Crispy Pan-Fried Sweet Potato Fritters with Sweet and Spicy Dip
Sweet potato fritters are lightly seasoned with ginger, cinnamon, and fennel, then pan-fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Pair with the homemade sweet and spicy sauce for a decadent dipping experience. Served as an appetizer or side dish, this reader favorite is a must-try.
These sweet potato fritters are golden with a crispy crunch, just a little bit greasy, and paired with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Whether it’s “the big game” or a cross-town rival matchup, these fritters dipped in my garlic and herb dip or sweet and spicy dip (see below) check all the boxes for perfect game day snacks, with a glass of wine or bourbon smash cocktail in hand.
They also make a great side for burger night. Swap out your french fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries with these fritters for a truly tasty treat. And don’t stop at burgers! They go great with turkey avocado club sandwiches, ground beef burgers topped with bacon and avo, panko-crusted fish fillets, and more!
What You’ll Need for the Roasted Sweet Potato Fritters
To make the fritters, you will need sweet potatoes, like my baked and broiled sweet potato slices, fresh ginger root, an egg, all-purpose flour and spices. The dip paired with these fritters is my 5-minute sweet & spicy sriracha sauce.
Featured Ingredient: Cooking Oil
To get our fritters perfectly crispy, we use a cooking method called pan frying, which requires cooking oil. However, for great results, you can’t just use any oil.
You need to choose a neutral oil with a smoke point over 400ºF. The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil can be heated without burning. Once an oil burns, the fats begin to break down, causing the oil to take on off-flavors, smell bad, and possibly catch on fire. The goal is to avoid these things by choosing an oil that withstands the cooking temperature needed for our recipe. While we plan to pan fry at around 350ºF, having that fifty-degree buffer gives you some room for error.
I mainly cook with avocado oil, which has a smoke point of 500ºF, making it perfect for these fritters. You can also use almond, peanut, sunflower, or grapeseed oils. Different brands of oils are going to be refined to different levels, so check the bottle to ensure it’s safe to use at 400ºF.
Sweet Potato Fritters Video
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”vHoDBNsN” upload-date=”2019-10-25T00:00:00+00:00″ name=”Sweet Potato Fritters” description=”Sweet potato fritters are light and crispy with hints of ginger, cinnamon, and fennel. Served with a sweet and spicy sauce, they make a delicious appetizer or side dish for your next tailgate at home, holiday party, or weeknight dinner.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]How to Make these Sweet Potato Fritters
These sweet potato fritters are super easy to make and fry up quickly. Make sure you have your fry station set up before you put the first fritter in the oil. Even though it’s just a quarter inch of oil in the pan, never leave hot oil unattended. To set up your fry station, pour 1/4″ of oil into the bottom of a cold frying pan, then heat it over medium heat.
Kitchen Skill: Pan Frying
These sweet potato fritters are pan-fried, which means cooking them in oil in a wide, shallow pan. Some people are put off by pan-frying because fried foods can be greasy and messy. However, when fried in the oven and drained properly, the mess is minimized, while the amount of oil absorbed is less than you would think.
The oil, in combination with the direct heat of the pan, cooks the inside while making the outside of the fritters crispy. The oil creates a barrier that traps steam inside the fritter, cooking it from the inside out. This trapped steam prevents the inside of the fritter from soaking up the oil, but the oil must be hot – around 350ºF – in order to do its job
Using a heavy cast iron skillet helps to retain heat, while the short sides give better access to flip the fritters. You’ll need enough oil in the pan to come halfway up the side of the fritters, in this case, about a 1/4″ of oil. I like the cold pan, cold oil method, where you add the oil to the pan and heat them both together.
Allow the oil to heat before adding the first fritter. A candy thermometer allows you to measure it exactly, but you can also make an educated guess by watching the oil. You should be able to see the oil start to move around the pan, and you can feel the heat from the pan when holding your hand about 4 inches above the surface. Test the oil for readiness by dropping a small chunk of the batter into the oil. If it sizzles, it is good to go. No noise means it needs to heat a little more. Major splattering means it’s too hot. Turn down the heat and let it cool for a moment.
My Secret to Crispy Sweet Potatoes:
An important aspect of pan frying is what you do when the food is done cooking. Most of the absorbed oil is not absorbed during the actual frying process but in the first few seconds after the fritter is out of the pan. This is why we put the hot fritters onto a cooling rack instead of directly onto paper towel or baking tray. It allows the excess moisture to drip away from the fritters instead of creating a pool of oil that can be easily absorbed, which might make them soggy and more prone to falling apart. It also helps keep the fritters crispy as they cool.
