Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes
These sweet potato cakes are soft on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside. Serve them with a tangy lemon yogurt sauce as a delicious vegetarian appetizer or part of the main meal. They're easy to make, and they're ready in an hour!
Turn these sweet potato patties into a complete meal with a hearty salad like our arugula and wild rice salad, crispy kale salad with beets, or roasted broccoli salad with lemons and almonds.
Here's a recipe for a savory-sweet side dish or appetizer that everyone, not just vegetarians, will love! These sweet potato patties are sweet, crunchy, and full of flavor.
We make them with roasted sweet potatoes, almond flour, chives, and panko. Panko is our go-to breading ingredient for a perfectly crunchy exterior every time.
We pan fry them until golden using real butter, because butter makes everything better. We can't exactly call these healthy, but with only real ingredients, it's a great way to eat more vegetables. And they taste way better than any store-bought alternative.
They’re also packable, kid-friendly, and great for snacking, sandwiches, breakfast, or in bowls.
Ingredients for making sweet potato patties
Here's what you'll need to make sweet potato patties:
- Sweet potatoes – the sweet taste of yams make up the base of these patties. Just make sure not to overcook them or they will be too mushy to form into patties.
- Olive oil – lightly coating the sweet potatoes before baking them helps to lock in moisture.
- Almond flour – almond flour is nutritious and completely gluten-free!
- Chives – for a mild onion flavor.
- Sea salt + black pepper – for seasoning.
- Garlic – adds its distinct pungent flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- Panko – we love panko in place of traditional breadcrumbs because it never fails at giving everything it touches a perfectly crunchy texture.
- Butter – using butter for frying adds lots of flavor.
Here's what you'll need for the lemon sauce:
- Yogurt – a thick, plain Greek yogurt makes the base of this creamy sauce.
- Lemon – both lemon juice and zest add lots of bright citrusy flavor.
- Cilantro – for a pop of green and fresh flavor.
- Sea salt + black pepper – for seasoning.
How to make sweet potato cakes
These sweet potato patties are quick and easy to make. Let's break down how to make them:
- Start by roasting the sweet potatoes. Cut them in half, rub them with oil, then pop them into your oven for about 45 minutes.
- The lemony sauce is made simply by whisking the ingredients together. Easy!
- Once the sweet potatoes are soft and you've let them cool down a bit, scoop them out of their skins then mash them with almond flour, chives, salt, pepper, and garlic.
- The only slightly tricky part of this recipe is breading the patties in panko as they'll be quite soft. Use a gentle hand!
- Now it's time to fry! Make the patties crispy and tasty by pan-frying them in butter. When you're done, serve them with the lemony sauce on the side.
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
FAQS
Although these patties are best enjoyed right away, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
Regular potatoes will have a slightly different texture, and while we haven't tried it, we think it would be delicious, too!
Panko breadcrumbs are a fixture of Japanese cuisine. They can be found at most well-stocked grocery stores in the Asian section. If you happen to have a Japanese market nearby, you're likely to find them there as well.
There are no eggs in this recipe so the only ingredients you need to swap are the butter and yogurt. Use a neutral cooking oil or a non-dairy butter alternative for frying and a thick dairy-free plain yogurt for the lemon sauce.
Reheat these patties on the stovetop over medium heat, or in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven. If frozen, thaw them before reheating.
What to serve with sweet potato patties
Enjoy these savory-sweet patties warm or cold, with the tangy lemon sauce in this recipe, or topped with greek yogurt, sour cream, creamy avocado sauce, or hummus.
They're also the perfect side dish to almost any main like our salmon with lemon dill sauce, herbs de provence chicken, or strawberry avocado grilled balsamic chicken salad.
If you love fritter-type recipes, try these!
Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons minced chives, can sub green onions
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ cup panko, more as needed
- 4 tablespoons butter, for frying
Lemon Sauce
- ½ cup thick, plain yogurt
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
- 1 pinch EACH: sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Turn your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and rub the oil all over them. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven – don't wait for it to preheat. Bake the potatoes for 35-45 minutes, or until they are soft.1 ½ lb sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon olive oil
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.½ lemon, 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, 1 pinch EACH: sea salt and pepper, ½ cup thick, plain yogurt
- Once sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins then place the flesh in a large bowl. Add the almond flour, chives, salt, pepper, and garlic and mix until combined.1 cup almond flour, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons minced chives
- Place the panko in a shallow bowl. Working in batches using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop the sweet potatoes and drop them into the panko. Carefully coat them in the panko – they will be very soft.½ cup panko
- Melt the butter in a medium frying pan. Working in batches, cook the cakes on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the crusts are brown and crispy. Add more butter between batches, as needed. Place the cooked cakes on paper towels while you cook the rest. Serve them with the sauce on the side.4 tablespoons butter
Hi Kristen,
Your delicious recipe has been nominated as one of the “Top 100 Best Potato Fritters Recipes on the Internet”. You can view it and vote for it here: http://potato-recipes.org/best-potato-recipes/best-potato-fritters-recipes-internet/ (position #28).
Thank you so much for including these in your roundup!
I love how crispy these look. I bet they would be great as an appetizer too.
These look delicious!
Wow! Sweet potatoes are my weakness. And these look SO yummy!
Thanks, Michelle!
On Fridays, I share my favorite food finds in a series called Food Fetish Friday – and I love this post so I’m featuring it as part of the roundup (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and it’s always fun to be following along with your creations…
No objections at all! In fact, thank you very much for sharing it!
Yogurt is NOT vegan. It is made with milk. Still looks tasty and easily substitutable for Soy or Coconut yogurt. I’ll have to try this, as I adore sweet potatoes
You’re right, yogurt is definitely not vegan. The fritters, however, are vegan. They can be eaten with many different dipping sauces depending on your taste and preferences. I think that ketchup, aioli (egg free for vegan) or even just a squeeze of lime juice would be nice with them!