This delicious black bean beet burger is a veggie burger that doesn't compromise on flavor. It has a great texture, lots of great ingredients that are also naturally gluten free, so easy for so many to enjoy.
This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.
So tomorrow is 4th July (I know, my pregnant-fuzz brain can still read a calendar!) and I know for many that means cookouts, red, white and blue anything (what about this yummy dessert?) and watching the fireworks, or in our case hoping the fireworks don't scare our toddler too much.
Well, I thought in the spirit of equality I would share this beet and black bean burger, which is both vegetarian and gluten-free, to make sure almost everyone has something to eat and enjoy.
It's heartily 'meaty' (if that's PC enough to say) and really tasty, and it's even a beautiful red color - I just couldn't bring myself to color the guacamole blue that we put with it to make it fully fitting. But either way it's good enough to be enjoyed by meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
This beet and black bean burger came about after our BBQ on Memorial Day where we had a vegetarian friend over. As we were planning what to make, we debated about making some vegetarian burgers rather than him bring his own box, as had been the case before.
Store-bought are fine to a point, but when we had so much other delicious homemade food it seemed a shame that was the one thing we hadn't put the effort into. I vowed to experiment to make a decent homemade burger that he could have next time, and I think this is it.
I scoured various recipes and took inspiration from a few, particularly this one in terms of technique preparing the beet and mushroom, to come up with something that I felt would have good flavor and texture without being overly complicated. Beetroot and black beans felt like a great basis for something that feels like a proper burger, that just happens to be vegetarian, which is what I was going for.
How to make this black bean beet burger
I'll be honest, you have a little bit of preparation for these. Plus, using the oven might be the last thing you want to do when it's warm (at least in my house). However, it's not on for long and I'm afraid it is really the only way I can think to both pre-cook and dry out the mushrooms and beetroot. Doing this really helps both the overall consistency and flavor of the end burger.
After that, though, it's simply a case of throwing everything in the food processor, mixing until combined and then forming your burgers. Cooking them on the grill or a grill pan is a breeze.
It's worth leaving them to cool a little while before you cook them to help them hold together and not stick. I left them around two hours and they held together really well. In fact, I'd say these held together better than many store-bought ones I have seen and as good as meat burgers.
The first time I made these I added egg, then I have since made them without. I'm glad to say they work well both ways so you can do as you prefer. They hold together well enough without it, though are maybe a little more delicate. The egg probably makes them a little lighter, too. But without they are vegan and you they're great that way, too.
In the meantime, though, I hope you'll give these delicious veggie burgers a try. We enjoyed them with some homemade guacamole which was a great match. I'd originally thought the burgers might be a bit dry so the guacamole would balance that out. When thankfully that wasn't the case, it was a lucky discovery that the flavor worked so well too. I think they'd also be good with a mix of guacamole and the chipotle cream I made for tacos, if you want to spice it up a bit.
Dress them up or down as you like, these black bean beet burgers are definitely worth enjoying some time over grilling season. I will definitely be making them again for ours.
Try these other twists on burgers:
- Spinach feta salmon burger
- Maple turkey burger
- Halloumi burger with ginger-mango sauce
- Plus get more vegetarian meals in the archives.
Black bean beet burger
Ingredients
- 1 cup beet beetroot (1 cup is approx 1 medium beet)
- 3.5 oz mushrooms sliced
- ¾ cup cooked rice
- ¾ cup black beans canned or cooked from dry beans
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 egg lightly beaten - optional, see notes
- ¼ cup oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/220C.
- Spread the beetroot out in a thin layer on a baking sheet/tray (either very lightly oiled or not oiled - if the latter you may need to scrape a little to get it all off but that's fine). Spread the mushrooms out in a single layer on another baking sheet then put both in the oven for around 15mins until beets are tender and starting to change color around the edge, and mushrooms look cooked and a little dry but not brown.
- Remove both from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Put the rice, beans, beetroot, mushrooms, garlic, oats and egg if using in a food processor and pulse until all are combined and broken up but still in slight chunks - you don't want to puree.
- Divide the mixture into four and form each into a flattened ball. Lay the burgers on a tray or in a box and refrigerate for ideally 1-2 hours.
- When ready to cook, get the grill ready to a medium heat and cook the burgers around 5min each side until lightly charred.
- Serve with guacamole, chipotle cream or your favorite topping in toasted buns.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Lyndsay says
Very tasty burger! We’ve been doing more meatless meals and decided to give these burgers a try. My family really liked them. Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear, they're a really delicious combination.
Joanne says
This looks yummy! Can't wait to try it..! However, I can't tolerate Oats so can you suggest an alternative perhaps?
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Joanne, and thanks for stopping by. You can't actually taste the oats if it's a taste thing, but if you want to avoid them then I'd suggest maybe some cooked quinoa instead. Quinoa may make it a little more moist, so definitely don't skip the chilling and maybe add a little flour if it is hard to work with. I hope you enjoy them!
Joanne says
Excellent! Thanks so much!
Cynthia says
Yet another yummy recipe for FF! You're on a (bread) roll girl! I've been meaning to try my hands at a vegetarian burger patty recipe for a while now and it seems like this would be the perfect one to start with!
Caroline's Cooking says
Ha ha, love the pun 🙂 I similarly had been thinking about doing something like this a while and this definitely worked out so I'd recommend it as a place to start!
Josette says
I am a huge fan of black bean burgers- love the addition of beets. The color is amazing!! With guacamole and chipotle cream- amazing!! Hope that you had a wonderful July 4th weekend!!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Josette, I love the color as well! And they're tasty too. Hope you had a good 4th July weekend as well.
Jhuls says
I haven't tried black bean burgers, but this looks awesome. Happy FF, Caroline. 🙂 x
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Jhuls, these are definitely worth trying!
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
I never thought of a beet and black bean burger before! My mom is a HUGE beets fan, so I just might have to try this out. The burger looks beautiful, and maybe you can use the red and green for Christmas time too! Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend!
Caroline's Cooking says
Not sure we'll do burgers at Christmas, but like your thinking, Kaila 🙂 I hope you do manage to try these, they are really delicious! Hope you're having a good weekend.
Julie iS Hostess At Heart says
I love black bean burgers, and these sound and look delicious. Chilling is a great idea for any burger. I'm glad you didn't color the guacamole. It's pretty as is. Happy 4th and FF!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Julie. Yes, guacamole is pretty its natural color, definitely worth leaving as it is. Hope you're having a great weekend and thanks for co-hosing FF this week!
Hilda says
I too am bbqing this weekend and needed a vegetarian thing or two for the grill, so this is much appreciated. Have a lovely weekend and July 4 celebration.
Caroline's Cooking says
Great! Hope you manage to make them and enjoy, Hilda. Hope you're having a good weekend.