Vegan Sweet Potato Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce (Nut-Free)
These sweet potato cakes are easy to make and satisfy many different dietary requirements. They are vegan and nut-free. The original recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Yotam Ottolenghi from his book, Plenty.
Vegan sweet potato cakes are more than just finger food
Fritters and patties are a great way to get veggies incorporated into your family’s diet with minimal effort. As a result, we make these sweet potato cakes on rotation for an easy weeknight dinner.
Are sweet potato cakes adaptable?
I’ve mixed in cilantro and plenty of cumin to add flavor. I’ve made this successfully before with spelt flour, whole wheat or all purpose flour.
If you are vegetarian, you can serve it with a poached egg on top or whatever protein you desire.
These sweet potato cakes are vegan and nut-free but also can be made gluten-free using rice flour or all purpose gluten-free flour.
Sweet Potato cakes make a versatile meal
This meal will come together in an hour. The lemon sauce is optional but adds extra flavor, drizzled on top. I’ve served it before with creamy avocado sauce which pairs nicely with sweet potato too.
We love to pack them in our kids lunchboxes or take on a picnic. They can be eaten at room temperature for lunch. They’re are “plenty” of options.
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Vegan Sweet Potato Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce- Nut Free
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
These sweet potato cakes are Vegan. Free from tree nuts, peanut and sesame. Gluten free option below.
Yams are used in this recipe which are often referred to as sweet potato. You want to use the orange sweet flesh kind.
Recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi, Plenty
Ingredients
For cakes:
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2 1/4 pounds peeled yams or sweet potatoes cut into large chunks ( about 3 medium). *See Notes below
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2 teaspoon soy sauce, tamari (gluten free) or coconut aminos
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3/4 cup spelt, whole wheat or AP flour. For gluten free option: use rice flour or GF flour.
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1 teaspoon salt
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2 small garlic, crushed
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3 tablespoon chopped green onion
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1 teaspoon ground cumin
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3 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
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avocado oil, ghee or any high heat oil for frying, about 2-3 tablespoons
For lemon-yogurt sauce:
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3/4 cup greek or full fat yogurt or any plant based yogurt for dairy free option
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1 1/2 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
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1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ lemon
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zest from one lemon, about ½ teaspoon
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3 tablespoon mint, finely chopped
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½ teaspoon salt and pepper or to taste
Instructions
For sweet potatoes:
- Using an insert, steam sweet potatoes in a medium-large pot. Cover with lid until completely soft, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and cool.
- Once sweet potatoes have cooled, set into a mixing bowl and add all ingredients except avocado oil. Mix everything together by hand until mixture is smooth. Do not over mix.
- Mixture should stick together. If it’s too runny, add more flour. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion out single cakes onto a cookie sheet. Flatten down with your hand or the back of a spoon to create a disc. Make sure all discs are similar in thickness.
- Warm a non-stick pan on med-high heat( use cast-iron if it is well seasoned). Add 1-2 tablespoons oil. Using a spatula, transfer discs from cookie sheet to pan. Fry cakes for about six minutes on each side or until you get a nice brown crust, adding more oil if needed. Place cakes on another large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to soak up excess oil.
- Serve hot or warm on a bed of greens or sprouts with yogurt sauce drizzled on top or on side.
To make sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth: set aside.
Notes
Yams are used for this recipe which have a dark orange, sweet flesh. Sweet potatoes and yams are sometimes referred to as the same vegetable.
Instead of fresh lemons, use the skin of 1 preserved lemon, without pulp, finely diced for an extra kick of flavor.
Avocado crema tastes delicious with these sweet potato cakes also.
Keywords: sweet potato cakes, sweet potato fritters, fritters, allergy friendly, vegetarian
Tools to make Vegan Sweet Potato Cakes
