Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos

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These healthy black bean sweet potato tacos are the best vegetarian tacos ever. Sweet potatoes and vegetables are perfectly spiced and roasted, then tossed with a honey, lime cilantro mixture for the most flavorful and delicious tacos. Taco night isn’t complete without this sweet potato taco recipe!

overhead view of three black bean sweet potato tacos with guacamole


Taco night isn’t complete in my house without these black bean sweet potato tacos – I literally make them every week (along with this salsa, guacamole, and refried beans)! In this recipe, sweet potatoes and vegetables are spiced and roasted to perfection. Then everything is tossed in a delicious cilantro-lime mixture and roasted again for a depth of flavor that is out-of-this-world delicious.

These vegetarian tacos are the perfect way to diversify taco night, especially for the plant lovers in your life. They are healthy, easy to make and are the most delicious taco filling you’ll ever make (well, along with these crockpot chicken tacos). 

Tacos are my go-to meal whenever we entertain, because they satisfy all sorts of dietary needs. That’s why I love these sweet potato tacos, I can easily serve herbivores and carnivores and make everyone happy, with the same meal – paired with all of our Mexican recipes!

black bean sweet potato tacos on a baking sheet

Sweet Potato Tacos: Ingredients and Substitutions

These vegetarian tacos are fairly versatile! Here are a few potential substitutions!

overhead view of the ingredients in this sweet potato tacos recipe
  • Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe! My top two recommendations are olive oil and avocado oil.
  • Spices.  If you’d like to add a little heat (I am a spice wimp), toss in some chili powder. If you’re not a fan of one of the spices, you can easily customize them to your liking by increasing what you love and decreasing what you don’t. However, I find this spice blend perfect. 
  • Bell peppers. I use a total of 3 small bell peppers. Choose your favorite color (red, green, yellow orange, purple), or if you aren’t a fan, you can substitute a different vegetable. I sometimes use this as a “clean the produce drawer” recipe and toss in whatever I have on hand.
  • Black beans. Any bean would work well in this recipe, however black beans are my favorite. Chickpeas are another great choice.
  • Honey. If you’d like to make this recipe vegan you can substitute maple syrup for the honey, but the taste will be a touch different. Other vegan sweeteners include agave, date syrup, and brown rice syrup!
overhead view of three black bean sweet potato tacos with guacamole on a plate

How to make Sweet Potato Tacos

This sweet potato black bean tacos recipe might sound complicated, but it really isn’t! We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!

Make Spice Mixture

Begin my mixing the spices together in a small bowl, then set the mixture aside to use later. 

overhead view of the spice mixture in this sweet potato tacos recipe

Season & Roast Sweet Potatoes

Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil and the spice mixture. Then roast them in the oven until they just begin to brown and become soft. The sweet potatoes take longer to roast than the rest of the vegetables, so it’s important that you pre-cook them. There are two ways to do this,

  1. Follow the recipe and roast them for about 20 minutes before adding the peppers to the pan to be cooked.
  2. Microwave the cubed sweet potatoes on high for 5-6 minutes, then roast for 5-10 minutes in the oven tossed with the olive oil and spices.

Either way as long as you wait to add the peppers until the sweet potatoes are slightly browned, all the vegetables will finish cooking at the same time. 

two overhead photos showing how to make sweet potato tacos

Add Veggies & Roast again

Next, add the bell peppers (or any other veggies you’d like to add) and roast again until the vegetables are soft and browned. 

two overhead photos showing how to make sweet potato tacos

Make the Cilantro-lime sauce

While the vegetables are roasting, whisk together the honey, cilantro and lime juice. 

Add black beans, corn & sauce

Add the black beans, corn and sauce to the roasted vegetables and stir to be sure everything is evenly combined. Adding the sauce at the end ensures that your tacos will be crispy and not soggy!

Roast one more time

Finally, roast the sweet potato and black bean tacos again, stirring once, to ensure the sauce is absorbed and the vegetables are roasted. Then serve! 

overhead photo of the honey, lime & cilantro sauce for these vegetarian tacos

Serving Suggestions: 

These sweet potato tacos make a great filling for tortillas or a topping for a taco salad! I recommend serving with all your favorite Mexican Recipes! Here are some of our favorites: 

black bean sweet potato tacos on a baking sheet after roasting

How to store Sweet Potato Tacos

Store any leftover black bean sweet potato tacos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This recipe makes a large amount of taco filling, so I love eating the leftovers for lunches throughout the week. 

To reheat

To restore the crispiness, reheat the sweet potato tacos in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes (be sure to check often). They can also be warmed in the microwave, and they will still be delicious but won’t be crispy. 

