No, no, they were so easy. You can even make them from canned beans if you need to. Just don’t forget to roast them a bit to dry them out. I love making our own everything. I know exactly what goes in it and most of the time it tastes a little better too. Good luck with the burgers and don’t get discouraged if they don’t turn out with your fist gobat them. I did that with my first attempt at bean burgers and didn’t try again for almost a year. That was a mistake because I missed out on a bunch of yumminess. :)