These quick and easy carrot and sweet potato fritters are so addicting! Whole30 and Paleo-compliant, these veggie-filled potato pancakes cook up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Don’t forget the yummy dipping sauce!
When we first started the Whole30, I was overwhelmed with how much cooking there was. The inner rebel in me fought back and I gave up on fun side dishes and just let the oven do the work.
That means I roasted EVERYTHING. Every single vegetable I cooked (except for my favorite salad) was put onto a baking sheet, given a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, and I called it done.
We had roasted side dishes on repeat, like Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli and Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes.
Fast forward to when the shock of the Whole30 wore off and I was ready to try something different.
That’s where these amazing carrot and sweet potato fritters come into play!
AMAZING CARROT AND SWEET POTATO FRITTERS
Although these carrot and sweet potato fritters are Whole30 compliant and Paleo too, they’re not just for those on an elimination diet.
My kids went NUTS for these, thinking they were one of the best vegetables I’d made in a very long time. I don’t blame them – I ate A WHOLE BATCH the day I took these photos.
And I have no problem admitting that because:
- They’re crazy healthy
- They’re mostly vegetables
- Each fritter is perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside
- They’re addictingly delicious
- See all of the above
CARROT AND SWEET POTATO RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Let’s break down what exactly this sweet potato recipe is made of, shall we?
Carrots
Nothing fancy here – just good ol’ carrots. I used orange carrots because they’re the most affordable (just $1.19/lb for ORGANIC at my local grocery store!) but you can use white carrots, purple carrots, red carrots… whatever your garden or farmer’s market or grocery store or your CSA box is giving you nowadays.
Side note – if you have a hard time finding affordable organic food in your area, hopefully this guide can help!
You’ll peel the carrots before you start, so make sure you wash them and have a freezer-safe container or resealable bag ready for those scraps so you can use them to make chicken stock!
Sweet Potatoes
I’m sure there’s an official difference between yams and sweet potatoes, but for the average home cook (>> me <<) it doesn’t really matter.
It also doesn’t matter if you have white sweet potatoes or orange sweet potatoes – they’re delicious all the same!
And as for the sweet potato v potato battle, you can use regular potatoes here too, but I prefer the extra sweetness from sweet potatoes. Plus, they contain beta-carotene and antioxidants that white potatoes don’t!
Like the carrots, wash the outside and save the peels for chicken stock!
Eggs
Eggs are the binder in this recipe and while I haven’t tested it myself, I’m willing to bet that making flax eggs would work as a fine substitute if you’re an egg-free family. (More about flaxseed HERE.)
Don’t skip the eggs entirely though – they help hold the sweet potato fritters together when they cook!
Salt
Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
Start with 1 teaspoon of salt when mixing up the sweet potato fritters. You can always add more when they’re finished!
Ginger
As much as I big fat puffy heart LOVE to use fresh ginger, I don’t always have it on hand. I’ve only tested this sweet potato recipe using ground ginger since it’s what I always have, but if you ever have fresh ginger, totally go for it!
Freshly grated ginger would give a super great boost of fresh and lightly spicy flavor to these carrot and sweet potato fritters. (Did you know you can freeze fresh ginger?!)
Flour
You need just a bit of flour to help soak up extra moisture from the carrots and sweet potatoes, but it doesn’t matter what type of flour you use. I used almond flour to keep these Whole30/Paleo, but you can use whole wheat or all-purpose flour too. Rice flour would be an alternative gluten-free flour option.
Coconut Oil
Let’s talk about cooking these gorgeous little fritters.
First, the recipe calls for coconut oil. If you don’t want to use coconut oil for whatever reason… allergies, preference, don’t have any… that’s fine. Just use a different oil that is suitable for higher-heat cooking. Lard, tallow, and avocado oil all work well.
Second, don’t be afraid to add more oil. I don’t know if my fritters soaked all the oil up, or my cast iron skillet soaked the oil in (this is the cast iron skillet I have), but I had to add 1-2 teaspoons of oil for each round of pan frying that I did.
I also tested NOT adding more oil (on accident) and the fritters simply burned… so, make sure you add oil and don’t be afraid of it. Healthy fat is good for you!
Dipping Sauce
And finally, don’t forget the dips!!
