I’ve had a lot of beet burgers over the years at many veggie-friendly restaurants. While they have almost all been tasty, they have also been either pasty or fell apart. I’m not quite sure what’s so tough about this because this recipe is basically unchanged from the first time I made it. This burger is flavorful and firm when cooked. If you par-cook the burgers a bit first in a skillet, they will hold up nicely on a grille too!

Makes 4 patties

1 cup finely grated beets

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 1/2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1 tsp liquid smoke

3/4 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup oat flour

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

In a large bowl, combine the grated beets, quinoa, vegan Worcester sauce, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and liquid smoke.

In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, oat flour, nutritional yeast, salt, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine with a wooden spoon or get your little paw in there and mix it with your hand. If you have some latex gloves around the house (I won't ask why you keep them in stock if you don't ask me), then feel free to slap a pair on when mixing and forming your patties. This way you won't have temporarily pink-stained hands.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a bit of oil (feel free to leave the oil out if you have a good non-stick pan). 

To form the burgers, wet your hands a bit (or put on gloves) and then form the patties using about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the burger mix.

Place the burgers in the skillet and cook them slowly over medium heat on each side for 5-6 minutes.

Serve these beet burger beauties on a fresh bun with your favorite burger toppings. They are delicious with melted vegan cheese on them as well as your traditional burger fixings.