Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters (Vegan)

This easy recipe for vegan sweet potato and zucchini fritters is great for the whole family, from baby to adult! They’re made with healthy, wholesome ingredients, like grated vegetables and mashed pinto beans, and seasoned with cumin and lime. Make a batch of these fritters for breakfast, dinner, or meal prep.

In my 10 years of creating recipes for the Veg World, I’ve come to learn many things about how people view vegetables and what can be intimidating about them. For one, sometimes the idea of eating plain veggies like a salad or a side of steamed broccoli is totally unappealing. On the other hand, eating vegetables as part of a familiar food is way more approachable.

I totally get this. There’s a time and place for chowing down on some steamed green beans. Other times, a veggie-loaded patty, meatball, pasta sauce, mac and cheese, or pizza is what you want. At the end of the day, you’re eating vegetables, and that’s a good thing.

These sweet potato and zucchini fritters are perfect for when you want to eat more veggies but are craving something other than a simple roasted, steamed, or raw vegetable dish. They’re also ideal for kids! The patties are chock full of veggies, in addition to mashed beans, but their shape is familiar and their versatility is appealing.

You can eat them as a side to pretty much any meal, serve them as a plant-based main course, put them between a burger bun, cut them up and toss into a salad, or give them to your baby or toddler as a flavorful vehicle for eating their veggies. Plus, they’re vegan, suitable for those with egg allergies, and can be made gluten-free.

Jump to:

• Ingredients and Substitutions
• Instructions
• Baking Instructions
• Storage and Reheating
• Serving
• More Zucchini Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Zucchini: You need about 2 heaping cups of grated zucchini for this recipe. I used a medium zucchini that weighed about 11 ounces.
• Sweet potato: You need 3 cups of grated sweet potato, which I got out of one that weighed 13 ounces.
• Pinto beans: Mashed pinto beans help hold sweet potato and zucchini fritters together in lieu of using an egg, so don’t skip them. You can substitute black, white, or kidney beans if that’s what you have instead.
• Whole wheat flour: You can use plain flour instead or substitute ground gluten-free oats to make the recipe gluten-free. Breadcrumbs would also work.
• Green onion: Slice one up and throw it in for flavor! If you don’t have one, substitute red or yellow onion.
• Cumin and garlic powder: These contribute great flavor, but feel free to mix up the spices and use taco seasoning, chili powder, or smoked paprika.
• Salt: Omit if you are making for babies under 1 year old. Otherwise, it helps bring out the flavors.
• Lime zest: Another flavor-booster. Omit if you don’t have it or substitute a teaspoon or two of lime juice.

Instructions

Baking Instructions

If you want to bake instead of fry your fritters, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the fritters on the lined sheet, then spray each one with a little bit of olive oil spray. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. I personally think they taste better when cooked in a skillet.

Storage and Reheating

Keep leftover sweet potato and zucchini fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet with a little drizzle of olive oil for a few minutes on each side until warmed through.

To freeze your fritters, let them cool completely then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, seal tightly, label, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or just reheat from frozen in a skillet.

Serving

I love serving fritters with a dipping sauce, such as hummus, guacamole, or yogurt sauce. Enjoy them as a snack, side dish, or even a main dish. The beans make them pretty filling, and they can be bulked up even more to make a sufficient entree. For example, you can turn them into burgers or wraps and add some additional protein-rich foods (like cheese or a vegan sauce made from nuts or seeds).

If you are giving sweet potato and zucchini fritters to a baby or toddler, remember to cut them into age-appropriate sizes first. Do not serve them if your child has not already been introduced to the ingredients on their own, especially wheat (a common allergen).

More Zucchini Recipes

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