Southwestern Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

A quick and easy Sweet Potato Veggie Burger with a little taste of the Southwest. These burgers make a perfect, healthy dinner for grilling season!

Written by: Taylor Kiser of Food Faith Fitness

Creating This Sweet Potato Bean Burger Recipe

I’ve been known to eat a lot of meat.  And by “a lot” I mean a ridiculous amount.  More than my gym-rat of a husband. 

If I showed you a picture of my freezer, you wouldn’t really see much else.

I’m pretty good about making sure that our home is well stocked with the essentials but, the other weekend, I somehow managed to run out of chicken AND peanut butter all in the same day. And, if you’re familiar with Food Faith Fitness, you’ll know that I am also majorly addicted to peanut butter.

So, it was a rough day.

The worst part of it was that I had decided (and already told my husband, which was my first mistake) that we were going to grill up some chicken burgers for dinner. It was a gorgeous Florida day, and it had me craving a good grill out.

You know what? It’s really hard to make a chicken burger without chicken.  So, I had to be inventive. 

I did something that I told myself I would never do (since I’m obsessed with meat) and made a Sweet Potato Veggie Burger. I have to tell you, I was pretty apprehensive about how my husband would handle a burger that was without meat.

So, I decided to cover up the “veggie-ness” with some of his favorite Southwestern flavors like fresh cilantro, corn, grilled onions and red peppers and some avocado.

I also decided that this Southwestern Sweet Potato Veggie burger needed some texture. I knew the sweet potato patty would be smooth and creamy, so I decided to coat the outside in a little bit of gluten free Panko to give it a little crunch.

I was quite surprised at how easy a vegetarian burger actually was to make!

You know what was even more surprising? Both my husband and I DEVOURED these.  We even devoured seconds.

The crunchy outside was PERFECT with the creamy inside and the smokey bites of grilled onions and peppers were perfectly balanced with the smooth avocado. Then you had little pops of freshness with some corn and cilantro.

I never thought that this meat-obsessed girl would say this Southwestern Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers, but, it was perfection on a bun.

Ingredients in Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

To make the actual sweet potato burger patties, you’ll need the following:

• Sweet potatoes
• White cannellini beans
• Yellow cornmeal
• Garlic
• Spices
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

This recipe is as simple as cooking some sweet potatoes, mashing them up with a few spices, and forming the patties!

1. In a bowl, mash up the baked sweet potato and white beans with a fork.
2. Stir in the cornmeal, garlic, and spices.
3. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to form.
4. Pour 1 Tbsp of Panko onto a small plate. Take ½ cup of the potato mixture and form a patty and press down onto the panko to cover the bottom. Once the bottom is covered, slide the patty off the plate onto a separate large plate.
5. Repeat with the remaining 3 burgers and then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of Panko over the formed burgers, pressing gently to adhere it.
6. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Using a pancake flipper, gently lift each burger off the plate and into the pan.
7. Cook until golden brown. Once golden, flip and cook an additional 6-8 minutes on the other side.
8. Once cooked, transfer each burger to a bun and add toppings.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Veggie Burger Toppings

You’re welcome to top the sweet potato bean burgers with any toppings you’d like. For this recipe, I used the following toppings:

• Sautéed bell peppers and onions
• Lettuce
• Sliced avocado
• Corn kernels
• Fresh cilantro

Can I Prep This Recipe in Advance?

Yes, you should be okay to form the sweet potato burger patties in advance and store in the fridge until ready to cook. You can likely freeze the patties as well once they’ve been cooked. To reheat, warm in the oven (from frozen).

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten-Free?

Yes, simply use gluten-free buns and panko breadcrumbs.

What to Serve with Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Serve this easy veggie burger recipe with your favorite cookout sides! Our favorites include:

• Zucchini Tomato Basil Salad
• Bleu Cheese BLT Salad
• Creamy Jalapeño Coleslaw
• Creamy Cucumber Salsa
• Italian Mixed Greens Salad

Tips for Making Sweet Potato Burgers

• When mashing together the beans and sweet potatoes, I like to leave the beans a bit chunky for added texture.
• I prefer using panko breadcrumbs for this recipe because they’re lighter and crispier than traditional breadcrumbs.
• If you don’t have cannellini beans on hand, black beans are a good substitute.

More Easy Vegetarian Dinners:

If you love Southwestern flavors, then you’ll love this Southwest Mac and Cheese!

Consider these Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers an updated version of the classic childhood meal. I loved my mom’s version, but this is also a great option for vegetarians.

A simple veggie burger that is loaded with Latin flavors, these Black Bean Quinoa Burgers are a cinch to whip up and are naturally gluten-free!

Spiced Chickpea Smothered Sweet Potatoes are an easy and hearty vegetarian meal that is perfect for winter.

These Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos are a quick and easy vegetarian option for any Taco Tuesday Night or Cinco de Mayo Menu!

Have you ever tried a meatless burger? And if yes, what did you think of it?

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Southwestern Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Yield: 4 burgers

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

A quick and easy, vegan burger with a little taste of the Southwest! These burgers make a perfect, healthy dinner for grilling season or Meatless Monday.

Print

Ingredients

For the patty:

• 1 Cup Mashed Sweet Potato (about 2 small potatoes)
• 1 Cup White Cannellini Beas, drained
• 2 Tbsps Yellow Cornmeal
• 2 Tsp Garlic, minced
• ½ tsp Smoked paprika
• ½ tsp Cumin powder
• ½ tsp Chile powder
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• Pinch of pepper
• ½ Cup Gluten-free, Vegan Panko (I like Ians Natural)
• 2 Tbsps Olive Oil, divided

For the toppings:

• 2 tsp Olive oil
• 2 tsp Garlic, minced
• 1 Small Red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 Small Yellow onion, sliced
• Lettuce
• 1 Small Avocado, Sliced
• ½ Cup Corn kernels
• Cilantro, for garnish
• 4 Whole Wheat hamburgers buns

Instructions

To make the burgers:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a small baking sheet with tinfoil. Spray with cooking spray.
2. Poke the potatoes all over with a fork and bake on the prepared baking tray until fork tender and soft, about 45 – 50 mins. Let cool.
3. In a large bowl, mash up the baked sweet potato and the white beans with a fork. Leave the beans a little bit chunky to add some texture.
4. Stir in the cornmeal, garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to form.
5. While the mixture cools, prep all the veggies and heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium/high heat. Cook the sliced red pepper and onion until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

To make the patties:

1. Pour 1 Tbsp of Panko onto a small plate. Take ½ cup of the potato mixture and form a patty (it is a little messy!) and press down onto the panko to cover the bottom. Once the bottom is covered, slide the patty off the plate onto a separate large plate. Repeat with the remaining 3 burgers and then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of Panko over the formed burgers, pressing gently to adhere it.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of Olive oil into the same large pan over medium heat. Using a pancake flipper, gently lift each burger off the plate and into the pan, use the sides of the flipper to gently reform if any patties lose their shape.
3. Cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Do not flip until the burger easily releases from the pan. Once golden, flip and cook an additional 6-8 minutes on the other side. The inside of the burgers stays very soft and moist with a crispy exterior.
4. Once cooked, transfer each burger to a bun and top with lettuce, avocado slices, sautéed red pepper and onion, corn kernels and cilantro.
5. Serve immediately.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Filippo Berio Olive Oil, 25.3 Ounce
• 
  Mixing Bowls
• 
  Spatula
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  Cast Iron Skillet
• 
  Foil
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  Baking Sheet

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 903Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1035mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 8gSugar: 8gProtein: 45g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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