Chestnut Free Basil-Pesto Beef Burgers
Juicy, herb-forward, and wrapped in crisp butter lettuce, these burgers deliver serious flavor without a single chestnut in sight. Traditional pesto often calls for pine nuts, but this version swaps in tiger nuts — which, despite the name, are actually small root vegetables — making it a smart, completely chestnut-free alternative that still brings that rich, nutty depth to the sauce. The basil pesto comes together in a food processor in minutes, blending fresh leaves, garlic, and bright lemon juice into something you'll want to put on everything. On the burger side, a touch of ground ginger in the seasoning adds a subtle warmth that plays beautifully against the herby pesto spooned generously on top. Coconut oil gives the patties a gorgeous, deeply browned crust when cooked in a hot skillet or grill pan, and a quick two-minute rest keeps all those juices locked in. Serving everything in butter lettuce leaves keeps things light and fresh while letting the bold flavors take center stage. Whether you're cooking for a crowd or just a weeknight dinner, this is the kind of burger that makes you forget you were ever working around a dietary restriction in the first place.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup tiger nuts, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
For the burgers
- 1 ½ lb ground beef (80/20)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For serving
- 8 large butter lettuce leaves
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the pesto: combine the basil, tiger nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse 8–10 times until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until the pesto is mostly smooth with a little texture remaining. Add the lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt, pulse once more to combine, then taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- 2
Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions (about 6 oz each). Gently form each into a patty roughly 3/4 inch thick, pressing a shallow dimple into the center of each with your thumb. Season both sides evenly with the 1/2 tsp salt and ground ginger.
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