Easy Sweet Potato Cakes with Quinoa and Black Beans

These hearty east sweet potato cakes with quinoa and black beans are an easy option to make for breakfast, snacktime, lunch and everything in between.

Without a recipe “fail” [which, to be honest, I still ate and enjoyed] these sweet potato cakes would have never come into existence. What would we do without trial and error?

We certainly wouldn’t have these hearty little cakes of sweet potato, quinoa, and black beans to enjoy, that’s for sure.

One of the recent posts that I published here felt good. Really, it felt good. I put pieces of our life out into public and I let go of my control over them. I tend to be hesitant about posting our day-to-day stuff because I wonder why anyone should care.

But you guys are awesome. You do care and that makes me want to share.

2015 has been nothing short of incredible for us so far. A new computer and office space has enabled us to work faster, better, and easier than ever. Until recently, we’ve been forcing two 7-year-old MacBooks to bear the load of photo editing, file storage, blogging, graphic design, and more. Huffing and puffing, they gave us all they could but finally, they couldn’t take this blog any further.

Serendipity or investment or good faith – whatever you want to call it – brought a new iMac into our lives and transformed our workflow completely. Finally having the ability to get shit done in a timely and efficient manner? Complete game changer.

Enough tech talk, let’s get to the food.

I knew exactly what I had in mind for these sweet potato cakes when I started out yesterday morning. Plump and sturdy yet moist and flavorful – that’s how they would be, I thought.

So I mixed up the ingredients and seasoned everything to taste. Then I scooped the mixture into muffin pans and left it to bake. After 15 minutes, I started thinking to myself, “Hmmm. I didn’t put anything into these things that would make them remotely solid or cake-like. This can’t end well.”

Sure enough, I opened the oven to check on my creation and I had 12 shapeless blobs of sweet potato-quinoa-black bean…stuff. Back to square one we went.

After plenty of pan-scraping a few key modifications, we had 2 baking sheets of perfectly shaped patties in the oven. Score.

You’re going to love these because:

They’re perfect for breakfast, especially when topped with an over-easy egg and a couple slices of avocado. [This is my preferred manner of eating these bad boys.]

And lunch, with a side salad of mixed greens and a juicy orange.

And snacktime, even straight out of the fridge, these are tasty and filling enough to keep you going throughout the day.

They’re easy to make. They stay good for up to a week in the refrigerator. They work for any meal, any time of the day. They’re loaded with lots of good for you protein, fiber, and vitamins.

In a nutshell, this recipe allows you to learn from my mistakes without having to make the mistakes yourself and you also end up with a batch of delicious sweet potato cakes. I’d say that’s a win-win situation.

Related: Savory Quinoa Cakes

How to Make Easy Sweet Potato Cakes with Quinoa and Black Beans

Jordan Cord

Easy Sweet Potato Cakes with Quinoa and Black Beans

5 from 1 vote

Hearty and filling with spiced, savory flavors, these sweet potato cakes are an easy-to-make option for breakfast, snacktime, lunch and everything in between.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 20

Course: Snack

Calories: 80

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes [3-4 sweet potatoes]
• 1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 - 15 oz. can of black beans
• 2 Tablespoons red onion finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon chili flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Method

 

1. Cook quinoa and boil potatoes at the same time.
2. When quinoa is done and potatoes are tender, drain and mash the potatoes until mostly smooth. Some chunks are ok.
3. Drain the black beans and empty half of the can into a large bowl. Mash the beans using a fork, then add the remaining whole beans.
4. Add in 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, quinoa, red onion, and seasonings and mix to combine.
5. Add eggs, bread crumbs, and brown rice flour and mix well.
6. Preheat the oven to 400º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Scoop out the mixture into 1/4 – 1/3 cup amounts and use your hands to shape it into small "disks" about 3/4" thick.
8. Repeat the process until your baking sheets are full or you run out of the mixture.
9. Bake 25 minutes, flipping the cakes once near the halfway point.