These healthy vegan black bean burgers feature oats, sweet potato, jalapeno, and corn for a tasty patty that’s easy to make, holds together well and is perfect on a burn or salad.

A sweet potato burger pattie on a bun.
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Recipe Features
Ingredient Notes
Step-by-Step Instructions
Serving
Notes
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
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Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

Recipe Features

  • Dietary: Vegan, nut-free and gluten-free. Great option if you have dietary restrictions.
  • Versatile: Enjoy on a bun, salad or on their own for a snack.
  • Nutritious: These burgers are low in fat, high in fiber and contain 7 grams of plant-based protein each.
  • Firm on the outside, tender on the inside.
  • Hold together well through cooking and eating!
  • Budget-friendly and easy to make with simple pantry ingredients.

Ingredient Notes

Various cooking ingredients in dishes on a counter.

A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.

  • Black Beans: Canned works great, just drain, rinse and you’re ready to go. Kidney beans or white beans also work here.
  • Sweet Potato: You’ll need about 1 cup cooked, use this method for baking sweet potatoes beforehand.
  • Corn: Canned, fresh or thawed frozen both work fine.
  • Oats: Quick oats are best for their fine texture but rolled oats are ok too.
  • Flax: Helps to bind the recipe. Make sure you use ground flax seeds, not whole flax seed.
  • Jalapeno: Adds a bit of heat and flavor, make sure you de-seed it otherwise they’ll be SUPER spicy!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Quick Tip: You will need 1 cup of cooked sweet potato for this recipe. If you don’t have that prepared, start that first. You can use this tutorial for how to bake sweet potatoes.

Step 1. Add the jalapeno and onion to a food processor and pulse a few times to process into a rough chop.

Chopped onions and jalapeno in a food processor.

Step 2. Add the sweet potato and black beans, reserving 1/3 cup of the beans. Process until mostly smooth.

Note: If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the veggies by hand then mix everything in a bowl until you have a smooth, combined texture.

Blended sweet potato in a food processor.

Step 3. Add the food processor mixture and the rest of the ingredients, including the reserved beans, to a bowl and mix it all up.

Chill the mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes. If baking, preheat the oven to 400 F.

Raw sweet potato burger mixture in a bowl.

Step 4. Use your hands to create 6 burger patties, placing them on a lined baking pan.

Burger patties on a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Step 5. Cook the burgers. If baking, bake for about 10 minutes per side.

If frying, cook in a good non-stick pan for 3-5 minutes per side over medium heat. I recommend using a bit of cooking spray or oil to cook.

Cooked veggie burger patties on a baking tray.

Serving

Notes

  • Jalapeno can be omitted if you’re sensitive to spice.
  • Chipotle chili powder is a nice alternative to smoked paprika.
  • If you don’t have smoked paprika, regular paprika is ok.
A sweet potato burger pattie on a bun.

MAKING AHEAD & STORING

  • Fridge: Cooked patties can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
  • Freezer: Cooked patties can be frozen in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
  • Reheating: Reheat your burgers in a pan or in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 350 F until heated through. They can be reheated in the microwave but get a bit soggy. You can also enjoy them cold.
  • Make in Advance: Raw patties can be prepared 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge in a sealed container or covered on a plate until you’re ready to cook them.

Loving these veggie burgers? Here are some more must-try recipes:

And don’t forget to serve these with a side of oil-free baked fries!

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A close up of a veggie burger patty on a bun.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

★★★★★ 5 from 10 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Delicious sweet potato and black bean veggie burgers that are gluten-free and easy to make with simple, everyday ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium sweet potato, cooked, peel removed (about 1 cup cooked)
  • ⅓ cup corn kernels, canned or frozen
  • ½ cup red onion
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
  • ¾ cup quick oats (75 g)
  • 3 TB finely chopped cilantro
  • 2 TB ground flax
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Slice the onion into wedges; the jalapeno in half and remove seeds, and add both to the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse a few times to roughly chop.
  2. Add cooked sweet potato and the black beans, reserving ⅓ cup beans. Process until mostly smooth.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, including reserved beans, to a medium mixing bowl. Add processed potato mixture to bowl and stir to combine.
  4. Place the bowl of burger ingredients in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 400 F if baking, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Once chilled, divide the mixture into 6-8 “patties.” Bake for 10 minutes each side, spraying with oil if desired. If not baking, burgers may also be pan-fried for 3-5 minutes on each side in a good non-stick pan, using non-stick cooking spray or a touch of oil to cook, if needed.
  6. Serve on a bun with burger fixings such as mustard, ketchup, onion, lettuce and tomato.

Notes

I had medium sweet potatoes that looked to be what I’d normally buy for a meal. Raw they were 10-12 oz and cooked 9.6-10.5 oz. It was about 1 cup when scooped out of the skin before adding to the food processor. Use this tutorial for how to bake sweet potatoes if you don’t have any prepared.

Corn can be thawed frozen or canned that has been rained and rinsed. 

I used Chosen Foods Avocado spray for both pan-fried and to spray the ones in the oven so they browned nicely.

Leftover patties can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 burger
  • Calories: 160
  • Sugar: 3.4 g
  • Sodium: 481 mg
  • Fat: 2.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 28.3 g
  • Fiber: 8.6 g
  • Protein: 7.6 g

Keywords: black bean burgers, sweet potato black bean burger recipe

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