Vegan Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

By
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett has written five books about plant-based cooking and has developed hundreds of vegan and vegetarian recipes.
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Updated on 12/27/22
Vegetarian sweet potato burgers
The Picture Pantry / Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 burgers
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
493 Calories
19g Fat
73g Carbs
12g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 493
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 5g 26%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 647mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 73g 26%
Dietary Fiber 8g 28%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 36mg 181%
Calcium 206mg 16%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 832mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This is not your average veggie burger recipe—it's a sweet potato burger! A sweet potato veggie burger, that is. Packed full of lots of healthy ingredients, these oven-baked sweet potato burgers are truly inspired by Southern cooking—they're made from sweet potatoes, quinoa, maple syrup, pecans and kale and absolutely no meat, eggs, or dairy. This is a good one to bookmark if you need an idea to use up some leftover cooked or mashed sweet potatoes, or even if you have leftover cooked quinoa on hand. 

This recipe is vegetarian, and, as long as you use a vegan margarine or vegan butter substitute, they are vegan as well. All of the ingredients are gluten-free, but obviously, if you are planning to serve them on hamburger buns, you'll need to find some which are gluten-free if you're cooking for anyone with wheat and gluten sensitivities. 

These award-winning Southern-inspired vegetarian and vegan sweet potato burgers made with quinoa were developed by Tolerant Vegan blogger Nikki Haney and courtesy of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds

  • 3/4 cup water

  • 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter, or butter, divided

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 cup chopped kale

  • 1/2 cup dry roasted pecans, chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  • 1 small sweet onion, very coarsely chopped

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 4 hamburger buns

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. First, preheat oven to 400 F. Pierce the sweet potatoes and microwave them together until they are soft, about 4 to 6 minutes. Mash them firmly into measuring cups to make 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, and then transfer them to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

  3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water and the quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cover, until the water is nearly absorbed and the quinoa appears transparent and is fully cooked​ about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the stove and allow it to sit covered, for about 5 minutes.

  4. In a separate saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter substitute or butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and the cayenne pepper. Add mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes along with the kale, the cooked quinoa, pecans and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and then mix it all together well.

  5. Form the mixture into four patties; place on a well-oiled baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, turning once at the halfway point.

  6. When the burgers have around 15 minutes left to bake, make the onion topping. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon vegan butter substitute. Add the onion; sprinkle with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Cook and stir for 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add remaining 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Cook and stir until onions are slightly brown, about 3 more minutes; remove from heat.

  7. Transfer burgers to buns and top each with onion mixture.

  8. Serve and enjoy.