If you're looking for a healthy dinner idea, try this black bean stuffed sweet potato recipe. It uses fresh, whole food ingredients like black beans, tomato, cilantro, and avocado stuffed into baked sweet potatoes and topped off with a killer dilly hummus sauce - they're bursting with flavor!
Sweet potato lovers rejoice! This quick and easy black bean stuffed sweet potato recipe is both delicious and filling. It's plant based and gluten free, high in protein and fiber, and it tastes incredible. They're so easy to prepare too, just bake the potatoes, make the dilly hummus sauce then get ready to dig in - the flavor pairing is epic. Keep reading for simple instructions, lots of cooking tips, and add in options.
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Ingredients You'll Need
These vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are made with fresh, wholesome ingredients:
- Sweet potatoes: Choose small - medium sweet potatoes with orange flesh. Long, thin sweet potatoes will bake faster than larger, round potatoes.
- Black beans: I use canned black beans, but you can use dry black beans cooked from scratch (~ 1 ½ cups). I love to add some crispy chickpeas as a garnish for extra texture and a boost of plant protein as well.
- Tomatoes and herbs: Juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh lime, and cilantro.
- Avocados: Dice ripe avocados or make a quick homemade guacamole with red onion, cilantro, salt, and lime juice.
- Warming spices: Cinnamon and cumin to enhance the sweet potato flavor.
- Dilly hummus drizzle: Made with store bought or homemade hummus, fresh dill and garlic, lemon juice, cayenne, and sweet paprika.
Add Ins and Variations
One of the things I love about baked sweet potatoes is they are so versatile! You can stuff them with almost anything, and you've got a delicious and nutritious vegan meal in under 30 minutes. Customize your sweet potato to suit your taste and dietary preferences. Here's a few ideas:
- Potatoes: My husband does not like sweet potatoes, but he loves this meal. I just bake him a jacket potato instead. You can use any potato or yam for this recipe. Remember, the darker purple and orange fleshed sweet potatoes have the most nutrients and antioxidants (see below).
- Chickpeas: Add chickpeas (raw or baked) for a boost of plant protein and texture. Try them oven roasted or ultra crunchy with air fryer chickpeas.
- Beans: Feel free to use any bean you have on hand, it doesn't have to be black beans!
- Vegan sauce ideas: Play with flavor using a different sauce like: Sweet and Spicy Tahini Sauce and Vegan Tzatziki, Southwest Sauce or Spicy Cashew dressing (Tex-Mex).
- More topping ideas: Add any toppings you enjoy like pickled red onions, dairy free coleslaw or corn chips for extra crunchiness.
- MILLION DOLLAR TIP: To make this meal (or the leftovers) heartier or stretch further, add a scoop of quinoa, rice or couscous to the filling. Sweet corn, black bean filling, walnut taco meat or vegan chili are incredible additions as well.
Are Sweet Potatoes Healthy?
You betcha!!! Besides tasting incredible, sweet potatoes pack a gigantic nutrient punch. Dr. Greger (How Not to Die) says that sweet potatoes are ranked one of the healthiest and cheapest superfoods for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based meals. Their antioxidant power (skin on) approaches that of blueberries.
How to Make Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
This is a quick and easy recipe to make for busy weeknights (it's mostly hands off):
- Preheat the oven.
- Prep the sweet potatoes for the oven (3 minutes) using the cut or whole potato method.
- Make the dilly hummus sauce by stirring all the ingredients together in a bowl (3-4 minutes).
- Slice the avocados or make guacamole (4-5 minutes). Just mash the avocado then mix in the cilantro, onion, lime, and salt.
- Drain and rinse the black beans.
- Slice the tomatoes and green onions, and chop the cilantro/dill.
- Once the sweet potatoes are baked, split them open and rough up the surface, pile on the fillings, drizzle with sauce, add garnishes, and ENJOY! PS. I like to serve my stuffed sweet potato on a bed of arugula for an extra serving of leafy greens.
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes (2 ways)!
Whether you bake or roast your sweet potatoes, both are delicious and both are cooked without oil. Baking is perfect for smaller-sized, whole potatoes. Roasting is my preferred method for cooking medium or large sweet potatoes - slicing them in half first speeds up the process.
How to BAKE Whole Sweet Potatoes
- Wash and pat potatoes dry. Pierce with fork a number of times.
- Place on baking sheet in a preheat 425ºF oven. Don't wrap in tinfoil - you want the skin to get crispy and caramelized.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes or until tender when gently squeezed or fork tender. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of sweet potatoes.
