These vegan loaded sweet potatoes are sure to become a weeknight favorite. It’s super simple to whip up and makes for filling plant-based dinner with black beans, corn, and avocado-lime topping.
You really can’t go wrong with these vegan loaded sweet potatoes! As the potatoes roast in the oven, you’ll use the baking time to make the black bean filling and avocado topping so everything can be wrapped up in 45 minutes.
One thing I love about the black bean filling in these is that it can be served in a variety of different ways if a loaded sweet potato isn’t your thing. Instead, add the black beans to a taco salad, spoon it on some nachos, or wrap it up in a burrito. Speaking of nachos, have you tried my delicious vegan nacho recipe?
Sweet potatoes are a pantry staple in our house since they are cheap, versatile, and a good source of nutrients like fiber and vitamins A and C. I use them in recipes all the time here on the blog! Here are a few other vegan dinners with sweet potatoes: sweet potato peanut curry, mushroom and sweet potato tacos, and these spicy sweet potato noodles.
Why You’ll Love this Loaded Sweet Potato Recipe
- Great for Different Dietary Needs: A filling, one dish meal that is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free.
- Weeknight Friendly: Can be easily meal prepped for quick assembly on busy weeknights. If you roast the sweet potatoes in advance, you can make these in less than 15 minutes.
- Versatile: As I mentioned above, use any leftover black bean filling in a variety of ways like salad, nachos, tacos, or burritos.
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet Potatoes: I just love the combination of sweet potatoes with the Tex Mex flavors in the beans.
- Black Beans: use low sodium canned black beans for this loaded sweet potato if you need to monitor your salt intake. Use about 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans if not using canned.
- Red Onion/Bell Pepper: Add some flavor as well as additional fiber to the filling for these vegetarian loaded sweet potatoes.
- Avocado: Avocado gets blitzed in a food processor to make creamy sauce for these loaded sweet potatoes. However, you can also just add sliced or mashed avocados for these potatoes if you don’t want to make the extra dishes.
- Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro in both the avocado topping as well as a garnish on the finished potatoes.
How to Make Loaded Sweet Potatoes
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrub your sweet potatoes clean and rub them in a little olive oil. The oil rub helps the skins crisp and brown a bit more when roasting. Poke the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape as they cook. Arrange on a sheet pan and cook for 45-55 minutes or until fork tender.
STEP 2: Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat and add the chopped red onion and bell pepper. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until onion has softened.
STEP 3: Stir in the garlic and taco seasoning. Cook for another 1-2 minutes
STEP 4: Stir in the salsa, corn, and black beans. Sauté for another 5-7 minutes to allow some of the liquid from the salsa to cook off. Taste and add salt as needed. Set aside.
STEP 5: Add all of the avocado topping ingredients to a small food processor or blender cup and pulse to puree. Add water a tablespoon or two at a time until desired consistency is reached. (I like it to be thick and spoonable like sour cream.)
STEP 6: Assemble your stuffed sweet potatoes by dividing the bean filling between each sweet potato and topping with a dollop of the avocado topping.
Tips for Making these Vegan Loaded Sweet Potatoes
- I roasted my sweet potatoes in the oven, but you can speed up this step by cooking them in the microwave. I actually do that often when I just want to add a sweet potato to a meal as a side. If microwaving your potatoes, you can skip the oil.
- Don’t have black beans? Kidney beans, chili beans, and pinto beans could all work for the filling as well.
- I love the avocado topping for these vegan loaded sweet potatoes. Will and I love spicy foods, so feel free to adjust the amount of jalapeño you use to make it less spicy. You can also add more water when pureeing it in the food processor if you want it to be more of a sauce.
- This NutriBullet Magic Bullet food processor is my favorite kitchen appliance for making small batch sauces like the avocado topping for these sweet potatoes.
Are these vegan loaded sweet potatoes healthy?
These vegan loaded sweet potatoes are a simple meal to recreate that is also loaded with good for you nutrients. Here are some of the reasons why the main ingredients in this dish are healthy.
- Black beans: Many population based research studies have found that those who have a diet that incorporates more beans and legumes are often less likely to have many chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Black beans are loaded with fiber (~15 g/cup) which is something many Americans do not get enough of in their diet. They are also a good source of protein and many nutrients like folate, magnesium, and iron.
- Avocado: Avocados are loaded with heart healthy monounsaturated fat as well as fiber (10 g/avocado!). They are also a good source of potassium and vitamins B6 and C.
- Sweet Potato: I personally love sweet potatoes and eat them often. They not only taste good, but they are loaded with vitamins A and C.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make Ahead: The potatoes can be roasted up to 3-4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the full recipe. The black bean filling can also be made up to 3 days in advance and then reheated when ready to make these loaded sweet potatoes. The avocado topping is best when made the same day that you plan on serving these loaded sweet potatoes as the avocado can turn brown when stored in the fridge for more than a few hours.
