Purple Sweet Potato Tempeh Burgers
Savory and sweet, these purple sweet potato tempeh burgers are a great addition to any grill out or weekly menu plan. The protein-packed tempeh gives them a great “meaty”-like texture. These burgers are colorful and so delicious– and also packed with amazing nutrients!
Here I served the burger on a big bed of greens with some tomatoes, avocados, cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, baba ganoush, and roasted sweet potatoes.
It also tastes delicious served in a whole grain or sprouted bun/ pita bread with avocado, fresh parsley, veggies, and baba ganoush. So tasty!
Try them with my homemade, healthy ketchup recipe.
Purple Sweet Potatoes: my absolute favorite kind of potatoes! Not only are they a beautiful color, but they have a thick, creamy texture, and sweet taste. They are packed with an antioxidant called anthocyanins, which give it that deep dark purple hue. Anthocyanins, in general, have been found to be beneficial for brain health, eye health, and heart health. Purple sweet potatoes may help to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. They are also a staples in the Okinawa Diet, a Blue Zone community in Okinawa, Japan.
Tempeh: is an excellent plant-based protein option! Tempeh is a fermented soy-based protect. It’s base is usually just whole soybeans, many store-bought versions also have some whole grains added (one of my favorite tempeh– when I can find it— is just pure soybeans as the base). Soy has a number of health benefits, including that is a great source of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, protein, and zinc. For those of you concerned about the safety of soy, be sure to check out some of these videos on NutritionFacts.org. I would write about them– but Dr. Greger has already summed up the research so well! “Who shouldn’t eat soy?“, “Is Soy Healthy for Breast Cancer Survivors?” and “BRCA Breast Cancer Genes & Soy” While soy foods (such as tempeh, tofu, soymilk, and edamame) are great, it’s still recommended to stick to only 3-5 servings per day. Mix up your plant-proteins by incorporating other sources of legumes, such as chickpeas, lentils, black beans and kidney beans.
- 1 cup mashed purple sweet potato
- 1 (8 oz) package of tempeh
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons water, as needed*
- If the sweet potato isn't already cooked, wash the sweet potato well. Cook the potato whole at 400-425F until it's soft. Remove the skin, mash the flesh, and then measure out 1 cup.*
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the tempeh to a food processor and pulse slightly to break the tempeh up into pieces, avoid blending too much. Add the flaxseed, nutritional yeast, sage, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, and pulse lightly to help blend the mixture. Add the sweet potato, miso, and 2 tablespoons of water. Pulse together until well combined. If the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of water.*
- Form the mixture into 4 patties (do 2 patties for larger burgers)* and place onto a cookie sheet. The patties should stick together well. If the mixture feels dry, add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture is less crumbly.
- Bake the patties for 30 minutes, flipping half way through. Remove the patties from the oven. Let them cool.
- Serve with green leafy veggies, vegetables, fresh parsley, and avocado – or other fixings you enjoy. Also, tastes great in a whole wheat or sprouted bun or pita bread.
- My original recipe called for ½ Tablespoon ground sage, 1 teaspoon dried thyme*,
- ½ Tablespoon minced garlic, however after playing around with this recipe-- I adjusted these. I found that the thyme taste best day 2 after making the burgers – especially when it's served with avocado or baba ganoush.
- Quick method would be to microwave the sweet potato or to use an instant pot to prepare it.
- Depending on how dry your potatoes are, you may need to add more water. Start with 1-2 Tablespoons and add a bit more if needed.
- Alternative step to using a food processor: In a large mixing bowl, break the tempeh into small pieces using a fork. In a small bowl stir together the flaxseed, sage, thyme, garlic, black pepper, and water. Add the flax mixture and mashed sweet potato to the bowl with the tempeh. Stir and mash the ingredients together until well combined.
- You could also make these into little falafel balls or meat balls. Just roll the dough into little balls rather than making patties.
If you like this burger or are not a fan of purple sweet potatoes, definitely try my sweet potato tempeh burger I made for Blue Cure. This one is made with orange sweet potatoes and Mexican spices.
