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Cooked sweet potatoes, black beans, brown rice, and smoky spices are combined and transformed into these hearty Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers! It’s a vegan and gluten free veggie burger recipe you’ll quickly fall for.
These Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers are so much more than an average veggie burger. They combine the goodness of a smoky-sweet spice blend, sweet potatoes, and black beans to create flavor-packed veggie burger patties that are unlike any other ​​vegan black bean burger recipe. Fry or bake them to your heart’s content and dig in!
And just like my broccoli potato burgers and buffalo chickpea burgers, these black bean and sweet potato burgers are easy to make, versatile, and do not lack flavor. Enjoy them for backyard barbecues or make them for meal prep! They’re delicious paired with grilled zucchini and chimichurri hummus for weekday lunches.
Recipe features
- They’re made with wholesome ingredients and are naturally vegan and gluten free.
- Pantry-staple spices and seasonings give these hearty veggie burgers big flavor. They have all of the smoky, slightly sweet, and savory notes you’d normally find in classic grilled burgers.
- Black beans and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven! Just like in my summer sweet potato salad and easy vegan chili, this duo brings sweet and smoky flavors, plenty of nutrients, and plant-based protein to every bite.
Ingredients
Sweet potato - The sweet potato is cooked before the flesh is mashed and mixed with the rest of the veggie burger ingredients. The potato flesh gives the burgers a subtly sweet flavor while also making the texture soft on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside.
Brown rice - Cooked brown rice adds bulk to the burgers and helps them stick together. Make sure the rice is cooked and cooled before you start this recipe (day-old rice works well).
Black beans - Making these veggie burgers with protein-packed black beans (15 grams of protein per 1 cup) ensures that just one patty will keep you full and satisfied for hours! Use canned black beans to keep this recipe easy and convenient.
Walnuts - Just like in my walnut taco meat recipe, ground walnuts make these veggie burgers hearty and meaty while adding a soft crunch.
Dry spices - Cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper give the burgers warm and smoky flavors.
Brown sugar - Brown sugar and sweet potatoes were meant for each other. As proven in my sweet potato casserole, the deep, almost warm sweetness from the sugar perfectly complements the earthy sweet flavors in the potato.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make the burger mixture. Mix the mashed black beans, brown rice, diced green onion, diced red onion, ground walnuts, spices, and brown sugar together in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the sweet potato. Peel the skin from the cooked sweet potato and add the mashed flesh to the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix to combine.
Step 3: Cook the veggie burgers. After forming the burger patties, cook them using your desired method:
- Pan-fried veggie burgers: Fry the patties in a hot oiled skillet until they’re lightly browned on both sides.
- Baked veggie burgers: Lay the patties on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake until they’re lightly golden.
Step 4: Serve. Serve the sweet potato burgers on buns with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Both canned black beans and freshly cooked beans work well here. Canned beans are easy but home-cooked beans will be extra flavorful.
- Mix up the seasonings to find your perfect flavor. Add a pinch of cayenne for heat, curry powder for warmth, or dried parsley or dill for a refreshingly earthy flavor.
- The burgers shouldn’t fall apart but if you find the mixture is a bit crumbly, gently stir in 1 tablespoon of rolled oats or flour at a time until the patties hold together.
Tip
You can either roast the sweet potato for the burger mixture or cook it in the microwave. The oven method will deepen the flavors but the microwave method is so much faster.
Burger topping ideas
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced red onion
- Vegan or regular cheese
- Chipotle aioli
- Vegan mayo
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Sliced pickles
- Lettuce
- Tomato slices
- Guacamole
- Vegan mozzarella cheese
What goes well with veggie burgers?
The burgers are quite filling on their own but you can serve them with more barbecue-style sides, like grilled eggplant and asparagus pasta salad, to make it a more satisfying meal. Even the classics, like french fries and onion rings, are perfect with these veggie burgers!
All the protein in these black bean sweet potato burgers makes them perfect for meal prep, too. Serve the patties with mashed red potatoes, asparagus, and your favorite vegan dipping sauce for a lunch you’ll look forward to.
Can you air fry sweet potato burgers?
Sure! Lay some of the burgers in a single layer in the air fryer basket (cook them in batches if needed) and spray the tops with a light layer of cooking spray. Air fry at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Storage
Refrigerator: The leftover cooked burger patties can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Keep a layer of parchment paper in between each one to prevent the burgers from sticking together.
Freezer: Or freeze the cooked burgers for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven or a skillet the next day.
More hearty sweet potato recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato (about 1 large sweet potato)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided (half for sweet potato, half for frying)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup finely diced green onion
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup finely ground walnuts
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- buns
- avocado for serving
- sliced red onion for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise, coat with a tiny bit of olive oil, and place facedown on the baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, until fork tender and the sweet potatoes are cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside. Alternatively, you can microwave the sweet potatoes to make this even faster.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl add the black beans and mash together. Then, add the brown rice, diced green onion, diced red onion, ground walnuts, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Mix everything together until combined.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooled, peel off the skin and add the flesh to a medium bowl and mash together. Then transfer the mashed sweet potato to the large bowl with the other ingredients and mix until everything is combined.
- Frying: Add the remaining olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. While it’s heating, form the mixture into 6 large burgers (approximately a heaping ¼ cup full). Cook the burgers on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes before flipping and repeating for another 3-4 minutes until the burgers are lightly browned.
- Cooking in the oven: spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.. Fill a ¼ cup measuring cup, then form into a burger shape, about 1 inch thick and place burgers on the prepared baking sheet. Cook the burgers at 375° for 15 minutes then flip the burgers over and continue cooking for another 12-16 minutes.
- Serve with buns, sliced red onion, avocado, lettuce, tomato, etc. and enjoy!
Kiera says
This was delicious! My daughter, who does not like sweet potatoes, enjoyed it too. The only thing I would change is I would bake it next time instead of frying. The patties were kind of hard to flip because they were coming apart, so I am wondering if baking would be better. Either way, I will definitely be making this again!
Erin says
Yes baking works! They're not going to be as crispy on the outside but you can def bake them
Eva says
This was such a flavorful burger recipe and jam packed with tons of different textures and elements to it! My family loved it!
Laura says
Can you recommend a substitute for the walnuts. My family has nut allergies.
Erin says
You could just omit them and use ground flaxseed, or even increase the amount of rice you use and that should work.