Sweet potato latkes are a delightful sweet-and-savory variation on classic potato pancakes. They work well as a simple dinner topped with an egg, as a party appetizer, or as part of a buffet. This recipe yields a large batch, producing crispy, tender latkes with balanced flavor.
Why we love this recipe
These sweet potato latkes come from a refined latke method and highlight what makes fritters so appealing: a crisp exterior, a tender interior, and a perfect balance of sweetness and savory seasoning. They’re:
- Balanced between the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and the savoriness you expect from a latke
- Crisp on the outside and tender inside
- Perfect as small bites for a party or as a main dish
- An excellent way to use a large supply of sweet potatoes
What you’ll need
At a glance: orange or white sweet potatoes, an onion and scallions for savoriness, eggs to bind, flour and matzo meal for structure and crunch, melted butter for richness, baking powder for lift, and a neutral high-heat oil for frying.
- Use any orange or white sweet potatoes you’d normally bake and eat; supermarket “yams” are often orange sweet potatoes.
- The recipe uses a combination of matzoh meal (for crunch and flavor) and flour (to bind). If you don’t have matzoh meal, omit it but keep the flour.
- Scallions and onions add savory depth. Grate the onion separately and press it on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Choose a neutral, high-smoke-point oil such as safflower, canola, peanut, or a vegetable blend for frying.
How to make it
Follow these steps for a reliably excellent batch of sweet potato latkes. The full details and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Peel and grate the sweet potatoes and onion. Grate the onion separately and blot it between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Combine the sweet potatoes, drained onion, beaten eggs, sliced scallions, flour, matzo meal, melted and cooled butter, salt, pepper, and baking powder in a very large bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it becomes shimmery and hot but not smoking.
- Spoon small mounds of the mixture (about 3 tablespoons each for small latkes) into the pan, flattening gently and leaving space between them so they crisp properly.
- Fry until the undersides are golden and crisp, flip, and cook until both sides are golden, about five minutes total per batch. Drain on paper towels and continue with the remaining batter, adding oil as needed.
- Finish with additional sliced scallions and flaky sea salt. Serve warm with sour cream.
Expert tips and FAQs
This recipe yields a large batch by design: it’s ideal for serving a crowd or for filling a platter at a party. If you prefer a smaller quantity, the recipe can be halved without other adjustments.
The matzoh meal adds a distinctive crunch and flavor, while the flour is important to bind grated sweet potatoes. You can omit the matzoh meal if needed, but do not omit the flour.
You can prepare the mixture up to a day ahead and refrigerate it, then fry just before serving. If you fry them ahead of time, they re-crisp nicely in a 250°F oven for a few minutes or are pleasant at room temperature.
Once cooled, store latkes tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat and re-crisp in a toaster oven or a 250°F oven before serving.
More of our favorite fritters
- Latkes
- Zucchini corn fritters
- Colcannon cheddar skillet cakes
- Spinach, fava bean, and quinoa cakes
- Falafel
Sweet Potato Latkes
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Food processor with grating blade or box grater
- Large skillet for frying
Ingredients
- 5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2,268 grams total)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup sliced scallions
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) matzo meal
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Safflower oil or another high-heat neutral oil for frying
To serve
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Peel and quarter the onion.
- Grate the sweet potatoes using a food processor with a grating blade or a box grater. Work in batches and add the grated potatoes to a very large mixing bowl.
- Grate the onion, place it on paper towels to absorb excess moisture, then add it to the bowl with the sweet potatoes.
- Stir in the beaten eggs, scallions, flour, matzo meal, melted butter, salt, pepper, and baking powder until everything is evenly combined.
- Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of about 1/8 inch and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Scoop small mounds (about 3 tablespoons each for small latkes) into the skillet and gently flatten. Leave space between latkes.
- Fry until the bottom is golden and crisp, flip, and cook until both sides are golden, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to drain and continue frying remaining batter, adding oil as needed.
- Sprinkle with additional sliced scallions and flaky sea salt. Serve with sour cream.
Notes
- Any orange or white sweet potato suitable for baking works here.
- You can make matzo meal by pulsing matzo in a food processor, but store-bought is convenient. Don’t skip the flour, which is necessary to bind grated sweet potatoes.
- Good neutral frying oils include safflower, peanut, canola, or vegetable blends.
- If frying ahead, re-crisp latkes in a 250°F oven before serving; they’re also enjoyable at room temperature.
- Store leftovers sealed in the refrigerator for up to a week and reheat in a warm oven or toaster oven to re-crisp.
- This recipe is adapted from a potato latke method originally published in Food & Wine.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 50.1 g,
Protein: 8.6 g,
Fat: 25 g,
Fiber: 7.3 g,
Sugar: 4.2 g
Nutrition information is an approximation.