These recipe for the BEST Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger is vegan, gluten free, and full of bold flavors. Even the meat eaters like this one!
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If you don’t have dinner plans for tonight, I’ve got you covered. How about a plant-based dinner that’s also gluten free? Now you’re listening, right?
I’m of the camp that veggie and/or bean burgers are always a good idea. It’s probably my #1 most ordered item when I go to restaurants. Without a doubt, I prefer a good veggie burger to a good hamburger.
I know not everyone agrees with the whole veggie burgers > hamburgers assessment, but even if you don’t, I think you’ll love these.
They’re flavored with some favorite Mexican-inspired spices and herbs. In my book those flavors are always a winner. Fresh cilantro, chili powder, and cumin, along with a hint of lime. Pretty much my favorites together.
Recipe Ingredients
I wanted to make these as simple as possible. Even though I adore these Beet Burgers, they are a bit of a process. This recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers are pretty simple. Let me show you!
How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger
The most “difficult” part is getting the sweet potatoes and quinoa that’s used to make them cooked. If you’re a food prepper, cook them both on Sunday or whatever day you do your food prep.
If you stay home during the day, roast those babies in the oven or use this recipe for Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes and cook the quinoa while you’re doing something else. If you’re rushing to get dinner done and the sweet potatoes aren’t cooked, use the microwave. They’ll be done before your quinoa is cooked.
Once you have cooked sweet potatoes and quinoa, put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Use a potato masher to mash the beans, but leave some in tact.
Form the mixture into 6 patties. I pan fry these in a little bit of oil, which gets them crispy on the outside. They stay tender on the inside, but not totally mushy. They are veggie and bean burgers, so they don’t have the texture of a hamburger, but they are firm enough to stay together. If you want to bake them, that’s fine, they just won’t have that nice crispy exterior.
I’m not saying it’s mandatory, but it’s an excellent idea to top your burg with some fresh guacamole. This is my absolute all-time favorite guacamole recipe that always gets rave reviews.
I also served these with some cold beer, because it just seemed like the right thing to do. The healthier option would be to exclude the beer, but a cold beer with a veggie burger tastes so good! Moderation.
These burgs are vegan and gluten-free (you’d need to get a gluten-free bun, of course) and 100% satisfying. All I think they need is a nice salad for a side dish and you’ve got yourself a meal. They would also be awesome with these Air Fryer Carrots. I hope you love them!
Recipe Notes
- If you have time, after you form the patties, refrigerate them for 30 minutes or more. This is not mandatory, but does help them hold together better.
- When you are flipping your burgers, if they fall apart at all, simply use the spatula to form them back together.
- To ensure you get a nice, crispy exterior, make sure your pan is hot before you place the patties in the pan.
- I recommend a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for this recipe.
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Who’s ready for a Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger for dinner?! If you try this recipe, please give it a star rating below! Your feedback really helps more people who want to try the recipes!
Looking for plant-based dinners? You might also love this One Pot Coconut Curry Lentil Bowl, this Vegetable Lentil Soup, or this Lentil Loaf.
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Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
These Sweet Potato Black Bean burgers are vegan, gluten-free, and bursting with flavor. They are easy to make with a crispy exterior and tender inside!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal+3 tablespoons water (or 1 egg)
- 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato (from 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes)
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- oil (I like avocado oil for this)
Instructions
- Mix together your flaxseed meal and water and set it aside until it gels.
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to mash the beans, leaving a few in tact for texture.
- In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of oil over medium high heat.
- Form the sweet potato mixture into 6 patties.
- When the skillet is hot enough to sizzle, add the patties, in batches if necessary. Cook on one side until a crispy exterior is formed, about 5-7 minutes.
- Carefully flip each patty and cook an additional 5 minutes on the second side.
- Serve with your favorite toppings like guacamole. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have time, after you form the patties, refrigerate them for 30 minutes or more. This is not mandatory, but does help them hold together better.
- When you are flipping your burgers, if they fall apart at all, simply use the spatula to form them back together.
- To ensure you get a nice, crispy exterior, make sure your pan is hot before you place the patties in the pan.
- I recommend a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger
- Calories: 111
- Sugar: 1.3g
- Sodium: 222.2mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 20.5g
- Fiber: 6.6g
- Protein: 5.7g
Note: The prep time does not include cooking time for sweet potato and quinoa.
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This recipe was originally published in May 2016. The post was updated with a new video January 2020.
Delicious! I was looking for something fun to do with my last sweet potato — I appreciate that all the ingredients are things people tend to have on hand. Would definitely make again!
Thanks for the feedback, Becca! I appreciate it. I’m glad you liked these. 🙂
I tried this recipe out tonight, they were extremely flavorful however the texture was like very runny mashed potatoes. They had no form at all. they were a complete mess to eat, even after pan frying them. I tried the recipe to the exact measurements as well. Maybe there is some other way to get them to hold together a bit more, then this recipe would be perfect.
Eeek! That doesn’t sound right at all. I’m sorry you had trouble with these staying together. Without being there and seeing the burgers, I can’t really speculate as to what went wrong as I mine haven’t turned out anything like runny mashed potatoes in the times I’ve made these.
I can’t wait to try these burgers, they look amazing. I!ll let you know how it goes.
Thanks, Patty!
Didn’t work at all. Burgers didn’t hold together. Made a double recipe and not sure what to do with it now.
It’s hard for me to troubleshoot without being there to actually see what yours look like, but I’m sure there’s a way to salvage it. Maybe you didn’t mash the mixture enough and need to mash it more. You could add another flax egg and see if that helps. I’m sorry these didn’t hold together well for you!
