These easy to make vegan burritos are loaded with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, flavorful cilantro lime quinoa, mashed avocado, and lots of vegetables! Each burrito contains 19 grams of protein and is ready to eat in 30 minutes!
Sweet potato black bean 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 and get dinner on the table in about 30 minutes! Plus, each burrito contains a whopping 19 grams of protein!
The burritos are filled with seasoned roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, my favorite tangy cilantro lime quinoa, creamy mashed avocado, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, green onions, and hot sauce! What's great about this recipe, is that you can customize it to whatever beans and vegetables that you have on hand. It's so customizable and perfect for families with picky eaters.
Step by Step Instructions
First, get the quinoa cooking. When the quinoa is done cooking, let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff it with a fork (Photo 1). While the quinoa is cooking, chop the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Season the sweet potatoes and then bake them until soft (Photo 2).
Next, make the cilantro lime sauce (Photos 3 & 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. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and mix it with the cilantro lime sauce you just made (Photos 6 & 7).
Now let's build the vegan burritos! 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 cilantro lime quinoa on top of the avocado. Then add roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, and a drizzle of hot sauce (Photo 8).
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).
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 and then enjoy it hot.
More Topping Options
If you want to add more toppings to the vegan burritos, you could also add:
- Thinly Sliced Red Cabbage
- Cilantro 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 Jalapenos
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Vegan Chipotle Mayo
How Long Does It Last In The Refrigerator?
Store the leftover vegan burrito ingredients in airtight containers for 4-5 days. If you want to prep the burritos ahead of time, don't add hot sauce or anything wet because it will make the tortillas soggy.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes, you can freeze the burritos. I like to make a batch of the vegan burritos to keep in the freezer for quick meals. If you plan on freezing the burritos, it's best to make them only with black beans, sweet potatoes, cilantro lime quinoa, and mashed avocado. Don't add any fresh or wet ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, or hot sauce, because they won't defrost very well and the sauce will make them soggy.
Wrap each sweet potato burrito individually in parchment paper or foil and store them in a reusable silicone bag.
How to Reheat It
When you're ready to reheat the vegan burritos, you can put them in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours or you can pop them in the microwave still frozen and use the defrost option to warm them 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 the vegan sweet potato burritos just like this or you can switch it up with the following variations:
- Vegan Burrito Bowl: Skip the tortilla and assemble 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.
- Skip the Black Beans & Sweet Potatoes: Instead of black beans and sweet potatoes, use vegan walnut meat as the high-protein burrito filling.
- Vegan Breakfast Burrito: Press (1) block of firm tofu for 30 minutes and then add it to a large pan over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tofu into small chunks. Season the tofu with 1 tsp of ground turmeric and ½ tsp of black salt. Add the vegan scrambled eggs to the burritos for a delicious breakfast!
- Make it Spicy: Add a layer of creamy and spicy vegan chipotle mayo to the burritos for a spicy kick!
Substitutions & FAQ
- How Much Dried Beans Should I Use? If you'd like to use dried beans instead of canned black beans, you can substitute ½ cup of dried beans for the (1) 14 oz can.
- Can I Assemble the Burritos Ahead of Time? Yes, you can build the burritos 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.
- Black Bean Substitutions: You can substitute kidney beans, pinto beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, lentils, or a can of refried beans.
- Sweet Potato Substitutions: Roasted chunks of butternut squash or potatoes can be used instead of sweet potatoes.
- Quinoa Substitutions: You can use brown rice or cauliflower rice (low-carb) instead of quinoa.
- Gluten-Free: To make this vegan burrito recipe gluten-free, you need to use gluten-free tortillas.
Success Tips
- Warm the tortilla for 30 seconds to 1 minute 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 liquids (hot sauce, lime juice, or salsa), so the tortillas don't get soggy.
- Store the leftover black bean and sweet potato burrito ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze them for a future meal.
More Vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes You'll Love!
Vegan Lentil Crunchwrap Supreme
Low-Carb Roasted Cauliflower Tofu Tacos
High-Protein Vegan Burritos
Equipment
- Medium Pot
- Large Baking Tray
- Blender
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato (or 2 medium sweet potatoes)
- 2 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Burrito Filling
- (1) 14 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 8 large tortillas
- 1 head romaine lettuce shredded
- 3 medium roma tomatoes diced
- 2 large avocado mashed
- 4 tbsp hot sauce (add more to taste)
- 2 medium limes cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Make the cilantro lime quinoa. (For these burritos, I usually halve the quinoa recipe because it makes a large amount.)
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes: While the quinoa is cooking, chop the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Drizzle 2 tbsp of vegetable broth (or water) over the sweet potatoes, this will help the dry seasonings stick without using oil. Toss the potatoes to evenly coat the potatoes with the broth. Sprinkle 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat each piece. Bake the potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until soft.
- Burrito Filling: Rinse and drain the black beans, 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.
- Assemble the Burritos: Lay one large tortilla on a cutting board or flat surface, and spread a layer of mashed avocado in the middle of the tortilla. Add a scoop of the cilantro lime quinoa on top of the avocado. Then add a hearty spoonful of roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sliced green onions. Squeeze 1 lime wedge and drizzle ½ tbsp of hot sauce over the burrito.
- Seal 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 and then enjoy it hot.
Notes
- Warm the tortilla for 30 seconds to 1 minute 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 liquids (hot sauce, lime juice, or salsa), so the tortillas don't get soggy.
- Store the leftover sweet potato burrito ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze them for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 1/6/18 but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 7/17/20.
