I’ve been dying to post this all week because these Sweet Potato Corn Cakes are SOOO good and I just know that you’ll love them as much as I do… and if you don’t, I might be forced to ask myself what is wrong with you.
These are “every bite is better than the last one” good. They’re so good that they make you wonder why other food even exists when flavors this bright and vibrant are possible.
…and thats what I was thinking when eating the reheated leftovers a minute ago. So, can you imagine how good they were fresh? Probably not. It’s unimaginable. You have to experience it.
Anyway, enough gushing. Onto the important stuff.
First – This recipe makes a HUGE batch, so feel free to half it. I wouldn’t suggest trying to half a raw egg, instead just add more than half breadcrumbs (probably 3/4 cup) to make up for the extra moisture.
Second – These sweet potato corn cakes are fried. You’ll just have to accept that. I tried to bake some and they were horrid. Dry, poor texture, just not good. If you’re brave enough to try baking them yourself and actually have success, please share your technique… because I just couldn’t make it work.
Third – I demand that you to try these.
Sweet Potato Corn Cakes with Garlic Dipping Sauce
Sweet Potato Corn Cakes with Garlic Dipping Sauce
Servings 10 about 3 cakes eachIngredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes ($3.17)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.30)
- 2 green onions ($0.19)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro, divided ($0.21)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 large egg ($0.25)
- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal ($0.19)
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs ($0.50)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying ($0.43)
- 1 cup plain yogurt ($0.55)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
Instructions
- Begin by cooking the sweet potatoes. The fastest way to do this is in the microwave. Prick the skin of each potato with a fork. Wrap one potato in a paper towel, place it on a plate, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove it from the microwave, squeeze it to make sure it’s soft in the center, and the allow it cool as you cook the next one. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them open and scoop the flesh into a large bowl.
- Slice the green onions and roughly chop a handful of cilantro (about 1/8th of a bunch). Add the green onions, cilantro, frozen corn kernels, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper to the bowl with the cooked sweet potatoes. Stir until well combined. You can taste it at this point and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Add the breadcrumbs, cornmeal, and egg to the bowl. These ingredients will bind the mixture together and keep it from falling apart while cooking. Stir until evenly combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb moisture.
- While the sweet potato mixture is refrigerating, mix up the garlic sauce. In a small bowl combine the yogurt, one clove of well minced garlic, and a handful of cilantro leaves (roughly chopped). Stir until combined and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
- After the sweet potato mixture has refrigerated, it’s time to cook. Add enough vegetable oil to fully cover the bottom of a medium skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until the surface appears wavy (if it begins to smoke, remove it from the burner immediately and turn down the heat). Shape the sweet potato mixture into small patties (about 2-3 Tbsp each) and cook about 4 at a time in the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on each side; about 2 minutes per side. After cooking, place on a paper towel covered plate to drain. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Serve warm with the garlic yogurt dipping sauce.
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Step By Step Photos
Start by pricking the skin of each sweet potato to allow steam to escape as they cook. No one wants to clean exploded sweet potato out of their microwave.
Wrap one potato in a paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully squeeze it to make sure it’s soft in the center and then cook the next one. I used one paper towel for all four sweet potatoes.
They’ll be super hot when they come out of the microwave, so let them cool just a bit before cutting into them. Slice it open and scoop out the cooked flesh.
Place the cooked sweet potato in a bowl and add the frozen corn kernels (they’ll help cool the sweet potato the rest of the way), sliced green onions, roughly chopped cilantro, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir it all together.
Now it’s time to add the binders. I used one egg, 1/3 cup of cornmeal (it helps bind and gives more texture than just breadcrumbs) and one cup of breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are not in the picture (don’t ask). Stir it all together and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the sweet potato mix is refrigerating, make the garlic yogurt sauce. Finely mince a clove of garlic and roughly chop another handful of cilantro. Stir those into a cup of plain yogurt. You can add a pinch of salt if you’d like. Refrigerate the sauce until you’re ready to serve.
After the mixture has chilled, it’s time to cook. Take about 2 Tbsp of sweet potato mix and shape it into a small patty. My mixture was still pretty wet/sticky, but it was shape-able.
Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. You want the oil to be quite hot before adding the cakes. It should look wavy on the surface. You can take a pinch of the sweet potato mixture and add it to the skillet to test it. It should sizzle heavily. Add about four patties to the skillet and cook until deep golden brown on one side, then flip.
Cook on the other side in the same manner. It should only take about two minutes per side. Try not to make your patties too thick otherwise the inside won’t heat through before the outside browns. About a half inch thick is good.
Place the cooked sweet potato cakes on a paper towel lined plate and cook the next batch. Add more oil as needed, always allowing it to heat up before adding more sweet potato cakes.
Why, hello there little warm, delicious sweet potato corn cakes…
I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! My husband and 2 year old loved it. We only had 5 patties leftover. Definitely one for the books! :)
These are so delicious and filling. I’ve been eating these and your yellow jasmine rice for dinner since Sunday and I’m not tired of it!
Could you waffle them?
Ooh, probably! Great idea!
Great idea! Not only to eliminate the frying but also deliver a cool presentation and reduce cooking time!
Love the sound of this recipe- especially since I’ve been on a sweet potato “kick” lately- but do have a question: about how much cilantro is used in this recipe? I can’t always find it in bunches at my grocery, so was wondering about how much I’ll need if I have to buy the little clamshell packages (or if I can find it at a farmer’s market in the spring). Thanks!
Hmm, I’m not sure how big those clamshell packages are, but the amount needed for the recipe is very flexible and forgiving. I think you’ll be safe with one big handful. :)
Absolutely loved this!! My first attempt turned out brilliantly, I can’t believe how much this makes!
I’m from the UK and couldn’t find cornmeal, so just added more breadcrumbs and it still turned out fine. Absolutely amazingly delicious, and my family loved them (including a fussy younger brother)
Paige, look for polenta instead of cornmeal, it will be the same thing and probably easier for you to find. (Uncooked!)
Made these tonight and loved them! The only thing I did differently. Was cooked them in coconut oil. They held together just fine and were delicious! Will make again!
sounds SICK.
These taste amazing!! The issue is they do not stay together very well. I was as gentle as I could possibly be with them and only flipped them once as per the instructions. I am wondering if I need to up the cornmeal or breadcrumbs as this was very frustrating having each one fall apart.
Yes, more breadcrumbs will probably help. They’ll soak up some of the moisture and help it hold.
I’m trying to avoid bread…could I substitute the breadcrumbs with something else? Maybe more cornmeal?
I’ve been trying to find a good substitute for bread crumbs for “patties” for a long time, but haven’t found one yet. The problem with cornmeal is that it doesn’t absorb moisture as readily. Breadcrumbs absorb on contact, whereas cornmeal needs heat/cooking to absorb moisture (because it’s so hard). I haven’t had good success with cornmeal.
What about using Panko as a binder.
That would probably work, but is it 100% rice flour used to make them or is it a mix of rice and wheat? I’ll have to look into that…
Hi! Just chipping in a possible substitution… I’ve had good luck with chickpea flour (super cheap at Indian stores, and gluten free) for my salmon patties. I don’t even need to use an egg, and they hold together just fine! ^_^ Anyway, I can’t wait to make these sweet potato patties — they sound like they’d be delicious! Thanks, Beth!
Nice! Thanks for the tip!!
I made these with Panko bread crumbs. My family loved them! I’m the only vegetarian in our household but these patties were enjoyable to all of us. I’m making them for friends next. Thanks!
My Mom made something like this with leftover mashed white potatoes. Was my favorite ways to eat potatoes. Since I really like sweet potatoes – these might really be right up my alley. Will try very soon. (Also, did you know- sweet potatoes are better for you than the white? At least on my heart diet.)
These were yucky. And I love sweet potatoes.
I have a ton of sweet potatoes! I cannot wait to make these!!
Hi there! What dish compliments these fabulous cakes?? I’m trying to think of a dish to go with it for tonight :)
Wow! These are delicious. I didn’t have any green onions and cilantro so i tinkered with the spices a bit and scaled the recipe down to size (kinda wish I didn’t I think I could eat these for days). I also made siracha mayo as the dipping sauce and it was the perfect complement. Yummy thanks so much for sharing. Definitely adding this one to my arsenal. :)