Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Pepita Dip
These roasted sweet potato tacos feature spicy black beans and avocado-pepita dip. Delicious! This taco recipe is vegetarian (easily vegan) and gluten-free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Confession: Last week, when I shared some of my favorite savory sweet potato recipes, I intentionally omitted this one because the photos made me cringe. These tacos totally deserved to be included!
I photographed them again yesterday afternoon under gorgeous fall sunlight, and I’m sharing the recipe with you today in case you’ve skimmed past their original photos. I’m not sure these photos do them justice, but they’re definitely an improvement. Orange and green are a garish color combination, which might make these a fun Halloween dinner, now that I think about it.
When I originally shared this recipe well over two years ago, Cookie was healing after her accident (we don’t like to talk about it) and we were just getting settled into my current little house. I was thrilled to finally have my own dishwasher, washer and dryer, which I still appreciate to the moon and back.
Now, Cookie’s back in tip-top shape, and I’m gearing up to move us to a more functional living space. I’m surrounded by fabric samples and can’t stop waffling back and forth between bed frame options. Help!
Watch How to Make Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos
My love for tacos remains unchanged, and these tacos are as delicious as ever. This hearty taco recipe features spicy roasted sweet potatoes, black beans for protein, and a spectacular avocado spread made with freshly toasted pepitas for texture and savory notes. Top them off with some salty crumbled feta, more toasted pepitas and some crunchy pickled jalapeños (not shown, but highly recommended) for a well-balanced fall dinner.
These tacos are the taco version of my beloved sweet potato burritos. When I remade the recipe, I tweaked the spices a bit and made a few little edits for clarity, so this recipe is better than ever. I hope you love it, and please do let me know how it turns out for you in the comments!
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
These roasted sweet potato tacos feature spicy black beans and avocado-pepita dip. So delicious! This taco recipe is vegetarian (easily vegan) and gluten-free (see recipe notes for details). Recipe yields 8 to 10 hearty tacos, enough for at least 4 servings.
Ingredients
Roasted sweet potatoes
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if sensitive to spice)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Spicy black beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
- Fine salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked black beans)
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or lime juice
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado-pepita dip
- 2 avocados, pitted
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves, some small stems are ok)
- ½ cup pepitas
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped, or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (go easy if sensitive to spice)
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime) or 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Everything else
- 8 to 10 small corn tortillas
- Crumbled feta
- Suggested garnishes: Pickled jalapeños or pickled radishes or pickled red onions, torn cilantro, hot sauce, etc.
Instructions
- Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Toss the prepared sweet potatoes with the olive oil, cayenne pepper (if using) and salt. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelizing at the edges.
- Prepare the black beans: Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the cumin and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds while stirring. Pour in the beans and water. Stir, cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and use a potato masher or a fork to mash up at least half of the beans. Remove from heat, stir in the vinegar, season with salt (I added over ¼ teaspoon) and pepper, and cover until you’re ready to serve.
- Make the avocado dip: First, toast the pepitas in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they are fragrant and starting to make little popping noises, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Scoop the avocado flesh into a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, water and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor/blender as necessary. Add almost all of the pepitas (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish) and process just until the pepitas are chopped into small pieces (some remaining texture is desirable). Taste, and add more salt if necessary. Transfer the dip to a small bowl for serving.
- To warm the tortillas, heat a large skillet over medium heat and warm the tortillas in batches, flipping to warm each side. Alternatively, you can warm them directly over a low flame on a gas range. Stack the warmed tortillas on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.
- To assemble the tacos, spread black beans down the middle of each tortilla, then top with some sweet potatoes and avocado-pepita dip. Garnish with feta, pepitas, and anything else that strikes your fancy. Repeat with remaining tortillas and serve.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Skip the feta, and definitely add something pickled to make up for it.
Make it gluten free: Make sure your tortillas are 100 percent corn/certified gluten free.
Serving suggestions: These tacos would be awesome with a side of simple seedy slaw (which you could also pile onto your tacos for some more crunch). If you’d like to serve a simple green salad with these tacos, try topping this lime-marinated kale with feta and pepitas.
Storage suggestions: Leftover taco components should keep well for a few days. Store them individually in the fridge, covered. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the avocado-pepita sauce to help prevent oxidation. Add a splash of water to the beans if they dry out during reheating.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Made this tonight for company – definitely manageable to make and great flavors. Thanks for giving us a great veggie meal to add to our rotation!
You’re welcome, Natalya! I appreciate the review.
Delicious! My whole family loved these, and they are easy to make. Love a recipe with minimal chopping! The Pepita dip was a nice change from traditional guac. Next time will double so there will be leftovers!
Thank you, Halley!
Great recipe, liked the stuffing!!
I’m glad you loved it, Rohit!
Hi,
Thanks for the free access to your recipes, greatly appreciated. Cooked the this along with the avocado-peptia dip and it was enjoyed by everyone. It is on the requested to be cooked again list. Thanks again.