- Fridge: Allow to cool to room temperature and store any leftover loaded sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze the black bean filling if you want to prepare it in advance or save any leftovers for future use. Allow it to cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Reheat on the stovetop in a skillet or in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Baked Sweet Potato Toppings
Baked sweet potatoes make such a delicious canvas for all kinds of toppings. Here are a few of our other favorite baked sweet potato toppings:
- Beans or Lentils: if you keep your pantry stocked with a couple cans of beans or lentils – you’ll always be able to put together a simple meal when paired with a baked sweet potato. We add some flavor with BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, or pesto.
- Chili: if you have leftover chili, serve it over a baked sweet potato! We love topping them with some homemade guacamole and pickled red onion.
- Yogurt, Almond Butter, & Fruit: that’s right, you can also have a baked sweet potato for breakfast! The natural sweetness lends itself well to breakfast – we like topping with some yogurt, berries, and a drizzle of almond butter.
Recipe FAQs
A loaded sweet potato is a baked sweet potato that has been sliced open to create a pocket that is filled with any desired toppings. (In this case, we filled it with spiced black beans and avocado.)
No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. The flesh of a yam is dry and starchy like a regular potato and they have rough, dark brown skin that is similar to tree bark. Sweet potatoes have softer flesh with a sweet flavor and have smooth, reddish skin. They are actually from two entirely different plant families.
Raw sweet potatoes can be stored in the pantry for up to 3-5 weeks or the refrigerator for anywhere from 2-3 months. Cooked sweet potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and up to 6 months in the freezer.
Yes, sweet potatoes are a popular, starchy root vegetable. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber so they are a great addition to a healthy diet.
Yes, but for best results – you should blanch your sweet potatoes before freezing to help preserve the color, nutrients, and texture. To blanch your sweet potatoes, cut them into wedges or cubes and add them to a pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl of ice cold after boiling to stop the cooking. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid. Store in freezer bags and use in recipes as directed.
Yes, the skin on sweet potatoes is edible and provides some beneficial nutrients like fiber. Just be sure to give sweet potatoes a good scrub under cold running water before cooking.
Looking for more sweet potato vegetarian recipes?
- Vegetarian black bean and sweet potato burrito
- Vegan peanut curry with chickpeas and sweet potato
- Curry chickpea stuffed sweet potatoes
- Spicy asian style sweet potato noodles
Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!
Vegan Loaded Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For the Potatoes
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
For the Black Bean Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
For the Avocado Topping
- 1 avocado
- 1 jalapeno seeds and stems removed (use 1/2 to make it less spicy)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 green onion stalk
- 2-5 tablespoons water
- 1 lime, juiced
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
For the Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash sweet potatoes and poke a few times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and use your hands to make sure each potato is evenly coated in oil. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Set aside.
For the Black Bean Filling
- While the potatoes bake, add the olive oil, onion, and pepper to a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté until onions are translucent. Stir in the taco seasoning and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in the black beans, salsa, corn, and ~1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside.
For the Avocado Topping
- Add all of the avocado topping ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. I prefer a thick sauce that I can dollop on the potatoes, but you can add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) to make it thinner if you prefer.
Assembly
- To assemble, cut potatoes in half lengthwise and use fork to fluff insides. Top with 1/4 black bean filling and add a dollop of avocado topping. Garnish with sliced jalapeños, chopped red onion, and cilantro if desired.
Video
Notes
- Sweet potatoes can be roasted in the oven up to 3 days in advance.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Black bean filling can be frozen for up to 3 months. Filling can be prepped up to 3 days in advance.
- Avocado topping is best prepared the same day you plan on serving these loaded sweet potatoes.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
If you make the sweet potatoes and beans ahead of time, what is the best way to prep them before serving?
I usually just reheat them in the microwave or I’ll pop the sweet potatoes in my toaster oven while I reheat the beans in a skillet on the stovetop. Hope that helps!
This was so good. I made a few minor changes (onion, garlic, chipotle powder instead of taco seasoning, added smoked paprika, sliced spring onions instead of avocado, topped with fresh lime). I did pressure cook the potatoes. Baking would certainly be more flavorful but I wanted the skins tender. Thanks so much for sharing. We have extra filling left so it will get paired with rice and/or tostadas. That’s a delicious base for so many dishes, I’m sure we’ll have it often. This was a quick, simple meal but there was so much flavor and goodness it didn’t feel like a busy day dinner.
So happy to find healthy and flavorful vegan options. I’ll be visiting your site often.
So glad you enjoyed it Diane!
Yum, didn’t have red onions or lemon for the avocado, but was still really good.