How to ROAST Sweet Potato Halves
- Wash and pat potatoes dry. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Sprinkle the cut side with lime juice, a light dusting of cinnamon and cumin. Flip over and place cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in oven until soft and caramelized around 20-30 minutes. The bake time will vary depending on how big the potatoes are and how hot your oven runs. Pierce them with a fork to check for tenderness or gently squeeze the sides together.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Storing and reheating: You'll get the best results if you store the components separately then warm the potatoes in the microwave, toaster oven or airfryer before filling and serving.
- Make Ahead: The dilly hummus can be made several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Guacamole is best made and served immediately.
More Delicious Vegan Recipes
If you're look for more quick and delicious vegan dinner ideas, here's a few popular recipes to try next:
- Crispy Black Bean Tacos
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Thai Crunch Salad
- Italian Crusted Tofu
- Vegan Bolognese
- and for sweet potato lovers, these Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes are addictive!
Easy Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (gf)
Sweet potato lovers rejoice! This Mexican inspired, black bean stuffed sweet potato recipe is a scrumptious, flavorful, healthy vegan meal for lunch or dinner! It's easy to make, protein rich, gluten-free, oil-free, dairy-free and super delicious. Perfect make-ahead or meal prep recipe that everyone loves!
Rate this recipe!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut in half*
- ½ lime
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 19 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
Dilly Hummus Drizzle
- ½ cup hummus (store bought or homemade)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ medium lemon, juice (to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons plant-based milk/lemon juice or water (for thinning if needed)
Avocado or Guacamole
- 1 large avocado, sliced or diced
Potato Toppers
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- green onions, sliced (optional)
- cilantro, chopped
- sriracha sauce
Optional Add Ins
- 19 oz can chickpeas (raw or crispy)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, rice or couscous
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes: Wash the sweet potatoes, pat dry, and cut them in half lengthwise (leave skin on). Add a squeeze lime juice, a pinch of cinnamon, cumin, and salt to the cut side. Place cut side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake for ~25 minutes until soft and caramelized (cooking time will vary depending on size of the potatoes, how hot your oven runs, etc). To check them, give a gentle squeeze - they should feel soft or pierce easily with a fork.
- Alternatively: You can bake smaller sweet potatoes whole. Pierce them a few times with a fork then place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake @425º F until soft when squeezed ~30-40 minutes depending on the size. Remove from the oven, slice open lengthwise, then rough up the potato flesh with a fork. Add a pinch of cinnamon, cumin, and salt.
- Make the dilly hummus drizzle: Using store-bought hummus or homemade hummus, whisk together all the ingredients (except the milk) in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning per taste. Thin with milk, more lemon juice or water as needed.
- Avocado or guacamole: Slice or dice the avocado to sprinkle over the baked sweet potatoes or make a quick homemade guacamole.
- Prep the toppings: Cut the tomatoes, green onions, and some dill (garnish) while the sweet potatoes are baking.
- To serve: Once the potatoes are baked, pinch in the sides of the potatoes to break up the flesh. Then rough up the top of the potatoes with a fork as needed (see photo). Sprinkle with black beans and tomatoes, add a scoop of guacamole or diced avocado, drizzle generously with dilly hummus and sriracha sauce. Top with green onions and chopped dill or cilantro. Enjoy!
NOTES
SWEET POTATOES: Choose smallish to medium sweet potatoes so they cook faster. Select potatoes that are close in size to each other so they cook at the same speed. Either cut in half and roast cut side down or use small sweet potatoes and bake them whole. *If someone in the family doesn't like sweet potatoes, bake a jacket potato instead.
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: Raw or roasted chickpeas add texture, flavor, and an extra boost of protein. For quick and crunchy chickpeas, try these air fryer chickpeas. They make an incredible high-protein vegan snack too. I like to serve my potatoes on a bed of arugula for an extra serving of leafy greens.
LEFTOVERS: Delicious for lunch or dinner the next day, these stuffed sweet potatoes are easy to reheat for a quick and healthy vegan meal in minutes. OR add a scoop of quinoa to stretch the leftovers and serve with a rainbow side salad and steamed broccoli for dinner.
STORAGE: Store the components separately in the fridge and then compile when ready to eat for best results.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a rating and/or review below. Your feedback means a lot to me, and helps others find my recipes! Please tag me on IG @ceeceecooks - I LOVE seeing what you're cooking!
Original post July 2019
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