Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

These Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos have been a weeknight staple in our house for many years! You’ve got caramelized sweet potatoes and spiced black beans, all topped with a creamy avocado crema. It’s the kind of taco filling that converts even the pickiest of eaters!

Love a vegetarian taco recipes? You need to try our Sheet Pan Black Bean Tacos as well as our Shredded Tofu Tacos and our Chickpea Tacos!

Why you’ll love these vegan tacos!

This recipe is actually one of the VERY first recipes I ever posted on my blog nearly 15 years ago! Today it’s getting a much needed facelift with new photos, a step by step video, but with the same tried and true black bean sweet potato taco recipe.

This flavor combination is one that I find myself coming back to again and again because it’s the same pairing that inspired my stuffed sweet potatoes recipe I love so much. And honestly, it might be even better tucked into a warm tortilla.

Here’s why you’ll love these:

• Great textural contrast – caramelized sweet potato, hearty beans, and a CREAMY avocado dressing in every single bite.
• Protein-packed – the black beans keep this filling and satisfying, it’s not just a side of veggies in a tortilla!
• Meal-prep friendly recipe – all three components of the tacos holds up well in the fridge for easy assembly through the week.
• Easy to customize – swap toppings, adjust the dice size, roast additional veggies such as poblano pepper or bell pepper, or add a broil for extra char!

Ingredients needed

The ingredients for this recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

• Sweet Potatoes – these are diced into half inch cubes for the best balance of caramelization and speed in cooking. Go smaller if you want more filling packed into each taco!
• Olive oil – this helps the potatoes roast up crisp and caramelized instead of steaming. We’ll also use a little to cook the onion and black beans.
• Spices – chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder are used as a warm spice blend that flavors the potatoes as they roast. Meanwhile, we’ll use cumin and chili powder to season the black beans.
• Black Beans – We’re using 1 can of black beans. We’ll mash about 1/3 of these lightly to help the filling hold together and overall give it a creamy texture. you could swap these for refried beans as well!
• Yellow onion and garlic – this is the classic aromatic base for the beans.
• Lime juice – this gets added at the end for brightness.
• Tortillas – I love flour tortillas in this recipe but corn tortillas also work well!

For the Avocado Crema

• Avocado – the CREAMY base of the crema sauce.
• Sour cream OR Greek yogurt – adds tang and helps thin the crema to a thinner consistency.
• Lime juice – balances out the richness of the avocado and adds a needed bit of acidity to the dressing.
• Water – added as needed to reach your desired consistency. I usually add about 2 tablespoons to thin the sauce and make it drizzlable.

How to Make It

Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written vegetarian tacos recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)

1. Make the black bean mixture. In a large skillet, saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, until fragrant. Stir in the black beans and spices and cook for about 5 minutes, mashing about 1/3 of the beans with the back of your spoon. Finish with lime juice.

2. Roast the sweet potatoes. Toss the cubes of sweet potato with olive oil, spices, salt and pepper. Spread in an single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway, until fork tender and caramelized along the edges.

3. Make the avocado lime crema. In a blender or food processor, blend together the avocado, sour creamy, lime juice, water, and salt until smooth. A mini food processor or immersion blender will also work well here.

4. Assemble. Serve with warm tortillas then layer with roasted sweet potato, black beans, and a drizzle of avocado crema. Top with fresh cilantro and your favorite toppings and serve. These would be great served with cilantro lime rice!

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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

By Brita Britnell

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 8 tacos

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This Sweet Potato Taco Recipe is loaded with caramelized chunks of sweet potato, spaced black beans, and a creamy avocado crema that's packed with flavor! A protein-packed, meal prep friendly taco filling that's ready in just 45 minutes!

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the black beans

• ▢ ½ tbsp olive oil
• ▢ ½ small yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ ½ tsp cumin
• ▢ ¼ tsp chili powder
• ▢ Squeeze of lime juice
• ▢ Salt to taste

For the sweet potatoes

• ▢ 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
• ▢ ½ tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp chili powder
• ▢ 1 tsp cumin
• ▢ ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp onion powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp cayenne, optional, for heat
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

For the avocado crema

• ▢ 1 ripe avocado
• ▢ ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ Juice of 1 lime
• ▢ 1-2 tbsp water, to thin, as needed
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ Tortillas for serving
• ▢ Optional toppings: cotija or feta, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, shredded cabbage or slaw for crunch

Instructions 

For the sweet potatoes

• Pre-heat the oven to 425°F. Toss everything together, spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer and roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway, until fork-tender and a little caramelized at the edges.

For the black beans

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, sauté the onion over medium heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the beans and spices, and cook for 5-7 minutes, mashing about a third of the beans lightly with the back of your spoon so the mixture holds together a bit better in the taco. Finish with lime juice.

For the crema

• Blend everything until smooth. This is a good one to make in a mini food processor or with an immersion blender for max creaminess.

Notes

Storage – Store the sweet potato and black bean filling together in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The avocado crema is best made fresh or stored separately for a few days.

Nutritional info – does not include tortillas or other fillings not already listed

• Sweet potato dice size — smaller cubes (⅓-inch) roast faster and pack more into each taco, but you lose some of that caramelization. Worth testing both ways.
• Char vs. no char — a quick broil for the last 2-3 minutes could give you those crispy edges people love in a taco filling.
• Crema thickness — sour cream gives a tangier, thinner crema; Greek yogurt is thicker and more neutral. Might be worth offering both as an option in the post.
• Protein anxiety angle — given Sarah’s pain points, you might want to call out the bean-to-sweet-potato ratio or even suggest doubling the beans as a filling variation

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 58mg, Potassium: 638mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 12329IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @foodwithfeeling or tag #foodwithfeeling!