Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
Posted Apr 21, 2017, Updated Jul 22, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This sweet potato black bean burgers recipe is a healthy meatless main dish. They are vegan, gluten-free and freezer-friendly – perfect for meal prep.
Say hello to a delicious plant-based, nutrient packed, sweet potato black bean burger.
They are an easy meatless meal absolutely bursting with flavor.
I’m an herbivore living amongst carnivores So on the nights when we grill burgers, you will usually find me enjoying one of these homemade black bean veggie burgers instead (on a homemade burger bun, of course).
They are healthy (vegan & gluten-free), packed with protein, fiber and nutritious vegetables! Plus they’re freezer-friendly, making them the perfect cook once, eat for a week meal option.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers: Substitutions
One of my favorite things about these veggie burgers is how customizable they are! Like I said before, it’s a great”clean out the veggie drawer” recipe.
- Veggies. You can substitute the peppers and corn with different vegetable such as: grated carrots or zucchini, peas, etc.
- Spices. You can customize the spices to your tastes. Dried oregano or basil are good substitutes for Italian seasoning.
- Oats. Any type of oats (quick cooking, old fashioned, etc) work in this recipe because they are blended in the food processor. All-purpose flour is a good substitute.
How to Make Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
Let’s discus how to make sweet potato black bean burgers together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by roasting a sweet potato until soft (about 1 hour at 400 degrees F). Or, you can roast more to have mashed sweet potato on hand to make sweet potato casserole and mashed sweet potatoes.
Then, cook the peppers and olive oil to a non-stick skillet until soft (about 5 minutes).
Once the peppers are soft, turn off the heat and stir in the corn.
Then, place the cooked sweet potato and half of the black bean beans (about ¾ cup) into a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Process for about 15 second or until combined.
Next, add the oats and spices and process until combined. Then transfer the processed mixture to a medium bowl.
Add the cooled veggies and the other half of the beans and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Then, measure out ¼ cup of the mixture and form into a patty on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat until all of the mixture is used, spacing about 1-2” apart (leaving room for flipping).
Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, spray the side facing up with cooking spray or spray oil. Very carefully flip and continue baking 15-20 minutes longer or until both sides are browned.
Remove from oven, let cool slightly and serve.
Serve
Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite condiments and side dishes. Here are some suggestions:
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Guacamole
- Pickles
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Onion
- Mayonnaise
- Cheese (add cheese in the last 2 minutes of baking on the second side so it melts).
Store/Freeze
Store in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, either warm a black bean sweet potato burger in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or in the microwave until warmed through.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers FAQs
No, they will fall apart on the grill. This recipe is made to be baked.
Yes, I often double or even triple this recipe so I can freeze the burgers and have them on hand for a quick lunch.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 15 ounces black beans )(drained & rinsed
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato (about 1 small potato, roasted)
- ½ cup corn
- 1 green bell pepper (small, diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (small, diced)
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare mashed sweet potato by roasting 1 small potato at 400 degrees F for about 1 hour or until soft.
- Finely dice peppers using a food processor.
- Add peppers and olive oil to a non-stick skillet and sauté until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Turn off heat and add corn. Stir until combined. Set aside to cool.
- Place sweet potato and half of the beans (about ¾ cup) to the food processor fitted with the “S” blade.
- Process for about 15 second or until combined.
- Add oats and spices and process until combined.
- Transfer processed mixture to a medium bowl.
- Add cooled veggies and the other half of the beans and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Grease two large baking sheets.
- Measure out ¼ cup of the mixture and form into a patty on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until all of the mixture is used, spacing about 1-2” apart (leaving room for flipping).
- Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, spray the side facing up with cooking spray or spray oil. Very carefully flip and continue baking 15-20 minutes longer or until both sides are browned.
- Remove from oven, let cool slightly and serve.
Video
Notes
- Veggies. You can substitute the peppers and corn with different vegetable such as: grated carrots or zucchini, peas, etc.
- Spices. You can customize the spices to your tastes. Dried oregano or basil are good substitutes for Italian seasoning.
- Oats. Any type of oats (quick cooking, old fashioned, etc) work in this recipe because they are blended in the food processor. All-purpose flour is a good substitutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I really like this recipe. I’ve tried a few different ones and always come back to this one – it’s my favorite!!
Made these tonight. Was hoping to have a few left over for tomorrow but no such luck. These were delicious. Topped them with tomatoes and avocado. Yum! Will definitely we making these again and will double the recipe for sure! Thank you!
Amazing can’t believe how good these are, I doubled the recipe to freeze more. We had ours with a good spread of hommus, smashed avocado, lettuce, tomato and a little bit of sweet chilli sauce on a fresh sesame seed bun, we all had seconds. My 19 month old loved them too.
‘Very tasty and surprisingly easy! I served them with a small dab of low fat sour cream and fresh salsa. Looking forward to trying more veggie combos! May even freeze a few for lunches.
After searching around to try to copy a local restaurant version – I found this one that sounded like one that compared – made recipe as is – and Yum ! Served topped with avocado & tomato slice and a side salad – a Hit ! Only adjustment I would make is temperature and/or cooking time – but that is a personal oven variation only. And I greased parchment – cooked great. Thanks for the recipe !
Do you think I could use parchment instead with no greasing of the pan?
No I do not recommend parchment because they will likely stick.
Hi Laura,
I made these today! They smell great when baking. They taste fantastic too.
I doubled the recipe. But didn’t double all of the spices and I think they still tasted great.
I was wondering what to top with? We used hummus and put on naan buns for the kids.
I am assuming they won’t crisp up on the inside?
Also, I tried to dice peppers in my FP but they ended up more like a paste?? Should I have used a different blade for this?
In either case my husband and I both enjoyed them and I managed to get all 3 kids plus one of their friends to eat them! So I consider it a win.
I’ll be making them again!
They even look very similar to your picture. I just cooked longer because I like more crispy edges 😀
I’m making these tonight! They smell delicious! I doubled the recipe and added some carrots and spinach.What would you recommend topping these with? My kids love hummus. Would this work? I don’t think I could get them to eat with spinach and onions.
Suggestions?
Also, I tried to dice my peppers in my food processor but they came out like a purée. Should I have used a shredding blade vs the s shape?
Thanks!
The trick to making any good veggie burger (or any other vegan meat style things, even store bought) is to use a sandwich press. Just line it with some baking paper, and then squish your patties or sausages in there for a few minutes. Frozen stuff works too.
You can even make pancakes in there. But don’t close the lid fully. It saves you from having to flip them.
These looked so good and everything was going great but mine did not stick together at all when I flipped them, ever so carefully they crumbled. I tried to reform them and when I took them out after the second 20 minutes they were burnt on the outside sort of and still mushy inside. The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was add chopped onion and I didn’t have a spray oil so I poured olive oil directly in the pan and rubbed it around with a paper towel.
Moriah I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out for you! Adding chopped onion could, in fact, impact the final consistency of the veggie burger if it’s not chopped very finely (if that makes sense).