Making sweet potato fritters for a crowd
This recipe can be doubled or even tripled for a crowd. As written, the recipe will feed two people as a side dish or three people as an appetizer. My rule of thumb is 1 large potato for every three people, increasing the remaining ingredients accordingly.
To keep fritters hot, store the fried and drained fritters on a baking sheet in a 250º oven. The dry heat will keep them crisp and warm until you are ready to serve.
How to Store and Reheat so they are still Crispy
Leftover fritters can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then heat in the oven or the air fryer at 400º to maximize crispiness. They should take about 10 – 15 minutes.
I do not recommend using the microwave for reheating. The texture will turn to mush, and they will not be the same.
Make in Advance and Freeze
One of my favorite things about these fritters is that you can make them in advance and freeze them. Once they are fried and cooled, lay them flat on a baking sheet and freeze for 4 hours or until solid.
Place the frozen fritters into a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 6 months. When ready to serve, place frozen fritters on a sheet pan and bake at 400º until hot and crispy, about 10 – 15 minutes.
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Sweet Potato Fritters with Sweet & Spicy Sauce
Ingredients
For the Fritters:
- 1 large sweet potato (about 8 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for after frying)
- Oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
Instructions
For the Fritters:
- Wash, peel, and grate sweet potato using the coarse section of a grater.
- Grate ginger using a fine grater or microplane.
- Place grated sweet potato, grated ginger, and egg in a medium to large mixing bowl. Add the flour, cinnamon, fennel, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix together thoroughly.
- Set up a cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Add oil to a shallow frying pan so that it is about 1/4" deep, then heat over medium heat for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Shape fritters into balls, then flatten patties about 1/2" deep and 2 – 3 inches across.
- Gently place fritters in oil, ensuring they are not touching each other or the sides of the pan.
- Fry for 2 -3 minutes on each side, adjusting time to achieve a light golden brown surface.
- Transfer to the cooling rack to drain and salt lightly while they are still hot.
For the sauce:
- Combine mayo, honey, and sriracha in a small bowl. Whisk to smooth out any lumps.
- Serve fritters while still warm with the sriracha sauce for dipping.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
Made these pretty much just as written, put a little less fennel in it since my husband is not a big fan.
They are so delicious, the dip is the perfect compliment these sweet potatoes!
We love hearing that, Stephanie! Cutting back the fennel a bit to suit your husband’s taste is such a smart adjustment, and we’re glad they still turned out delicious. That dip really does bring everything together with the sweet potatoes. Thanks for sharing how it worked in your kitchen.
– Kristy
Thank you for this recipe! I made this as written except left out the fennel (because I only had regular fennel and not ground) and didn’t have time to make the sauce, but they are delicious just as they are without any sauce. YUM. Definitely a repeat.
I did bake these in the oven. I convert most recipes from deep frying to oven roasted. With this recipe I heated the oven to 425 and prepared a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. I sprayed the parchment with a bit of spray canola oil and set the 1/4 cup mounds on the pan. Set the timer for 15 minutes, and flipped and flattened them – set the timer for another 15 minutes. They came out just fine. I’m sure not as crispy as if they were deep fried, but also not as greasy. My husband loved them, but then he loves how I cook.
What do you consider a large sweet potato? An example…I live in Mexico with my Mexican wife. For New years she wanted sweet potatoe. She brought home three of them and one was at least 1.5 pounds. Maybe more info. like 1.5 or two cups for me would be very helpful. I am about to make some for a whole smoked chicken and I will use agave syrup. I have honey but I like agave more. It is a lot sweeter than honey so I will experiment. The recipe does sound good but once again, how large is large? Thank you.
Hi Dan! That’s a great question. I would estimate a large sweet potato being around 8 ounces or half of a pound. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sweet potato that weighs in at a pound and a half!
Renee
These Sweet Potato Fritters were so good! I have never done anything besides a “puff”. After reading some of the comments I did make some slight changes…some due to lack of ingredients. I used high quality powdered ginger…about 3/4 tsp. I did use less cinnamon, and grated 1 small onion in with the grated sweet potato. I mixed all the dry ingredients together for better distribution before adding it to the mixture. As I dont like fennel…I did a few shakes of coriander & cumin powder.
I did not make the sauce as I was having these with Sweet Chili ribs!
I almost ate them all myself!!!
