Home » Recipes » Burger

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger

By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 11/09/2023

4.94 from 45 votes

Jump to Recipe Pin Facebook Save Saved!

💬 6 Comments

This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This vegan spicy black bean burger recipe is a flavorsome homemade black bean burger patty packed with sweet potatoes, walnuts, and oats. It’s filling, high-protein super firm, and juicy.

Black beans are our favorite canned beans in the house, and when I don’t make black bean brownies or Mexican black beans, I love a good, juicy, firm black bean burger patty. The thing is, bean burgers are dry, but since I added my air fryer sweet potato cubes to this black bean mixture, the result is amazingly moist and juicy, and you will love the light, sweet flavor of the roasted sweet potatoes.

Ingredients For Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger Patties

These delicious, juicy black bean sweet potato burgers are easier to make than you think. All you need are a few wholesome ingredients that you probably have in your pantry right now.

• Canned Black Beans – I like to drain and rinse the canned black beans to remove the liquid they are stored in. Simply rinse in a sieve under cold tap water and let them drain for a few minutes before using to avoid added water in the burger mixture.
• Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes – This binds the ingredients in the burger mixture and also adds moisture and flavor.
• Rolled Oats – This adds texture to the patties, and it also binds the ingredients together.
• Walnuts – They add healthy fat and flavors and act like flour in the recipe.
• Flour – You can use any flour like all-purpose flour or gluten-free equivalent.
• Onion – Red onion or finely chopped onion.
• Dried Spices – This is the key to flavor the patties. I like a combination of Garlic powder, Onion powder, Salt, Pepper, Cumin, and Paprika or Smoked Paprika for a smoky flavor.
• Tomato Paste – This adds moisture and flavor to the black bean patties.
• Tamari Sauce or Soy Sauce is the secret ingredient to add umami flavor to vegan meals.

Roasting Sweet Potato Cubes

First, you need to roast the sweet potato, and you can use your oven or an air fryer.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Peel the sweet potato, cut the orange sweet potato into cubes, and place it on the prepared baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Spray with cooking oil all the cubes and roast for 15 minutes, shaking halfway, or until tender. Or, use my air fryer sweet potato cube recipes minus the spices, for a faster method.

Making Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

1. In a food processor bowl, add rolled oats and walnuts.
2. Process on high speed until fine, like flour.

3. Then, add the remaining ingredients: roasted sweet potato cubes, canned, drained black beans, dried spices, diced onion, flour, tomato paste, and tamari sauce. Process all the ingredients on medium/high speed until they stick together and form a sticky, moist sweet potato burger batter that can be shaped into patties easily.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and lightly oil the paper. Divide the sweet potato black bean burger mixture into 4 balls – about 1/2 cup each.

5. Use a cooking oil spray to oil the top of the balls, then flatten them onto the baking sheet.
6. The thinner, the wider and crispier the patties are.

7. Bake the sweet potato black bean burgers for 15 minutes, then glaze them with vegan barbecue sauce.
8. Flip the patties and glaze the other side. Return to the oven for 15 minutes until baked through.

Serving Black Bean Burgers

The best toppings to make black bean burgers are fresh, juicy, and crunchy ingredients like:

• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Mashed avocado
• Red onion
• Vegan burger sauce or vegan aioli
• Vegan cheese

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

This vegan spicy black bean burger recipe is a flavorsome homemade black bean burger patty packed with sweet potatoes, walnuts, and lots. It's filling, high-protein, super firm, and juicy.

Pin Print Review Save Saved!

Prep Time: 40 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 patties (1/2 cup)

Calories: 141.1 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

4.94 from 45 votes

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ ¾ cup Sweet Potato - peeled, cubed, equivalent 1 medium sweet potato
• ▢ 1 can Black Beans - rinsed, drained (15 oz, 400 g cooked black beans)
• ▢ ¼ cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
• ▢ ¼ cup Walnuts
• ▢ 1 small Onion - finely diced, about 3 tablespoons
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Garlic
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Tamari Sauce - or soy sauce
• ▢ 5-6 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

To glaze patties

• ▢ 3 tablespoons Vegan Barbecue Sauce - to glaze the patties

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Oil paper with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
• Cook sweet potato cubes – I use my air fryer sweet potato cubes recipe to cook them. But you can also lay the cubes in a single layer on one of the prepared baking sheets. Spray cubes evenly with cooking oil, and bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway.
• Cool down the roasted sweet potato cubes at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the rolled oats and walnuts until they look like flour.
• Add all the remaining ingredients except the vegan barbecue sauce used for glazing.
• Blend on medium-high speed until it forms a paste with no chunks. If too wet, blend in extra tablespoons of flour, adding one tablespoon at a time. If too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
• Split the batter into 4 balls of about 1/2 cup. The mixture is sticky, so grease your hands with oil to handle it easily, then place each ball on the prepared baking sheet, leaving two thumb spaces between.
• Spray the balls with cooking oil, then press with lightly oiled hands into a 1-inch burger patty.
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes. Flip the patties, brush vegan barbecue sauce on both sides of the patties, and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
• Serve in a burger bun with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, vegan burger sauce, vegan cheese, and mashed avocado.

Notes

Can I freeze sweet potato black bean burgers?

Freeze your vegan black bean patties in an airtight container. Make sure they don’t overlap, or it gets difficult to thaw individually. Otherwise, place a piece of parchment paper between each patty to prevent them from sticking together. Rewarm in a hot frying pan or the oven.

How to store black bean burgers

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Rewarm in a lightly oiled frying pan or the oven for 8 minutes at 300°F (150°C).

Gluten-free – use gluten-free certified oats and all-purpose gluten-free flour.

Nut-free – swap walnuts for sunflower seeds.

Share on Facebook Pin Recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1patty | Calories: 141.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Sodium: 308.4mg | Potassium: 275.3mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 3.1g | Vitamin A: 3911.2IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 31.2mg | Iron: 1.6mg | Magnesium: 34.9mg | Phosphorus: 86.1mg | Zinc: 0.7mg

About The Author

Carine

Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, photographer, and published author of a cookbook and founder of The Conscious Plant Kitchen with my husband Damien. Learn more about us.