These homemade vegan beet seitan burgers are easy to make and there's no steaming involved. Super quick to make and full of flavour.

Homemade Vegan Beet Seitan Burgers - No Steam Method

Name: Homemade Vegan Beet Seitan Burgers - No Steam Method
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: British, Vegan
Ingredients: 1 red onion, cut into thick slices or wedges; 2 cloves garlic; 3 large cooked beets, cut into wedges; 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or other nut butter); 2 tablespoons tomato puree (tomato paste); 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 4 tablespoons porridge oats (rolled oats); 200g (1 2/3 cups) vital wheat gluten (more if needed); a good pinch of salt and black pepper

I do like a good homemade burger and my latest vegan burger is a stonker!

An easy vegan seitan burger but there's no steaming, which makes them quick and easy to make.

They don't have that rubbery, meaty vibe, but they are packed with flavour and have a good texture.

So, so simple to make and much healthier than shop-bought burgers.

What is seitan?

You may be asking what is seitan (if you are in the know, scroll on by).

Seitan is a protein-rich meat substitute made with vital wheat gluten.

It has a really meaty texture and is used as an alternative to tofu or meat-free mince (soya mince).

You pronounce it say-tan.

It is also called wheat meat, gluten meat, mianjin in China, fu in Japan and milgogi in Korea.

It is either made into a dough, which is washed and steamed or mixed with other ingredients and made into burgers, then steamed, before it is fried in a frying pan or grilled.

vital wheat gluten in a clear mixing bowl.

Vital wheat gluten, what's that?

Vital wheat gluten is a type of flour, but more of a superhero of the flour world.

It's a high protein flour that is hydrated to activate and increase the gluten while removing a lot of the starch, before drying.

It is almost completely gluten, so it is definitely not for anyone on a gluten-free diet.

Vital wheat gluten is very stretchy and elastic and binds well. which is great when you are making burgers.

Can you use plain flour instead?

No, I am afraid you can't use plain flour instead of vital wheat gluten.

It doesn't have nearly as much gluten and will react differently when you add it to a recipe.

Sometimes you can swap ingredients in a recipe for what you have, but not in this case.

You will have a messy disaster on your hands if you try using plain flour in a seitan recipe instead of vital wheat gluten.

So do buy the correct flour.

You can buy vital wheat gluten in health food shops and online.

It's not generally available in most supermarkets or your local grocery store.

Beetroot seitan burger in a bun with mayo & quick pickled onions.

Why are these seitan burgers not steamed?

This isn't a traditional seitan recipe.

The seitan isn't made into a dough and washed or steamed before grilling, but it's still a good veggie burger.

I like to experiment with ingredients and first played with seitan when I made the most amazing vegan pepperoni and tomato olive deli slices.

I tried them steamed and unsteamed and came to the conclusion, that they really didn't need to be steamed.

They might not be as chewy, but they had the perfect texture and the gluten really did its job.

So, for these burgers, I decided to try them without steaming first and we were really pleased with the results.

Can you steam them?

If you prefer that chewy, almost meat-like texture, you can steam these burgers before grilling them.

There are two methods.

Steam Method

Wrap the burgers gently in cling film and steam them in a steamer basket over simmering water (not touching the water) for about 40 minutes
Turn off the heat and let them sit for another 20 minutes.
Once cool enough to handle, carefully unwrap and grill or fry the burgers

Boil Method

Wrap the burgers well in cling film and place in a large pot of boiling vegetable stock (deep stock as it will boil for a long time).
Boil for 60 minutes, then turn of the heat and leave sitting in the stock for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the film and pat the burgers dry on kitchen paper.
Then fry them in a little oil until crisp on both sides.

You can decide if you want to make the burgers by steaming them with one of the two methods above or skip the steaming like I do.

I can't be faffed with that, I like my burgers full of flavour, but I also like them fast.

What you need to make beet seitan burgers

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make these easy vegan seitan burgers.

Red onion
Garlic
Beetroot
Peanut butter
Tomato puree (tomato paste)
Paprika
Dried thyme
Chilli powder
Porridge oats (rolled oats)
Vital wheat gluten
Salt & black pepper

You will also need a little oil for grilling or frying these vegan burgers.

I just use olive oil.

You will find the full recipe at the bottom of this post after the step-by-step photos.

Try these burgers with my homemade chipotle ketchup, it's seriously lush!

Which type of beetroot?

You want 3 large cooked beetroots for this recipe.

The vacuum-packed beets you can find in supermarkets or grocery stores ready cooked.

