1 tbsp of olive oil instead of vegan butter. I kneaded them briefly in the evening and let them proof in the fridge overnight. Next morning, I shaped the buns, let them raise again and baked in a 190° C / 375° F oven for 23 minutes.
