These healthy Peruvian Burritos are filled with roasted sweet potato, fresh corn, peppers, quinoa, whipped black beans, and drizzled with Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce. A delicious vegan meal! Video.
Here’s a healthy vegan dinner idea you will love. These Peruvian Burritos with Aji Verde (Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce) are not only vegan but also super delicious. Filled with healthy veggies (roasted sweet potatoes, corn, peppers, and onions), quinoa, and whipped black beans – they are satisfying, highly nutritious yet full of so much flavor!
You’ve seen the Peruvian Green Sauce before in the oh so popular Grilled Peruvian Chicken, but today I made it vegan, omitting the mayo and/or sour cream. I’m slightly addicted to it these days. It’s such a universal sauce- and pairs well with so many things.
Disclaimer: To be frank, there is nothing authentically Peruvian about these burritos- except the Aji Verde Sauce which I tweaked to make vegan. They are Peruvian-inspired. They came about one day when I was using up the extra Aji Verde Sauce, and that is what I called them in my head.
Peruvian Burrito Components
Yes, there are several components to the burritos (kind of like my Frankies), but if you work on things simultaneously, you can make this in one hour.
I can hear my friends laughing right now because they tell me my recipes often take double the time I say they do… but seriously, I made this and photographed it in one hour flat. It can be done if you multitask, I promise! Read through the recipe first. 😉
- Cooked quinoa (or sub rice)
- Roasted sweet potatoes – feel free to use yams or Japanese Sweet Potatoes
- Sauteed veggies – onion, bell pepper, corn.
- Whipped black beans (use refried black beans or canned black beans)
- Peruvian Green Sauce ( vegan recipe below)
- Warm tortillas (or make a bowl)
How to make Peruvian Burritos
1. Roast the sweet potatoes. Start with preheating the oven to 425F and roasting the sweet potatoes. ( See full recipe below!) Dice the potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces to ensure faster roasting. Toss with oil, salt and pepper. You’ll need 1-2 cups.
2. Make the Quinoa. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, you’ll do several other things at the same time. Including cooking the quinoa. Let’s get that going.
3. Sauté the veggies. Cut and saute the veggies. Here I’ve used onion, garlic, fresh corn, bell pepper, and poblano pepper, but you can easily substitute any one of these with another, like diced zucchini. The poblano gives it a nice kick. Start with the onion and garlic, then add the peppers. Use fresh corn right off the cob, or use frozen. If you are going corn-free, feel free to sub diced zucchini. You’ll need about 1 cup.
4. Make the Peruvian Green Sauce (the star of the recipe). Here I’m keeping the Peruvian Green Sauce vegan with cashews instead of mayo or sour cream ( which you can use, up to you!) This Peruvian Green Sauce takes 5 minutes-and absolutely MAKES the burrito so don’t skip it!
Using cashews and water instead of mayo gives it a delicious, plant-based creaminess. Blend with the cilantro, garlic, lime juice and salt. Set this aside in a bowl and put it in the fridge.
5. Make the whipped black beans, which also take 5 minutes if you use canned refried black beans. Take a can of refried black beans, place in a pot over the stove and add some water to loosen it up a bit, so they are not as thick. Add the seasonings and olive oil. Whisk.
Today I’ve kept these vegan, but if you not concerned about that, add a big dollop of sour cream to make them even richer. Or goat cheese (delish!). My husband LOVES them this way. Olive oil works well too though You could also use canned whole black beans and place them in your food processor and puree them with water and the spices and olive oil, until creamy.
6. Combine. Once the sweet potatoes are crispy and tender, add them to the sauteed veggies.
7. Time to assemble. Then get your Peruvian Burrito “station” ready. As you see below- there is the quinoa, whipped black beans, veggie filling and the Peruvian Green Sauce. I’m warming tortillas right on the gas range, using tongs.
Then just start layering the ingredients. The whipped black beans are like the “glue” holding everything in- so spread it out first, then quinoa, veggies and sauce. Roll it up!
8. Serve. I cut them in half for the photos, which makes them harder to eat, so I don’t really recommend it for real life. You could crisp up the burritos in a pan if you like. Serve with the green sauce.
Storage
Store leftovers assembled or unassembled in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
If you would rather skip the tortilla or wrap, this would also make a delicious bowl.
It’s a pretty flexible recipe. You could even add leftover chicken for heartier appetites.
More Recipes you may like
Please rate the recipe for us in the comment section below! xoxo Sylvia
Watch how to make them
Peruvian Burritos with Aji Verde
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Burrito, vegan, vegan dinner
- Method: Stove top and Oven
- Cuisine: peruvian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Peruvian Burritos with Aji Verde Sauce filled with roasted sweet potato, fresh corn, peppers, quinoa and creamy black beans, then drizzled with spicy Peruvian Green Sauce. A flavor bomb! Vegan and Delicious! (Read the recipe through first before making- yes, there are several components here but this really can be made in one hour. Make several things at the same time- it can be done!)
