This is what it looks like when you combine ground+cooked farro, a fist-sized beet mangled in a food processor and a cup of vital wheat gluten—then smash it with your hands in a prep bowl.
I’ve pre-ground farro before to make sausages and a faux-pork filling for these dumplings. Pre-grinding it creates a texture that’s similar to ground beef without being too close to the real thing. I don’t like veganized dishes like this to be too convincing, but still interesting enough to stand on their own. Farro allows that, plus it’s super healthy.
Form it into little patties with a little pressure and some turning.
Now it’s ready for baking or chucking into an air fryer. Top with kimchi mayo and vegan cheese for a faux meaty burger. Don’t forget to toast your buns. Serve with these chickpea fries, these bangin’ tots or these broccoli-based tots.
Make it a bacon burger with these shiitake mushrooms and make your own vegan cheese if you’d like.
Farro + Beet Burgers with Kimchi Mayo
- Total Time: 1 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients
for the burgers
- 1 cup farro, ground to a coarse consistency in a coffee grinder or Vitamix (it’s fine if some pieces of farro don’t grind up evenly—it adds to the texture of the burger.)
- 2 TB refined coconut oil
- 1 medium-sized beet (the one I used was about the size of my fist) ground in a food processor
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- olive oil, for coating the baking sheet and burgers
for the kimchi mayo
- 1 cup vegan kimchi, finely chopped
- 1 cup vegan mayo
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 TB sriracha
to serve
- hamburger buns
- vegan butter
- vegan cheese
- microgreens or other greens
Instructions
for the burgers
- Combine the farro with plenty of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Allow to simmer, uncovered for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the farro from sticking to the bottom. Remove from the heat, cover and let it sit for an additional 12-15 minutes.
- While the farro is cooking, melt the coconut oil in a medium-sized cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add the beet and shallots, stirring to coat. Season with the salt, liquid smoke, thyme, oregano and black pepper. Saute for about 12 minutes or until softened.
- Drain the farro well and add to a large prep bowl. Add the cooked beet mixture and stir to combine. Add the vital wheat gluten in, 1/4 cup at a time, then mash with your hands until all of the VWG is absorbed. If it’s still a little sticky, add a little more.
- Divide the mixture into 8 portions and form into patties.
to oven bake the burgers (recommended)
- To bake in the oven, preheat oven to 425.
- Grease a baking sheet with some olive oil, also coating the burgers with some of the oil. Bake on one side for 15-20 minutes (or until nicely browned on the bottom), then flip and bake on the other side for 15-20 minutes more, or until both sides are nicely and evenly browned. Place a slice of vegan cheese on the tops towards the end of the bake time to melt.
to air fry the burgers (works if you don’t want to turn on your oven)
- Working in batches, coat burgers with oil and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for 5 minutes more, or until the burgers are brown all over. Place slices of vegan cheese on top of the burgers and let sit closed up in the air fryer with the heat turned off for a minute or so to melt the cheese.
for the kimchi mayo
- Combine all the kimchi mayo ingredients, set aside.
to serve
- Toast hamburger buns and serve with the kimchi mayo and greens, or whatever you like on your burger.
Notes
You can also make this whole batch and store in the refrigerator or freezer to use later as you like. Just form the patties and separate them with wax or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours
Kaylee says
Looks amazing! But is there anything I can use instead of the vital wheat gluten? Thanks!
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Kaylee, I don’t think so. The VWG is a pretty important element here to bind the mixture together and add structure.
Jodiana says
I can’t wait to make these! I was just craving beets today.
Jo Tregidga says
I often read recipes that have heaps of comments about how they can’t wait to try these…and “these look so good”. I wish there was more comments of how things actually turned out….So I am here to tell anyone reading this that these burgers are UNREAL! They are simply amazing. The texture and flavour are oh so satisfying. Worth getting messy with the VWG for sure (It is messy..be prepared). It really is our absolute favourite! My partner included who is an omni when not at home. So thank you!
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Jo, So happy that these burgers were a delicious, messy hit … thanks so much for your kind feedback, I love to hear it!
Miss Tee says
Hi! What can I use instead of farro? Farro is hard to get where I live so maybe there are other grania that would work in this recipe?
Julia Ralston says
This looks amazing. I’m always on the hunt for new ideas. making this on the weekend.
★★★★
Jill says
Erin, How do I grind the beet in a food processor? And is there anyway I could use my vita mix instead?
erinwyso says
Jill, you can roughly chop and process in a food processor. I think you could also use a vitamix, but just pulse until fine. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Kristen Bor says
We loved these! The beets and farro made for the perfect texture. This makes me not want to go back to eating pre-made veggie burgers ever again.
erinwyso says
Thanks for your feedback, Kristen … I love to hear this!