Smoky with a little bit of sweet, this sweet potato black bean burger recipe is easy to throw together with minimal ingredients. Serve in buns with optional (but so good!) Sriracha mayo, lettuce, red onion and tomato slices.
If you have a sweet potato, a can of black beans and some simple pantry staples, then you can make these burgers. I love how budget friendly and simple this recipe is, plus they taste amazing! If you can, I highly recommend making some simple Sriracha vegan mayo. The creamy, spicy sauce pairs perfectly with the sweet and smoky burgers.
I think you will love these Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers. They’re:
Very mildly smoky and spiced
Subtly sweet and savory
Filling and satisfying
Crispy on the outside, tender inside
& just 9 ingredients!
How to make them
Start by roasting a medium sweet potato in the oven until fork tender. I like to speed things up by cutting the sweet potato in half lengthwise, then place orange flesh side down and bake for about 30 minutes.
Once the flesh is cool enough to handle, scoop out the cooked sweet potato flesh and add to a large bowl. Mash, then add the black beans and mash a bit more, leaving some beans whole.
Now, to the same bowl, add the diced red onion, oats, spices and salt. Mix well with a large spoon. Add more salt to taste.
Shape into patties with your hands, using about 1/2 cup for each one. Place burgers on a greased pan (or use parchment paper).
Bake for 15 minutes, flip gently and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven.
Sriracha mayo
For the optional Sriracha mayo, simply stir together 1/2 cup of vegan mayo (store bought or homemade), with 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce and a tiny pinch of garlic powder.
To serve
Serve sweet potato black bean burgers with Sriracha mayo (or regular mayo), lettuce, tomato slices, red onions, and/or avocado slices. Enjoy!
Gluten free
To ensure these burgers are gluten free, use gluten free certified oats, and gluten free buns.
If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out The Best Veggie Burger Recipe as well.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger
Ingredients
Sweet potato black bean patties
- 1 medium sweet potato, cooked
- (1)15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped small red onion
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or quick oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
Sriracha mayo, optional
- 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
- tiny pinch garlic powder
For serving
- 6 burger buns
- lettuce, tomato slices, red onion, avocado slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and place facedown on the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until fork tender and cooked through. Remove from oven. Lower the oven to 375 degrees.
- When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and add the flesh to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher, add the black beans and slightly mash the beans into the sweet potatoes, leaving some beans whole.
- To the bowl with the sweet potatoes and black beans, add the diced red onion, oats, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir well with a large spoon until combined. Taste, add more salt if desired.
- Prepare a baking sheet for the burgers by either lightly greasing with oil or using parchment paper. You can use the same pan you cooked the sweet potato on.
- Fill a 1/2 cup measuring cup, then form into a burger shape, about 1 inch thick. You can make them thinner or thicker as you prefer. Place burgers on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip carefully and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven.
- Optional Sriracha mayo: In a small bowl, stir together the vegan mayo (homemade or store bought), Sriracha and a tiny pinch of garlic powder.
- Serve in buns with optional Sriracha mayo (or regular vegan mayo), lettuce, tomato slices, red onion and/or avocado slices.
Notes
- Store leftover patties in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or freeze them. Reheat either in the microwave or the stovetop until warm.
- If you don't like onions or have picky kids, you can omit the red onions.
- Gluten Free: To ensure these are gluten free, use gluten free certified oats and a gluten free bun.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first posted July 2017 and has been updated with an easier recipe process and ingredients, and new photos.
Nora- I am just trying to lean into veganism. These sweet potato black bean burgers hit the spot! When my husband ate his two juicy cheeseburgers, I happily ate one of the sweet potato black bean burgers and had no craving for the meat or cheese. It was so satisfying! I’ll be following you!
Welcome, Laura! I’m glad you loved the black bean burger! Enjoy your journey through my recipes, and let me know how they go for you, or if you have any questions. I appreciate you taking your time to share your comments! Happy cooking!
I tried this recipe this afternoon and my daughter and I enjoyed. I had eaten half before she came home for her lunch break, so I offered her the remaining half and she enjoyed. It is definitely a keeper. It was very simple once I cooked my potatoes. I didn’t have any onion powder so I just added extra fresh onions. Thanks Nora, as usual your recipes are a hit.
Thank you, Veronica! I’m thrilled you guys loved the burgers! Thanks for taking your time to share your review and comments!
This is a great and easy recipe! Thanks so much! I added an egg & a tsp of chili powder. We ate them with Asian salad, no bun & Thai sweet chili sauce?
