This easy to make vegan burrito is loaded with roasted sweet potatoes, protein-rich black beans, cilantro lime quinoa, mashed avocado, and lots of vegetables!
Vegan burritos are one of my favorite meals of all time!
I can't even count how many times I've made this vegan burrito recipe. I make this dinner so often because it's so easy to make, it's nutritious, and I can get dinner on the table in about 30 minutes!
The burritos are filled with seasoned roasted sweet potatoes, protein-packed black beans, my favorite tangy cilantro lime quinoa, creamy mashed avocado, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, green onions, and hot sauce!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's made with black beans which are a protein powerhouse!
- It's so customizable and perfect for families with picky eaters or if you just need to use up some leftover veggies in your fridge!
- It's great for meal prepping or you can freeze a batch for easy dinners!
Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients you'll need to make the recipe. The toppings are optional and you can add, remove, or swap out whatever you like.
- Sweet Potato - Roasted chunks of butternut squash or potatoes can also be used.
- Black Bean - You can substitute kidney beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, lentils, or a can of refried beans.
- Dried Seasonings - Smoked paprika, cumin, garlic, and onion powder add so much flavor!
- Quinoa - I made my favorite cilantro lime recipe, but you can leave it plain or use rice or cauliflower rice if you want a low-carb option.
- Tortillas - Make sure to get the large burrito-sized tortillas, not the smaller taco-size.
- Toppings - Lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado, hot sauce, and lime are my go-to toppings.
How To Make a Vegan Burrito
Step 1 - Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. When the quinoa is done cooking, let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff it with a fork (Photo 1).
Step 2 - Meanwhile, chop the potatoes into ½-inch cubes and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Season and then bake them until soft (Photo 2).
Step 3 - Make the cilantro sauce (Photos 3 & 4).
Step 4 - Rinse and drain the black beans (Photo 5), and prep the rest of the burrito ingredients. Chop the lettuce, dice the tomatoes, mash the avocado, slice the green onions, and warm the tortillas.
Step 5 - Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and mix it with the green sauce you just made (Photos 6 & 7).
Step 6 - Now let's build the vegan burrito! Lay a large tortilla on a cutting board or flat surface, and spread a layer of mashed avocado in the middle of the tortilla. Add a hearty scoop of the quinoa on top of the avocado. Then add roasted potatoes, black beans, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, and a drizzle of hot sauce (Photo 8).
Step 7 - Fold both ends of the tortilla in towards the center and then roll up from the bottom. Hold both sides securely while you roll and finish with the seam on the bottom (Photos 9 & 10).
Step 8 - You can eat it just like this or you can seal the burrito. Put the burrito seam side down into a large pan over medium heat and let it cook for a few minutes. Wait until the sealed side is golden brown and crispy and then enjoy it hot.
More Topping Options
If you want to add more toppings to your vegan burrito, you could also add:
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Thinly Sliced Red Cabbage
- Lime Salsa
- Fresh Cilantro
- Grilled Corn
- Roasted Vegetables (this is a great way to use up leftover veggies that you have in the fridge!)
- Sliced Jalapeños
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Store the vegan burrito ingredients in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 days. If you want to meal prep the burritos ahead of time, don't add hot sauce or anything wet because it will make the tortillas soggy.
You can freeze the burrito too! I like to make a batch of individually wrapped burritos to keep in the freezer for quick meals.
If you plan on freezing the burritos, don't add any fresh or wet ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, or hot sauce, because they won't defrost well and the sauce will make the burrito soggy.
Wrap each burrito individually in parchment paper or foil and store them in a reusable silicone bag.
When you're ready to reheat a burrito, you can put it in the fridge to thaw for 24 hours or you can pop it in the microwave still frozen (take off the foil) and use the defrost option to warm it up.
When the burrito is warm all the way through, you can put the burrito in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat for a few minutes to crisp it up a little bit and give it some texture on both sides.
Recipe Variations
You can make a vegan burrito just like this or you can switch it up with the following variations.
- Make a Vegan Burrito Bowl - Skip the tortilla and put all of the burrito filling ingredients in a bowl. Assemble the ingredients in sections in the bowl for a pretty presentation. Drizzle salsa or hot sauce over the top.
