4-Ingredient Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Oats

Hands down, these are the BEST vegan black bean burgers I’ve ever had: crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, & so flavorful. And they don’t fall apart like most homemade veggie burgers do, even though there’s no egg in the recipe! Learn how to make 4-ingredient black bean burgers with oats, salsa, & grated carrot—either pan-fried on the stove or baked in the oven.

What is a veggie burger made of?

There are tons of different veggie burger options out there: in restaurants, grocery stores, & recipes online. But their ingredients can vary widely. Some are made with lots of veggies, like mushrooms, carrot, sweet potato, etc.—others have little to no veggies. Some are made with pea protein or soy protein isolate/concentrate. Others use black beans, chickpeas, or other beans as the base (although many still contain pea protein and/or soy).

But, if you need soy-free, corn-free, and/or gluten-free veggie burgers, these can be harder to find at the grocery store. Also, many premade & homemade veggie burgers actually aren’t vegan or plant-based because they use eggs as a binder. Ultimately, none of these ingredients are inherently “bad”—but if you need allergen-free, gluten-free, and/or vegan veggie burgers, homemade may be your best bet.

How do you bind vegan black bean burgers together?

Unlike other veggie burger recipes that use eggs or breadcrumbs as a binder, these gluten-free black bean burgers are made with oats. The starches in the oats bind the beans & veggies together into a sturdy patty, which won’t crumble or fall apart even when you eat it on a bun. No eggs or gluten needed! (If you need these to be 100% gluten-free because of a gluten allergy or sensitivity, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.)

Vegan Black Bean Burger Ingredients

• Rolled Oats. As an alternative to eggs or glutinous grains, you can bind these 4-ingredient black bean burgers with oats! I like to use rolled oats & pulse them a few times in the food processor to chop them, but not so much that they become oat flour. If needed, you can use quick-cooking oats instead—but no need to pulse them first.
• Cooked Black Beans. I use canned black beans to keep this easy black bean burger recipe as simple as possible, or you can cook the beans yourself. Really, you can swap out the black beans & use any beans in this recipe! If you’re concerned about sodium, choose no-salt-added beans and/or drain & rinse your canned beans before using them.
• Salsa. A tasty mild salsa will infuse your black bean veggie burgers with layers of savory flavor—from just 1 ingredient! Use a spicier salsa if you like more heat, or you can substitute with ketchup or BBQ sauce instead. Ketchup will give your bean burgers a sweeter, more tomatoey flavor, and BBQ will give them a more distinct, smoky, umami flavor.
• Grated Carrot. Not only does grated carrot pack in some fiber & veggie goodness, but the moisture also helps bind these black bean patties together, and it adds a pop of color! Rather than buying pre-shredded carrots from the store, I recommend freshly grating carrots with a fine grater for the best texture & moisture levels.

Can I make veggie burgers with other beans?

If you don’t want to make veggie burgers with black beans, you can really use any cooked beans you want here. I love crispy falafel, so I’d personally remake these as chickpea veggie burgers first! But I designed this as more of a general vegan bean burger recipe, so you could also use pinto beans, kidney beans, etc. I’ve also made some amazing red lentil patties with oats in the past, so cooked lentils might work in this recipe as well.

How to Make Black Bean Burgers with Oats & No Egg

• Pulse Rolled Oats. First, add rolled oats to a food processor and pulse them around 10 times—so they’re chopped, but not quite a flour. (No need to do this if you’re using quick oats.)
• Add Remaining Ingredients. Then, add canned black beans (or any beans), salsa, & grated carrot into the food processor. Pulse around 6-7 times, or blend just briefly to integrate everything. You don’t need it to be smooth—you want there to be some chunks!
• Form Bean Patties. Next, use a heaping ice cream scoop (or ¼ cup) to portion the vegan black bean burger mixture & shape it into patties with your hands. (Mine were around ½-inch thick and 4½-5 inches in diameter.)
• Pan-Cook or Bake Patties. You can pan-fry your black bean veggie burgers over the stove for 6-8 minutes. Or bake them at 400°F for 14-15 minutes—flipping halfway.

Watch my 4-Ingredient Veggie Burgers video to see this whole process in action, including both cooking methods.

Stovetop Method

The quickest method is to pan-fry your homemade black bean burgers on the stove. Just heat a skillet over medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. You can’t undercook these since there’s no egg in them, so just get them as crispy as you like! I thought my pan-fried veggie burgers tasted the most tender & ‘meaty’ in texture: nicely browned & crisp around the edges, but still soft & moist in the middle.

Oven-Baked Method

Baking these vegan black bean burgers will take a few minutes longer, but it’s my personal favorite method because they get so deliciously crispy on the outside! First, add your patties to a baking sheet lined with parchment and sprayed with cooking spray. Then, pop them into the oven at 400°F (200°F) for 7 minutes, flip them, & bake for 7-8 minutes on the other side. They’re done whenever they’re as browned & crispy as you want them.

How to Serve Black Bean Veggie Burger Patties

I like to serve my vegan veggie burgers on a bun with my favorite burger toppings—with a side of air fryer French fries or sweet potato fries! But there are loads of other ways you could serve these black bean burgers:

• Assemble a classic burger on a bun—except meatless—with lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, ketchup, mustard, microgreens, whatever you like! If you don’t need it to be vegan, melt a slice of cheese on top for a vegetarian burger.
• Serve them on lettuce wraps for a low-carb or grain-free option.
• Enjoy them as a bunless burger on a salad, or with a side of roasted veggies or mashed potatoes.
• Make a vegetarian breakfast sandwich, with your bean patties as faux ‘sausage’ patties.