These beetroot cutlets are made with cooked beets, semolina flour (or breadcrumbs), eggs, and a few simple seasonings. Serve them as an appetizer with dipping sauce, a fun side dish, or even as a vegetarian burger patty.
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As a kid, pork or chicken patties were my favorite food. We rarely bought meat-especially when times were tough-so we often relied on fresh meat from our small family farm. When we ran out, my mom always found a way to make something cozy, like patties with beets (we had plenty stored in the cellar) or other veggies. It stuck with me, and to this day, I still love making them and enjoy them often.
Big fan of beets? Try these beetroot waffles, beetroot risotto, beetroot pasta sauce, or beet pancakes.
📋Ingredients
See recipe card for ingredients quantities.
- Beets: you will need cooked beets. I always boil beetroots them ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- Onions: I used a small yellow onion.
- Semolina flour: I am used to making the with semolina flour. Due to it's high protein and gluten content, semolina flour creates a unique texture and will help keeping these tender cutlets in shape. But it is not a common ingredient in American households. So if you do not have one, you can use breadcrumbs.
- Egg: it binds the ingredients and keeps them together.
- Salt and spices: you can add as much salt and spices as you like, but I suggest to start with the recipe card recommended quantities. Beets have their own unique taste, and too much spices or salt will overpower these earthy cutlets. I used garlic and onion powders, coriander, black pepper.
- Olive Oil: you can use olive or avocado oil for frying the cutlets.
How to make beetroot cutlets
Cook the beetroots: wash and scrub the beets. Boil them in a large pot for about 30-40 minutes or until tender. You can roast them in the oven, pressure cook them or cook them in a microwave if you do not have much time.
Pulse the ingredients in a food processor or use a box grater to grate them - Chop cooked beets and raw onions into smaller chunks (small enough for your food processor) and place the vegetables into your food processor. Pulse for about 30-60 minutes until the vegetables are grated.
Note: if you do not have a food processor - use a box grater(it's larger side) to shred beets. You can grate or finely dice the onion. Do not use blender.
Mix Ingredients - Transfer grated vegetables to a mixing bowl. Now, add egg, salt, spices and semolina flour. Using a spatula or a spoon, mix until all ingredients combined. Let it rest for 5 minutes until the mix thickens.
Form and Fry - preheat the frying pan with olive oil on medium heat. Now, scoop a spoonful of mix into your hand and form a ball. Place the ball carefully onto hot frying pan and using a spatula flatten it little bit to form a cutlet. Repeat with the rest of the beet mix. Fry on one side for 2 minutes or until crispy, flip the cutlets, cover and cook for another 3 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145°F. Enjoy hot or cold.
Note: Do not add too much semolina flour, after the mixture rests it will absorb some of the moisture.
Serving ideas
- Side dish: serve this beet cutlets with any main dish.
- Beet burger patty: you can easily use the cutlet as a vegan burger patty on a bun.
- Snack: these beet cutlets can be a filling snack, served with your favorite dip.
Equipment
- Food processor (or a box grater)
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Large frying pan with the lid
Storage and reheating
- Refrigerate: let patties cool down, transfer them to air tight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Enjoy cold or reheat them in the microwave for about 30 second or until hot.
- Freeze: you can easily freeze the cutlets. When they are completely cool down, place them in a freezer friendly bag or container. Freeze for 3-4 months. You can reheat the frozen cutlets in a microwave for about 4 minutes, flipping half way.
Recipe variations and substitutions
- Gluten free: you can easily use gluten free rice flour.
- Extra veggies: add carrot, cabbage, sweet potatoes to the beet mix.
- Spicy: add ¼ teaspoon ( or more) of cayenne pepper or hot chilly powder if you like spicy food.
Common questions
Yes, you can air fry them instead of pan frying. Brush the air fryer basket with some oil and preheat it. Place beetroot cutlets and air fry them for 4 minutes on each side at 400°F.
Yes, you can use raw beets with a few adjustments. You may need to add more semolina flour and they will need to be cooked a little bit longer.
📖 Recipe
Beetroot Cutlets
Equipment
- 1 food processor or box grater
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 set of measuring spoons
- 1 spatula
- 1 frying pan with lid non stick
Ingredients
- 3 small cooked beets 300 grams or 2 cups chopped
- ¼ small onion
- 1 egg
- 6-7 Tablespoon semolina flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more by taste
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or more as needed for frying
Instructions
- Using a food processor, grate the chopped beets and onions for about 1 minute, or until finely shredded.
- In a large bowl, combine grated beets and onion, eggs, semolina flour, salt, and your choice of spices. Let sit for 5 minutes to let the semolina thicken the mixture.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Scoop a spoonful of the mixture and form into a ball, then flatten gently into a patty.
- Place patties in the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes on one side until crispy and golden over medium heat. Flip, cover, and cook for another 2-3 minutes on lower heat until cooked through (internal temp 165°F).
Notes
- The recipe yields 8 medium cutlets.
- Use box grater instead of food processor to shred the vegetables.
- Add more salt and spices if needed.
- The mix supposed to be little runny, like a very thick pancakes dough.
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