- Walnut Meat - Instead of beans and potatoes, use vegan walnut meat as the high-protein burrito filling.
- Make it Spicy - Add a layer of creamy and spicy vegan chipotle mayo to the burrito for a spicy kick!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can build the burritos 1-2 days in advance and store them in the fridge. Don't add hot sauce if you're going to prep them a few days before you're going to eat them because the tortillas will get wet.
No, they are not all vegan! Make sure you read the ingredient label to check the ingredients before you eat them.
Expert Tips
- Warm the tortilla for 30 seconds in the microwave or toaster oven before you build the burritos. It's much easier to fill and roll up the burrito without it cracking when the tortilla is warm.
- Try not to overstuff the burrito. I know it's hard because I do it almost every single time, but it will be much easier to roll up and seal if you don't overstuff it. I've found that about 2 cups worth of filling is the perfect amount for a large burrito-sized tortilla.
- If you want to prep a batch of frozen vegan burritos ahead of time, don't add any lettuce or liquids (hot sauce, lime juice, or salsa), so the tortillas don't get soggy.
- Gluten Free - To make this vegan burrito recipe gluten free, you need to use gluten-free tortillas.
Want More Mexican-Inspired Vegan Recipes?
High-Protein Vegan Burrito
Equipment
- Medium Pot
- Large Baking Tray
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- (1) 14 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- large burrito tortillas
- romaine lettuce shredded
- roma tomatoes diced
- avocado mashed
- hot sauce
- lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Make the cilantro lime quinoa. (For these burritos, I usually halve the recipe because it makes a large amount.)
- While the quinoa is cooking, chop the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Sprinkle smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper over the potatoes and toss to coat each piece. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until soft.
- Rinse and drain the black beans (warm them up if you like), and prep the rest of the burrito ingredients. Chop the lettuce, dice the tomatoes, mash the avocado, slice the green onions, and warm the tortillas.
- Lay one large tortilla on a cutting board or flat surface, and spread a layer of mashed avocado in the middle, add a scoop of the quinoa, and add a hearty spoonful of roasted sweet potatoes and black beans. Top with shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sliced green onions. Squeeze 1 lime wedge and drizzle hot sauce over the burrito.
- Fold both ends of the tortilla in towards the center and then roll up from the bottom. Hold both sides securely while you roll and finish with the seam on the bottom.
- If you’d like to seal the burrito, you can put the burrito (seam side down) into a large pan over medium heat and let it cook for a few minutes. Wait until the sealed side is golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave or toaster oven before you build the burrito. It's much easier to fill and roll up the burrito without it cracking when the tortilla is warm.
- Store the leftover vegan burrito ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3 days.
- Freeze individually wrapped burritos without any wet ingredients or lettuce.
This was so good! Followed the recipe to exact and made the cilantro lime quinoa. Mmm mmm good! My partner and I loved this recipe! This was definitely a bookmarked recipe, for sure 😋
Do you have a substitute for the cilantro lime sauce? I am allergic to cilantro.
You could use basil and lemon instead of cilantro and lime. I've made it that way too, it's delish!
I did not make this exact recipe but I made the sweet potato's the way she did and they were amazing! I made the potato’s without the vegetable broth or the olive oil and they tasted great! I made the potato’s rice an egg and some veggies and had a wrap. I recommend the patato recipe but you do not have to use vegetable broth or any oils
Glad you enjoyed it, Madi!
Hey Stacy,
Made this tonight and it was fantastic...I basically used the ingredients that you listed but I altered the steps to save on time. I used preboiled dry black beans that I had ready to cook in the freezer and instead of brown rice I used quinoa which I added to the blackbean saute with enough vegetable broth and cooked until it was dry. The result was absolutely delicious to eat by itself...same with the sweet potatoes which had a flavourful savory crust on the outside and sweet and creamy on the inside.
Will definately make again...
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Martika! Thank you for the feedback, I like your shortcuts!
Oh wow, this Sweet Potato Black Bean Burrito looks incredibly delicious! I love all the veggies and awesome flavors happening here! And I couldn't agree with you more, love me some Avocado. The more the better! This is definitely a burrito I need to try!
-Ameera 🙂
Thank you, Ameera! I agree, you can never have too much avocado! =)