These Easy Black Bean Burgers come together in just 20 minutes using canned black beans and fiber-rich oats as a simple, wholesome binder. No need to pre-cook anything, just toss the ingredients into a food processor, shape into patties, and cook them up on the stovetop, grill or in the oven!

Black bean burger topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a generous drizzle of sauce on a sesame bun.

Friends, if you’re looking for the easiest black bean burger ever, this is the one.

Because guess what? One of my biggest pet peeves with homemade veggie burger recipes is when they make you cook the ingredients before actually making the burgers. Like… who has time for that?!

As a Registered Dietitian, my goal is always to share recipes that are nourishing, delicious, and most importantly, EASY. And beans and legume recipes are one of my go-to hacks for that! Because let’s be real: if a recipe isn’t easy, there’s a 99% chance we’re not making it (or maybe that’s just me?).

That’s exactly why I created these easy black bean burgers to be as simple as possible. Just toss everything into a food processor, blend it up, shape into patties, and cook. No pre-cooking, no fuss, just flavorful black bean burgers, ready in minutes!

And if you’re as big of a fan of flavorful black bean recipes as I am, you HAVE to try my 10-Minute Spiced Black Beans (Made with Canned Beans!) next! They’re one of my most popular recipes for a reason!

A juicy black bean burger cut in half, showing the flavorful interior, stacked with lettuce, tomato, and sauce on a sesame bun.

Let’s Talk Taste!

They’re smoky, savory, and perfectly spiced with chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Garlic, onion, and bell pepper add bold flavor, while a splash of BBQ sauce brings a hint of sweetness. Hearty, satisfying, never mushy, just big flavor and crispy edges in every bite!

These burgers are totally hearty to enjoy as a main dish on their own, buuuuut they’re also amazing paired with my 5-Minute Greens Salad for some extra veg, or my Easy, Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato Fries for a side that’s a little more filling!

Overhead shot of black beans, garlic, BBQ sauce, onion, and other ingredients prepped in bowls for making black bean burgers.

Cook Them Your Way: Stovetop, Grill, or Oven!

Yup, you heard me right, I tested these veggie black bean burger burgers three different times (okay, maybe more!) to make sure they’re absolutely perfect cooked on the stovetop, on the grill, or in the oven WITHOUT falling apart.

If I had to choose a favorite, I’d probably say stovetop. Since they’re cooked in oil on the stovetop, they hold their moisture a little better!

Overhead view of two black bean burgers on buns with lettuce and onion, served with a side of dipping sauce.

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How To Make Sure You Don’t End Up With Mushy Burgers

‘Kay, the most important part of a delicious homemade veggie burger is making sure the burger actually lands in your mouth rather than crumbling all over your plate. Here are a few of my tips to make sure you get the best veggie burgers:

  • Blend the veggies and half the oats first: This helps break the veggies down finely (no giant chunks here!) and creates a quick DIY oat flour—no need to buy a separate ingredient.
  • Stir in whole oats at the end: Adding some oats at the end gives the burgers a nice bit of texture and bite. It’s the best of both worlds!
  • Let the flax “egg” gel: Flax + water = your vegan egg replacer. Be sure to let it sit for a few minutes first so it becomes thick and gooey—that’s what helps bind everything together.
  • Feeling too soft? Chill it out: If the mixture feels too loose, just pop it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes. This gives the oats and flax time to absorb moisture and firm things up before shaping.
Three black bean patties cooking in a skillet, two fully browned and one still cooking.

Take Them to The Next Level

While these burgers are so delish as-is, I’d be lying if I said that they weren’t totally elevated by being paired with my 5-Minute Versatile Vegan BBQ Dipping Sauce. I tested this sauce once on the burgers and let’s just say… I’ll probably never have them without it again, since the sauce is SO easy to make and actually takes LESS than 5-minutes!

Black bean burger stacked with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a creamy sauce, oozing slightly from the side.

A Sneak Peek at the Deliciousness

Ingredients for black bean burgers inside a food processor, including black beans, oats, bell pepper, onion, and BBQ sauce.
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a food processor.
Food processor filled with mashed black bean burger mixture, partially blended.
Step 2: Blend until the black beans are about halfway smooth.
Plate of cooked black bean burger patties arranged on a light plate, ready to serve.
Step 3: Form into patties and cook on the grill, stovetop or in the oven!
Black bean burger topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a generous drizzle of sauce on a sesame bun.
5 from 1 review

20-Minute Easy Black Bean Burgers (No Pre-Cooking!)

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Author: Lauren McNeill, RD
These Easy Black Bean Burgers come together in just 20 minutes using canned black beans and fiber-rich oats as a simple, wholesome binder. No need to pre-cook anything, just toss the ingredients into a food processor, shape into patties, and cook them up on the stovetop or grill. That’s it!
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Ingredients
 

  • 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
  • 1 bell pepper, destemmed
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup large flake oats, divided into two 1/2 cup servings
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 540 ml cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs, I used Panko
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • 3 tbsp bbq sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, combine the ground flax seeds with 5 tbsp of water and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425℉ if cooking in the oven.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the large flake oats, the bell pepper, onion and garlic, to the food processor and blend until the onion and bell pepper are finely diced.
  • Add the olive oil, black beans, flax mixture, breadcrumbs, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili flakes, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper, and pulse until the black beans are half way smooth- It's totally fine if there are some chunks of black beans!
  • Stir the large flake oats into the mixture.
  • Wet hands so the mixture doesn't stick to them, and shape the mixture into patties, with about 1/2 cup of the mixture in each patty.

To cook on the barbecue

  • If cooking on the barbecue, set barbecue to medium-high heat (mine was at 400℉) and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the edges have turned lightly golden brown or crisped up.

To cook in the oven

  • If cooking in the oven, bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping half way through, or until slughtly golden brown around the edges.

If cooking on the stovetop

  • If cooking on the stovetop, heat a large pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook the burgers for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the edges have turned lightly golden brown or crisped up.

Notes

If you don’t have a food processor you’ll have to finely dice the veggies, then mash the black beans with a potato masher. Use a high speed blender to blend the oats into a flour, then mix all ingredients together.
Serving: 1burger, Calories: 250kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 4g, Sodium: 825mg, Fiber: 11g
Did you make this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and review, it helps so much! And if you snap a photo, tag me @tastingtothrive_rd so I can see your delicious creation!