SWEET POTATO BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS

These sweet potato black bean quesadillas are vegan, dairy-free, and SO delicious! Enjoy a crispy tortilla stuffed with “cheesy” sweet potato spread + spicy black beans, corn, and onion. Serve them with salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. It’s the ultimate vegan comfort food that everyone will love!

Good news! You don’t have to say goodbye to quesadillas when you go vegan or ditch dairy. In fact, these are the BEST vegan + vegetarian quesadillas you’ll ever try! Who needs plain old cheese quesadillas when you can create filling, nutritious, and irresistibly delicious sweet potato black bean quesadillas? The crispy tortillas are stuffed with a rich and creamy, sweet and smoky sweet potato spread + spicy black beans, corn, and diced onion.

These black bean and sweet potato quesadillas are:

Vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free
Made with healthy, wholesome ingredients
Creamy, filling, and satisfying
Easy to make and great for sharing
Perfect for parties, game day, and pot lucks
The ultimate comfort food
Vegetarian and meat-eater approved
Ridiculously tasty!

SWEET POTATO BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN SWEET POTATO QUESADILLAS?

Sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin E.
Black beans. They are packed with protein, fiber, iron, folate, phosphorus, thiamin, and riboflavin.
Corn. Corn contains B vitamins, potassium, and various healthy plant compounds.
Cashews. They provide healthy fats, protein, and a creamy consistency for the filling.
Nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast adds a “cheesy” flavor and is packed with B vitamins.
Tortillas. Use white/whole wheat tortillas or gluten-free flour tortillas.
Onion and garlic. These not only provide flavor and aroma, they are packed with nutrients and antioxidants.
Almond milk. Any type of plant-based milk can be used for this recipe, but I use almond milk.
Lemon juice. Lemon juice adds the perfect hint of sour flavor for the “cheesy” sweet potato filling.
Seasoning and spices. To enhance the flavor of all other ingredients.

cubed potatoes, beans, cashews, corn, lemon juice, garlic, spices, and diced onion in white bowls

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS

For the full recipe, scroll down to view the recipe card below.

First, prepare the sweet potatoes and cashews.

To cook the sweet potatoes: Add cubed sweet potato to boiling water. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. After, drain the water.
To soak the cashews: Bring water to a boil. Add cashews to a bowl. Pour boiling water over the cashews and soak for 15-20 minutes. After, drain the water.

Second, prepare the “cheesy” sweet potato filling.

To create the “cheesy” sweet potato filling: Add cooked sweet potato, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, almond milk, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.

step by step photo collage soaking raw cashews and blending them in a vitamix blender

Third, prepare the beans and corn.

To create the bean and corn mixture: Heat a skillet on medium-low temperature. Add oil, diced onion, and minced garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add black beans, corn, chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.

Fourth, prepare the quesadillas.

To assemble the quesadillas: Spread the “cheesy” sweet potato filling across half a tortilla. Add several spoonfuls of the black bean and corn mixture on top. Fold the quesadilla in half. Carefully transfer the quesadilla to a greased skillet on medium temperature. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then gently flip to cook the other side. After, slice into triangles and serve.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

WHAT IS USED TO MAKE VEGAN CHEESE?

These sweet potato black bean quesadillas are vegan and dairy-free. Therefore, no cheese is used in the recipe. To replace traditional cheese, we’re using a “cheesy” sweet potato filling instead. It’s creamy, rich, and acts as a delicious replacement. The vegan “cheese” filling is made from sweet potatoes, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon, salt, and black pepper.

WHAT TORTILLAS ARE USED FOR QUESADILLAS?

Flour tortillas work best for quesadillas. They are pliable, large in size, and strong enough to hold the ingredients together. You can either use white flour or whole wheat flour tortillas. If you are following a gluten-free diet, be sure to use gluten-free flour tortillas. I do not recommend brown rice or corn tortillas; they are not pliable and sturdy enough. They will likely break and fall apart.

vegan sweet potato and black bean quesadillas on a white plate beside a bowl of guacamole and pico de gallo

HOW DO YOU FLIP A QUESADILLA?

First, make sure you are preparing the quesadilla properly. There are two ways to prepare them:

Option #1: Spread the filling across the whole tortilla. Place an additional tortilla on top.
Option #2: Spread the filling across half the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half to cover the filling.

Option #2 is the superior choice! It is far easier to flip a half quesadilla than an entire quesadilla all at once. So, how exactly do you flip a quesadilla?

To flip a quesadilla: Warm a skillet on medium temperature. Add 1 tsp oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place the quesadilla onto the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Use a large spatula to gently lift the quesadilla off of the skillet. Swiftly flip to cook the other side for an additional 1-2 minutes. After, gently remove from the skillet and slice into triangles.

HOW DO YOU KEEP QUESADILLAS CRISPY?

To create crispy quesadillas, they need to be cooked on a hot skillet with a dash of oil. At the very least, spray the skillet with nonstick spray. Allow the quesadilla to cook until golden brown before flipping to cook the other side. They will be hot, crispy, and cooked to perfection if you follow these instructions!

vegan quesadillas with sweet potatoes and black beans on a white plate

SWEET POTATO BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 quesadillas 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Cook
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Vegan

DESCRIPTION

These sweet potato black bean quesadillas are vegan, dairy-free, and SO delicious! Enjoy a crispy tortilla stuffed with “cheesy” sweet potato filling + spicy black beans, corn, and onion. Serve with salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo.

INGREDIENTS

“Cheesy” Sweet Potato Filling:

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed (~3 heaping cups)
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Quesadillas:

6 flour tortillas (whole wheat, white, or gluten-free)
1 tbsp oil
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For Serving:

Salsa
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare sweet potatoes: Boil cubed sweet potatoes for 15-2o minutes or until tender and cooked through. After, drain water.
Prepare cashews: Bring several cups of water to a boil. Add cashews to a bowl. Pour boiling water over the cashews and soak for 15-20 minutes. After, drain water.
Prepare “cheesy” sweet potato filling: Add sweet potatoes, cashews, nutritional yeast, almond milk, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a blender. Blend on high-speed until smooth and creamy.
Prepare black beans and corn: Warm a skillet on medium-low temperature. Add oil, diced onion, and minced garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add black beans, corn, chili powder, chipotle powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Assemble quesadillas: Spread “cheesy” sweet potato filling across half a tortilla. Add several spoonfuls of the black bean and corn mixture on top. Fold tortilla in half.
Cook quesadillas: Heat a skillet on medium temperature. Add 1 tsp oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully transfer quesadilla onto the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Gently flip to cook the other side for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from the skillet and slice into triangles.
To serve: Serve quesadillas with salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo.

NOTES

Flour tortillas are best. Use either whole wheat, white, or gluten-free flour tortillas. I do not recommend brown rice or corn tortillas; they are not pliable and sturdy enough.