Beet Patties with Vegan Tzatziki
Beet Patties with Vegan Tzatziki- a simple combo of chickpeas, beets and fresh dill topped with a flavorful vegan tzatziki. Each serving provides 14 grams of protein! (vegan + gluten-free)
These beet patties are spin off from one my favorite veggie burger recipes on the blog. While I personally loved eating them in burger form, I received a few comments that the color was off-putting.
As someone who views meat as grotesque, I totally get it. It was easy for me to overlook the pink color because I made them myself but for your guy’s sake, I needed to rethink my presentation. So I recreated them as patties, removed the egg, and served them with a vegan tzatziki so that they’re entirely plant-based.
Can I just say that I wish I would have done this sooner? The creamy tzatziki tastes phenomenal with the beet patties and the whole meal is a heck of a lot lighter without the bun.
Per usual, I like to rely on my food processor to do most of the work with my veggie burger/patty recipes. However, if you don’t have a food processor you can still make them by finely chopping the vegetables, shredding the beets and mashing the chickpeas.
Now can you see why you need a food processor? :)
Once all of the chopping/mashing is done, you lightly sauté the beets, onion and garlic in the skillet before adding everything to a large bowl to combine and form individual patties.
From there I like to cook them on the stovetop until the edges are golden and crispy. But you could also bake them if you prefer to avoid using oil.
This is definitely one of my all-time favorite meals. Whether you like beets or not, I hope you’ll consider giving them a try! They just might change your mind.
Beet Patties with Vegan Tzatziki
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 40

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats*
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 medium raw beets, peeled and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil + more for cooking patties
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour
Vegan Tzatziki
- 3/4 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (I like Kite Hill)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup diced cucumber (about 1 medium cucumber)
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rolled oats, drained and rinsed chickpeas, and fresh dill. Pulse for 5 seconds. Add the white vinegar then continue to blend until the mixture appears finely chopped and sticks together when you press it between your fingers. Scoop the mixture out into a large bowl and set aside.
Next add the onion, garlic cloves, and beets to the food processor then blend until finely chopped. In large skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the beet mixture from the food processor, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until soft. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the chickpeas.
Add the chickpea flour to the bowl and stir together until well-combined. If the mixture appears too wet, add more flour (1 tablespoon at a time) until it’s dry enough to hold together. Scooping out about 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time, use your hands to form individual patties. Cook them in the greased skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile make the tzatziki by combining everything in a small bowl. Stir together until well-combined. Serve the patties warm topped with tzatziki and enjoy!
*be sure to use certified gluten-free oats for allergies
Click Here for Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts are for 2 Beet Patties with Tzatziki
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!
Sarah you’re making me wish I liked beets! …or at least making me want to give them another shot. I LOVE tzatziki, so maybe these could work for me :D
I love beets! I need to incorporate them into my life more. I just make a mess out of my kitchen every time I use them. Let’s not even talk about the time I made beet juice….
My dill plant is looking pretty awesome, so I think some tzatziki is in order here very soon.
These are absolutely gorgeous! I love how thorough and accommodating you are in developing recipes – I’m blown away that these are vegan and hold together so well! It’s been ages since I’ve made beet burgz and now I’m itching to revisit them. Loving the thought of that vegan tzatziki, too!
Looks so good! – I must make some beet patties!!!
Izzy | Pinch of delight
I think this color is beautiful and it just pops in the photos! The tzatziki looks so fresh and dreamy and perfect for topping these patties!
Thank you, Marcie! The tzatziki definitely makes the dish! :)
So I am not a huge beet fan (I don’t hate them, but don’t really love them either!) but I love this bright color and would give these a try if you brought these to my doorstep :) Oh my gosh, I use my food processor almost every day & don’t know how I ever lived without one… I had a health coaching client recently that didn’t own a food processor, which presented a challenge for me giving her recipes to try since I use mine for so much!
They’re not my favorite veggie either but they do taste amazing smothered with tzatziki! ;)
I absolutely LOVE beet burgers! I usually use Isa’s recipe, but I will definitely be trying this one next :) SO beautiful!
