Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

By Erin · August 28, 2023 · Leave a Comment

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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.

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 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:

Step 4: Serve. Serve the sweet potato burgers on buns with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!