You’re welcome! I’m happy it was a hit, Shane.
Holy crap! Unbelievably good. I didn’t have sherry wine vinegar or lime juice so I used rice vinegar and some lemon juice. Didn’t taste too off. Also added some more water and a little mayo to the avocado dip because it was difficult to blend. Added cool ranch doritos crushed up on the tacos. Should’ve left the potatoes in the oven longer. Overall, really great because it was very easy to make.
I love to hear that, Ella! thanks so much for your review. I’m glad you are loving it!
After every bite of these tacos, we must’ve said either, “Oh my gosh” or “These are sooo good!”
The avocado pepita dip is a love letter to my heart. In truth, the sweet potato, spicy black bean, and magic dip compliment in perfect harmony.
Thank you for creating a meal for years to come.
You’re welcome, Jen! Thanks so much for your review.
Mmmm this was yummy! I roasted mushrooms and bell peppers alongside the sweet potatoes. So good!
Great to hear, Jessica!
What are Pepita? What stores can I find them?
Hi Sharon! They are pumpkin seeds. :) You should be able to find them in the bulk section of the grocery store.
These were absolutely amazing! Made them last night and I couldn’t stop eating them. I used a little more cayenne than called for, and left the jalapeño seeds in but followed all other directions exactly. Will be making these regularly. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
These were soooo good. I will definitely crave this recipe! I loved the texture mashing most of the beans added to these. Thanks for another winner, Kate :)
Oh man, these werde sooo good! All the flavors complimented each other perfectly! I keep cooking recipes from your blog and haven’t been disappointed once! Keep up the amazing work! Greetings from Germany :)
Thank you, Dorothea!
This recipe is amazing! Everything about is is perfect and I would not change a thing!
Holy guacamole this recipe is amazing. Just for fun I used cauliflower instead of sweet potatoes (I can’t get enough roasted cauliflower these days. In fact I made the soup out your cookbook last weekend)
The avocado dip is a 10/10
Easy and delicious
Thank you, Kelley!
I’m going to make this “nacho style” for Christmas parties this weekend!
Easy. Delicious, room for variations.
Made these last night. Delicious! Easy yet plenty of flavor. I added my own guacamole recipe and some shredded lettuce. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Diane! Thank you for your review.
This was delicious! We wanted a vegan version, so topped the tacos with your quick pickled radishes and the flavors were perfect! Will be adding this in to our regular rotation
Sounds delicious! You could always try my vegan sour cream too.
Really delicious as we try and go more vegetarian this year. Loved the pickled radish and the avocado dip I would eat on its own all day long. We added a bit more spice to meet our spicy needs!
THEEEE BEST TACOS!!!! And I’m a meat eater so that is saying something!!!
Great last minute dinner for us! I cubed the sweet potatoes into 1/2” cubes and microwaved for 5 minutes first so I only roasted them for 15 minutes. The black beans have great flavor and since I was in a hurry I used pre-made guacamole. Served with vegan cheese and shredded lettuce on whole wheat tortillas.
A hit in my house full of carnivorous young men. I tried another recipe before seeing this one. They called them fake tacos because there was no meat. They gave these a pass on the lack of meat and even went back for seconds.
So. Good. Hunkered down at home with my husband and the kids but trying to make the healthiest, most comforting meals I can given the circumstances. These were absolutely delicious. I only had one avocado left so I halved the sauce. I had some leftover roasted jalapeños and roasted red onion that I added to the mix. This will be one of my go-to recipes. I was going to halve the beans but decided not to. So glad I made the full recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Just made these today & they were delish!!!! I definitely will make these again! This is my new way of making sweet potatoes!!! Hubby ate 3 1/2 – so a big hit. Thank you for all your yummy recipes!
Incredible tacos. Thanks, Kate!!
I found this when I was looking for recipes that I could make with ingredients on hand. I often keep black beans and sweet potatoes on hand as well as avocados. This was still great without some of the other flourishes (no pepitas, cilantro, jalapeno, feta). I had some green salsa that was a great addition. Thanks for a flavorful and easy solution to the relentless What-do-I-Make-Tonight.
I’m happy to hear this recipe was just what you needed, Ali! Thanks for your comment.
I really love this dish! This is the second time I make it :)
This was soooo yummy! I used just regular crispy taco shells. The sweet potatoes stole the show… I could eat them all day long. Spicy, sweet, caramelized… omg. I’ve tried several avocado sauces, and I’ve always decided that I prefer unadulterated avocado instead. This one changed my mind. It was also a perfect way to use my slightly underripe avocado, as in the processor, the less than soft fruit became perfection. I omitted the feta and didn’t miss it. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jennifer! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and review.
I made it with a few deviations, I added mushrooms, some red onion slices and red bell slices to the potatoes for more veggie infusion.I also put a tiny dollop of sour cream and a smidge of Daves creamy garlic pepper sauce. It was fantastic! I just wasn’t in the mood for meat and this was perfect. I will post a picture on Instagram.
