I have really fallen in love with vegetarian patties, burgers, croquettes, etc. It is such a fun change of pace for dinner and as long as you don’t deep fry them in an ungodly amount of oil, they still satisfy that urge for crispy fried stuff while still being healthy. Honestly, I am not one for fried foods, never really have been – though sometimes it is hard to walk away from good crappy french fries. They are my weakness, I will admit it. Whenever I make these types of patties I cook them in just a tablespoon or two of really good extra-virgin olive oil, so they get crisp on the outside but they are still healthy and you get the wonderful benefits and flavors of olive oil. None of that deep-frying in gross oils that don’t have any health or nutritional value. These particular patties are great because they are not only gluten-free but they are also vegan. There aren’t any weird ingredients, replacements or gums. If you aren’t gluten-free, feel free to use regular breadcrumbs and your favorite all-purpose flour. That’s it.

These sweet potato and black bean patties might be my new favorite of the bunch. They have a delicious crispy crunch on the outside and are so perfectly tender and soft on the inside. They are so full of flavor and made a perfect dinner by serving two of them on top of some baby arugula.  I just top them with a spoonful of fresh pico de gallo and cilantro. A delicious creamy and spicy yogurt sauce or sour cream would also be delicious. I only cooked up 4 of them for us for dinner the first night and then refrigerated the rest of the patties. They are so easy to just pull of out the fridge and heat up quickly for lunches. If you wanted these to be a smaller bite for an appetizer or snack, just make the patties a bit smaller, so they can be easily picked up with one hand, instead of requiring a fork and plate.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Patties

(Makes about 15 patties – more or less depending on how big you make your patties)

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-inch chunks (this was about 3 medium-sized potatoes for me)
1 cup cooked organic black beans, divided into two 1/2 cup servings
½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs*
3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour* plus more if you need it (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chile powder (I used ground smoked chipotle powder)
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 green onions, both white and green parts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped
2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if you need it

A small handful of fresh cilantro plus fresh pico de gallo for serving.

Fill a medium saucepan with water, add the sweet potato chunks and cover. Cook over a medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until very tender. Drain in a colander until very dry.

Once dry, place sweet potato chunks in a large mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of the black beans and mash with a potato masher to break up the big bits. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of beans, salt and pepper, breadcrumbs, flour, garlic, cilantro and green onions, and mix with your hands to form a smooth batter. Make sure that the breadcrumbs and flour are mixed throughout and there are not huge chunks of potato. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour. It should be quite sticky though.

In a non-stick skillet, heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over a medium-high heat. Form round, flat patties about 3-inches in diameter (this is about three tablespoons of batter per patty). Cook four or more at a time for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer finished patties to a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly. Add more oil as needed to continue cooking the remaining patties. If you wish to save the rest to cook later, form the patties and place on a plate covered in plastic wrap. They can stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pull them out from your fridge and cook as mentioned above.

Serve the patties topped with some fresh chopped cilantro and a spoonful of fresh pico de gallo (or whatever favorite fresh salsa you have on hand). You could also top with a creamy chipotle yogurt sauce or whatever other toppings you wish.

* regular breadcrumbs and all-purpose flour will work just fine if you aren’t gluten intolerant.

Here are a couple of my other favorite patty, burger and croquette recipes:

Gluten-Free Lentil Burgers

White Bean and Chive Patties

Quinoa Croquettes with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

Wild Rice and Spinach Patties

Chickpea Croquettes (Gluten-Free) with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce