These black bean sweet potato tacos are the perfect healthy meal for any night of the week. Easy to make and the flavor combo is unreal!
This post was originally published on December 7, 2013.
Tacos are part of our family. And these roasted sweet potato ones have slowly made their way into fourth child territory.
Our new favorite taco filling is sweet potato and black beans. They're hearty, healthy, and packed with nutrients! Plus, when they're roasted the flavor becomes so deep and delicious!
I got the idea to roast them from one of our other family favorites, Veggie Sheet Pan Fajitas. It's such an easy and simple way to prepare a meal with amazing flavors the whole family enjoys.
Ingredients
It's amazing how flavorful a dish can be made with a few simple whole food ingredients! For the tacos round up:
- Black beans
- Sweet potatoes
- Green onions
- Taco seasoning
- Sea salt
- Lime juice
- Tortillas
And for the cilantro lime sauce you'll need:
- Raw cashews
- Lime juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Sea salt
- Fresh cilantro
How To Make Sweet Potato Tacos
This simple vegan taco recipe is so easy, you'll want to make them all the time! Here's what to do:
- Spread seasoned black beans, potatoes, and green onions on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake until crisp then drizzle with lime juice.
- Make sauce by blending all the ingredients.
- Set sauce aside.
- Stuff tortillas with the filling, drizzle with sauce, top, and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
These tacos are best when topped off with a little something extra. Our go to toppings are:
- Avocado
- Shredded cabbage
- Cilantro
- Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Homemade Tomatillo Salsa
- Fresh Mexican Salsa
Tips and tricks
For the absolute best vegan sweet potato tacos, here are some suggestions for success:
- To make sure the potatoes cook evenly, make sure to cut them in a uniform size.
- If you like spicy flavors, you can add either chili powder, chipotle powder, or cayenne powder to the spice mix for the potatoes depending on the level of spice and flavor you like.
- We like to use corn tortillas because they pack in more whole grains, and they're naturally gluten free, but you can use any tortilla you like.
- Black beans offer protein, but you can add extra by incorporating chickpeas or lentils as well.
- For the sauce, if you don’t have a high speed blender you can soak the cashews overnight to soften them. You can also boil them for 20-25 minutes if you forget. Another method is using a coffee or spice grinder to grind the dry cashews into a very fine powder
Make ahead and storage tips
To save time while making these sweet potato tacos, you can prepare them in advance.
- Cook the sweet potatoes, green onions and beans.
- The cooked filling will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- For the best and crispiest results, reheat the filling in the oven. If you're short on time you can also reheat in the microwave.
- Make the sauce.
- The sauce will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
- If you're not using a high speed blender make sure to soak the cashews ahead of time.
Common Questions
A sweet potato taco is a taco that is filled with cooked and seasoned sweet potatoes. I like to include black beans as well for extra flavor, texture, and nutrition.
All you favorite taco toppings! We like to use avocado, cilantro, shredded cabbage, and cilantro cream sauce. You can also top with Vegan Sour Cream and Homemade Tomatillo Salsa.
I like to roast them in the oven for the deepest flavor and crispiest texture. Chop the potato evenly, season and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until crisp!
More Vegan Tacos You Might Like:
Because it's never a bad time for tacos, you need variety to choose from! Check out these other plant based taco ideas:
- Roasted Veggie Tacos with Citrus Salsa
- Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
- Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
- Crispy Cauliflower and Potato Tacos with Tangy Cream Sauce
- Rainbow Tacos with Tangy Mango Dressing
- Crispy Potato Tacos
- Beer-Marinated Portobello Mushroom Tacos
- Vegan Birria Tacos
Healthy Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups black beans , drained and rinsed (about one 15 ounce can)
- 2 cups chopped sweet potatoes , about ¾ a pound
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning , homemade or store bought (adjust for flavor preference)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt , if you use store bought omit if it has salt
- Drizzle of your favorite roasting oil , or broth if you don’t use oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 8 tortillas , gluten-free if needed
Toppings (optional)
- avocado
- shredded cabbage
- cilantro
- Cilantro Lime Sauce , see below
Cilantro Lime Sauce:
- 1 cup raw cashews , see note
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F/ 205 C.
- Put the black beans, potatoes, green onions, oil/broth and spices on a parchment lined baking sheet and use your hands to mix so it’s all coated well. You could also do this in a bowl.
- Spread the mixture out evenly over the baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are crisp and cooked throughout.
- When done, drizzle lime juice over the top.
- Make sauce by putting all ingredients, except cilantro, in a blender and blend until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse to incorporate in.
- Assemble tacos by putting a few spoonfuls of filling on a tortilla, then adding toppings and drizzling sauce over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to cut potatoes even sized to help them bake evenly.
- If you don’t have a high speed blender, soak the cashews overnight to soften them. You can also boil them for 20-25 minutes if you forget. Another method is using a coffee or spice grinder to grind them dry (not soaking) into a very fine powder.
- Nutrition facts are for filling and tortillas only. Actual numbers will change depending on types of tortillas and toppings used.
- Soak cashews if needed. Cook sweet potatoes, green onions and beans. Make sauce.
- Puree cooked sweet potatoes and beans, and even some avocado. Can drizzle some sauce on it too. For older baby serve filling with avocado and a drizzle of sauce.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Carla Sokol
I am unable to eat nuts. Could I substitute silken tofu for the cashews or do you have another idea?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Carla! Sorry to hear about your nut allergy. I have not tried it with anything else, you could give silken tofu a shot but it won't be as creamy as the original. I have some readers than use seeds instead as well but the flavors will come through especially if you use sunflower seeds. You could try adding more lime juice and taste until you like the end result. Let me know if you try any of those!
Emily Kemp
Tacos are one of my favourite things ever and these just look amazing...drooling!
Jen Womack
I made these for dinner last night. They were super tasty and my family loved them. I will definitely be working them into our dinner rotation. Thanks Sophia!
veggiesdontbite
Awesome Jen! So glad the whole family liked them. They were devoured over here too :O)
Ani
I love lentil tacos! These looks fantastic!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! We love them too and eat them all the time. It's fun to mix up the flavor every once in a while. I'll definitely be trying out more twists on the classic lentil taco so stay tuned!