Crispy Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos

Crispy sweet potato black bean tacos are stuffed with a flavorful black bean filling, seasoned sweet potatoes, and cheese, and topped with an avocado cilantro sauce for an easy and satisfying dinner! Can be pan-fried, air fried, or baked!

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There are sweet potato tacos, there are black bean tacos BUT THEN there are CRISPY Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos. These crispy tacos are our newest taco obsession. These are like a hybrid of a taco and a quesadilla...absolutely heavenly! You'll need veggies, a few pantry staples, and spices. Of course, a taco with dipping sauce makes it complete so you will need some refrigerated staples for the sauce.

📋 Ingredients For Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

• Sweet Potatoes:
  • Season with chili powder, cumin, sea salt, and olive oil.
• Black Beans Filling:
  • Black Beans. I used canned black beans with low sodium.
  • Vegetables: red onion, corn, bell pepper, and jalapeno
  • Flavors: garlic, tomato paste, and sea salt.
• Avocado Sauce:
  • Avocado, greek yogurt, cilantro, garlic, and lime. 
• Tortillas:
  • You can use corn or flour tortillas. I used corn in mine because I loved the flavor and texture it gave me when I pan-fried them. Corn tortillas are a great option if you're looking to make gluten-free tacos as well, just make sure they say gluten-free on the tortillas you choose.
• Cheese:
  • I used Kirkland's Mexican Blend Shredded cheese from Costco as this has no animal rennet in the cheese and is vegetarian friendly.

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Crispy Tacos

For the Sweet Potatoes:

• Combine seasonings with cubed potatoes. I like to use this vegetable chopper for perfectly cubed and diced vegetables. I use the larger insert for the cubed potatoes. Bake for 30-45 minutes.
• If you prefer your food mild, reduce the chili powder to ½ teaspoon or omit it altogether.

Prepare the Black Bean Filling:

• Cook the vegetables, and add the tomato paste and beans.
• Using the back of your spatula, slightly smash the mixture so it can easily scoop into your tortillas.

Prepare the Avocado Cilantro Sauce:

• In a food processor or blender, combine avocado, cilantro, garlic, salt, black pepper, Greek yogurt, lime, and water. Blend well until creamy.
• Add more water and adjust it to your preferred consistency.
  • If you're not a fan of avocados, try this Cilantro Sauce instead!

Assemble and Cook the Tacos:

• If using corn tortillas, heat these for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave or on the skillet until warm and pliable. This is to prevent them from crumbling or tearing.
• Fill ½ of the tortilla with cheese. Add a layer of the bean mixture (I use about 1-2 tablespoons depending on the side of my tortillas) and sweet potatoes. Top with a layer of cheese and fold the taco. To cook the tacos, pick your preferred method below (air fry, pan fry, or bake).

🌮 Methods of Cooking Crispy Sweet Potato Tacos: Air Fry, Bake, Or Pan Fry

To Air Fry: This is the method I prefer. Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. Place a single layer flatly into your air fryer basket. Cook at 400°F for about 5-7 minutes, then flip the tacos and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. If your taco opens up in the air fryer process, simply flip the taco. You can also place an oven-safe bowl on the taco for about 2-3 minutes then carefully remove it with tongs and resume air-fry.

To Bake: Transfer the assembled tacos to a lined baking sheet & bake the tacos at 425°F for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to flip the tacos. Return to the oven & bake an additional 10-12 minutes, until crispy and a golden brown color. Remove from the oven & allow to cool for 2-3 minutes (tacos will crisp as they cool).

To Pan Fry: Heat a layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry both sides in a skillet over medium heat, until crispy and a golden brown color.

Serve the crispy tacos warm, finishing with your avocado cilantro sauce, lime juice, salsa, or any of your taco favorite toppings. I enjoy serving mine with a side of Vegan Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad). Enjoy!

💭 How to Meal Prep Tacos

I love adding my vegetarian tacos recipe to meal prep week. You can prepare the sweet potato and black bean taco filling in advance and it remains okay to use for up to 3 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. I also like to have the sweet potatoes and sauce ready to go. So all you have is assemble and cook your meatless tacos on the day you want to eat it. To take it a step further and make it easier, you can use hard taco shells and add the filling vs cooking the tacos to crisp them! This is a great post on how to make hard shell tacos if you want to prep them ahead of time and make them at home!