This is my first time ever leaving a recipe review but I just made these for dinner and they were unbelievably DELICIOUS!!! I agree that the pictures definitely don’t do this meal justice. It was the first time my husband has ever called anything I made “restaurant quality”!!! I can’t wait to make these again!
This recipe was super easy to follow and it turned out delicious!!
WOW!! This is going in my weekly rotation! I honestly thought these weren’t going to be that great and I was going to have to serve the potatoes as a side instead of as tacos. BUT they came out INCREDIBLE! I didn’t follow exactly because I didn’t have the stuff to make the pepita dip. I was also tired from long day, so I made the potatoes exactly as the recipe but here are the changes I made to the black beans (I also halved the recipe):
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
I ended up halving the spices, because I’m not very fond of a lot of cumin and my kids are weird about spices. I also didn’t add any water or vinegar.
Served on tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa.
Seriously, so simple but the flavors of the sweet potato and black beans are OUT OF THIS WORLD! Thank you for another healthy recipe!!
By the way, we are a family who eats meat, but now have several recipes of yours that have replaced our meat recipes because they are THAT delicious!
If you’re reading the comments to decide if you should try this, go for it! Worst case scenario, you can serve them as yummy sides.
We have made one of your vegetarian taco recipes weekly for the last month! It’s safe to say we’re a little obsessed. These ones were fantastic, especially with the addition of homemade pickled red onions. We’ll be enjoying them all winter long! Thanks for another great recipe, Kate!
I’m glad you are obsessed! Thank you for your review, Marien.
We’ve loved all your sweet potato & black bean recipes: these tacos, the best burgers, your enchiladas. But the star of the show here is the avocado pepita dip. My wife asked me to make a big batch of it and give away as our Christmas presents this year. It’s that good.
These were very yummy! I halved the recipe and it still worked perfectly. Topped with some cilantro and fresh jalapeños.
This was a real hit with my boyfriend and I. All 3 parts were delicious and I will definitely be making this again
I recently made your butternut squash chili recipe. Love it and will make this taco recipe.
These are seriously SO. GOOD. I garnished mine with pickled red onions and a few dashes of Valentina black label hot sauce. I didn’t add the pepitas to my avocado mixture, only because I tasted it before I added them and it was so delicious just like that I stopped there and just sprinkled them on top of the tacos as a garnish. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Will make this again and again!
Wonderful, Colleen! Thank you for your review.
Big hit in our house tonight! My athlete/carnivore loving 17 yo son has decided last week to go vegetarian (joining me) and his main concern was that he would be hungry after meals. This recipe was delicious, filling and he did not miss the meat. The avocado dip is excellent and can be used on everything and anything. Thank you for helping me show him that vegetarian foods can satisfy your hunger and taste great!
Wonderful to hear, Deb! Thank you for your review.
Love this recipe! I can vouch for shelled pistachios in place of pepitas in the sauce…a great substitution if you are suddenly out of pepitas like I was. Absolutely delicious for vegetarians/vegans and meat-eaters alike.
Another great recipe! My avocados weren’t ripe so I used store bought guacamole and added pepitas and coriander to it. Delicious!
Wow, this was so yummy. Our family loves Japanese sweet potatoes and they were great with it. Served with quick pickled red onions and fermented jalapenos. Thanks for sharing!
This is excellent. I made it exactly as stated in the recipe except I left out the pepitas because I didn’t have any. I will definitely make it again. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Nina!
These are absolutely delicious! The flavors are amazing!
I made these for dinner last night for my friend and I, and I can’t wait to eat leftovers!
The avocado dip is fantastic. If you are thinking of buying guacamole, do yourself a favour and try this instead. The black bean and roasted sweet potatoes really work well together. I halved the recipe of the seedy slaw as an accompaniment (not that big of a fan of slaws), but so glad that I did, as I put that on top of the black beans and sweet potato and it added extra flavours and crunch. Will make these the next time I am visiting with friends.
So I made these tonight except instead of salsa, which I usually add, I put b*tchin’ sauce… a chipotle almond sauce. It was really good and I recommend trying it together!
That sounds delicious, Katherine! Thank you for sharing.
I have rated the recipe 5 stars before, just wanted to add to prevent oxidation from browning, I add a piece of onion in with the avocado, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. That helps tremendously. Although I would eat all of the avocado dip in a heart beat, love it on toast!
Thank you for your review, Anita!
This is a really, really delicious recipe that even my meat loving husband enjoys!
That’s great to hear, Cathy!
Made this tonight, minus the feta. But otherwise exactly as your recipe I’d written. Delicious!
So delicious! And filling.
I’m glad you loved it, Laura! I appreciate your review.
These were bomb!! I ran out of limes and substituted lemon, and I was also out of cilantro, but these were soooo good and filling!! I added fresh spinach and made hard shell in olive oil. Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome, Ali! I’m exicted you enjoyed it.