Here’s an easy to make plant-based, vegan recipe that packs a lot of nutrition for all – Sweet Potato Kale Bean Patties! These egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free plant-based patties can be combined with lettuce, tomato slices, bell pepper slices and condiments to make a tasty bean burger. Serve these alongside a salad and some baked sweet potato fries, and you’re all set! Adding sweet potato into the recipe gives the patties a nice moist interior and these vegan bean patties can be made oil-free or gluten-free if desired. Jump to Recipe
For young children, you could serve these as finger foods alongside cut up bits of fruits and vegetables, or dress these patties up by cutting pieces of bread into quarters and sandwiching the patties to make little sandwiches. These patties also freeze and thaw well, so get out the ingredients below and make a big batch for your family’s next meal!
These tasty vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free patties are suitable for everyone in the family and for any meal in the day!
- 1 small sweet potato [240 g raw weight]
- 1¼ cups cooked black beans [280 g] (or one 15.5 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed well first, equivalent to about 10 ounces in drained weight)
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons diced onion
- ½ teaspoon olive oil (for oil-free, see recipe notes)
- ½ cup chopped fresh kale [27 g] (can be spinach leaves, or a baby spinach and kale mix)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Cajun spice seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs [160 g] (see recipe notes for gluten-free options)
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If planning to bake these patties, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
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Make the flax egg: simply mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water in a container. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then whisk it quickly for 2-3 minutes before using.
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Wash and scrub the skin of a small sweet potato thoroughly [240 grams in raw weight], then pierce the sweet potato with a fork a few times. Cook it in the microwave in a covered dish for 3 minutes. Let it cool, before peeling off the skin and cutting the sweet potato into rough chunks. Put this into a large food processor bowl.
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If using cooked black beans, measure out the amount needed in this recipe and place the black beans directly into the food processor bowl. Alternatively, if you are using canned black beans, drain and rinse the black beans well first before measuring out the amount needed in this recipe. Remove any excess liquid from the rinsed beans (I usually let the beans sit for a few minutes in a colander) then place the amount needed into the food processor bowl.
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Heat the half teaspoon of oil in a small skillet or saucepan, then sauté the minced garlic and onions for a few minutes (until the onion pieces are soft and translucent, and the minced garlic turns golden in color). Transfer the sautéed garlic and onion pieces into the food processor bowl.
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Add into this food processor bowl the remainder of the ingredients (except the bread crumbs): chopped kale, flax egg, paprika, oregano, Cajun spice seasoning, salt and ground black pepper. Pulse a few times, stopping to scrap down the sides of the food processor, until the mixture thickens and can be molded. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
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Place the contents of the food processor into a large bowl. Then add in the plain breadcrumbs (or oat flour or crushed corn flakes) and combine until well mixed together. Do not worry if the mixture looks and feels too wet at the moment, because the patties will bake well within the oven.
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Using your hands, form the final combined mixture into round flat patties, then place these patties onto a parchment lined baking sheet. (If desired, you may further coat the formed patties on both sides with some additional breadcrumbs before putting these patties on the baking sheet.)
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Bake the patties in the oven for 12-15 minutes on each side (flipping over once). Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before enjoying. (Note: the bean patties will harden slightly as they cool down)
Choose unsalted or low sodium canned black beans if you can, or cook up your own black beans to use in this recipe. If the commercial breadcrumbs and canned beans used in this recipe already have salt on their ingredient lists, you may not need to add as much additional salt into this recipe.
You may also need to add a little bit more salt if you use home made bread crumbs, oat flour or ground corn flakes in this recipe. Taste the bean patty mixture and adjust the salt level as desired.
To make gluten-free using oat flour: Grind up large flake/rolled oats or quick cooking oats quickly in a food processor until a flour-like consistency is reached. Substitute the breadcrumbs with 1 1/3 cups of oat flour in this recipe. Use extra oat flour to coat the outside of the formed bean patties.
To make gluten-free using corn flakes: Substitute the breadcrumbs with 1 1/3 cups of ground cornflakes [equivalent to approximately 160 g] when forming the patty mixture. Then place some ground cornflakes into a shallow bowl to use for coating the formed patties. To make the ground cornflakes, simply pulse gluten-free corn flakes down quickly in a food processor into a flour-like consistency. This actually gives the final baked patties a nice slightly crunchy texture.
To make homemade bread crumbs: Simply break up 3-4 slices of bread into large pieces and then pulse these pieces in a food processor until crumb like. Spread these crumbs evenly on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes or until toasted. Let cool slightly before using this recipe.
To make oil-free: Instead of the teaspoon of oil, substitute with 2 tablespoons of a vegetable broth in a heated pan to sauté the minced garlic and diced onion pieces. Then, instead of pan frying the patties on the stove top, bake the patties in the oven.
These look great. Do you think an 8 month old could manage these?
Hello! Thanks for your question. Yes, feel free to try these with your 8 month old. You can make the patties a bit thinner or cut them up into smaller bite-sized finger food pieces at the beginning when making them for your little one. Enjoy!