Baked Sweet Potato Fritters

Why You’ll Love These Baked Fritters

They are healthier than typical fritters. Because they are baked and not fried, they’re much lower in cholesterol, trans fat and saturated fat.

And since they aren’t fried, they are easier to make and less messy. Whether it’s a vat of vegetable oil to deep fry or a shallow amount to pan fry, baking just involves a pan greased with non-stick cooking spray. Also, baking is more consistent and it requires less effort.

The fritters have only 10 ingredients (not including the yogurt and fresh herbs for serving). The grated sweet potato is seasoned with spices that you might already have in your pantry.

They are more than an appetizer. You can also serve these fritters as a side dish or include them in a salad to turn them into a main dish.

What are Fritters?

Sweet or savory, fritters are a mix of ingredients, usually 1 or 2 main ones with batter that are formed into patties and deep fried. They can be apple fritters dusted in powdered sugar that you see at donut shops. There are banana fritters too for something sweet. On the savory side potato latkes and even crab cakes can be considered types of fritters.

Do You Have to Fry Fritters?

I know there will be fritter purists out there who won’t call something a fritter unless it’s fried in oil. But always a fan of a sheet pan in the oven, I make this much healthier version that’s baked. While they won’t completely brown like they would if they were fried, the sides of these sweet potato fritters that do make contact with the pan will crisp up.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Sweet potatoes vary a lot in size. The recipe calls for 1 pound. That can be one large sweet potato, two medium or three small potatoes. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use a scale in the produce department at the grocery. Or if you’re at a farmers market, just ask when they weigh everything before you make your purchase.
• Flour is a main component of the batter along with an egg. It absorbs some of the moisture from the potatoes and helps the fritters become crisp at the edges.
• Egg is the liquid that binds the shredded sweet potatoes together. I lightly whisk it before I stir it in.
• Spices: Even sweet potatoes are a blank canvas. I like my fritters to be a smidge spicy, so I use a combination of cumin and chili powder along with garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and black pepper.
• Scallions: To go with the spices, I also include thinly sliced scallions for light onion taste.
• Greek yogurt: These fritters are great dipped into tangy Greek yogurt when you serve them. You can substitute with sour cream.
• Parsley: I sprinkle the cooked fritters with chopped herbs like parsley, chives or fresh cilantro. 

How To Shred Sweet Potatoes

When I used to make these fritters, I would pull out my spiralizer to cut the potatoes. As beautiful as they looked that way, I now use my box grater, so there is less to clean up. All you have to do is to peel the sweet potatoes and run them over the largest holes of the grater. Then take a towel to gently squeeze them to remove some of the moisture. They won’t have as much liquid as zucchini, so don’t expect there to be too much to pat off.

And yes, you can shred the potatoes in a food processor using the grating disc.

How To Make Baked Sweet Potato Fritters

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

1. Shred the sweet potatoes using a box grater. Towel off the excess moisture.

2. Combine the potatoes, scallions, spices and flour in a large mixing bowl. 

3. Carefully stir the ingredients together.

4. Stir in the egg. Make sure that it is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

5. Scoop the fitters and shape them into patties. You don’t need to press them too hard. Just make sure that you use enough pressure so they stay together. It’s ok if the edges are uneven. 

6. Arrange the fritters on the sheet pan and bake them for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown. Flip them over a little over halfway through baking. Sprinkle the fritters with chopped parsley and serve them with yogurt.

Leftovers

You can keep the fritters in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Or freeze them for 1 month. Eat them cold or warm them in a 350-degree F oven. They will likely lose some of their crisp outsides when you reheat leftovers. Always let the fritters them cool to room temperature before storing them. 

More Sweet Potato Recipes

Chickpea Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas
Autumn Chopped Salad
Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Did you make these healthier fritters? Please leave a rating and comment below. Thanks!