Healthy Vegan Black Bean Breakfast Burrito
This vegan breakfast burrito recipe is the perfect way to start your day! Think black beans, sweet potatoes, spinach and more, for plenty of fibre and protein to set you up for success. A terrific plant-based breakfast, these breakfast burritos are made without tofu, and take just 30 minutes to make. Recipe yields 6 breakfast burritos, and they freeze wonderfully!
This girl loves her breakfast burritos…and this vegan black bean breakfast burrito has my whole family singing its praises! Rich and hearty black beans and creamy sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven. It comes together in one pan, in about 30 minutes and makes a big batch so it’s perfect for meal prep.
I love dreaming up new plant-based breakfast ideas like my easy blackberry vegan overnight oats or my protein-packed chickpea scramble. A good breakfast gives you something to look forward to when the alarm goes off at some ungodly hour! Plus, as a dietitian, I know that a good breakfast really sets you up for success, starting your day with the nourishment you need to keep you energized all morning. Once you’ve tried this recipe, if you want to indulge your love of a good breakfast even further, check out Good For Your Gut Cookbook for delicious treats like Raspberry Chocolate Muffins and Savoury Miso Porridge.
Why I created this vegan black bean breakfast burrito
In my opinion, the breakfast burrito is one of the greatest real world culinary inventions of my lifetime. For starters, I love a savoury breakfast. And this plant-based breakfast burrito is a hearty, savoury breakfast that you can hold in one hand and take on a morning walk! I mean, what’s not to like?
As a self-professed breakfast burrito connoisseur, I have a few gripes about the kind you get in the coffee shop. For starters, tortillas packed with weird dough conditioners. The other issue? Why do restaurants layer SO much rice or potato into their burritos?! I’m no marathoner…I don’t need all that starch to sit at my desk all day. But what I do need is protein + fibre to keep me full, which is usually in short supply in a takeout vegan breakfast burrito. Because there’s no room for it because of all that RICE.
Ha ha, obviously I have issues to work out….but they led me to dream up my ultimate vegan breakfast burrito: saucy, hearty and absolutely packed to the gills with high fiber foods like veggies! Depending on the wrap you use, and how much you stuff them, each burrito will have in the ball park of 10-15 grams of protein plus about as many grams of fibre.
Health Benefits of Black Beans
We all know our way around a chickpea, it’s time to get on the black bean train! Black beans are an incredibly nutrient-dense food…you might be surprised just how much goodness is packed into these little beans!
- Black beans are one of those powerhouse sources of plant-based protein: just a half cup of cooked black beans contains 8 grams protein
- PLUS, that same half cup has 6 grams of fibre to help regulate digestion and feed your gut microbiome!
- Think you can’t get enough minerals from plants? Try 320mg of heart-healthy potassium alongside 2 mg of vegan iron and 1 mg of plant-based zinc, plus smaller amounts of bone-building calcium , and copper, which is critical for building the antioxidant SOD in your body – plus helping protect the collagen in your skin.
- BONUS: the dark colour of black beans comes from antioxidant + anti-inflammatory anthocyanin pigments.
What you’ll need for these Black Bean Vegan Breakfast Burritos:
The ingredients list might look lengthy…but it’s mostly pantry seasonings! So let’s get your shopping list together, and in no time, you’ll have enough breakfast burritos to feed six hungry bellies…or you, for a whole week!
- 100% Whole Grain or Gluten free tortillas. In the whole grain camp, I love Silver Hills Bakery Sprouted Grain, or La Tortilla Factory or Bakestone Whole Grain. Both La Tortilla Factory and Bakestone also make gluten free options – and Siete are fantastic (and grain free!)
- Veggies: yellow onion, garlic, sweet potato, red bell pepper and baby spinach
- Seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano + salsa
- Optional toppings: hot sauce, vegan cheese, avocado
FAQ: How do you keep breakfast burritos from getting soggy?
Given that the whole point of breakfast burritos is being convenient and portable, a soggy, broken burrito is NOT what you want! Here are a couple of tips to keep breakfast burritos from getting soggy.
- Ensure you cook the filling until most of the moisture is evaporated, as a wet filling will soak through the tortilla and also make it less freezer-friendly.
- Watch out for too many sauces. Adding a runny salsa plus yogurt or sour cream means adding a ton of moisture. I cook down the salsa with the filling, and stick to hot sauce for maximum flavour with a minimum of liquid at the end.
- Want an even crisper burrito? You can grill the finished burrito to brown and crisp the tortilla. Once wrapped, ensuring the ends are tucked in tightly, just place it in a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place a smaller skillet on top to weigh it down. Watch carefully, cooking for 3-4 minutes a side until it’s browned. Wait a minute before eating, it will be HOT!!
FAQ: How to make amazing make-ahead freezable vegan breakfast burritos
I got the idea for freezer burritos from my friend Lindsay Pleskot, who makes them for her new mom friends…which is genius. This recipe will make 6-8 burritos depending on how big you want them, so why not whip up a batch and pop them in the freezer?
- Fold and wrap burritos as usually, wrapping them tightly in aluminum foil.
- Pop burritos into a freezer-safe bag…and voila! You’ve got burritos ready to go.
- To reheat, bake from frozen for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Pop them in the oven when you wake up, and they’ll be ready by the time you are!
Once you’ve got this method mastered, you could really have fun experimenting with different breakfast burrito varieties. Black beans are a great protein-rich option if you’re looking for a breakfast burrito without tofu because of allergies, but if not, you could try filling them with a tofu scramble as a change of pace too!
More protein-rich plant-based breakfast ideas right here:
- Easy Protein-Packed Chickpea Scramble
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwich with Chickpea Flour Eggs
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (Vegan)
- Spinach + Feta Tofu Scramble (Vegan)
- 29 High-Protein Vegan Breakfast Recipes
Healthy Vegan Black Bean Breakfast Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- 2 14 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup your favourite salsa
- 1 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika, sweet or smoky
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 handfuls baby spinach
- 6 large gluten free or whole grain tortillas
Optional for serving
- diced avocado
- vegan cheese
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes + onions, toss to coat with oil and add 1/4 cup water and cover immediately with lid. If you don't have a lid big enough, use a cookie sheet like I do.
- Cook until sweet potatoes beginning to soften, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add black beans, bell pepper, salsa, garlic, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika, and salt plus 1 cup water. Simmer on medium until mostly absorbed but still a bit saucy, about 7-10 minutes. If sweet potatoes aren’t cooked and mixture is drying out, just add ¼ cup more water as needed.
- Finally, stir in spinach just until wilted. Taste and adjust any seasonings as you wish.
- Divide mixture among tortillas (about 1 cup filling each), add desired toppings and wrap.
- Filling mixture will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. If wanting to freeze, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. To reheat from frozen, bake 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
