The air fryer is the perfect tool for cooking up delicious and juicy Beyond Burgers! With a few tips, you can cook these tasty plant-based burgers straight from the fridge or freezer and get dinner on the table in under 15 minutes!
These days, a lot of people are trying to decrease the amount of meat they consume and incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets. It’s not only good for your health, it’s also good for the planet!
We eat a good amount of vegetarian meals in my house. My Protein-Packed Vegetarian Burrito Bowls, Slow Cooker Jackfruit Tacos, and Edamame Falafel Sandwiches are a few of our family favorites.
I make a delicious homemade black bean and quinoa veggie burger. But sometimes for the sake of convenience, I buy plant-based products, like Beyond Burgers, from the grocery store. These tasty burgers are a great way to introduce vegetarian foods to your family. My kids love them!
If you're looking to incorporate more plant-based foods into your family's dinner rotation, then this Air Fryer Beyond Burger recipe is for you! The air fryer is the perfect tool for cooking up these hearty vegetarian burgers. You can cook the patties straight from the fridge or freezer and get dinner on the table in a matter of minutes!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
- Quick and easy- dinner is ready in under 15 minutes!
- Yummy! They look and taste like regular burgers
- Vegetarian- a great way to incorporate plant-based food into your diet
- Kid-friendly- even picky eaters will love them
What is a Beyond Burger?
The Beyond Burger is a plant-based burger that looks and tastes like a traditional beef burger. It's made by the company Beyond Meat, which was founded in 2009.
The Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger (its main competitor) have become the two major players in the meatless burger industry. With more and more people trying to cut back on their meat consumption, these companies are trying to make meatless meat products that actually taste like meat.
Beyond Meat’s patty is made from a blend of plant proteins. It contains a mixture of pea, mung bean, and rice proteins, canola and coconut oil, potato starch, and beet juice extract to give the “meat” its pink color. Here's the full list of ingredients in the Beyond patty.
Beyond Burgers are vegan and contain no soy, gluten or GMOs. They are also kosher certified.
You can find Beyond Burgers on menus at restaurants and fast food establishments. You can also buy them in grocery stores or online. Look for them in the freezer section of the grocery store. Sometimes you'll find them defrosted and stored in a refrigerated case.
Rising Popularity of Plant-Based Meat
The demand for plant-based meat alternatives has grown significantly in recent years as more people try to reduce their meat consumption for environmental and health reasons.
Sales of plant-based dairy and meat alternatives reached $29.4 billion in 2020, and are expected to increase fivefold by 2030!
In addition to burgers, companies like Beyond Meat also sell other meatless products like "ground beef" crumbles which you can incorporate into tacos or bolognese sauce, meatballs, breakfast sausage patties, chicken tenders, and jerky.
Doctor's Tip
A diet rich in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes has many health benefits. It can help lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, lower your risk of digestive problems, and even prevent some types of cancer.
Why Make Beyond Burgers in an Air Fryer?
Cooking Beyond Burgers in the air fryer is quick and easy, and the burgers come out perfect every time! No flipping burgers over a hot stove or waiting for your oven to preheat. Air fryers heat up quickly, cook your food super fast, and are easy to clean.
Air frying is a healthy cooking method that uses minimal oil. An air fryer is basically a mini convection oven that sits on your countertop. Air fryers cook your food using hot air rather than hot oil.
Air fryers have a heating element at the top and a mechanical fan that helps circulate the hot air around your food more efficiently. This makes your food nice and crispy on the outside while keeping it moist and juicy on the inside.
Beyond Meat recommends thawing burger patties before cooking to ensure the best taste and texture and to make sure they're heated through. So if you remember, transfer your Beyond Burgers from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you want to eat them and let them defrost overnight.
However, there are times when you're in a pinch and need to get dinner on the table fast, didn't plan ahead. With a few tips, you can cook frozen Beyond Burgers in the air fryer as discussed in this post.
If you're on the fence about whether to get an air fryer, read my post Why You Need An Air Fryer In Your Life.
Learn how to adapt any recipe to cook in your air fryer! Read my Easy Oven to Air Fryer Conversion Guide and get my helpful conversion chart!
Ingredients
- Beyond Burgers- you can use refrigerated or frozen patties
Equipment
- Air fryer- you can use any type of air fryer for this recipe. I use the Ninja Max XL 5.5 quart air fryer.
Best Air Fryer
Looking for an air fryer? I love the Ninja Max XL 5.5 quart Air Fryer. The large basket is perfect for a family of four.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1- Start with refrigerated or frozen Beyond Burgers. Remove the burgers from the packaging.