Recipe FAQs

Do I have to peel sweet potatoes to use for tacos?

Nope. I prefer the sweet potatoes with the skin on for flavor, texture and nutrition. However you can peel them if you’d like to,

Can I make these vegan sweet potato tacos?

Yes! Substitute maple syrup for honey and they are vegan.

How long do sweet potato tacos last?

This filling lasts in the fridge for 5-7 days.

overhead view of black bean sweet potato tacos

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Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos Recipe

Laura
These healthy black bean sweet potato tacos are the best vegetarian tacos ever. Sweet potatoes and vegetables are perfectly spiced and roasted, then tossed with a honey, lime cilantro mixture for the most flavorful and delicious tacos. Taco night isn't complete without this sweet potato taco recipe!
5 from 16 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 325.8
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Vegetable Filling

  • 1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes (about 6 cups), cut into 1” cubes
  • 4 TBS olive oil, divided
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 1 ½ cups green pepper (2 medium peppers), cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 cup red pepper (1 medium pepper), cut into 1” pieces
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • ½ cup frozen yellow corn thawed and drained

Honey, Cilantro Lime Sauce

  • 3 TBS honey (maple syrup for vegan)
  • 3 TBS lime juice
  • 3 TBS fresh cilantro chopped

For Serving

  • Corn or flour tortillas
  • guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease a large baking sheet.
  • Mix spices together in a small bowl, set aside.
  • Put sweet potatoes in a large bowl and add 3 TBS olive oil. Stir until potatoes are evenly coated.
  • Sprinkle spices on sweet potatoes and stir until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated with the spice mixture.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until they just start to brown, stirring halfway through.
  • While sweet potatoes are baking, add peppers to the large bowl that the sweet potatoes were mixed in. Add 1 TBS olive oil and a little extra salt and pepper. Stir until evenly coated.
  • After 20 minutes, or once sweet potatoes are slightly browned, remove the pan from oven and add peppers. Stir until combined.
  • Return to oven for 20 more minutes, stirring halfway through.
  • While pan is in the oven, mix honey, lime juice and cilantro together in a small bowl and stir to combine.
  • Once sweet potatoes and peppers are looking nice and roasted, add corn and black beans and stir to combine.
  • Drizzle honey lime cilantro sauce over all the veggies on the pan and stir until everything is evenly mixed/coated.
  • Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Until corn is slightly browned and the sauce has stuck to the veggies!
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately in tortillas or over salad greens, topped with your favorite taco toppings (guacamole, salsa, etc).

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe! My top two recommendations are olive oil and avocado oil.
  • Spices.  If you’d like to add a little heat (I am a spice wimp), toss in some chili powder. If you’re not a fan of one of the spices, you can easily customize them to your liking by increasing what you love and decreasing what you don’t. However, I find this spice blend perfect. 
  • Bell peppers. I use a total of 3 small bell peppers. Choose your favorite color (red, green, yellow orange, purple), or if you aren’t a fan, you can substitute a different vegetable. I sometimes use this as a “clean the produce drawer” recipe and toss in whatever I have on hand.
  • Black beans. Any bean would work well in this recipe, however black beans are my favorite. Chickpeas are another great choice.
  • Honey. If you’d like to make this recipe vegan you can substitute maple syrup for the honey, but the taste will be a touch different. Other vegan sweeteners include agave, date syrup, and brown rice syrup!

To Store:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This recipe makes a large amount of taco filling, so I love eating the leftovers for lunches throughout the week. 

To reheat

To restore the crispiness, reheat the sweet potato tacos in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes (be sure to check often). They can also be warmed in the microwave, and they will still be delicious but won’t be crispy. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 325.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.2g | Protein: 15.8g | Fat: 11.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 57.4mg | Potassium: 399.2mg | Fiber: 6.3g | Sugar: 12.4g | Vitamin A: 21150IU | Vitamin C: 98.2mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

Photos in this post were taken by the talented Jamie from Dishing Out Health!

Recipe inspired by  Cooking Classy.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 




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Recipe Rating




28 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice in my home and today I’m making it for my parents. This recipe is super easy and down right delicious! The spices for sweet potatoes and the honey cilantro lime dressing make this oustanding. We eat this at least once a week now. Thank you very much for this recipe. All we added was avocado and the Bolthouse cilantro avocado dressing as our toppers. Great job!

  2. 5 stars
    Wowwwwwzers! Soo delicious!! I didn’t have honey so I didn’t use the sauce, just olive oil and seasonings, added homemade guacamole on top with a little bit of Herdez guacamole salsa drizzled on top! Perfection!!