Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos

Why Make this Recipe

If you’re looking for a healthy vegetarian taco recipe, you’re going to love these sweet potato tacos! These are perfect for taco Tuesday, meatless Monday, entertaining or a fun and delicious, crowd-pleasing meal any night of the week!

The recipe features seasoned sweet potato cubes and black beans and onions with a creamy chipotle sauce and cabbage slaw.

The queso and slaw are optional though, so the tacos are easy to customize with your favourite toppings.

Enjoy these easy vegan tacos for your next taco night. They’re sure to be a huge hit!

Ingredient Notes

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.

For the Tacos & Slaw

• Sweet Potato: You’ll need 2 medium sweet potatoes or about 5 cups cubed. You could also use white potato or yam.
• Oil: Your choice of cooking oil. I used olive oil.
• Smoked Paprika: I love smoked paprika for a bit of smokiness but regular paprika also works.
• Other Spices: You’ll also need cumin, garlic powder and any mild chili powder.
• Onion: You can use white onion, red onion or yellow onion.
• Garlic: The black beans call for garlic cloves but you could also use garlic powder here.
• Black Beans: You’ll need 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
• Cabbage: You can use purple or green cabbage for the slaw. The slaw is optional, of course, but adds some nice freshness and zing to the tacos.
• Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro in the slaw.
• Sugar: You’ll need just a little pinch of sugar to balance the acidity in the slaw.
• Tortillas: Use your favourite corn tortillas, or you can use wheat tortillas. You can also skip the tortillas and make a taco salad or taco bowl.

For the Queso

• Cashews: Use plain, raw cashews with no added oil or salt.
• Tomato Paste: Any brand of canned tomato paste works!
• Nutritional Yeast: This adds the “chessiness” to the queso so it can’t be substituted.
• Spices: You’ll need smoked paprika and garlic powder, though you could use garlic cloves instead of garlic powder if you like.
• Chipotle Pepper: Use 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Save the extras for another use or freeze in an ice cube tray then transfer to a freezer-bag. If you don’t have these on hand or for regular queso, replace with an extra tablespoon of tomato paste.
• Lime Juice: You’ll need 1-2 limes depending on how juicy they are.

Step-by-Step with Photos

It might seem like there’s a lot to do for this recipe but it’s actually quite easy and comes together fairly quickly once you get going.

Get the sweet potato in the oven first, then make the slaw and queso and set those aside, then cook up the onion and black beans for a few minutes. That’s really it – assemble your tacos and enjoy!

Before You Start: If you’re making the chipotle queso sauce, you’ll need to soak the cashews ahead of time. If you have a high-speed blender, 15-20 minutes in just boiled water should do the trick. If not, soak for at least an hour.

Step 1: Roast the Sweet Potato

Add the sweet potato cubes to a baking tray and toss with the spices, oil and salt. Roast them for 22-25 minutes at 425 F until they’re tender.

Step 2: Make the Slaw

While the sweet potato is roasting, add the cabbage, lime, salt and a pinch of sugar to a bowl and massage with your hands to coat. Mix in the cilantro and set that aside for now.

Step 3: Make the Queso

Add the drained soaked cashews and the rest of the queso ingredients to a high-speed blender and process until smooth. Taste it and add more salt, if needed.

What if I don’t have a high-speed blender? You can also use a single-serving blender like a Magic Bullet or a smaller-sized food processor. A high-powered blender will give you the creamiest result but any blending device works.

Step 4: Cook the Black Beans

Heat the oil then cook the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper for a few minutes until they’re softened. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute while stirring constantly.

Add the black beans and water and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once it’s simmering, reduce the heat to low and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced.

Note: You can leave the beans whole or smash them up a bit with a potato masher, fork or back of a wooden spoon for more of a refried beans texture, adding more water as needed to reach your desired consistency.

Step 5: Assemble your Tacos

If you like, warm your tortillas in a skillet, directly on a gas range or briefly on a plate in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel.

Add a scoop of the onion and black bean mixture to each tortilla and top with some of the roasted sweet potatoes.

If you didn’t make the queso or slaw, add your choice of toppings like salsa, sour cream, hot sauce or one of the other taco topping ideas listed below.

Topping Ideas

If you’re making the queso and slaw, the tacos don’t really need anything else but here are some alternative or additional taco topping ideas:

• dairy-free sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• hot sauce
• hot sauce
• pico de gallo, salsa or salsa verde
• sliced avocado
• guacamole
• pineapple
• toasted pepitas
• cilantro
• pickled red onion
• sauteed bell pepper
• lime cashew crema
• tofu-based lime crema
• sesame slaw
• lime wedges
• avocado lime sauce

Variations

• Try these fajita-marinated mushrooms instead of the black bean mixture.
• For spicy sweet potatoes and/or black beans, add up to 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chili flakes.
• Use kidney beans, pinto beans or chickpeas instead of black beans.
• Add 1 cup of corn to the black beans.
• Roast 1 cup diced pineapple with the sweet potato.
• Serve everything over rice to make a sweet potato taco bowl.
• Serve everything over chopped romaine for a taco salad.

Storing & Making Ahead

• The queso can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. If it’s thickened after storing you can stir in a little water to thin.
• The slaw can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
• The cashews can be soaked in advance for up to 12 hours.
• Leftover sweet potato and black bean mixtures can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Enjoy leftovers in a taco bowl, salad or reheated for more tacos.

More Taco Recipes

• Black Bean Tacos
• Tempeh Tacos
• Peanut Chickpea Tacos
• Vegan Lentil Tacos
• Vegan Breakfast Tacos