These spiced sweet potato and black bean tacos are topped with an incredible honey lime crema, and are sure to make even non-vegetarians fall in love with meatless meals!
This is one of my Vegetarian recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
I usually don’t post many vegetarian recipes here on The Chunky Chef since we’re a household of omnivores, but this is one that HAS to be shared.
This may seem like a familiar recipe to the site; it was initially posted in March of 2015 (which seems like a lifetime ago!). But it definitely needed some new photos and some updating with additional information.
Even if you’re not a huge “meatless” kind of person, I promise you’ll love this recipe. It’s full of bold flavors, and you’ll reach for another taco before you know it!
Plus, the taco filling can be made ahead of time so you can have a delicious dinner quickly!
How to make vegetarian sweet potato black bean tacos?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make the crema. I like to make this earlier in the day if possible, to allow the flavors to really come together. However, you certainly don ‘t have to.
- Roast sweet potatoes. Roasting adds plenty of flavor, with some smokiness as well.
- Make the filling. Saute the onions and garlic, then add in the drained beans and corn.
- Add in potatoes. Add the roasted potatoes, along with the honey, lime juice, and cilantro for freshness.
- Make tacos and serve.
Helpful Tip!
Dicing raw sweet potatoes can be a little more difficult than dicing russet potatoes; since they are denser, they can be harder to cut. Just make sure you have a sharp knife and take your time. For the best results, try to dice the sweet potatoes into similarly sized pieces so they cook evenly.
Variations of this recipe
- Crema – while I think the crema adds an amazing layer of flavor, if you’d prefer to skip it, you certainly can.
- Potato alternatives – while I haven’t tested it, I think butternut squash would be a great potato alternative.
- Corn – in place of canned corn, you can use thawed frozen corn, or even fresh if you’d like.
- Taco shells – if you’d like hard tacos instead of soft, I think that would taste amazing as well.
- Toppings – feel free to play around with toppings and pick your favorites!
FAQ’s
Absolutely! We love using this sweet potato and black bean taco filling in burritos, on some nachos, and in bowls, especially with cilantro lime rice.
I haven’t tested using frozen pre-diced sweet potatoes for this recipe, but I think it would work okay. Just make sure to thaw them and pat them very dry with paper towels.
Making black bean tacos ahead of time
While I don’t recommend making and assembling the tacos ahead of time, you can certainly make the filling and keep it in the refrigerator.
Reheat it gently on the stovetop, or in the microwave.
The crema can also be made ahead of time, and kept refrigerated.
Storage
Leftover taco filling and crema should be refrigerated and stored separately in airtight containers and enjoyed within a week.
More Vegetarian Recipes:
My Favorite Mini Food Processor!
I love using this smaller capacity food processor for things like the honey lime crema in this recipe. Not only is it easy to clean, it’s easier on the wallet as well!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Honey lime crema
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 medium lime juiced
- pinch of kosher salt, black pepper, and chili powder
Tacos
- 1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed well
- 8 oz can whole kernel corn drained
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Toppings
- soft taco sized flour or corn tortillas
- shredded purple cabbage
- diced avocado
- minced fresh cilantro
- sliced green onions
- any other desired toppings
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 425°F, and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Make crema
- To a food processor, add all crema ingredients (sour cream, cilantro, honey, lime juice, salt, pepper, and chili powder). Pulse a few times until well combined, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate until tacos are ready to serve.
Roast sweet potatoes
- Add diced sweet potatoes to a mixing bowl. Pour in 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, and stir to combine. Add paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, coriander, black pepper, and cayenne, and stir well to combine.
- Transfer sweet potatoes to prepared baking sheet, and bake for 22-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until fork tender and caramelized.
Make filling
- While the potatoes are roasting, heat a large skillet over MED HIGH heat. Once hot, add remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, then add minced onion. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 30 seconds.
- Reduced heat to MED LOW, and stir in black beans and corn.
- Once the sweet potatoes have roasted, add them to the skillet with the black beans and corn, then stir in honey, lime juice, and cilantro.
Serve
- Serve in charred flour tortillas, drizzled with crema, and topped with whichever toppings you’d like.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this recipe will serve approximately 6, however feel free to divide it up into as many servings as you’d like.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Stephanie says
These were so delicious for lunch! Lots of prep for tacos, but worth the effort!
Michelle Cicarella says
This was absolutely delicious! I’m not a great cook, but this was easy enough even for a scatterbrain like myself. Everyone loved it. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Ashley says
I want to make this for a work potluck! Can this be made the night before and reheated the next day? We only have a microwave at work so I don’t want it to be soggy or mushy.
The Chunky Chef says
I eat leftovers of this all the time, reheated in the microwave. It won’t be quite the same texture as when made fresh on the stovetop, but I don’t find it to be mushy or soggy 🙂
Frankincense says
Thanks Amanda. This was summy (sumptuous + yummy). I brought it to my oiler’s meeting and everyone loved it. Will repeat.
Christina T Sprague says
This recipe is also great as a vegetarian option for taco salad, quesadillas and nachos.
Karen says
Can you use yogurt instead or sour cream??
The Chunky Chef says
Yes you can use plain greek yogurt instead 🙂
Tanisha says
I loved these tacos! Very flavorful, and I’m so glad I took the extra 2 minutes to make the honey lime crema because it was the perfect sauce for these.
Normajean says
My husband and I loved these! Such great flavors. There are a lot of ingredients, but definitely worth it. We’ll be making these again.
Deb says
One of our favourites!
Missy says
So delicious and great directions!
Stephanie McClure says
I made this with the butternut squash. This is the yummiest and will make again
tiger says
Sooooo good! Made exactly as written and it was perfect. Trying to do more vegetarian recipes in my week and this was easy and really tasty.