I didn’t make it the first time, but I did the second and third and it’s SO easy and SO good. It adds a flavor punch to these cute little fritters and since the sauce calls for mayo (I always use my Fail-proof 2-Minute Mayo), it’s Whole30 compliant and Paleo as well!
You could sub Greek Yogurt if you aren’t following a paleo diet or need to adjust your macros to less fat/more protein.
You’ll also need lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Garnish with sliced green onions or other fresh herbs if you wish!
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO FRITTERS
Instructions For the Fritters:
Step 1. Using a food processor or a box grater, shred the carrots and sweet potato.
Step 2. Combine shredded carrots, grated sweet potato, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix well so the spices are evenly distributed.
Step 3. Add the flour and again, mix well so it’s evenly distributed.
Step 4. Meanwhile, preheat a skillet to medium heat and melt 2-3 Tablespoons of coconut oil.
Step 5. Crack the two eggs into a mug and whip using a fork. Add the eggs to the sweet potato mixture and use your hands to mix everything well.
Step 6. When the skillet is hot (test a drop of water to see if it will sizzle), use slightly less than ¼ cup of mixture to make a patty in your hands. Make sure the patty is uniform in thickness throughout, so it cooks evenly.
Step 7. Place the sweet potato fritters in the skillet and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Use a pancake flipper to carefully lift the fritters up and flip them over. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until both sides are evenly cooked.
Step 8. Repeat with the remaining fritter mixture.
Step 9. Put cooked sweet potato fritters on a plate lined with paper towels and serve hot.
For the Dipping Sauce:
Step 1. While the fritters are cooking, combine the mayo, lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon of onion powder, and green onions (if using) in a small bowl. Stir well so the flavors can combine.
Step 2. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired when the fritters are done.
Let the carrot and sweet potato fritters cool completely before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze them layered with wax paper or parchment paper in between in a resealable bag to save space.
Reheat leftover sweet potato fritters in a skillet, air fryer, or in the oven to crisp them back up.
SERVE WITH SWEET POTATO POTATO PANCAKES
Whether you call these fritters or sweet potato potato pancakes, you’ll want to make a double batch to serve with your next meal. Try them with these:
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Instant Pot Beef Brisket
- Almond Crusted Baked Chicken
- Best Burger Recipe
- Chinese 5 Spice Chicken is my favorite to serve this sweet potato recipe with. Both recipes call for ginger, so it’s like a match made in taste bud heaven!
Lastly, if you have leftovers, they’re AWESOME with fried eggs and Breakfast Sausage. If you double this recipe and cross your fingers that your family doesn’t eat them all, you can have breakfast for several days!
TRACKING MACROS WITH SWEET POTATO FRITTERS
This recipe for sweet potato fritters will give you plenty of carbohydrates (from the sweet potatoes and carrots) and fat (mostly from the coconut oil), so to build a balanced plate, you’ll want to include lean protein and plenty of lower-carb vegetables and fruits.
When building your plate, aim for these general guidelines:
- Dedicate about ¼ of your plate to lean protein (think chicken, fish, or tofu)
- Another ¼ of your plate can contain carbohydrates, preferably whole and unprocessed carbs (brown rice, sweet potatoes, or starchy vegetables like carrots, corn, and peas fit here)
- And ½ of your plate should be non-starchy vegetables and fruits (think broccoli or berries)
- Incorporate healthy fats in moderation (like olive oil or avocado) and you have a balanced plate!
SWEET POTATO FRITTERS RECIPE FAQS
What is the difference between potato fritters and potato pancakes?
Fritters usually have a higher proportion of batter, while potato pancakes have a denser, more veggie-heavy consistency. I use both terms for this sweet potato recipe, although they would technically be sweet potato potato pancakes.
Can you make sweet potato fritters in the air fryer?
If you want to use less oil, or you just don’t want to deal with pan-frying on the stovetop, you could likely make these in the air fryer. I haven’t tested that yet, but my best guess would be to spray liberally with oil and cook at 400F for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping halfway.
Why are my sweet potato fritters falling apart?
The best way to prevent crumbling is to flip them carefully (obviously), but to let them cook a bit longer on the first side. I also like to flatten the potato fritters out a bit so they’re thinner. I’ve noticed that when they’re thick, the insides fall out while flipping. But making them thinner allowed more of the fritter to cook, and therefore less to fall apart, if that makes sense!