- Step 2- Preheat your air fryer to 360°F. Place the burgers in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook 4 minutes if patties are from the fridge (6 minutes for frozen patties).
- Step 3- Flip the burgers. Cook another 3-4 minutes on the second side for refrigerated patties. (5-6 minutes for frozen patties). Burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F as checked with a meat thermometer. The edges of interior of the burgers may still be pink or red when fully cooked- that is normal.
- Step 4- Serve Beyond Burgers on buns with your favorite toppings like tomato, lettuce, red onion, pickles, and cheese or vegan cheese. Top with homemade Burger Sauce (see recipe card below), if desired.
Chef's Tips
- Because Beyond Burgers contain oil, you don't need to spray or brush your air fryer basket with oil.
- You can line your air fryer basket with perforated parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Place the patties in a single layer in the air fryer- don't overcrowd the basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook them in batches.
- Flip the burgers halfway through for even browning.
- The burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F as checked with a meat thermometer.
- If topping your burgers with cheese, add the cheese at the end when the burgers are done. Turn the air fryer off and close the basket for about 30 seconds. The residual heat will melt the cheese.
Recommended Product
Want to make clean up easier? Use perforated parchment paper to line your air fryer basket when making these Beyond Burgers!
Recipe FAQs
For most foods, it's a good idea to spray or brush the air fryer basket with oil to prevent food from sticking. However with some products, like Beyond Burgers or frozen chicken nuggets, you do not need to use any oil. These products already have oil in them so they typically won't stick to the basket. You can use perforated parchment paper to line your air fryer basket for easier clean up.
Beyond burgers have 230 calories per patty. They are plant-based so they have no cholesterol. Compared to a 4-ounce 80/20 ground beef burger, they have 35% less saturated fat. They're high in protein (20 grams per burger), vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12 and zinc. They are, however, heavily processed and contain higher amounts of sodium than traditional burgers.
Beyond Burgers are sold to grocery stores frozen. You can usually find them in the freezer section of the store. In some grocery stores, you'll find them thawed and stored in a refrigerated case. At home you can store them in the fridge or freezer. Once they're defrosted, they should be consumed within 10 days. Once the package is opened, they should be used within 3 days.
Beyond Meat recommends thawing burger patties before cooking them for the best taste and texture. However, you can cook frozen Beyond Burgers in the air fryer. You'll need to cook them longer than refrigerated Beyond Burgers. I cook frozen Beyond Burgers in the air fryer at 360°F for 6 minutes then flip them over and cook another 5-6 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. The cook time will depend on the make and model of your air fryer.
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How to Serve Air Fryer Beyond Burgers
Serve Air Fryer Beyond Burgers the same way you'd serve regular burgers. Put them on a bun and top them with your favorite toppings like lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese or vegan cheese.
You can also top them with ketchup, mayo, mustard or my homemade Burger Sauce, which I make with ketchup, mayo, and pickle juice (see recipe card below).
Side Dishes
Below are a few tasty side dish options to go with your Beyond Burgers. You can also serve them with French fries or sweet potato fries.
You can also chop Beyond Burgers up and use them to top salads or burrito bowls. I also use Beyond Meat in dishes like grain bowls and jalapeño poppers. It's a great way to add a boost of protein to vegetarian dishes.
Looking for more tasty air fryer recipes? Check out my Air Fryer Recipe Collection.
Air Fryer Resources
- Why You Need an Air Fryer in Your Life
- Easy Oven To Air Fryer Conversion Guide
- Can You Put Parchment Paper in an Air Fryer?
- Best Oils and Oil Sprays for the Air Fryer
- How To Quickly Ripen Bananas in the Oven or Air Fryer
- How To Reheat Pizza in the Air Fryer
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Recipe
How To Cook Beyond Burgers (Fresh or Frozen) in Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Beyond Burgers
Optional:
- Hamburger buns
- Toppings like tomato, lettuce, red onion, pickles, and cheese or vegan cheese
Burger Sauce:
- ยผ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (can use vegan mayonnaise)
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice (from a jar of pickles)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F.
- To cook refrigerated Beyond Burgers:Remove burgers from packaging and put them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook 4 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook another 3-4 minutes until they are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- To cook frozen Beyond Burgers:Remove frozen burgers from packaging and put them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook 6 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook another 5-6 minutes until they are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve the Beyond Burgers on buns, if desired, and add your favorite toppings like tomato, lettuce, red onion, and pickles.
- If desired, serve the burgers with homemade Burger Sauce. To make the burger sauce, mix the ketchup, mayonnaise and pickle juice together in a bowl.
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