Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

These hearty sweet potato black bean burgers are loaded with ingredients you can feel good about, but most importantly they taste great!

If you crave burgers and big flavors, give these vegetarian patties a try. Loaded with the bold flavors of the southwest, you can feel good about sinking your teeth into each savory bite.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

The foundation of these sweet potato black bean burgers is obviously sweet potato and black beans. Southwestern-inspired vegetables such as corn, red onion, and poblano peppers are added with chili powder and paprika. A generous drizzle of BBQ sauce adds a touch of sweetness and hint of smoke.

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes - Use roasted sweet potatoes, however leftover grilled sweet potatoes would add a phenomenal smoky flavor.
• Black Beans - Use one 15 ounce can of black beans, make sure they are drained and rinsed before mixing them into the recipe. Unlike my black bean burger recipe, the beans don't need to get mashed.
• Quick oats - These are the binder that holds the patties together. I tested breadcrumbs as well but didn't like them as much.
• Corn kernels - Use fresh, frozen, or canned corn. If using canned, make sure to drain the liquid.
• Poblano peppers - These add a subtle heat to the patties, feel free to substitute jalapeno or even serrano if you want to ramp up the spiciness.
• Red onions - Red onions have a stronger flavor that makes them the best choice of onions for this recipe.
• Garlic - If you are out of fresh garlic you can add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
• Seasonings - Flavor the patties with chili powder, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and BBQ sauce.

How to make them

Making your sweet potato black bean burger patties is very simple. Start with cooked sweet potatoes and remove any skin. These are placed in a large bowl and mashed until smooth. After this, all of the remaining ingredients can be added and mixed together.

Your sweet potato black bean burger patties can be made into whatever size you prefer. However, I typically use about ½ cup of the mixture to form patties. Patties should be as wide as the bun you are using and about an inch thick.

Tip: Using wax paper allows you to easily transfer the patties into your skillet without them sticking.

How to cook sweet potato black bean burger patties

It is important to use a lower heat for these vegetarian patties than you would for a traditional burger. The exterior of the patty will burn faster, while the inside takes a bit longer to come up to temperature. I find medium-low to be the sweet spot.

If using a non-stick skillet you shouldn't need any oil for cooking the patties. However, you can add it if you want a little additional crispness on the exterior.

Toppings and Condiments

As with any burger, you can customize the toppings to fit your tastes. However, if you want some suggestions I recommend the following.

• Bun - If you are making a healthier patty, using a healthier bun makes sense. I typically serve these on a whole wheat bun. Toasted, of course.
• Vegetables - I typically recommend green leaf lettuce for burgers, but tender baby spinach leaves work well with this recipe. A slice of red onion and tomato finishes this off nicely as well.
• Cheese - Adding cheese will pack on a few more calories, but pepper jack, in particular, complements the flavors nicely.
• Condiments - Chipotle mayo works really well on these patties. Alternatively, you can use a blend of mayo and BBQ sauce.