MORE EASY SWEET POTATO RECIPES
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite veggies! Buy a whole bag and try one of these easy sweet potato recipes next!
- Sweet Potato Apple Bake
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
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Carrot and Sweet Potato Fritters
These quick and easy carrot and sweet potato fritters are so addicting! Whole30 and Paleo-compliant, these veggie-filled potato pancakes cook up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Don’t forget the yummy dipping sauce!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium-size carrots) (220g)
- 2 cups shredded sweet potatoes (about 1 large sweet potato) (400g)
- 1 tsp of salt, to taste (6g)
- 2 tsp ground ginger (4g)
- ⅔ cup flour (I used almond flour) (303g)
- 2 eggs, beaten (100g)
- up to ⅓ cup coconut oil (for frying) (79g)
For the Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo (I use homemade fail-proof mayo) (374g)
- ¼ tsp lemon juice
- up to ¼ tsp salt
- up to ¼ tsp garlic powder
- up to ¼ tsp onion powder
- 4 green onions, sliced (optional, for garnish and color)
Instructions
For the Fritters
- Combine shredded carrots, shredded sweet potatoes, and spices in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix well so the spices are evenly distributed.
- Add the flour and mix well again so it’s evenly distributed.
- Meanwhile, preheat a skillet to medium heat and melt 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil.
- Crack the two eggs into a mug and whip using a fork. Add the eggs to the vegetables and use your hands to mix everything together well.
- When the skillet is hot (test a drop of water to see if it will sizzle), use slightly less than ¼ cup of mixture to make a patty in your hands. Make sure the patty is uniform in thickness throughout so it cooks evenly.
- Place the patty on the skillet and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. Use a pancake flipper to carefully lift the fritter up and flip over. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until both sides are evenly cooked.
- Repeat with the remaining fritter mixture.
- Put cooked fritters on a plate lined with paper towels and serve hot.
For the Dipping Sauce
- While the fritters are cooking, combine the mayo, lemon juice, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp onion powder, and green onions (if using) in a small bowl. Stir well so the flavors can combine.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired when the fritters are done.
Notes
- Let the carrot and sweet potato fritters cool completely before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze them layered with wax paper or parchment paper in between in a resealable bag to save space.
- Reheat leftover sweet potato fritters in a skillet, air fryer, or in the oven to crisp them back up.
These were AMAZING! I used fresh ginger instead of ground and avocado oil instead of coconut and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed them! I think I will use the leftovers to make some kind of sandwich. 🙂 This time I made it with your Chinese 5-spice chicken….yum
I used chicken breasts because that’s all I had and cooked them for about 25 minutes at 400.
Made these for my 10-month old and they were surprisingly a huge hit. I omitted the salt altogether and used avocado oil instead of coconut, but they were still super delicious. Even with plain old yogurt as a dipping sauce! Will be making these again for sure. Thank you!
Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for posting!
Made these tonight. So good!! Even my anti-health food husband enjoyed them
Made this and used sea salt and they were so great!! Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe!
Also, ditto on the salt. I halved the salt, but it was still a little salty. 🙂
I made these tonight. I doubled the recipe for my husband and I and our two little kids. My husband and I loved them, but the kids weren’t impressed. Le sigh… I’m working on it!
I could tell that, even doubled, the sauce wouldn’t be enough for all of those fritters, so I doubled the sauce once more (so, 4x for the sauce) – except for the green onions. I used only 8 green onions for the quadrupled sauce, and it was plenty. We also added a bit of balsamic vinegar, a little extra garlic and about 1 tsp of ketchup (not Whole30 compliant). My husband is really looking forward to lunch tomorrow!
Yum! Thanks for sharing Jennifer! 🙂
Hi I’m planning on making these tomorrow and I just have one cup of carrots. Do I need to adjust the recipe somehow ? Like half everything else ? I do have one sweet potato.
Hi Kainat,
Yes, go ahead and halve everything else. If it doesn’t feel like enough, add a second egg. Report back and let us know how it goes!
Do you know if these are just as good after freezing and reheating?
Hi Melinda,
They are great after freezing and reheat. Great question!
Can these be made ahead, and heated up before serving? I’d like to do these instead of meh mashed SPs. TIA.
Yes, but they are better fresh for sure.
