Beetroot Burgers - A Recipe by Popular Demand

This recipe began quite unexpectedly.

One day, while walking through a local supermarket, as I often do, I stopped to browse their vegan section. I enjoy seeing what plant-based options are appearing on the shelves, and that day I spotted some beetroot burgers. They looked interesting, and I was just about to put them in my basket… until I saw the price.

Two tiny beetroot burgers for £1.99.

I stopped in my tracks. What a rip-off!

I turned the packet over, read the ingredients, and immediately thought, “I can make a better burger than this.”So I went home, rolled up my sleeves, and started developing my own version; rich, wholesome, nourishing, and far better than anything I had seen on that shelf.

Since then, so many of you have been asking me for this beetroot burger recipe. And if you know me well, you’ll know that I don’t usually measure or weigh anything. I cook by instinct, experience, and the science of food. But because so many of you wanted to recreate these colourful, flavour-packed burgers at home, I finally sat down and measured everything properly for you.

So here it is, the long-awaited recipe.

Ingredients

Dry Base

• 1 kg jumbo oats

• 1½ cups organic sunflower seeds

• ¾ cup black sesame seeds

  • I use black sesame seeds because they remain visible in the beetroot mixture. White seeds simply disappear. (For carrot or sweet potato burgers, white seeds work well.)

• Herbs:

  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or dried)

  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley

  • A handful of chopped fresh sage (optional but lovely for this season and time of year)

Flavour Blend

Add the following to your high-power blender:

• 150 ml tomato purée

• 1 heaped tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon cumin (optional)

• 400 g fresh onions, roughly chopped

• Sun-dried tomatoes, soaked first if salted

• 1 cup nutritional yeast

• Coconut oil (optional): adds richness and softness when cooked

• 125 ml tamari sauce: essential for its deep savoury flavour

• Hot boiling water (700 ml total)

  • 500 ml for blending

  • 200–250 ml for rinsing the blender

Method

1. Prepare your dry mixture

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan, checking to ensure that they do not burn. Toasting enhances the flavour of the burger.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

• Jumbo oats

• Sunflower seeds

• Toasted black sesame seeds

• Thyme, parsley, and sage

Lightly mix to distribute everything evenly.

2. Blend your flavour base

Place all remaining ingredients into a high-powered blender. Add 500 ml boiling water and blend until smooth, rich, and vibrant.

A little warning here, you may want to keep some tissues handy!

The flavour is wonderfully strong, but the fresh onions can make your eyes water. So don’t be surprised if you’re crying your way through this stage; it’s all part of the experience!

After I chopped the beetroots, I added more beetroots and onions to the mixture.

Taste the mixture. If you feel it needs salt, add it now, blend again, and taste once more.

If you enjoy a bit of heat, this is the perfect time to add cayenne pepper to taste. Blend again so that gentle kick runs throughout the mixture.

3. Combine

Pour the blended mixture over the oat and seed mixture. Rinse the blender with the remaining 250 ml of hot water, scraping out every bit of beetroot goodness, and add to the bowl. Mix thoroughly so every oat is coated.

The mixture will appear crumbly, but let it stand. I left the mixture for 2 hours.

4. Rest the mixture

Cover and leave it to stand. This allows the oats to soften, the flavours to deepen, and the mixture to firm up. The longer you leave it, the richer the flavour.

After soaking up the flavour base, the mixture is richer in colour, softer and moulable.

5. Shape and Bake

Once soaked, the mixture will be firm and mouldable. Shape into burgers, sausages, meatballs or whatever you prefer.

Beetroot stains, so you may want to wear gloves!

It looks authentic!!

6. Oven Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.

• Line a stainless steel tray with parchment paper.

• Place burgers on the tray and bake for around 20 minutes.

The burgers, shaped and ready for baking.

Check the underside, they should lift easily with a lightly browned base.

For immediate eating, leave them to brown a little more.

The underside of the burger is just turning brown and is cooked. From 1 kg of burger mix I made 28 burgers.

7. Cooling, Storing & Serving

Remove earlier if you plan to:

• freeze,

• pan-roast later,

• air-fry, or

• steam before serving.

Serve with sweet chilli relish, guacamole, or in a homemade burger bun.

Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Beet burgers with homemade chickpea relish and sauerkraut.

8. Your Turn — Share Your Beetroot Burgers!

I would absolutely love to see how you use this recipe. Once you’ve made your beetroot burgers, please feel free to upload and share your creations, especially in our Manna House Community WhatsApp group.

Share:

• how you shaped them,

• how you served them,

• any variations or twists you tried,

• or the reactions you received from family and friends.

Did you make them spicy? Add different herbs? Shape them into sausages? Serve them in wraps, salads, or homemade buns? Whatever you’ve created, share it with the community!

https://chat.whatsapp.com/FTINR7AldBj8Czz2ZVBlZp

Your creativity inspires others, and it brings me great joy to see how these recipes are enjoyed far and wide.