So good!
Thank you for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you love the burgers!
Can you cook the burgers over stovetop instead on a skillet?
Yes you can! Happy Cooking!
What an amazing flavorful burger. I didnt have any paprika so I added Chipotle Chili powder. Husband vowed to quit regular hamburgers Thank you for sharing.. .
Thank you Lesli, for sharing your review!
i have a 7 grain cereal. do you think it could be used in the place of the oats? these are the grains: Hard Red Wheat, Soft White Wheat
Oat Groats, Triticale, Spelt
Barley, Rye, Flax Seed
It probably could, sure!
I made these last night for my husband & I, they were easy & quick to make. We loved the spices used along with the S. Mayo to top it off. Delicious & so nice for a change; husband said recipe a keeper. (We have your Fluffy Banana Pancakes here for supper once a week, those are for tomorrow night, can’t wait) ?
Hi Darlene. Thank you for your fun and wonderful review! I’m thrilled my recipes are part of your meal rotations! I just love pancakes for supper! Happy cooking!
Oops, found where the oats go.
While I haven’t made these yet, I don’t see where the 1/2 cup of oatmeal is used.
So good! Made them for dinner and my (picky) boyfriend gave them a thumbs up! The sriracha mayo paired perfectly and really took these over the top. This recipe is a keeper for sure! Thanks, Nora! 🙂
Hi Lauren. I’m glad you and your boyfriend loved the burgers! Thank you for using my recipes, and for taking the time to share!
Can I fry them instead of the oven?
Thank you
Yes, you can. Thanks!
I normally do not like sweet potatoes but loved these burgers! Also great as leftovers.
That’s so great to hear!
Have you tried using canned sweet potatoes?
I haven’t, but I bet it would work okay.
Thanks for such a simple and delicious recipe! Still good even with some ingredients omitted or reduced to serve my sensitive tum
🙂
You’re welcome!
THE BEST! Thank you for posting:)
You’re welcome!
Has anyone tried to grill them instead of baking?
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I have searched over and over for the perfect black bean/sweet potato burger recipe and have made some duds along the way. Today I made these for the second time and they do NOT disappoint! The first time I made them I made them exactly as written. Today I added a few tablespoons of corn and a generous handful of chopped fresh spinach, and I brushed each one with a little olive oil before baking them, and they were amazing! Thank you for sharing this!
We made these tonight for supper. They tasted absolutely amazing. Loved the smoked paprika!! Will be a family staple! Thank you!!
You’re so welcome!!
These are the best burgers ever!!
Nora, we swear by all your recipes-they are always delicious
and never too complicated. You have a big fan base in our household❤️
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment!!
Uswd lentils as i did not have beans and was amazing!!
Thanks for this recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed the burgers with lentils, that’s great!
Hi Nora, I’m very tempted to try this recipe. I just have a question : the metric quantity for sweet potatoes says 4 medium potatoes instead of 1 for US customary. Can you please give an idea of the right quantity in grams? Thank you.
I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened on the metric conversion, but it’s fixed now. Just 1 medium sweet potato, about 4 grams is just right. Thank you!
My 11 year old daughter cooked these burgers last night with supervision and they were delicious! My husband and I agreed that they are the best burgers to come out of our kitchen haha. Thank you so much for this recipe!
You’re welcome! Sounds so fun! My 11 year old daughter is making some of them as well.
These were beyond delicious and as others have noted, they form into patties much better than other recipes. I had to substitute chili powder for the smoked paprika and will probably keep doing that since they were so wonderful. Thanks for yet another great recipe, Nora, and be well and safe in our upside down world – in addition to all the sadness, fears of the unknown and stress, silver linings will also come from all of this and many new good health habits formed perhaps — but in the meantime, wishing everyone peace and good health as we all face what seems like a new normal every day and often more than once a day! Nora – thanks for helping fill our days happily and productively with your wonderful blog and creations.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the great comment!
Made a double batch last night to have extras to freeze – they were fantastic! I love how easy it was to shape the patties – not crumbly and not too sticky on my hands. It was also easy to wrap the cooked burgers in foil for the freezer – they stayed together beautifully.
Due to food sensitivities, I substituted millet for the rice and coarse almond flour for the breadcrumbs. Thanks for another awesome recipe, I love your site!
You’re welcome, and thanks for the great comment!
The combination of sweet potatoes and black beans is amazing in these burgers.