Just made these this evening. Not bad, but 2 tsp of salt in the recipe is dangerous! It ended up being way too salty. I noticed that someone else has made a similar comment above. Maybe you can change the recipe above? At least if it’s missing salt, you can always add in, but definitely no way to remove it once you’ve added it in! Thanks for the recipe :).
I’ll make sure to re-test the measurement the next time I make this, AJ!
Really yummy recipe! Just the right balance of ginger. I used 2 tsp celtic sea salt and found it to be a too salty so I’ll use 1 tsp next time and see how that turns out.
Thank you for a delicious recipe!! I had made carrot fritters before, but the family didn’t love them (but honestly I don’t think I followed the exact recipe, and put the lime in the fritter instead of the dipping sauce). The addition of sweet potato made these delicious, and a little extra nutrition thrown in is a great bonus!! I added a dash of cardamom, and loved it!! I will be making this again for sure!!
I added shredded mushrooms (bellas) and the the sause added about tsp of mustard and Tbs honey….YUM
I had a parsnip that was nearing the end of its life span so I subbed that in for the carrots. Tastes delicious with parsnip and sweet potato as well.
Ooh – nice swap Christine!
Hi Tiffany! What do you suggest replacing the eggs with to make this recipe vegan? Or can you simply leave them out?
Thanks!
Hi Claire! I’d make flax egg or chia egg for these. You need something to bind it all together. 🙂
These were really tasty! They were sometimes a bit crumbly when flipping them over but they tasted great.
I’m glad you liked them Janis! The best way to prevent crumbling is to flip carefully (obviously, lol), but to let them cook a bit longer on the first side. I also like to flatten them out a bit so they’re thinner. I noticed that when they’re thick, the insides fell out while flipping. But making them thinner allowed more of the fritter to cook, and therefore less to fall apart, if that makes sense!
So healthy and frugal ! If any left, I could have some the other day at office ! Thank you !
Hello Charlotte,
green peaches are picked off the tree while they are still green because if you don’t the birds get to them first and there is none left or not worth picking. Peel the peaches if you want or clean and throw them in a pot, (but granny slit them with a knife first) cover with water and boil/stew until they are soft. When done add as much sugar as you want, thicken the juice with cornflour, or similar until it is of sauce consistency and serve, hot or cold. The seeds are removed with the eating. It is great with anything cream was best for us, or icecream if you have it, custard was usual too.
Best wishes, Grace.
Dear Tiffany,
It has to be cultural and environmental thing to know the difference or sameness between Sweet Potatoes and Yams. Both have different leaves and grow in different sizes, therefore are not the same vegetable. But if you live in an area that grows ground loving vegetables it should not matter what you call them -its the eating that counts. I love manioc also called cassava, and feel they have more flavour than ordinary I’rish’ potatoes – as we call them where I live. Taro is another root vegetable – otherwise called the Pacific Island Potato, that I think also goes marvelously with other root vegetables. All of these of course have carbohydrates in them but full of vitamins and minerals. For example, sweet potatoes (any colour)are otherwise called Kumeras here and in New Zealand have iron in them as I understand it. When I was young I always felt better after eating Gran’s grated and baked (like a cake) sweet potato dish that tasted good either with meat and other vegetables or alone as a sweet covered with cow-cream (all we had when I was young) and sometimes with stewed green peaches. I was always a bit anaemic so Gran’s dish went down well and made me feel much more alive.
Best wishes and thanks for alerting us to a great vegetable combination. Grace
What a lovely post!! Educational, informative, interesting and by the way, what are stewed green peaches?? How do you fix them? Stewed peaches, yes, stewed green peaches, ???
These look great I will definitely make them
The way to always have fresh ginger is to grow it yourself. Is easy buy a piece with several ‘eyes, cut into pieces and plant.
I did not pull the roots the first year and now I have stacks of it in the garden. It makes sense to grow those things that are expensive to buy and buy those that a cheap at the markets, like carrots.
I also grow turmeric for the same reason, it’s expensive and really easy to grow. Just leave it for the first year to get a good crop
I agree these look great and I will try them soon. I am fascinated by your tip about growing fresh ginger. I have very little sunlight where I live. The up side of this is that in 5 years we have probably only had our a/c on 1/2 dozen times. How much sun light does ginger require and how deep do you plant them? Could I grow in a large pot?