We made these tonight, and they were as delicious as they look! My daughter and I have been experimenting with vegan eating and have had a few recipes that were better left online :). This one is perfect! We made a double batch and will freeze them. My husband (steak and potatoes all day every day) said after a bite, “hmm…pretty good.” He didn’t want to trade for steak, but that is high praise. I will say that they almost burned on “medium high” heat, but we kept an eye on them and it was no problem. I love that this recipe didn’t call for a food processor, because we don’t have one. HIGHLY recommend!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Donna. I really appreciate it! “Pretty good” would be high praise for a veggie burger from my husband as well. If I get a pretty good, I know it’ll be much loved by most people.:)
I’m making them now and I’m having a hard time keeping them together..
I’m sorry to hear that, Mixsi. I hope they worked out for you. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from these and I’ve not had trouble with them. In general, if I find a veggie burger falling apart as I try to flip it, I usually have good luck just forming it back together with the spatula and once it’s cooked it stays together better. Without being there, though, it’s hard for me to determine what happened with your particular batch.
I’m excited to try these burgers. They look very tasty!! But I’m wondering if they would freeze well and if so, how long would they last in freezer?
I’m sorry, but I haven’t tried freezing these so I’m not sure! I have a feeling they would freeze well and would probably last 3 months in the freezer.
Thank you so much for this recipe! We love it at my house, specially the hubby! Lol Very good bold flavor! I’m making a big batch of this and freezing it for later use and even for when I have people over! Thanks again!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
I have made these and LOVED them, however, we dont have any more quinoa but I was wondering if riced califlower would work?? I am guessing the quinoa is a good sponge for certain things within this dish but maybe not.
Thank you!!
I have never thought of riced cauliflower as a substitute for something like this, and I’m really not sure if it would work. I really can’t say either way–sorry! Please do let me know if you try it, though.
Yum!! For those of us who are not concerned with it being vegan, do you think a cheese would be good on this, or would it be too weird with the flavor? Trying to please some carnivores, so I’m thinking if I’m not giving them meat I could at least throw some dairy on there 🙂 just not sure what type would taste good! Let me know if you have a suggestion, thanks!
I suggest cheddar. It usually works well with these flavours but melt it. Melted cheddar is always better 🙂
So sorry I missed your comment back in June. As Annita suggested, cheddar would be great here. I also think some crumbled Cotija would be fantastic.
The tanginess of the goat cheese would be great
Looking for some new summer veggie burger recipes and these look great! I love using sweet potato but haven’t done quinoa yet in a burger, can’t wait to try them!
I hope you love these, Deryn! 🙂
These taste SOOOOO good, but I absolutely can’t get them to hold together! Which ingredient should I add more off if the mix is too runny? I SO want this to work!!!
I would mash them a bit more if you haven’t already. If the mixture feels too wet or sticky, add some more quinoa. If you don’t have more quinoa on hand, you can add breadcrumbs or oats. If it’s not sticking together but is dry, try to add another flax egg. I hope this helps! Sorry they weren’t holding together for you. Veggie burgers can be finicky sometimes!
Thanks!
Can you use chia seeds instead of flaxseed?
I’m allergic to quinoa. Would rice work instead?
Yes!
Could these be frozen? I’m probably the only person who would eat these at a family bbq!
Haha! My family bbq would probably be the same. 😉 Yes, I do think these would freeze well.
Hi. Can u sub for the quinoa and if so what?
You could try breadcrumbs or rolled oats.
Could you sub quinoa for brown rice? And if I don’t have flaxseed do you think I could just did an egg as an ingredient binder?
Yes, I think both of those substitutions would work!
Would these work on the grill?
I’m wondering the same thing. They look fantastic!
Thanks, Becky! I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it. I worry about them falling apart, but it could work. Please let me know if you give it a try (and I’ll do the same if I try it). 🙂
I did them on the grill. As long as you make them thick enough and don’t get tempted to turn them over too soon or too much, you’ll have minimal problems. You could put some foil on the grill but I didn’t find it necessary. I had some left over (we had a big party) so I just reheated the grilled burgers on the stove. So good! I just came searching for the recipe because I want them again. They are my favorite ever meatless burger.
Though I will say a little oil on the grill to keep it from sticking would be good. Especially if you try to turn them over too soon.
So glad to hear that you made these on the grill! I’ve been wanting to try it! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Cook the veggie burgers on the Square grate with holes on four sides and bottom,used to cook veggies on the grill. You’ll find them in BBQ grill sections of most stores. The grate has fluted sides.
Oh that’s a good idea!
That’s a great question! I haven’t tried it. I *think* it would work, but I hate to say that without trying it. Please let me know if you do.
Amazing! I have been a vegetarian for over 3.5 years and haven’t found anything quite this tasty and it was very inexpensive to make. Love it!
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂 🙂
I made this recipe for myself and my boyfriend yesterday. He was a strict vegetarian for about four years, so he’s definitely had his fair share of veggie burgers. After he polished off the last of them, he said they were his favorite veggie burger that he ever had! He doesn’t usually throw around the word “favorite” lightly, so I know he is a big fan. Thanks for the recipe. It’s absolutely one of our favorites!
Oh that makes me so happy! Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Courtney. 🙂
Was wondering are the really soft? Look and smell amazing !
They are soft on the inside and get crispy on the outside. I find that if I make them too stiff, they get dried out. I hope you enjoyed them!
Great timing! I was looking for a good veggie burger this week, to put on my summer recipe calendar and voila! Although I won’t be able to wait until summer to try it! Thank you thank you thank you!
I love when that happens!
Looks delicious! What type of bun did you serve these on?
I used a 10 grain bun that was baked fresh from our “healthier” local grocery store (Dorothy Lane Market if you are local). 🙂
Hi, do the nutritional facts include the bun?
No, they do not.
Can I freeze the patties after or before cooking?
After is better.