These easy Vegan Beet Burgers with Brown Rice and Chickpeas are sweet, earthy, and flavorful. They’re great for a weeknight dinner with fries and perfect for a summer BBQ.
*This post was originally published on Aug. 24, 2014. I’ve updated and republished it here with new photos and text. The recipe is the same as the original but is not served with tahini sauce or crispy kale.
Summer isn’t officially here yet, but we’ve been having perfect weather lately, and it’s time to start planning those BBQs and outdoor parties. These Vegan Beet Burgers are healthy, flavorful, and colorful!
I like to roast my beets for these burgers because roasting adds much more flavor than raw beets offer.
Vegan Beet Burger Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beets – I recommend using fresh beets for this recipe. I’ve tried it using packaged, cooked beets and their texture didn’t work well and added more moisture than needed to this beet burger recipe. I’ve seen beet burgers made with raw beets, but for this recipe, I like to roast them for the added flavor and nice texture.
- Chickpeas – I use one can of cooked, rinsed chickpeas. If you don’t have chickpeas, white beans can be substituted.
- Brown Rice – I like to use brown rice for these burgers because it holds the burgers together and adds some bulk. I have not tried the recipe using white rice or quinoa, but both should work well.
- Fresh Herbs – I added fresh thyme and parsley to these beet burgers. Thyme complements the earthy flavor of the beets, and parsley is an affordable herb that adds freshness. You can also add fresh or dried rosemary if you like.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Balsamic vinegar and beets go together so well! Balsamic adds some acid and complements the sweetness of the beets. I add just one Tablespoon, but it helps make these vegan beet burgers amazing!
- Garlic – I love garlic, so I added about three cloves. You can use as much garlic as you life. Garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic if desired. I suggest about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon granulated garlic.
- Salt and Pepper – I season both the roasted beets and the beet burger with salt and pepper to taste.
- Olive Oil – I used olive oil to roast the beets and cook the beet burgers. You can use your preferred oil.
- Hamburger Buns – Use whatever kind of hamburger buns you prefer; bread would work, too. If you’re doing low carb, you could also go bunless and make a veggie burger bowl with these.
- Burger Toppings – You can use any toppings you like for these beet burgers. A few that I recommend are lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard, tahini sauce, goat cheese, etc.
How To Make Easy Vegan Beet Burgers with Brown Rice and Chickpeas
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash, peel, and dice your beets into bite-sized pieces. Add diced beets to a large sheet pan, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast beets for about 40-45 minutes until they are cooked through and fork tender. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
- In a food processor, add the chickpeas, brown rice, thyme, parsley, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper.Pulse a couple of times to start breaking up the ingredients. Then, add the roasted beets and lightly pulse until the burger mixture has come together, but you can still see a couple of chunks of the rice. You don’t want it to be a complete puree.
- Form the mixture into patties; depending on how big you make them, you will get about six burgers. If you want a firmer burger, you can either cook your burgers right away or place them in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. I usually cook them right away and don’t mind the texture at all.
- To cook beet burgers, place a large pan over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the beet burgers and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side. They may look burnt, but it’s just because the beets turn that color when heated in a skillet. They shouldn’t taste burnt at all!
- Assemble your burgers on a bun with all your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Looking For More Delicious Veggie Burger Recipes?
Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers with Curry Cilantro Mayo
Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Veggie Burgers
Black Bean Fajita Veggie Burgers
Vegan Chicken Patty Sandwiches
Let’s Make Vegan Beet Burgers Together, Check Out My Video Below!
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Vegan Beet Burgers with Brown Rice and Chickpeas
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Vegan Beet Burgers with Brown Rice and Chickpeas are easy to make and great for a weeknight dinner or a weekend BBQ!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups peeled and chopped beets, once baked it will be about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1–15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash, peel and dice your beets into bite sized pieces. Add diced beets to a large sheetpan and drizzle with a little bit if olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast beets for about 40-45 minutes, until they are cooked through and fork tender. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
- To a food processor, add the chickpeas, brown rice, thyme, parsley, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse a couple of times, just to start breaking up the ingredients. Then, add the roasted beets and lightly pulse until burger mixture has come together but you can still a couple chunks of the rice. You don’t want it to be a complete puree.
- Form the mixture into patties, you will get about 6 burgers, depending on how big you make them. You can either cook your burgers right away, or place them in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, if you want a firmer burger. I usually just cook them right away and don’t mind the texture at all.
- To cook beet burgers, place a large pan over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the beet burgers and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side. They may look burnt, but it’s just because the beets turn that color when heated up in a skillet, they shouldn’t taste burnt at all!
- Assemble your burgers on a bun with all your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- These beet burgers hold together well, but aren’t super firm like a regular burger, or some veggie burgers. If you want them a little bit firmer, you can add an egg (if not vegan) or some walnuts or oats to the mixture in the food processor.
- You can also refrigerate the burger mixture overnight for an even firmer veggie burger.
These roasted beet burgers would also be really good topped with a tahini based sauce or some goat cheese (if not vegan)
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Category: Vegan, Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Good morning, I just made these and baked them, came out beautiful. Can you tell me the nutritional component, such as protein, carb and calories?
I will look into adding it soon!
I made these last night and used goat cheese and a dill vinagriette with arugula on toasted 13 grain ciabatta. They were delicious. My only problem was that the burgers cooked well and stayed together, but when you bit into the composed dish, the burger came apart and fell off the bread in hunks. What can be used as a binder in this dish as the brown rice didn’t cut it. Maybe some oats?
You could add an egg (if not vegan) or a flax egg to help hold them together. Oats might help too!
Yum!!! Could these be baked instead of cooked on the stove???
Definitely!!
Hello! These look wonderful. I was wondering if they are freezable? Thanks!
Hi Natalie, Yes, you can freeze them! I would say that it is best to freeze them for about a month or so. Thanks 🙂
Think they’ll work if I use the oven instead of frying pan?? Thanks:)
I think that would work great!
I tried your recipe mine fell apart in cooking. I tried it again and added 1 cup of breadcrumbs and 2 eggs it worked fantastic . I also added more garlic and more fresh herbs served it over a bed of greens with avacado. Thanks for the inspiration!
Also cooked it 10 minutes on both sides. Texture was great!
Hi Shelley! I’m sorry they fell apart 🙁 I’ve made them a few times and haven’t had that problem, so I’m not sure what happened. But, I am glad that you were able to get them to work out and that you enjoyed them! These would be great with avocados 🙂