Thank you again for a direction I never would have gone in, if it werent for you! Now that Ive tested it on just me…I will make it for company 🙂
Carrie,
I am so glad you enjoyed them. Honestly, I want to try them with your substitutions, as it sounds really good! While fresh ginger and ginger root have two very different flavor profiles, they both work well with sweet potatoes and would work great in this recipe. If you’re feeling adventurous, next time swap the cinnamon and ginger for chili powder and paprika. So good – especially with BBQ.
Renee
The sauce is delicious! I had some partially dried out gummy sriracha sauce and it worked out just fine. I added some very finely minced onions. I use a teaspoon or less of baking powder when I make white potato pancakes, so perhaps another comment doing that is something I can second. Thanks for the recipe! A keeper for sure.
These were pretty easy to make and cooked up just as advertised. I made these to take the place of English muffins for my sticky pork belly eggs Benedict recipe. The only change I will make is to cut back on the cinnamon as it dominated the entire dish.
Just tried baking these idk if someone has already but I made the recipe just as listed with a little allspice cause I like it and sub anise seed for fennel cause I didn’t have it. But other than that just as listed. Baked at 400° for 20-25 min flipped them halfway through to get crispy on both sides. The edges were a little more crispy but they didn’t turn out bad if you want the whole thing crispy maybe at the end broil each side for 2 min possibly I didn’t do that though
*Sprayed my pan with olive oil spray (just what I had).
Thank you for sharing Haley! I”m glad they work well in the oven. I want to test them in the air fryer next!
Made these tonite and they nearly disappeared before I could snap a pic! Had to sub cayenne for Siracha in sauce but no one seemed to mind! Don’t know how to post pic but will be making these again! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing Susan! So glad your family enjoyed them!
Can you bake the fritters, instead of frying them? Thank you!
I haven’t tried baking them, but I don’t see why not! Let me know how they turn out.
Would an air fryer work?
Linda, I have not tried it with an air fryer, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! You’ll have to experiment with the timing, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Have you tried these baked instead of fried? If so, need to make any modifications to bake? Thanks!
Julie – I have not tried baking them. Without the oil you aren’t going to get the same results – the texture and flavor will be very different. I do know that the best sweet potato fries are coated in corn starch and vegetable oil prior to being baked to try and recreate some of the crunchy crispy texture, but I can’t advise on exact amounts. It would take a bit of trial and error to get them right. If you do try them, let me know!
I made this recipe with the following modifications, and they turned out so great! The whole thing got wiped out and got a lot appreciation from my guests. Great Recipe!!!!
I added lemon juice, chili powder, cornstarch, doubled up the ginger, and added a pinch of baking powder. For the delicious sauce, I added more sriracha for I like it spicier. I could totally eat the sauce by itself. This is such a simple and irresistible recipe. Thank you, Nicole!!
Sorry I meant, Thank you Renee!
Lisa,
Wow that’s a lot of modifications! Haha! I am so glad you were able to take the recipe and make it into something that works better for your tastes (and that it still came out delicious!) I too could eat the sauce by itself. So glad you and your guests enjoyed it.
These look amazing!!! Also on a side note I love your name! I’m Nicole Renee ?? the two names go together like peas and carrots apparently ?
Haha! Nicole Renee is a pretty great name too!!
Today I was craving something “fried” and thought about sweet potatoe fries until I remembered this recipe. It was so easy to whip up a batch and they are DELICIOUS! I didn’t have Sriracha in the house so I modified it slightly by using Thai Chili Paste & some Frank’s Hotsauce. Thanks for satisfying my craving and I’ll be adding this to my list of favorites.
Heather,
I am so glad you thought of me and these Sweet Potato Fritters! I love your improvisation on the sauce – sounds like it would totally work.
So glad that I do not have to think this recipe sounds good or looks good, it TASTES amazing. It is SOOO simple to follow the directions and takes no time at all. I am so glad you have given us the chance to taste these and try these recipes on our own! Also, did I mention my two year old was caught drinking the dipping sauce? and when I asked him what he was doing he goes, “Mommy, that is so good”. So its not just a healthy option for me but my entire family to enjoy. There are not a lot of effortless ideas out there and with my husband having diabetes, we need easy, healthy options! Thanks Renee, for coming to our kitchen!
He drank the sauce!?! Thank you for taking the time to comment when you obviously have your hands (very) full. There is much more coming and I hope you enjoy it all. I can’t guarantee they will all be as simple as this one, but they will all be delicious!
These look so incredibly good! I can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.