Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

Many of us have thought of becoming vegetarians or vegans at some point in our lives. Whether it’s because of the many ethical implications of eating meat, to help the environment, or to improve our health, eating little to no meat has its draw. But there’s one thing that stops many of us—it certainly stopped me: being vegan is hard. Not just in terms of finding something good to eat, but also ensuring that our bodies get the proper nutrients they need to function. (1)

But, if done right, it’s hard to beat eating vegan. Marco Springmann—a senior researcher of environmental sustainability and public health at the University of Oxford—says that eating vegan “could be one of the healthiest diets, outperforming pescatarian and vegetarian, because the vegan diet is higher in fruit, vegetables, and legumes and the health benefits from this compensate anything else” (2)

But how to make sure you’re getting those legumes? These sweet potato and black bean burgers are here to save the day. With a yummy yogurt spread, this vegan burger will satisfy the requirements of both your health and your taste buds. Additionally, since your total prep and cook time is under an hour, you’ll be ready to start eating healthy before you know it.

Ingredients

2 cups grated sweet potato
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed

½ cup chopped scallions
¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste

⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
Food processor

Cast-iron skillet

Be sure to refer to the cooking notes at the end of each applicable step for the best results!

Pre-cooking notes:

This recipe calls for downtime of thirty (30) minutes for your sweet potato and black bean patties to cool in the refrigerator before cooking. While a chance to grab a breath and straighten the kitchen is never a bad thing, these burger patties will last for two days in the fridge. Consider making them ahead of time to create this delicious dinner even faster!

The dill, yogurt, and lemon form a yogurt sauce for your finished burgers. While we recommend it to enhance the flavor, if you prefer a sauceless patty, simply leave these ingredients out.
The cucumbers are also a suggested garnish and can be left aside if so desired.
While this recipe is vegan, it can also be made gluten-free by replacing the bun. Please note that while pure oats are gluten-free, not all store-bought oats necessarily are. Always check with anyone with a gluten intolerance before serving. (3)

Directions

If you have not already done so, prep the cucumbers, sweet potato, and dill according to the ingredients list. *Note: press your grated sweet potatoes between two sheets of paper towel (or in a clean cloth, to be environmentally friendly) in order to dry them.
Using your food processor, grind your oats.
In a large bowl, add together the sweet potatoes, oats, scallions, beans, mayonnaise, tomato paste, salt, and curry powder.

Mix your ingredients together. *Note: feel free to use your hands—don’t be afraid to get messy!
Take the mixture and form the shape of your burger patties. *Note: This recipe will produce four patties, approximately half an inch thick. If you would like a thicker burger or more patties, take this into account!
Refrigerate your patties on a plate, uncovered, for thirty (30) minutes.

Blend together your dill, yogurt, and lemon juice. *Note: this will form your burger’s dressing.
Add your olive oil to the pan, and warm it on your stove burner at medium-high heat.
Removing patties from the fridge, add them to your skillet. When your patty has a golden-brown hue, flip it and cook the other side to match. *Note: This should take about three minutes per side.