These vegetarian sweet potato burgers are nutritious, flavorful and easy to make. You can even freeze a batch for quick weeknight meals!
I am so excited to share these sweet potato black bean burgers with you! This is my go-to veggie burger recipe. I've been making it for years, so I apologize that they are just now making it to the blog.
(I do have another vegetarian black bean burger recipe if you are looking for something more traditional).
This is a great option if you're tired of plain old black bean burgers. I usually keep frozen patties on hand for quick dinners. The patties can be reheated quickly just like the store bought kind!
These burgers are flavor packed, but we all know there's one test that all patties have to test. And yes, these pass.
They do NOT fall apart!
Thanks to bread crumbs and a combination of pantry staples, the patties hold together and make a nice and firm burger.
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Step by step instructions
First and foremost, you'll need to mash the roasted sweet potato. Because all sweet potatoes are different sizes, you'll want to mash the sweet potato and then measure it out.
Combine the sweet potato and black beans and mash a little more. You want some whole beans to remain for texture.
There's a secret to really, really good burgers: saute the onions and garlic instead of adding it straight to the mix. This softens the onions and releases a lot of their flavor and sweetness.
We'll saute the onions, jalapeno (optional!) and garlic until nice and soft. A little bit of browning is a good thing!
Stir in the sauteed onions, garlic and jalapenos with the seasonings and bread crumbs. Mix until a loose ball forms.
Form the mixture into patties. I like to make mine about the width of my palm. For best results, make sure the burger is no more than ½ inch thick when cooking. The thinner the patty, the firmer it will be.
Can I freeze black bean burgers?
Yes! I recommend forming individual patties and cooking on the stove before freezing. This way you can take them out of the freezer and reheat on the stove instead of having to cook the entire burger.
Store patties between layers of wax paper to prevent them from sticking to each other. Keep in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months.
Enjoy refrigerated patties within 5 days.
Recipe tips
- Make this recipe vegan by replacing the egg with a flaxseed egg. To make a flax egg, simply combine 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons warm water and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Don't have chipotle chili powder? An equal amount of chili powder will work (but I do recommend chipotle chili powder as it has a great distinct flavor).
- Want to bake your burgers in the oven instead? Line patties on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. The patties will be slightly dryer but still delicious!
- Make gluten-free by replacing bread crumbs with finely ground gluten free oats. Oats will also work if you just don't have bread crumbs on hand.
Serving ideas
I like to keep it simple with barbecue sauce, lettuce or kale and tomato. I also think these would go well with the chipotle aioli served on these vegetarian bean burritos.
Serve with a side of chips and vegan french onion dip or a large kale salad for a complete meal.
Looking for more vegetarian dinner recipes? You might like these:
- Vegetarian One Pot Chili Mac
- Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Black Bean and Quinoa Casserole
- 15 Minute Vegan Fried Rice
- Vegetarian Bolognese with Tempeh
- Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Vegetarian Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato from one medium sweet potato
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for coating sweet potato
- 1 and ½ cups black beans, drained and rinsed equivalent to one 15 ounce can
- 1 cup diced white onion from one medium onion
- 1 small jalapeno diced (optional
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt divided in half
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1 large egg whisked
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 5 burger buns
- lettuce and barbecue sauce for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat whole sweet potato in olive oil. Poke several holes in the sweet potato using a knife. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your sweet potato.
- Remove skin from the sweet potato. Mash the inside until almond pureed. Measure out ½ cup of the mashed sweet potato. Before adding black beans, pat them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Combine the sweet potato and black beans and mash a little more. You want some whole beans to remain for texture. Set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add diced onion, jalapeno and garlic. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Stir sauteed onion, jalapeno and garlic into the sweet potato mixture. Add the seasonings (cumin, ¼ teaspoon salt, chipotle chili powder, parsley), whisked egg and bread crumbs. Mix until a loose ball forms.
- Form the mixture into patties. I like to make mine about the width of my palm. For best results, make sure the burger is no more than ½ inch thick when cooking. The thinner the patty, the firmer it will be.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat (I use the same skillet I sauteed the onions in for extra flavor). Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Once hot, add patties. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until browned.
- Serve on burger buns with for favorite fixings, such as lettuce or kale and barbecue sauce. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Callie Barber
I did not expect these to be as tasty as they are! So amazing and the spices bring so much flavor. Will definitely make again!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks so much for the review, they are a favorite of mine! 🙂
Dave
Easily my favorite plant-based burgers! Craveable and easy to make.
Cassidy Reeser
So glad that you like them! Thanks for the review.
Hallie
Made these for the first time.
And found them very very delicious. Pretty easy to make I put them in the oven to bake and then reheated them in the microwave the next day. Thank you for the recipe. Look forward to more I have fun putting them all together I'm not a cook but it's fun
Cassidy Reeser
So glad that you liked them, thanks for the review!
Nancy
I have been looking for a good homemade black bean burger for a long time and decided to try yours. Both my husband and I liked this one, and as he said, " put this on the menu again! " That's high praise! The mix of sweet potato and black beans gave them a delightful and unique taste.
Cassidy Reeser
So happy to hear that, thanks for the review! 🙂
Barry Pawson
I made a double batch: one using sweet potatoes, one using butternut squash. Both were very good. Sweet potato recipe was more flavorful. Butternut squash recipe was a little bland. Do you know I could add to recipe to spice it up? I do not know my spices . . .
Cassidy Reeser
Hi Barry, first off- thanks for making the recipe! Butternut squash can be more bland than sweet potato from the start since it's not as sweet. You can always double the cumin and chili powder in the recipe. Other options: add 1/2 teaspoon of paprika (smoke paprika adds a LOT of flavor if you have it available), 1/2 teaspoon of coriander, may an extra pinch of salt will keep the same flavor profile. Fresh herbs would also be delicious but might change the flavor direction- like a heaping tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley, rosemary or thyme. I hope this helps!
Barry . Pawson
Can I substitute butternut squash for sweet potatoes
Cassidy Reeser
I haven't tried it myself but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I'm interested to hear if you try it!
Dorothy
Do you know the nutrition information based solely on the burgers (without the bun)?
Cassidy Reeser
Hi! It looks like they are around 211 calories, 34 g carb, 9 g protein and 4 g fat without the buns.
Connie
I made a double batch and going to bake the patties 40 mins 350 degrees. Then cool and freeze.
Cassidy Reeser
Sounds like a great idea, thanks for making them!
Debbie
I made these with the flax egg and then brown them in a skillet. They didn't firm enough for me but the taste was delicious. Next time will try in oven and hopefully that will firm them up more, otherwise I would have given it a 5 star. Thanks for sharing!
Cassidy Reeser
Hi Debbie, thanks for the review! 🙂