Sweet Potato Burritos

Sweet potato burritos are filled with shredded sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese. They’re seasoned with oregano, cumin & chili powder and baked to bubbly cheese perfection. These addictive sweet potato burritos will soon become a new favorite!

With such a simple list of ingredients, it’s surprising how addictive these sweet potato burritos are. The sweet potatoes, spiced with cumin, oregano and chili powder, combine with the deep flavor of caramelized onions and the creamy cheddar cheese to achieve that crave-worthy sweet and savory flavor profile. I find the pronounced flavor of sweet potatoes can hold up to a lot of spice, and here, these Mexican flavors really shine. Sweet potato burritos are a perfect make-ahead fall dinner. Plus, it’s a dinner that can easily be doubled, or tripled (hey, I’m trying to up my planning and dinner game!), and it freezes beautifully. Lastly, this makes a wonderful meal to take to a friend, as it’s a welcome vegetarian alternative to pasta.

We first found this recipe while on vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, tucked inside this cookbook. We made them one evening after skiing in the tiny condo kitchen, and they’ve become a favorite ever since. I serve them alongside black beans, guacamole and homemade tomato salsa.

The difference between white sweet potatoes, orange sweet potatoes and yams

This recipe calls for white sweet potatoes, but the orange ones (aka American “yams”) are equally delicious. So, if your grocery store only carries the orange varieties (as mine did on the day I shopped for the batch photographed here), it’s not a problem! I find the white sweet potatoes most often around the holidays since the stores tend to stock up on extra produce varieties at that time. But, I’ve found them at non-holiday times as well.  Try the recipe with both kinds and see which variety of sweet potatoes you prefer. The white sweet potatoes, although still full of fiber and vitamins, have less beta-carotene than the orange variety, and also taste a little less sweet/more savory than the orange sweet potatoes. I’m curious to know which sweet potatoes you’ve tried, and which are your go-to?

How To make sweet potato burritos

Make sweet potato filling

1. Grate 4 sweet potatoes on a box grater. Or, a food processor is a handy tool here, especially if you’re going to double the recipe. 
2. Chop one onion (1 ½ cups) finely and sauté the onion in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the onion over medium-low heat until they’re softened and starting to give off some color, 5-7 minutes. Don’t let them burn!  
3. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic to the onions and continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant, up to one minute.
4. Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or two until the spices are well blended and very fragrant.
5. Add 4 cups of grated sweet potatoes and stir well to combine. Continue cooking everything over medium heat, covered, until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and tender, 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Assemble burritos

1. On each tortilla, sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese down the center diameter of the tortilla, and top the cheese with a heaping ¼ cup of sweet potato filling. Roll up and place in greased 9X13 inch baking pan.
2. Continue rolling and filling burritos until you have at least 8 burritos. I find that I often have extra filling, so I usually cram a few more burritos in the pan or you can place a couple in a smaller baking pan separately.
3. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of burritos.

Bake sweet potato burritos

1. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and burritos are hot throughout. Garnish with chopped green onions, and serve with black beans, spicy salsa and guacamole. 

Need a delicious recipe for homemade salsa?

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Burritos

Sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, cheddar + oregano, cumin & chili powder. These addictive sweet potato burritos will become a favorite!Serve with black beans, spicy salsa & guacamole.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: burritos, sweet potato

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 cups white sweet potatoes, peeled & grated about 3 potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 8-10 flour tortillas

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. Saute onions on medium-low heat until onions are very soft and starting to take on some color, 5-7 minutes, being careful not to burn.
• Add garlic and continue to cook for up to a minute.
• Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt & pepper and saute for another minute or two, until the spices are well blended and fragrant.
• Add the grated sweet potatoes and stir well to combine with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking everything over medium heat, covered, until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and tender, 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
• On each tortilla, sprinkle 2 T of cheese down the center diameter of the tortilla, and top the cheese with a heaping 1/4 cup of sweet potato filling. Roll up and place in greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
• Continue rolling and filling burritos until you have at least 8 burritos, using as many tortillas as your filling requires. I sometimes cram a few more burritos in the pan or you can place any extra burritos into a smaller baking pan.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of burritos.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and burritos are hot throughout. Garnish with chopped green onions, and serve with black beans, spicy salsa and guacamole.

Notes

1. Orange sweet potatoes work well in this recipe too!
2. To freeze, cover tightly with foil, and preferably, a casserole lid as well.  Thaw in the fridge overnight, before baking at 375 for 30-45 minutes.