Of course, you can cook your own beetroot.

I like to roast it.

Just wrap it in foil and bake until soft, then when it is cool enough you can peel off the skin.

Can you use pickled beetroot?

At a pinch, you could use pickled baby beets if you pat them dry to remove the excess vinegar.

You will need about 6 large pickled baby beets.

Yes, beets can vary in size, but you can just add a bit extra wheat gluten if the mixture isn't firm enough.

You can't go too far wrong, so we won't worry about weighing them.

That's the good thing about a burger mix, it is very forgiving.

Variations

Here are a few tweaks you can make to the recipe.

Brown onions - instead of red onions.
Black beans - add black beans or kidney beans for added texture, but mash them slightly before adding them.
Marmite - add 1 teaspoon of marmite (or other yeast extract) for that umami savoury flavour.
Liquid smoke - or soy sauce can give a smoky flavour, but don't add too much.
Hot chilli - add more mild chilli powder or swap it for hot chilli powder.
Fresh herbs - add fresh dill or parsley.
Nuts - add chopped walnuts.

Of course, you can play about with the basic recipe yourself.

Also, try my Easy 10 Minute Spicy Bean Burgers.

Quick pickled red onions lifted out of a jar with a fork.

How to serve homemade beet seitan burgers

I like to serve these with the buns spread with a thick layer of vegan cream cheese, then I add salad leaves, top them with the seitan burger patties, then add a layer of quick pickled onions.

You can use your favourite toppings, but here are a few more ideas for layering up your burgers in buns.

Sauce

Vegan cream cheese (or vegetable cream cheese)
Russian dressing
Sriracha (it's good mixed with mayo too)
Vegan mayo
American mustard
Wholegrain mustard
Ketchup (try this easy homemade chipotle ketchup)
Ranch dressing (try this easy vegan ranch dressing)
Thousand Island Dressing

Salad

Salad leaves
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Sliced cucumber
Grated carrot
Sliced tomato
Fresh herbs
Finely sliced red onion
Grated raw beetroot

Pickles

Dill pickles (sliced gherkins)
Pickled beetroot slices
Quick pickled onions
Pickled cabbage
Tomato chutney
Branston pickle

And of course, you could add vegan cheese.

Remember to toast those burger buns

This may go without saying, you might do this already, but for best results, you must toast the burger buns.

It makes a world of difference to how good these veggie burgers are to eat.

I recommend a seeded burger bun, vegan brioche bun or whole wheat bun.

Either open them and toast (broil) the inside under the grill (broiler) or put them cut side down on a hot grill or griddle pan.

Alternatively, cut them in half and toast each half in your toaster or air fryer until they have a crispy finish.

You will never look back once you serve burger buns this way.

Storing homemade burgers

Once made, you can store the burger patties uncooked on a plate in the fridge (covered with cling film/ saran wrap) for a couple of days.

It can help the texture of burgers to chill them before cooking.

Chilling for 30 minutes is enough before cooking.

Once cooked (pan fry in a non-stick pan) and cool, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days and re-cooked.

Can you freeze them?

These vegan burger patties can be frozen.

Just shape the burger mixture into a ball, then flatten into patties, then flash freeze them on a tray.

Once frozen, you can freeze in a freezer bag or tub.

You can skip the flash freeze step and just freeze them with parchment paper between the burgers to stop them from sticking together.

Just make sure the parchment paper or baking paper is suitable for the freezer.

These vegan beet burgers can be frozen for 3-4 months.

Grill or fry from frozen.

2 Chickpea and coriander burgers stacked with no bun.

More vegan burgers to try

Here are a few more vegan burgers you may like to try next.

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How to make Homemade Vegan Beet Seitan Burgers

A step-by-step photo guide followed by a full printable recipe.

Step 1

The burger mixture is blended in a food processor or blender.
Add the onion and garlic to the blender or food processor jug.
Then add the peanut butter and tomato puree.

Step 2

Add the spices, herbs and seasoning and blend until fairly smooth but with some texture.
Spoon into a large mixing bowl.
Then add the oats and vital wheat gluten.

Step 3

Mix well. The mixture should be fairly thick and stiff. If not, you can add some more vital wheat gluten until you have a good consistency.
Shape into patties and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Fry in a little oil for a few minutes on each side until cooked through, crisp and starting to brown.
Serve on toasted burger buns with your favourite toppings.
Enjoy!

Vegan burgers, seitan burgers, beet burgers, vegetarian burgers, veggie burgers

Main Course

British, Vegan

Yield: 4 burgers

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum