These Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas are smothered in homemade vegan enchilada sauce, stuffed with seasoned veggies and beans, and topped with avocado crema. The ultimate vegan comfort food!
Love vegan enchiladas? Check out my Vegan Enchilada Casserole, Vegan Sour Cream Enchiladas, and Skillet Enchiladas next!
My vegan Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas are just what I want to eat on a cold evening. They’re as satisfying as my popular Vegan Enchiladas and make enough for the whole family.
Roasted sweet potatoes and seasoned black beans are doused in homemade enchilada sauce, rolled up in tortillas, and baked until they’re hot and bubbly. I drizzled vegan avocado crema on top right before digging in. I just love the pop of green and added creaminess!
And if you end up with sweet potatoes and black beans leftover, use them up in a hearty batch of Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili or in these fun Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers.
Why you’ll love these black bean and sweet potato enchiladas
- Seriously satisfying – I can’t get enough of the hearty sweet potato and black bean filling. It’s delicious year-round, but especially comforting during the colder months.
- Totally homemade! The filling, enchilada sauce, and toppings are all homemade. I love store-bought shortcuts now and then, but the flavors in the homemade versions are hard to beat.
- The best toppings – I topped the vegan enchiladas with the best vegan avocado crema to pack every bite with more richness.
How to make sweet potato and black bean enchiladas
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Start with the enchilada sauce. Add the dry ingredients to a pot over medium heat, cook for 1 minute, and whisk in the tomato paste and broth. Heat the mixture to a boil, then simmer until it thickens. Take it off the heat and whisk in the vinegar. Set aside.
Now you can move on to the filling. Start by roasting the sweet potato chunks in the oven until they’re fork tender.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion in a skillet until translucent, then add the garlic. Steam the chopped kale in the skillet with some water, then stir in the drained and rinsed black beans, spices, roasted sweet potatoes, and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Set aside.
To assemble the enchiladas, start by spreading some of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill each tortilla with 1 scoop of filling, roll them up, and place them seam-side down in the dish.
Recipe Tip
Microwave 5 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel for 30 seconds to 1 minute before assembling each enchilada. The heat makes the tortillas more pliable and prevents them from tearing.
Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas, then bake until bubbly.
While you wait, make the avocado crema by processing the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Once the enchiladas are out of the oven, spoon or pipe the creamy avocado sauce on top.
Serve the hot vegan enchiladas with chopped cilantro, Vegan Sour Cream, Pickled Red Onions, and lime wedges on top and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
You’re welcome to add corn kernels, mushrooms, diced zucchini, shredded vegan cheese, jalapenos, or anything else you like.
Not if you don’t want to. Canned pinto beans would be a perfect substitute, or you can use ground vegan “beef” for a meatier alternative.
I highly recommend it! Roasting the sweet potatoes softens them and helps them taste delicious. To save time, roast the potatoes 2 or 3 days in advance and keep them covered in the fridge until it’s time to make the filling.
Not inherently, but they’re easy to make gluten-free by swapping the flour for gluten-free flour in the enchilada sauce and use corn tortillas (or your favorite gluten-free tortillas).
I haven’t tried it, but you should be able to assemble the enchiladas up to the point of baking 1 day ahead of time. Cover the dish and refrigerate it until it’s time to bake.
You can also roast the potatoes and make the filling, sauce, and/or avocado crema a few days before assembling the enchiladas. Keep them all in separate containers in the fridge before assembling and baking.
Yes, the enchiladas freeze very well! Just don’t add the avocado crema until right before serving.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or water for oil-free
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or GF flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Enchilada Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (3 cups)
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 1/4 cup water
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup of the homemade enchilada sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Avocado Crema
- 2 medium ripe avocados
- 1/2 cup plain dairy-free yogurt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
The Rest
- 12 small corn tortillas or 6 large flour tortillas
- chopped cilantro optional
- Vegan Sour Cream optional
- Pickled Red Onions optional
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Make the Enchilada Sauce
- Add all the dry ingredients to a small bowl (flour, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt). Have the tomato paste and broth ready and nearby.
- In a small-medium pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil (or water). Once warm, pour in the dry ingredients and whisk constantly for about a minute. Now whisk in the tomato paste, then slowly pour in the broth, whisking constantly.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, whisking frequently to remove any lumps. It should thicken a little bit. Remove from heat and whisk in the vinegar. Taste; add more salt as needed. Set aside.
Make the Enchilada Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the sweet potato chunks to the baking sheet and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil (or use spray olive oil to lightly coat in oil). Sprinkle with a few shakes of salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until fork-tender and golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant.
- Add the chopped kale and water to the skillet, and place the lid on the pot. Allow the kale to steam and soften for 5-10 minutes. If there is still a lot of water in the skillet, remove the lid and turn up the heat until the water mostly evaporates.
- Stir in the drained and rinsed black beans, spices, the roasted sweet potatoes and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble Enchiladas and Bake
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Wrap 5 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 second to 1 minute to soften; this makes them much easier to roll.
- Fill each tortilla with a scoop of the filling. Roll and place in the prepared dish, seam side down. Repeat until you have used all of the tortillas and filling. (If you have extra filling, it's delicious on top of the enchiladas or all by itself!)
- Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top of the rolled enchiladas and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly.
Make the Avocado Crema and Serve
- While the enchiladas cook, make the avocado crema. You could also make this the day before and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Scoop out all the flesh and add to a food processor.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Taste; add more salt, cilantro or lime juice as desired.
- Once the enchiladas are done, top with the avocado crema and any additional toppings such as chopped cilantro, Vegan Sour Cream, Pickled Red Onions and lime wedges.
Notes
- Gluten free – Use gluten free corn tortillas and gluten free flour in the enchilada sauce.
-
Store leftover enchiladas in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They freeze well, but without the avocado crema.
Definitely a keeper recipe, the pickled red onions were a hit as well. We loved the recipe and will make it for our curious friends who want to cut the meat out of their diets. I served it with salad and homemade vinegarette. Delicious.
Hi Hetty. I’m so glad you found my recipe, and that you love it! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and comments! This is a great meal to serve to all guests! Wishing you happy cooking!
This was so tasty! I goofed and never added some of the spices to the filling and it was still absolutely delicious. Crema is the key! Will definitely be adding this one to our rotation. Thanks Nora!
You are so welcome, Missy! I’m so glad that you love the recipe even though you forgot some of the spices! I agree, Crema is such a delicious addition! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review and comments! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This was SO good and easy to make. The enchilada sauce was perfect.
Delicious! I may reduce the amount of sweet potato next time.
I made these enchiladas for dinner and they are outstanding! So delicious and also healthy, which I love. They take a little bit of time to make but are totally worth the effort and the avocado creama is incredible. These are my new favorite enchiladas and I know I’ll be making them on a regular basis. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes, Nora! I ordered your cookbook yesterday and am so excited for it to show up. Congratulations!
Hi Julie. I am thrilled that you loved the enchiladas! I love the way all the flavors come together in this recipe! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review! I appreciate you and your support! Wishing you lots of happy cooking using your new cookbook! Enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious! I used spinach instead of kale but kept the rest the same. I worried the sauce might have a slight too much kick for me but everything was seasoned perfectly once it came out of the oven. The avocado crema is incredible. A good weekend meal — I am properly stuffed.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the enchiladas, thank you Sam!