People regularly rave about beet burgers. They bandy words around like ‘meaty’, flavoursome and hearty. Not sure about all those but they are oddly ‘beefy’ and quite juicy. These smokey beet burgers sit inside a bun quite a treat.

Upon fixing up my debut batch I did some research and 4 medium beets (beetroot) seemed to be the magic number used in most recipes, and who am I to swim against the tide?! I made them gluten free of course, and also omitted the brown rice used in many recipes. A few reasons for my slighting of the grain. One - rice tends to steal flavours and hide them away somewhere. Two - I did not have any. Three I don’t really eat it. Four well, let’s make it more paleo friendly. I adapted this The Kitchn recipe and made it my own. This looks like a great recipe from the Minimalist Baker, too, though I’ve not tried it.

Smokey Beet Burger Recipe

4 medium sized fresh beetroot

1 flax egg (1 tbs ground flax)

1 can of mixed beans in water (you can also use green lentils or black beans)

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1/4 cup almond flour

3 cloves garlic - diced

1 medium sized red or white onion diced

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbs smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

oil for cooking (I used walnut oil)

optional - serve with vegan cheese, baby leaves, tomatoes and mango chutney or mustard.

Method

Make the flax egg by mixing your flax meal with 2 tbs warm water. Mix and leave to congeal.

Diced the onions and sauté in a little oil until caramelised. Throw in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Careful not to let it burn. Take off heat and leave to cool.

Peel and grate the beetroot into a bowl.

Drain the beans pop into a separate bowl and mash them with a stick blender or a potato masher. Stop just short of them becoming a puree, leave so a small amount remain whole, then add to the beets.

Add all the other ingredients and mix with your hands.

Line a plate or sheet pan with parchment paper and then using your hands form the mix to something resembling a burger. Think something akin to the size of a tea mug and about 1 inch thick. Pop each one on the parchment as you go. Then leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour. They firm up nicely and make them easier to handle.

You could brush a pan with oil and bake in the oven for 30 mins on 190 degrees if you want them super healthy. I think they are healthy enough and I like the charred crispy edges you get in a fry pan. Just a little oil in the bottom, heat and then gently place in your burgers. Fry on a medium heat for about 5-6 mins each side until cooked and slightly charred.

Serve immediately. In a bun or not. Add your preferred fixings. On this occasion they were topped with vegan cheese, drizzled with tahini sauce, topped with cherry tomatoes, baby leaves and a generous spoon of lime chutney.

Any remaining can be cooled and then kept in the fridge for 3 days or frozen.

I hope you enjoy. Let us know how you dress yours!