- October 5, 2022
- 30 Minute Meals
Sweet Potato Fritter Recipe
This is a no fuss flavor packed recipe for smokey sweet potato fritters. They’re soft and tender on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. A perfect side dish or appetizer to whip up and pair with any protein!
Sweet potatoes are such a comforting vegetable. I love smoked sweet potatoes, these sweet potato canapes, and even this recipe for air fryer sweet potato cubes. But there is something extra swoon-worthy about a crispy fritter that I cannot deny.
I’ve been making a version of this recipe for months now. Usually, it’s when I need a side dish to toss together to pair with other recipes like my air fried salmon or smoked pork loin roast.
Other times I am whipping up a batch when I see I have sweet potatoes that look like they may be going bad soon (food waste is not an option in this test kitchen).
Overall, it is fair enough to say that this is a pretty versatile back pocket-style recipe; once you try it, it will make its way into your regular rotation of side dishes.
Something I’d like to note up front as well is that unlike many other potato fritter recipes out there, this one contains no all-purpose flour or other gluten-based binding ingredients. This is a fairly healthy recipe with a killer flavor combination. What’s not to love about that?
Below you will find all the expert tips and techniques you need to have a foolproof fritter on your table in no time. Let’s dive in!
Why This Recipe Works:
- Using grated sweet potato allows this dense root vegetable to cook faster and become more tender, reducing the cooking time.
- The cheese helps create a nice crispy outside and also binds it nicely together.
- Pairing smokey flavors like paprika and poblano or jalapeno peppers give this a delicious flavor profile.
- They work so well as a side or appetizer for any meal – breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Supplies Needed:
- Food Processor or Box Grater
- Large Bowl
- Large Skillet
- Cookie Scoop or 1/3 cup Measuring Cup
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Baking Sheet
- Paper Towels
- Parchment Paper or Wire Rack
Ingredients:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
- Large Eggs
- Red Onion
- Garlic (sub with garlic powder if needed)
- Jalapeno Pepper or Poblano Pepper
- Smoky Paprika (or sub with chili powder)
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- Avocado Oil (or sub with extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil)
- Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche (garnish)
- Chives or Fresh Cilantro (garnish)
Preparation:
To make the sweet potato mixture, you need to start by finely grating the sweet potato. Rinse and peel each potato before grating.
I find that using a food processor with a grater blade is much faster than grating by hand (but I often still grate by hand when I want to just get hands-on and cook). Both methods work here.
Line paper towels over a baking tray and let the grated sweet potato sit across in a thin layer to soak up the excess liquid that is released.
The longer the shredded sweet potato sits the wetter they become. Moisture is going to prevent that beautiful golden brown color, so absorbing liquid, in the beginning, goes a long way.
Next, prep your other veggies. I like a combination of minced garlic, red onion, and poblano or jalapeno pepper. I don’t find precooking this ahead of time makes a difference in the outcome, but I do recommend dicing the veggies fairly fine.
To make the fritter mixture, combine the grated sweet potato, veggies, and spices into a large mixing bowl. Grate pepper jack cheese (or other cheese of choice) into the bowl and then fold it all together. Finally, mix in the egg until everything is coated.
Cooking Instructions:
The best outcome for crispy sweet potato fritters is to do a shallow pan fry method (this is different than deep frying). This method uses less than 1 inch of oil in the pan, allowing the bottom of the food to fry, and leaving the top exposed.
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet (or nonstick skillet) over medium-high heat to start and add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point and is neutral in flavor, so it’s recommended to use this.
- Once you have a hot pan, reduce the temperature to medium heat. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup or a large cookie scoop scoop the fritter batter out and pack it into your hand to form a ball or patty. Squeeze as much liquid out of the mixture before flattening it slightly to about 1 inch thick or so.
- Carefully place the fritter into the oil. I do about 4-5 at a time. Use a spatula and press down over the top to get a nice sear on the bottom.
- After 2-3 minutes, carefully flip each fritter over and shallow fry the other side. Continue cooking for a few more minutes or until both sides are brown.
- Place on a wire rack-rimmed baking sheet to allow the fritters to cool and continue cooking in batches until all of the mixture is used.
- Season the tops of the sweet potato fritters with a pinch of salt. Garnish with some sour cream or creme fraiche and green herbs like spring onion, cilantro, or fresh chives.
Expert Tips:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- I do not recommend cooking these in an air fryer, but they reheat well using this method.
- Keep the fritters on the smaller side to reduce sogginess and to help them stay together better when flipping.
- Use paper towels to wipe out the oil in between batches if it starts to burn and brown too much.
- The best way to serve these delicious fritters is hot out of the pan, but they taste great at room temperature too.
- Feel free to mix in different spices and other diced veggies to change up the flavor combination as well.
- Check out some other potato favorite side dishes like these spicy and smoky cumin roasted sweet potatoes and my popular recipe for crispy garlic herb roasted potatoes too.
Sweet Potato Fritter Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large Sweet Potatoes 5 cups grated
- 1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese freshly grated works best
- 1 Egg beaten
- 1/2 Red Onion diced fine
- 1 Poblano Pepper diced fine
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp. Smoky Paprika
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche garnish
- Chives or Fresh Cilantro garnish
- Avocado Oil for shallow frying
Instructions
- Rinse and peel the sweet potatoes. Using a food processor or block grater, finely grate and shred the potatoes into a large bowl.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels and spread the shredded sweet potatoes out across it to absorb excess liquid.
- Dice the onion, pepper, and mince the garlic. Grate the pepper jack cheese.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated sweet potato, the veggies, cheese, spices, and egg. Fold to combine.
- In a large skillet, heat avocado oil to medium-high heat so it covers the base of the pan entirely (about 1/4 cup). Once preheated, reduce the heat to medium before shallow pan frying.
- Use a 1/3 cup (do not make them larger) or large cookie scoop, to scoop out the fritter mixture. Place it into the palm of your hand, squeezing out the extra liquid and packing into a 1 inch thick patty.
- Carefully place into the hot oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. Cook 4-5 fritters at a time and do not over crowd the pan.
- Once golden brown on each side, transfer the sweet potato fritters to a wire rack lined baking sheet and let them cool (elevating prevents sogginess). Repeat cooking and resting until the entire mixture has been used. This yields about 12 fitters.
- Sprinkle each fritter with a pinch of salt and transfer to a dish for serving. Serve with a side of sour cream or crème fraiche and garnish with fresh herbs like chives or cilantro.