Vegan sweet potato and black bean tacos recipe

Good vegan tacos need contrast: something soft and smoky, something savoury and something sharp. Here that’s roasted sweet potato, black beans cooked with garlic and cumin, and quick pickled red onions, finished with guacamole and lime.

Every ingredient here is vegan, but check your tortilla labels: most corn tortillas are vegan, while some flour tortillas contain milk or animal fat. See Mexican food for dietary needs for more.

Serves

4

Prep

20 min

Cook

30 min

You’ll need

A large roasting tray, a saucepan and a frying pan

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

For the sweet potato

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 600 g), peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• ½ tsp salt

For the beans

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 400 g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3–4 tbsp water
• juice of ½ lime
• salt

For the pickled onions

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 100 ml cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt

To serve

• 12 small corn tortillas (check the label)
• 1 batch guacamole or 1 sliced avocado
• a handful of fresh coriander
• lime wedges
• salsa or hot sauce (optional)

Method

1. Pickle the onions. Put the sliced onion in a bowl. Warm the vinegar with the sugar and salt until dissolved, pour it over and leave for at least 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
2. Roast the sweet potato. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7). Toss the sweet potato with the oil, spices and salt and spread it out on a roasting tray. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until soft inside and browned at the edges.
3. Cook the beans. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin for a minute, then the beans and water. Simmer for 5 minutes, roughly mashing about a third of the beans. Season with lime and salt.
4. Warm the tortillas. Warm the tortillas one at a time in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat for 30–60 seconds a side, until soft and lightly spotted. Stack them in a clean tea towel to keep warm.
5. Build the tacos. Spread a spoonful of beans on each tortilla, add sweet potato, then top with guacamole, pickled onions, coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Tips

• Swap the sweet potato for 500 g mushrooms, sliced and fried hard with the same spices, for a meatier taco.
• The pickled onions keep in a jar in the fridge for about a week.
• Most sugar sold in the UK is vegan, but if you’re cooking for a strict vegan guest, check the brand.

Questions

Cooking for a crowd? We cater weddings, parties and events across London and the South East from our truck or trailer, with tacos, salsas and toppings made for your guests. Contact us for a quote.