Sweet Potato Cakes
These vegan sweet potato cakes are soft, herby patties made from oven-baked sweet potatoes bound with chickpea flour and pan-fried until golden, then served with a quick smoky yogurt sauce. They work as a warm side dish or a light meal on their own, and the batter comes together in a food processor in minutes. If you’re not usually a sweet potato fan, this is the recipe I’d hand you first to change your mind.
Today I was in the mood for something easy to make, but more in the warm food area, so I decided to try this sweet potato cakes recipe. They turned out absolutely amazing, so I decided to share it with you. They were so great that I couldn’t stop eating them — I ended up eating the whole bunch by myself! One of my friends invited me to a get-together next weekend, and I will surely prepare this recipe for them. I am positive they will all love it.
I don’t know how things go in your area, but in my country sweet potato is not that popular. Since I first tried it, though, it has gradually become a regular ingredient in my kitchen. As you probably know from my previous recipes — for example the sweet potato muffins or the loaded sweet potato skins — I always try to keep things as healthy as possible, and this is the case with these sweet potato cakes as well.
What goes into these sweet potato cakes
The ingredient list looks long because there are two parts — the cakes and the sauce — but most of it is spices and fresh herbs you probably already have. Here’s what each key ingredient is doing:
- Sweet potatoes: the base. Baking them whole keeps them from getting waterlogged, so the batter stays thick and holds its shape.
- Chickpea flour: adds body and a savory, slightly nutty flavor while helping the cakes firm up as they cook.
- Psyllium husks (or one large egg for the non-vegan version): the binder. Psyllium absorbs moisture and gels, which is what stops the cakes from falling apart in the pan.
- All-purpose flour and baking powder: a little structure and lift. Use a gluten-free flour blend if you need the cakes to be GF.
- Parsley, dill and basil, plus smoked paprika, garlic powder and cumin: this is where the flavor lives. The fresh herbs keep the cakes bright and the warm spices balance the natural sweetness of the potato.
- Nutritional yeast, soy sauce or tamari: two easy ways to build savory, umami depth without any animal ingredients.
- Smoky yogurt sauce: vegan yogurt (or regular Greek yogurt) whisked with smoked paprika, onion powder, herbs and a pinch of salt. Cool, tangy, and the perfect contrast to the warm cakes.
How to make them, step by step
What I really like about this recipe is how easy it is to put together. Start the sauce first so it can chill while you work: whisk the vegan yogurt with the smoked paprika, onion powder, chopped herbs and a pinch of salt, then set it in the fridge until serving.
For the cakes, wash and dry the sweet potatoes, wrap them in an oven dish covered with foil, and bake at 200 C until soft, about 40 minutes. Let them cool enough to handle, then peel and drop them into a food processor with the chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, psyllium (or egg), baking powder, herbs, spices, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Blitz until you have a thick batter. If it feels too loose to shape, add a little more flour. Heat a skillet over low-medium heat with coconut oil, scoop about one ice-cream scoop of batter per cake, and use a clean mason jar (or a ring) to press it into a neat round. Cook on both sides until golden brown, then serve with the chilled yogurt sauce.
Tips for cakes that hold together
The two things that make or break these cakes are moisture and heat, so a few small habits go a long way:
- Bake, don’t boil, the sweet potatoes. Boiling adds water the batter doesn’t need, which makes shaping harder and cooking longer.
- Give the psyllium a moment to work. If the batter looks wet right after processing, let it rest a couple of minutes — the psyllium keeps absorbing and firms things up.
- Add flour gradually, not all at once. You want a batter that just holds a shape; too much flour makes the cakes dense.
- Keep the heat at low-medium. High heat scorches the outside before the inside sets. A patient golden-brown crust is what you’re after.
- Don’t flip too early. Wait until the underside is set and releases easily, so the cakes stay in one piece.
What to serve with sweet potato cakes
So what makes these sweet potato cakes so great? They make a lovely side dish, but they’re just as good on their own if you add some vegan yogurt or a spoonful of mashed avocado on the side. I like to round them into a full plate next to a warming bowl of creamy sweet potato and ginger soup, or serve them the way you would other savory patties like these potato cutlets. There is no question, they are truly delicious and I am sure you will enjoy them just as much as I did.
Storage and make-ahead
These keep well, which makes them handy for busy days. Store cooled cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, and keep the yogurt sauce in a separate container so the cakes don’t go soggy. To reheat, warm them in a dry skillet or the oven rather than the microwave — that’s how you bring back the crisp edges. You can also freeze the cooked cakes: layer them with parchment between so they don’t stick, then reheat straight from frozen. If you’re prepping ahead for something like the get-together I mentioned, bake and process the batter in advance and pan-fry the cakes fresh right before serving.
If sweet potato is a new favorite in your kitchen too, you’ll find plenty more to try in my collection of vegan sweet potato recipes.
If you decide to make these, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and leave a comment telling me how your cakes turned out — whether you went with the psyllium or the egg, and which herbs you used in the sauce. Just like I always say, I’m so curious to know if you liked them.
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Sweet Potato Cakes
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 2 sweet potatoes
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 Tbsp psyllium husks or one large egg, for non vegan version
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour – use GF if needed
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 Tbsp dill chopped
- 1 Tbsp basil chopped
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce:
- 1 cup vegan yogurt or regular Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp herbs finely chopped
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- For the sauce:
- Add all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until just combined. Set in the fridge until serve.
- For the cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 200 C.
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes.
- Place the sweet potatoes into an oven-friendly dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake until soft, for about 40 minutes. Let cool.
- Peel the sweet potatoes, place them into a food processor and add all rest of the ingredients.
- If you want a thicker consistency, you can add a little bit more flour.
- Heat a skillet on low-medium heat and add coconut oil.
- Cook the cakes using about 1 ice-cream scoop of the batter and a mason jar for the shape.
- Cook on both sides until golden brown.
- Serve with the yogurt sauce. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the default recipe is fully vegan. The cakes are bound with psyllium husks instead of egg, and the sauce uses vegan yogurt. If you prefer, the card gives non-vegan swaps: one large egg in place of the psyllium and regular Greek yogurt in place of the vegan yogurt.
The binder and the moisture level are what matter most. Bake the sweet potatoes whole instead of boiling them so the batter isn’t watery, let the psyllium rest a couple of minutes to gel, and add flour gradually until the batter just holds a shape. Cook over low-medium heat and don’t flip until the underside is set and releases easily.
Yes. The recipe uses chickpea flour plus a small amount of all-purpose flour, and the card notes you can use a gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. Also make sure your soy sauce is swapped for tamari, which is the naturally gluten-free option already listed.
Baking is best. Wrapping the sweet potatoes in foil and roasting them at 200 C for about 40 minutes keeps them from absorbing extra water. Boiled sweet potatoes hold more moisture, which makes the batter loose and the cakes harder to shape and cook.
They work as a side dish or a light meal. Serve them with the smoky yogurt sauce from the recipe, a spoonful of mashed avocado, or extra vegan yogurt on the side. They also pair well with a warm soup or alongside other savory patties for a fuller plate.
Keep cooled cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, with the yogurt sauce stored separately. Reheat them in a dry skillet or the oven to bring back the crisp edges rather than the microwave. You can also freeze the cooked cakes with parchment between the layers and reheat from frozen.
can I bake these potatocakes in the oven? How long and at what temperature?
Hi, Cathy! Sure. About 20-30 minutes at 200C should be enough. Make sure you brush them with oil on both sides.
One of my favorite patty recipe from your blog (and trust me, I tried almost all of them!!) Thank you for being a constant inspiration! 🙂
You’re very welcome! Glad you liked the recipe!