Crispy cheesy quesadillas filled with smoky black beans, baked sweet potato, corn, and poblano peppers. Topped with a drizzle of cilantro lime crema and pickled onions. Serve with lime wedges on the side for a mouth-watering plant based meal you’ll want to make again and again. I am unapologetically obsessed with these. They crisp up perfectly in the air-fryer for incredible leftovers. So why not make a whole batch and eat them again tomorrow? 🙂

I don’t know about you, but I was a quesadilla FAN as a kid. And I either haven’t grown up, or this is just the grown-up version because I am still addicted. It’s a hand-held cheesy comfort food that is begging to be dipped in guacamole, drizzled in a vegan sour cream, or eaten just as it is. Dinner, lunch, late-night snack? The answer is quesadillas.

The Nutritional Powerhouse: Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

These taste like a guilty pleasure, but really, they are quite healthy and offer a lot of nutritional value. Firstly, they are a great source of plant-based protein and essential nutrients. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, while black beans provide protein, fiber, and various minerals. Together, they not only taste incredible, but they are good for you too.

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. This nutrient is vital for maintaining healthy vision, skin, and immune function. Additionally, sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness. They are heroes of the gut microbiome and feed healthy gut bacteria.

Black beans, on the other hand, are renowned for their protein content. For those following a vegan diet, black beans are an essential protein source, offering about 15 grams of protein per cup. They also provide ample fiber, iron, magnesium, and folate, contributing to overall health and well-being. The combination of sweet potatoes and black beans in quesadillas ensures a well-rounded and nutritious meal.

Cooking Tips and Techniques

To achieve the perfect vegan sweet potato and black bean quesadillas, a few cooking tips and techniques can be helpful.

Sweet Potatoes: Roasting the sweet potatoes brings out their natural caramelized sweetness and enhances their texture. If you are short on time, you can always microwave them too!

Poblano Peppers: These peppers are best when broiled or roasted over a flame until their skin is blackened and blistered. The trick is to let them steam under a foil tent to make removing the skins easier. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be perfect!

Black Beans: Seasoning them with smoky cumin and paprika brings out the delicious meaty flavor. If you want to, you can always mash them a bit to make the tortillas stick together even more.

Use a Skillet: I like to crisp these in a hot skillet. It makes for the perfect crispy tortilla and melts the cheese really well. Make sure to cook them on both sides for a few minutes to evenly crisp them.

Ultimate Quesdailla Customization

One of the great advantages of vegan sweet potato and black bean quesadillas is their versatility. The filling can be customized to suit individual preferences and dietary needs. I prefer to add vegan cheese, beans, and sweet potato to keep them filling and full of fiber, but there are lots of options!

Filling: Customize to your heart’s desire! Lots of different fresh veggies work well in these like bell peppers, onions, spinach, diced tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Gluten Free: Use gluten free tortillas to make these compliant. The great news is all the fillings and spices are naturally gluten free!

Dairy Free: These are already dairy-free but make sure to use vegan cheese and cream to ensure your ingredients don’t contain dairy. I make a crema out of a cashew-based vegan sour cream to top these with.

Toppings: Almost as exciting as the filling, the toppings are endless. Try fresh guacamole, salsa, lime wedges, pickled red onions, sour cream and fresh cilantro. For those who enjoy a bit of heat, a drizzle of hot sauce and some jalapenos can add a spicy kick.

Storage

• Wrap leftovers in foil and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. They crisp up best in an air fryer or oven, but they can also be microwaved.
• These can be frozen as well, but they do lose some of their crisp texture. Wrap in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Cook from frozen in the microwave or thaw overnight and re-crisp them in the skillet, oven, or air fryer.

Try these related recipes:

Black Bean Quesabirria Tacos with Consume Sauce

Vegan Avocado Crema

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

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Southwest Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Crispy cheesy quesadillas filled with smoky black beans, baked sweet potato, corn, and poblano peppers. Topped with a drizzle of crema and pickled onions. Serve with lime wedges on the side for a mouth-watering plant based meal you'll want to make again and again.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword black beans, quesadilla, sweet potato

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 quesadillas

Author Allison Crawford at The Hungry Carrot

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 can black beans
• 1-2 poblano peppers (optional)
• 1/2 cup corn-fresh, frozen, or canned
• 1/4 onion-diced
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tortillas
• 1 cup vegan Mexican cheese blend
• crema and pickeld onions for serving
• lime wedges for serving

Instructions

• Broil poblano peppers on high for about 5 minutes on each side until the skin is blackened. Remove from oven and tent with foil to let them steam for a few minutes. Remove the skins the best you can and dice.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pierce the sweet potato with a fork a couple of times. Bake for 35-45 minutes until tender. Remove the skin and mash the potato with a fork.
• While the potato is baking, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the diced onion until translucent, or about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the black beans, corn, poblano peppers, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to the onions. Heat for a couple of minutes then remove and set aside.
• To a clean skillet, place a tortilla and spread a quarter of the mashed sweet potato on one half. Top with some of the bean mixture and some cheese. Fold the tortilla in half over the toppings and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side until crispy.
• Repeat with remaining tortillas. You will likely have leftover filling. Make additional tortillas or save for later use.
• Slice the tortillas into three segments and serve warm drizzled in crema and with pickled onions and lime wedges on the side.
• Wrap leftovers in foil and store in the fridge for a couple of days. Recrisp in the air fryer for a few minutes.

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