Just Beet It - Veggie Burgers

In the picture it appears the mashed potatoes are under the burger on top of the bun. Is this correct or are they put into the burger mixture when combining? Thanks

The mashed potatoes are actually in the burger. That white mashed looking stuff in the picture is actually cashew cream cheese. Cheers!

I didn't know this was possible! I made this recipe last night. I was very careful in the measurement of the ingredients from the food processor. It would be very easy to add too much of any one ingredient, or too little of another just based on natural variation of the veggies. For example, I used about 3/4 of a beet to meet 1 cup, and I used 2 1/4 carrots, rather than the 2 suggested, to obtain 1 cup. I used brown jasmine rice, walnuts, and russet potatoes. By the time I was done forming the patties (I used a hamburger mold) I couldn't believe my eyes. It looked exactly like steak tartare. Back in my vegan days, I would probably have passed on trying this dish because it looks too much like meat -- creepily so. Now that I've transitioned to omnivore status, I'm more adventuresome. The flavor of these patties is pretty robust. too They didn't hold together very well for an actual hamburger. I used a fork and knife to eat mine. Still, we thought it was great. I'm going to freeze the remaining patties, but next time, I might just serve it more like steak tartare, with an egg on top, and a simple side salad. What a fun recipe! Thanks

Thanks Rebecca! We are glad you like the dish. You are correct in using measurements to obtain a good result - since carrots (as an example) can be larger or smaller depending on variety, etc. To bind the burger a bit more, try adding just a Tablespoon or so of flax meal or cornstarch. That will "tighten" the mixture and make it less apt to fall apart. Also, I've had better luck forming then by hand than with a mold. It helps to have a small amount of oil on your hands to form them - and they will stain your hands so wear gloves if you wish. Cheers!

Ok, I'll try that. I still have mine in the fridge, so I can easily reform the patties before freezing them. I like the appearance of the mold, but this time, I'll try forming them with my hands. I always keep a box of latex gloves in the kitchen for working with raw chicken and with beets. Beet juice stains are amazingly persistent. Thanks again

Do these freeze well?

I have not frozen them myself, but you can certainly give it a go and see if you are happy with the results. You might even want to try freezing some raw (and cooking them later) and freezing some cooked (and just reheat them later), to see if you notice any significant difference in the end result. Cheers!

We have made and frozen these with good results. They taste just as good after being frozen for several weeks.

I know they would taste fabulous with oil, but I am trying to avoid oil in my diet for health reasons. Could I cook these in the oven on parchment paper? If so, for how long? (Thanks)

If you were looking to cook the burgers with no oil, you could simply fry them in a preheated non-stick pan first and then just place them into the oven (as per the recipe) —  and just cook them a few minutes longer. Alternatively, you could place the burgers straight into the oven (again, as per the recipe). The time it will take to cook the burgers will really depend on how the thick they are and how hot your oven really is. Hope that helps. Cheers!

These were wonderful! What a great recipe!

Yeah! So glad that you liked them Johanna. Happy Cooking!

Are the beets raw in this recipe or are they cooked? If raw, do you have to peel them or can you just grate them? Thank you!

The beets are raw. As for peeling them, I usually do since the outside is often way too dirty for my liking. Cheers, Dawn

Hello Everyone Well just love this recipe so tasty! Flavor is so right however still a bit lacking in texture, a little to mushy. So I'm grateful for this awesome recipe!!!! Ps Not into bread addition.

Thanks Davina - You might try a few things to make them less soft/mushy: 1) cook the mixture longer to get more moisture out; 2) try to add some rice flour or another starch (potato, tapioca) instead of bread or bread crumbs as a binder; and 3) form the patties a bit thinner so the inside is not quite as thick and prone to being soft. ~Ken

Based on the information in reviews and the short time available for cooking on the day of my dinner, I did the following adjustments to the recipe: (1) For each vegetable grated, I put the gratings in a fine sieve over a bowl, gently pressed down to release juices and then measured the contents, repeating the process until I had the requisite amount of gratings for the recipe. I then combined the gratings into a larger sieve over a bowl and placed the sieve in the refrigerator overnight. (2) I sprinkled 1 T of brown rice flour over the cooked vegetable mixture and stirred before I removed the skillet from the stove. (3) I added about 1/3 c. fresh whole wheat bread crumbs before hand-forming the mixture into thin (1/2 in thick) patties. (4) I baked the patties for 20 minutes (at which time the patties were golden underneath). I later used the juices strained from the vegetables for the base for borscht soup. The patties held their shape and were moist but not mushy. I served them without the bun but with a soba noodle cold salad. My vegan guests thought the patties were delicious and a welcome change from the usual mushroom or lentil based veggie burgers. They asked for the recipe. (The only other change to the recipe was that I used organic red rice, only half of which I roughly chopped before adding to the vegetable mix. I liked the texture of the finished product and next time will likely chop less of the red rice before combining.)

Hi all, Where yeast is used here? To make the buns?

Hi Alexey - great question. You can add the nutritional yeast (or Nooch) right into your Veggie Burger mix. You will find that it has an interesting flavor. I find it to be nutty or even cheesy; a nice ingredient substitute for the flavor of cheese. I hope this helps. All the best, Chef Kirk

We felt the burgers needed more flavor and spicing. They were rather bland. We added 1T of ground flax seed to hold them together , which they did nicely. What would you add for more of a flavor punch.? We also felt they were not firm and had a rather mushy mouth feel? How could that be addressed? We pan fried them on the stove top. We love the ingredients of veggies and nuts. Look forward to your comments and suggestions....:)

Hi Christine - thanks for your comments, appreciated. When we make this recipe at home we tend to omit the mashers and add a little sriracha! Also, for the texture, I like to form the patties the day before and put them in the fridge overnight - I have found that this helps them keep their shape - also, consider getting some nice color in the pan but then finishing them in the oven! Happy Cooking! Thanks for engaging with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk

I made these burguers last night.. Delicious... Best burguers ever.. Although, i adapted the recipe quite a bit. Used sweet potatoes instead of normal potatoes, quinoa intead of rice, dill instead of sage and they turnout out to be the most delicious thing ever...!!! Thanks rouxbe for bringing this delicious burguers into my life :) xx

I can't thank Rouxbe enough for all the vegan options! Half the family is vegan and half is meat eaters and I'm always making two meals! Or I should say I was! So many vegan recipes like this one both vegan and meat eaters love equally! Saves me so much time!

The beets are a great idea for blood, but to me a veggie burger is a lot 'meatier' with black lentils or beans and some diced mushrooms. This course has been great for trying out new things though. I'm super glad I joined!

I am late to this party, but WOW!!! Genius taste from these combined ingredients! I was lucky to get the beets and turnips from my favorite organic farmer. I did find that adding chickpea flour and and bread crumbs, and then refrigerating before cooking helped. Slightly oiled hands for making the patties was a great idea. I don’t have a good processor and box-grated the turnips, carrots, zucchini, and beets, but I love working with plant food and didn’t mind. Thank you for this recipe!

My baked burger tends to be dry. How can I correct this?

Hi Andrea: Good question. It usually depends on the ingredients that you use. I find using a shredded raw white or sweet potato tends to add moisture to a veggie burger. If you are baking them, sometimes, using a foil tent will help to circulate air and keep the burgers moist. Also, check the actual temp of your oven with an oven thermometer, as your oven may be running higher than the actual readout from your oven. Cheers, Char