Oh I need to try Isa’s recipe! I bet they’re amazing. :)
Holy moly your pictures are beautiful. This is going on my meal plan for the week!
You’re too sweet, Kelli! Looks like you had an amazing time in Europe!!
So I made these last night when I had severe jet lag and totally changed the recipe unknowingly. haha. I thought you had to cook the beets beforehand so once I realized I did that wrong I thought they’d be too soft to cook in the cast iron. Instead I baked them for about 25 minutes at 375. They had great flavor. I then served them with a Greek inspired salad. They were really tasty! Next time I’ll have to try them the prescribed way! haha.
I just updated the ingredient list to say raw beets. That might have helped prevent that problem! Sorry about that. Glad they still turned out well for you! :)
Definitely going to give this a try when I am reunited with my food processor this summer! Just out of curiosity, how do you keep the beets from staining the plastic? I usually only cut beets on a glass cutting board because it’s the easiest to clean!
Hi Larissa! I just make sure to soak the processor with soapy water immediately after using it. Then I wash it with a wash cloth and it comes right off. :)
Great, thanks for the tip! :)
Talk about some absolutely STUNNING colors! I’ve yet to make a real veggie burger, but these look fantastic…
A delicious combination of flavors and textures! So gorgeous, Sarah! As far as the color goes, in a beet burger anyway, it’s a beet burger! I relish in the fact that I’m eating beets, a most vibrant and beautiful plant. Well done my dear!
I LOVE me some beets and these patties sound sooo good!! This is going to sound silly but since I started having issues with dairy I haven’t made tzatziki … I mean duh, why have I not made it with dairy free yogurt! haha Thank you for that reminder! :)
Hi Sarah, when do you add the salt? Does it go in the beet mixture? Thanks!
Hi Heather- sorry for not clarifying that! I just updated the directions. You sprinkle it on the beet/onion/garlic mixture as it’s cooking in skillet. I hope you enjoy them!
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Can these be frozen?
Yes! You can freeze them before or after cooking. I like to freeze them before (with parchment paper in between so they don’t stick together) and then defrost and cook as directed when ready to serve.
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Amazing! Beets are not my favorite thing, so I did one cup beets one cup a mix of carrots and yellow potatoes and they came out great!
I made the beet patties last night and they go perfectly well with the tzatziki! My young son went crazy over the tzatziki and I’m going to put this on everything now. Have to get back to making my own yogurt though.
could you use something in place of the chickpeas?
A different kind of bean might work, such at white beans. Chickpeas are ideal for their binding qualities though. Are you wanting to make them bean free?
I would love to use lentils instead (i digest them better than beans and chickpeas) but i hear you on the binding qualities of chickpeas! maybe will have to experiment…
I see…lentils won’t bind as well so that would require some experimenting. I would say to add flour and maybe a flax egg but I’m not sure how much without testing it myself. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I have an extremely picky toddler and he loved it! My 11 month old also gobbled this up. I will definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for the review, Megan! :)
I am not a fan of oatmeal. Can you substitute the egg back in for the oatmeal? The beet color is gorgeous–I do love beets.
You can’t substitute egg for the oatmeal as it’s used as breadcrumbs would be used in this recipe. You could use breadcrumbs instead of maybe cooked brown rice. Or even quinoa flakes!
So delicious! I was amazed. I even had one for breakfast the next morning and it was still really yummy! it kept me satisfied for hours too!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Carol! :)
What process would you recommend for baking these? They look delicious!!
I have cucumber beets and dill in my fridge and all have to be eaten by tomorrow. I couldn’t find better recipe! Could I add regular flour instead of chickpea? That would save me some $ as I don’t cook often.
I haven’t tested it with regular flour so I’m not 100% sure but it seems like it should work!
Have you ever used a different kind of beet, like yellow beets, in this recipe?
I haven’t but that would definitely work the same! If anything the beet flavor might be a little more mild.
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