Ingredients
- 1 small-medium yam or sweet potato, diced (about 1-2 cups)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa (or sub rice)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 ear of corn (1 cup corn kernels, or sub 1 cup frozen corn, or 1 cup diced zucchini)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 poblano chili
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 can refried black beans (or see notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 /4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 -1 jalapeno ( or 1/2 a serrano chili)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups cilantro, small stems ok
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and gather ingredients & cut veggies.
- Roast the sweet potatoes. Dice the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Toss with a little olive oil, and a generous five-finger pinch of salt and pepper. Spread out and bake in the middle of the oven until crispy and tender, 20-25 minutes.
- Cook quinoa: At the same time, bring quinoa, water, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium pot. Once boiling, cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until all the water is gone, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave it covered. Fluff before serving.
- Saute the veggies: Also at the same time, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions 2-3 minutes until they just begin to soften. Add garlic, corn, and peppers and lower the heat to medium, sauteeing until tender-crisp, 8-10 minutes. Season with the salt, cumin, coriander and oregano. Set aside. When the sweet potatoes are tender, add them to these veggies.
- Make Peruvian Green Sauce: While the veggies are sauteeing, blend the cashews and water until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides. Add remaining garlic, chili, salt, cilantro and lime juice. Blend until relatively smooth. Scrape it into a small bowl.
- Whip the black beans: Place 1 can refried black beans into a medium pot, breaking them up with a fork. Add 1/4 cup water (or more) to loosen. Gently warm over medium-low heat, whipping with a fork until they are smooth and creamy. Add a drizzle of olive oil, salt and spices. If you don’t care about it being “vegan” stir in grated melty cheese or a dollop of sour cream for extra richness. Whip with a fork until creamy and flavorful. You want these to be slightly salty. Cover and turn the heat off.
- Assemble. Warm the tortillas until soft and pliable (over a gas flame, toater oven or in the oven on a rack). Spread with whipped black beans “the glue”, a few tablespoons of quinoa, 1/2 cup of veggies, and 2-3 tablespoons of Peruvian Green Sauce. Roll up, tucking the ends in as best you can. Feel free to toast these in an oiled skillet for the best texure!
Notes
BEANS: Feel free to use regular refried beans if you can’t find refired black beans. Or use canned black beans: drain and place in the food processor with 1/4 cup water ( add more to desired consistency) salt, seasonings and olive oil. Puree until creamy! Heat up in a pot.
BOWLS: If making bowls instead of burritos, I would double the beans for 4-6 people. Spoon some warm whipped black beans (or use seasoned whole beans) into the bottom of a bowl. Top with some quinoa, vegges and aji verde Sauce. Garnish with avocado slices, diced tomatoes, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower sprouts.
Yes, there are several components here but this really can be made in one hour. Make several things at the same time- it can be done!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 Burritos with 3 tablespoons of the Aji Verde sauce each
- Calories: 495
- Sugar: 8.3 g
- Sodium: 1243.8 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 82.7 g
- Fiber: 15.9 g
- Protein: 16.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Very good. A lot of dishes to do but everyone loved it!
Sorry about the dishes- thanks for the comment Molly!
Amazing! Have made multiple times. Fresh produce is best.
Thanks and glad you liked it!
One of the ladies at our church made this dish for a church supper. It was so tasty & so filling that I asked her for the recipe!
Nice to hear this Lynn!
WOW. I have never cooked vegan before. I have 3 children under 8 and everybody loved it! The hubby was amazed! So true about the sauce – it makes the entire dish. Adding this to the weekly rotation. Amazing!!!
Awesome to hear Andrea! So happy you first experience was a good one!
This recipe!!!! Oh my, with that sauce😳 (I doubled the sauce it was so good, I wanted leftovers!)
I served it as a bowl with flame roasted corn/flour tortillas I get at Trader Joe’s, on the side. We tore the tortillas up and kind of scooped stuffing on the pieces, and drizzled with the magic sauce!
We all absolutely loved this bright, healthy, very flavorful recipe!!!!!
Yum!!! sounds delicious!
How would you make this yummy green sauce if you have a family member with nut allergies? Might you use canned chickpeas or gigantic beans?
I would use mayo or vegan mayo!
Delicious, I generally make it as a bowl. There are a few elements and I am a slow cook, however, it still takes no longer than an hour. Love it thank you Sylvia
thanks Anne!
We loved this recipe! I thought that it was flavorful and easy to make, even though there are a few different parts to make, which is typical of any burrito/fajita recipe. I like more spice so I am always generous when measuring spices out. This is especially true when assembling something with beans and quinoa/rice. I think it helps to taste as you go and adjust spices as needed. Everyone’s preference is different, so I view recipes as a good starting point and go from there. I was not making this vegan so I used gee instead of olive oil and added some sour cream and cheese to the beans. I also like to add salsa to any burrito I make, so I added my favorite store-bought version when I assembled these burritos. The aji verde sauce is magic sauce that is so good, I could just drink it. It has all my favorites in there. I think if I make it again I might add a bit more lime juice because I just love lime. I also would not be opposed to tossing in a couple tomatillos as well. I will definitely put this recipe in the rotation.
