Sweet Potato Patties with Chickpeas and Creamy Avocado Sauce

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Last Updated on October 7, 2020 by Chenée Lewis

Happy #meatlessmonday! It’s a rainy fall day here in Chicago, so it’s the perfect time to make a hearty, filling sweet potato recipe. Even better that it’s vegan, gluten-free, and super healthy! These sweet potato patties are made with baked sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and jalapeños, and they’re so full of amazing flavors! They’re a great way to brighten up a rainy day, and they’re a fantastic dinner option for the whole family!

This sweet potato patties recipe comes from my dad, who is eating a largely plant-based diet and is a great resource for me for delicious plant-based, healthy meals! He’s always cooking amazing veggies and healthy whole grains, so when one day I called him while he was making dinner, he just happened to be improvising this amazing sweet potato patties recipe! Served with a creamy, tangy avocado sauce, it’s a full meal with your favorite side dishes! I enjoyed it with sautéed kale tomatoes and some fluffy quinoa and it was perfect!

Nutrition

These delicious, satisfying sweet potato patties are fully vegan and gluten-free with no added sugar. They’re also full of amazing nutrients!

Sweet potato

The sweet potato in these vegan sweet potato cakes provides an amazing source of vitamins and minerals like B-vitamins, vitamin C, iron, calcium and selenium. They’re also full of beta carotene, an antioxidant that can lower the risk of cancer or heart disease. Plus the fiber in sweet potatoes makes them great for digestion and regulating blood sugar with type 2 diabetes.

Chickpeas

The protein and fiber in chickpeas can help fill you up, regulate appetite, manage blood sugar, and aid in digestion. Chickpeas are also a great source of magnesium and potassium, which boosts heart health. They may also help you prevent and manage type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Extra-Virgin Olive oil

The fatty acids in extra-virgin olive oil like oleic acid can reduce inflammation and may reduce cancer risk. Plus, the antioxidants in olive oil can reduce your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.

Avocado

Avocados have more potassium than bananas! And a higher potassium intake supports healthy blood pressure levels, which is great for heart health. Like extra-virgin olive oil, they also contain oleic acids, which can reduce inflammation and cancer risk. As part of a vegetarian diet, they’ve also been shown to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Also, they’re full of antioxidants that can protect your eye health!

Ingredients

Now that you know how great these sweet potato patties are for you, here’s what you’ll need to make them!

• sweet potatoes – our star ingredient! We’ll roast them first, and then blend them for the perfect texture. You can use fresh sweet potatoes, or 12 ounces of frozen sweet potatoes works well too.
• canned chickpeas – they’ll need to be drained and rinsed, but otherwise no need to prep them. Easy peasy!
• red onions – You can sub in white onion or even scallions if you like! The idea is to bring in some bold flavors to complement the sweet potato and chickpeas.
• cilantro – I love the way the flavor of cilantro pairs with the sweet potato and red onion. It’s so good!
• fresh garlic – a must! I definitely recommend this garlic press to make your fresh garlic life way easier.
• cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili flakes – you can substitute the seasonings of your choice, but I love this blend of seasonings to give these sweet potato patties a satisfying, spicy flavor!

Then, to make your creamy avocado sauce, here’s what you’ll need:

• avocado
• lime
• fresh garlic
• fresh jalapeño
• salt and pepper
• water

Equipment

This sweet potato patties recipe is pretty simple, but you will need a tool to mash up the potatoes and chickpeas. I recommend a food processor or an immersion blender, which will allow you to puree the two ingredients together while still maintaining a slightly chunky texture. You can also use a potato masher, but it’ll take a bit more elbow grease!

Step by Step

1. Bake your sweet potatoes. You’ll need to peel your sweet potatoes and chop them into chunks, and then bake them for about 40 minutes. The reason you’re peeling and chopping them first is because this process is meant to dry them out, to ensure that they form cohesive patties once they’re mashed up with the chickpeas.
2. Mash your chickpeas and sweet potatoes. The base for these vegan sweet potato cakes is this chickpea-sweet potato mixture. I used an immersion blender, but you can use a food processor, or a potato masher for this step.
3. Mix in the rest of your ingredients. This step just adds lots of flavor! You’ll have to resist the temptation to eat this mixture with a spoon! You can feel free to sub in your favorite spices or fresh herbs to make this sweet potato patties recipe your own. Just be careful with adding any extra veggies, since we don’t want the sweet potato patties to be too wet when we’re cooking them!
4. Form your patties and pan-fry them in olive oil. Cook them over medium heat, checking occasionally to see how they’re browning. Once the patties are nice and brown on one side and are starting to be more solid, flip them and continue cooking. This process requires the mixture to dry out further, so it takes about 20 minutes, depending on how moist your patties are to begin with.
5. Blend up your creamy avocado sauce, and serve! These vegan sweet potato cakes are made even better with this avocado sauce! The tang from the lime and the heat from the jalapeño are a perfect complement to all the flavors in the sweet potato patties.

Related Recipes

If you like the flavors in these sweet potato patties and the avocado cream sauce, then you’ll love the spicy goodness in my vegan, gluten free spicy peanut noodle salad! It’s got the flavors of cilantro, Sriracha, sesame, and lime, and it’s SO quick to put together. It’s a perfect weeknight meal.

Keep the vegan and gluten free party going with my sweet and salty cinnamon kettle corn! It’s SO easy to make and you’ll only need a few low-cost pantry ingredients! The perfect light treat on a fall evening.

Sweet Potato Patties

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These vegan, gluten free sweet potato patties are made with sweet potato mash and canned chickpea for the perfect healthy weeknight recipe!

Prep Time: 55 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine :American, Mexican

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 289kcal

Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis

Equipment you may need

large sauté pan

food processor

hand blender

potato masher

measuring cups and spoons

mixing bowls

3/4 sheet baking pan

parchment paper

silicone baking mat

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 2 large sweet potatoes – peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes; you can also use 12 ounces of frozen, cubed sweet potatoes
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas – rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 3 tbsp cilantro – chopped
• ½ medium red onion – chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes – or to taste
• salt and pepper – to taste
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Creamy Avocado Sauce

• 1 medium avocado – ripe
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 clove garlic – chopped
• 1 tsp jalapeño – chopped; seeds removed (optional; may also reduce or increase amount depending on how spicy you want it)
• salt and pepper – to taste
• ⅓ cup water – as needed to thin out consistency

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until tender.
• Combine cooked sweet potato chunks with chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor or in a large bowl. Purée with hand blender, potato masher, or food processor, leaving some parts a little chunky.
• Add in remaining patty ingredients (excluding olive oil) and mix well.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Form sweet potato mixture into 8 patties.
• Fry patties in olive oil for about 8-10 minutes, checking regularly to see how they're browning. Carefully flip over and continue cooking until patties are browned on each side and have solidified a bit.
• To make avocado sauce, combine all avocado sauce ingredients and blend using a hand blender or food processor until smooth. You can also mash avocados with a fork and whisk ingredients together. If needed, add more water to thin out sauce, and serve over warm patties.

Notes

Serving suggestions: These sweet potato patties are perfect with quinoa, rice, sautéed kale, or a green salad with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Let me know how you served them in the comments!

Storage: These sweet potato patties store well in the fridge for up to three days, or they can be frozen for up to two months.

Nutrition

Serving: 2patties | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

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