🍽 More Easy Meal Prep Recipes

• Veggie Quesadillas with Crumbled Tempeh
• Vegan Tofu Tacos with Peanut Sauce
• Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
• Jalapeño Corn Dip

If you loved this Crispy Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos recipe, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my weekly emails so you never miss a new recipe!

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5 from 1 vote

Crispy Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos

Crispy sweet potato black bean tacos are stuffed with a flavorful black bean filling, seasoned sweet potatoes, and cheese, and topped with an avocado cilantro sauce for an easy and satisfying dinner! Can be pan-fried, air fried, or baked!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 10 tacos

Author: Shweta

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 10 corn or flour tortillas,, small, 6 inch
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

For the Sweet Potato

• 1 large sweet potato,, cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the beans:

• 1 medium red onion,, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic,, minced
• 1 jalapeno*,, diced
• ½ cup corn,, frozen, thawed
• 1 bell pepper,, diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 15 oz. can black beans,, no salt added
• ½-1 teaspoon sea salt

Avocado Sauce

• 1 medium avocado
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup non-fat greek yogurt
• ½ teaspoon salt; adjust to your taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅓ cup water; add more to adjust to your preferred consistency*
• squeeze of lime

Instructions

Prepare the Sweet Potatoes:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a medium bowl, add sweet potatoes, olive oil, chili powder, ground cumin, and sea salt.
• On a lined baking sheet, spread the sweet potatoes into a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 35-40 mins until tender and slightly starts to brown. Prepare your black bean filling and avocado sauce at this time.
• Remove from oven and set aside. *If baking your tacos, keep oven on for later use.*

Prepare the Black Bean Filling

• In a medium skillet, heat oil. Add onions, garlic, and jalapenos and saute for about 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat.
• Add the corn and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes until begins to soften.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for about 3-4 minutes until slightly browns. Combine well.
• Add the black beans and salt until well incorporated. Using the back of your spatula, slightly smash the mixture so it can easily scoop into your tortillas.

Prepare the Avocado Cilantro Sauce

• In a food processor or blender, combine avocado, cilantro, garlic, salt, black pepper, greek yogurt, lime, and water. Blend well until creamy.
• Add more water and adjust it to your preferred consistency.

Assemble and Cook the Tacos

• If using corn tortillas, heat these for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave or on the skillet until warm and pliable. This is to prevent them from crumbling or tearing.
• Fill ½ of the tortilla with cheese. Add a layer of the bean mixture (I use about 1-2 tablespoons depending on the side of my tortillas) and sweet potatoes. Top with a layer of cheese and fold the taco. To cook the tacos, pick your preferred method below (air fry, pan fry, or bake).
• To Air Fry: Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. Place a single layer flatly into your air fryer basket. Cook at 400°F for about 5-7 minutes, then flip taco and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. If your taco opens up in the air fryer process, simply flip the taco. or place an oven-safe bowl on the taco for about 2-3 minutes then carefully remove it with tongs and resume air-fry.
• To Bake: Transfer the assembled tacos to a lined baking sheet & bake the tacos at 425°F for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to flip the tacos. Return to the oven & bake an additional 10-12 minutes, until crispy and a golden brown color. Remove from the oven & allow to cool 2-3 minutes (tacos will crisp as they cool).
• To Pan Fry: Heat a layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pan fry both sides in a skillet over medium heat, until crispy and a golden brown color.

Serve:

• Serve the crispy tacos warm, finishing with your avocado cilantro sauce, lime juice, salsa, or any of your taco favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

For the spice level: omit the jalapeno if you prefer not spicy. For the sweet potatoes, you may also cut back on the chili powder to only ½ teaspoon.

Storage & reheating: These crispy tacos are best served fresh. However, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Reheat for 5-10 minutes in an oven or air fryer at 300°F, or reheat on the stovetop until thoroughly warmed.

Nutrition Info

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