Great to hear Lynn!
Tastes great however the quantity of vegetables called for in the recipe is rather meager. I doubled the vegs and doubled the spices, too, of course. The green sauce was a bit tasteless so I served pickled jalapeños for those who wanted to brighten up the flavor.
I truly wonder if anyone actually made this recipe before posting it.
Hummm, sorry Fran that this didn’t work for you. Did you lower the salt by chance? We have a lot of good reviews here and I make this repeatedly and enjoy it, so not sure what could have happened. Maybe just not for you…
This is delicious and received approval from the whole family, including two young children. I forgot to buy cilantro and subbed in avocado for the sauce, which went down a treat!
Great to hear!
Love this recipe, it is so filling and so delicious. I always make it into a bowl and I make my own refried black beans. I made it with canned once and will never go back, homemade is the best!
Sounds perfect! 🙌 Thanks Corinne!
Wow, so good and flavorful! Love this veg forward dinner. I used leftovers of the cilantro lime rice instead of quinoa which worked great. We put a whole jalapeño in the sauce so it was spicy, which we like!! Will definitely make this again.
Awesome Alyssa!
Amazing!! another one that will be going into my recipe rotation! The sauce absolutely MAKES this and completely changes the flavor profile of the dish in the best way, it really brightens it up. I hate cilantro but gave the sauce a try and it was really good!! I made the sauce with sour cream instead of the cashews though and it was great!
Glad you gave it a go Julie! A lot of people who dislike cilantro, seem to like it in sauces like this. I think blending it removes the “soap” flavor!
Loved these, the prep took the most time but well worth it. I went with half a jalapeño and an extra garlic clove for the Aji sauce. That sauce rocks and would be good on lots of things! I had frozen corn on hand, and canned black beans. The whipped bean preparation was really good, reminded me of my Guatemalan grandma’s black beans. My husband-not normally a black bean fan, really liked them! We made burritos but I used leftovers in a bowl for lunch!
Love it Elsie, thanks so much!
Love all the flavors of each component. Just the right amount of spices and so good together.
Thanks Lynne!
This was so delicious! And the green sauce – I could eat it by the spoonful. Thank you for another great recipe. I’ve made well over 20 from your blog and I’m stunned by how flavorful and healthy they all are. I concur with your friends that the recipes take double and even triple the time listed. However, this one was relatively fast. I made the green sauce earlier in the day and making the quinoa in the rice cooker was a game changer. Turned out perfectly fluffy – much nicer than its ever turned out for me on the stovetop.
Such a great idea Jennifer suing the rice cooker here! Thanks for this and glad you liked it.
OMG yesss that aji verde sauce is incredible! I took a nibble off my jalapeno and determined it not to be very spicy so I threw the entire pepper in the blender – seeds and all. It made for a very spicy sauce but such great flavor! I followed your recipe to make refried beans from scratch in the Instant Pot (definitely saving that recipe for future use). All in all, a very hearty and satisfying meal with a ton of flavor.
Glad you enjoyed this Amanda!
Put an easy-over egg on top of the bowl mixture and top with that luscious sauce, makes a great breakfast!
Yum Jospeh- sounds tasty!
Wow! I NEVER rate/review receipes, but this is amazing! I made bowls and substituted zucchini. The best part was the Vegan Aji Verde Sauce! So easy and so good! I will be making this all the time, as a side for roasted chicken, and anything else I can think of. Using my immersion blender worked like a charm. So happy I ran across this one!
I’m happy you tried this Clare!
OMG!!!! This is so delicious. This is a delicious recipe. I love the restaurant Viva Chicken and your sauce recipe actually tasted better than theirs. I used chick peas instead of black beans and used vegan mayonnaise instead of cashews.
thanks Gerri! Glad you enjoyed it!
This dish is outstanding! There are several steps, but it is all worth it when you dig into the bowl of goodness (we make it as burrito bowls). We make it often and even my meat-loving husband gets excited for this dinner. I could eat it every day. It really is that good.
Thanks Maureen! So glad you both like it! Love the bowl idea!
Yum! I cook for a vegan friend from time to time and was looking for a new recipe. My husband and I feasted on the burritos last night and enjoyed them immensely- so delicious.
I’m going to try the Aji Verde sauce on fish tacos.
Thanks for sharing these recipes.
Thanks and yes, the sauce is tasty on many things!
I really want to go plant based but I am blood type A and can’t do chickpeas or cashews and most recipes have these and almost all sauces. Can you recommend how to get around this and still make great tasting meals & sauces?
HI Lisa- an easy substitute for cashews, when used in a sauce is to use hemp seeds. Can you sub lentils or another bean for the chickpeas?
These look so delicious! Do you think I could make a bunch and freeze?
Thanks Lindsay- that is a great idea! I haven’t tried this, but I don’t see why not?
My husband and I absolutely loved this recipe, it’s was freshly and delish
Glad you enjoyed!