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Transform boring sweet potatoes into an exciting side dish: Indian spiced sweet potato patties! Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and aromatic with warm spices, these patties are a great appetizer or vegetarian side.
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What makes this dish special
A few months ago I cleaned up the blog, getting rid of any old recipes that I didn't think were worthy. After receiving several emails about missing recipes, I realized that people are actually using my recipes! Hooray! One dish that was receiving some attention was this Indian spiced sweet potato patties. I had no idea that people were actually making these, let alone enjoying them. What a relief to know that the food I am sharing is good. Well, today I'm reintroducing the patties to the blog with an updated recipe. Please enjoy!
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes: The starchy root vegetable tastes naturally sweet, which compliments the other spices. I used orange sweet potatoes but you can also use butternut squash, honeynut squash, or kabocha squash.
- Jalapeno: A medium-sized chili pepper, providing a moderate level of heat. You can also use serrano peppers or green bell peppers for a milder option.
- Cilantro: Also known as coriander leaves, cilantro is a green herb with a citrusy, fresh flavor. If you're not a fan of cilantro, you can omit it or use chopped scallions or parsley instead.
- Spices: To season the sweet potatoes, we're using warm spices including cumin, coriander, curry, smoked paprika, and cinnamon. You can substitute the smoked paprika for regular paprika if you prefer.
- Panko: A type of breadcrumb that is lighter and flakier than traditional breadcrumbs. You can use regular breadcrumbs as well.
- Egg: Helps bind together the patties and keep their shape.
- Flour: The recipe calls for all-purpose flour but you can use gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version.
How to make Indian spiced sweet potato patties
Step 1: Prepare sweet potatoes
Whenever I try to feed vegetables to people who don't like vegetables, I turn to fritters and patties. These Indian sweet potato patties are the perfect example. Even if you don't particularly like sweet potatoes, the spices in these patties help cover the vegetable flavor.
Start by boiling the sweet potato until fork-tender. The tubers should be soft enough for you to easily mash.
Let them cool slightly before adding the egg, spices, panko, and all-purpose flour. You can use breadcrumbs instead of panko but I love the crunchy texture of panko.
Step 2: Pan fry patties
Heat some oil in a frying pan and saute the patties until golden brown on both sides. Can you make these in the oven? Sure, but in my experience, they get crispier on the stovetop than in the oven. You can also shape these into smaller pieces to make Indian spiced sweet potato tater tots or fritters (yum!).
I had my Indian spiced sweet potato patties with a side of curry ketchup, which I must say, is the perfect condiment for this dish. If you want to get really fancy, top the patties with sauteed spinach and a fried egg for a complete meal!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cook the patties beforehand and reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees on a lined baking sheet until warm.
Classic ketchup is always a great choice, but cilantro lime aioli, curry ketchup, or a habanero mango salsa also work well.
You can serve the patties on a bed of sauteed spinach and top the patties with a fried egg, crispy chickpeas, or pan-seared halloumi to turn it into a satisfying entree.
More sweet potato ideas
Looking for more sweet potato recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Patties
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into medium-size chunks. Place in a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until a fork can easily pierce through potatoes, about 15 minutes.
- Drain sweet potatoes and mash until smooth. Let cool slightly. Add jalapeno, cilantro, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, egg, panko, and all-purpose flour. Mix until well combined.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Scoop ¼ cup of sweet potato mixture into pan, flattening it to make a patty. Repeat with remaining sweet potato. Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip patties, adding more oil if the pan becomes dry. Cook until golden brown and remove patties from heat.
- Repeat with remaining sweet potato mix. Serve warm.
Sarah
These look amazing. We got a frozen Indian dish called Bombay Chaat with white pea curry. The little patties in there are amazing. I had to find something that would be similar and I came across this recipe.
Cherry on My Sundae
The Bombay Chaat sounds so delicious! Going to look into that dish. Thank you for visiting!
Jordan
Loving this recipe! Do you know if there is any substitute that I could replace the egg with? Thank you!
Cherry on My Sundae
Hi there! You can use a flax egg instead!
Melissa
Can you share your curry ketchup recipe you mentioned in the article? Thanks.
Cherry on My Sundae
I mix together 1/2 cup ketchup with 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 teaspoon chili powder until well combined. It's best to let it sit overnight so that the flavors combine.