These sweet potato black bean enchiladas are a total crowd pleaser! This tried and true vegetarian dinner is easy and full of flavor.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Here’s an incredible vegetarian recipe that’s impressive every time: these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas! This recipe is one we originally published in 2012. And guess what? It’s stood the test of time and is a favorite of ours to this day. Tender sweet potatoes are the perfect contrast to savory black beans and tangy salsa verde. Top it off with Colby cheese, it’s the best gooey comfort food around. This one will please everyone: we guarantee it. Here we’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe to make it even better than ever!

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients in sweet potato black bean enchiladas

The first reference to the modern enchilada dates back to 1885 in Mexico, but the tradition of rolling a tortilla around fillings has been around since the Aztec times. We honor the great tradition of Mexican cuisine in this recipe! Here the combination of sweet and savory makes the flavors sing. Here’s what you’ll need for this sweet potato enchiladas recipe:

  • Salsa verde (green enchilada sauce): For quick enchiladas, use a great store-bought salsa verde. Mild salsa is nice if you’re cooking for a crowd, then each eater can add hot sauce to taste. Or, we think it’s perfect with a medium heat salsa.
  • Sweet potatoes: Boil them for quickest prep: no need to roast here!
  • Red onion, green chiles and black beans: Canned beans and chiles make it fast and easy.
  • Colby jack cheese: Colby brings massive flavor versus a cheddar cheese.
  • Spices: Grab the chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder for this one.
  • Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican enchiladas; flour tortillas are American-style and tend to be more durable

You’ll boil the sweet potatoes, a non-traditional but quick way to cook them! Then add to the filling ingredients, roll them into tortillas with cheese, and douse with salsa verde (and more cheese). It takes just 15 minutes to bake: just until the cheese melts!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Flour tortillas vs corn tortillas

What are the best tortillas for sweet potato enchiladas? Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican-style enchiladas, and flour tortillas are more traditional in Tex Mex and American style. Here’s what to know about the differences:

  • Corn tortillas are gluten-free. Some brands can split when you go to roll them! To combat this, find the best quality corn tortilla brand you can. Then brush it with oil and cook it 15 seconds per side before assembling. This makes it easier to roll.
  • Flour tortillas are not gluten-free, but they are much easier to roll and more durable in general. They also get nice and gooey from the enchilada sauce.
  • What about grain free tortillas? There are are other types of grain-free tortillas available at many grocery stores: almond flour, cassava flour, or chickpea flour (try Siete brand). We haven’t tested these, so let us know in the comments below if you try them!

Make ahead instructions / how to freeze enchiladas

One great thing about sweet potato enchiladas is that you can make a big batch and freeze some for later! Or, you can prep everything the night before, then slide it into the oven the day of serving. Here’s how to make these sweet potato black bean enchiladas in advance or prepare them for freezing:

  • Assemble the enchiladas. Fill and roll the enchiladas as you normally would, but don’t bake them yet!
  • Cover with plastic wrap. Put a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the pan of enchiladas. (This will prevent freezer burn).
  • Cover with aluminum foil. Put 1 or 2 layers of aluminum foil on top of the enchilada pan, making sure to seal the edges tightly shut.
  • Refrigerate overnight, or freeze up to 2 months. You can refrigerate the night before, then bake the next day. Otherwise, pop them in the freezer! Frozen enchiladas should last 1 to 2 months in the freezer as long as the foil doesn’t tear (if it does, the enchiladas will be more susceptible to freezer burn).
  • Bake. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic wrap and foil. Bake until fully heated through and the cheese is melted: about 20 to 30 minutes if refrigerated and about 45 minutes if frozen.
Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Sides to serve with sweet potato enchiladas

Want to make these sweet potato black bean enchiladas into a meal? Here are some of our favorite sides to go with enchiladas:

More enchilada recipes

Love enchiladas? There’s nothing more cozy and comforting than a bubbling pan. Here are a few of our favorite recipes:

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Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x

Description

These sweet potato black bean enchiladas are a total crowd pleaser! This tried and true vegetarian dinner is easy and full of flavor.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 pounds (2 medium to large) sweet potatoes
  • 1 medium red onion (about 1 cup finely diced)
  • 15-ounce can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
  • 8 ounces canned diced green chilies (about 1 cup)
  • ½ tablespoon chili powder
  • ½ tablespoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups salsa verde
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) Colby jack cheese, shredded
  • 10 8-inch flour tortillas
  • For the topping: sour cream, chopped cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, cotija or feta cheese crumbles

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Boil the sweet potatoes: Dice the sweet potatoes into roughly 3/4-inch cubes (you can leave the skin on or peel; make sure to cut off any dark or black spots). Place them in a pot and cover with 1 inch of water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, around 7 to 12 minutes. Drain.
  3. Prep the filling: Finely dice the onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, red onion, black beans, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Taste and add a few more pinches of kosher salt if desired. 
  4. Roll the enchiladas: Warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave, or in a pan for a few seconds per side, so that they are flexible. In a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet*, spread 1 cup of the salsa verde. Fill each tortilla with a ½ cup scoop of the filling, add 2 tablespoons of the cheese, and roll it up. Place each enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish (there will be some leftover filling). Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
  5. Top with salsa and cheese: When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining 1 cup salsa verde and the remaining cheese.
  6. Bake: Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and other garnishes as desired. 
  7. Make ahead instructions: See the section above called “Make Ahead Instructions”.

Notes

*Depending on your baking dish, you may need 2 dishes to fit all 10 tortillas. This recipe technically makes enough for 12 tortillas, if you can fit them all in a baking dish or baking sheet. 

  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Mexican Inspired

Keywords: Sweet potato black bean enchiladas, Sweet Potato Enchiladas

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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66 Comments

  1. The sweet potato and black bean combo never gets old to me; I love it! And I can totally relate to not going back and re-making old recipes.We have so many “favorites” that never get made since I am always doing new things. However, it’s always worth to go back – especially when you can snap a nice new photo like this one.

    1. Agreed about sweet potato + black bean — a classic combination! And yes, it’s always fun to revisit old favorites — we don’t to it enough either! :)

    2. I must say I was super skeptical about this recipe. I made the filling and added butternut squash because I didn’t have enough sweet potatoes. I tasted the filling and was still nervous. I never had sweet potatoes with black beans before. I was so close to backing out of the recipe that I even left the filling in the fridge for a day. Today I decided to be brave and OH MYYY I’m so glad that I did. It is delicious once you put everything together!!!! I used whole wheat flour tortillas and put guacamole on the side. I had to stop reading to write this review. I feel so bad for ever doubting it. You guys are absolutely creative geniuses!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  2. This looks delicious! I actually just had enchiladas for dinner, with adzuki beans and mushrooms. But I definitely want to try the black bean and sweet potato combination next time.

  3. My husband actually asked me to make these when he saw them over my shoulder – and he’s not a fan when I try to cook vegetarian. Thanks for tasty looking recipe and great idea!

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