Deliciously healthy and cheesy, Sweet Potato Fritters made with quinoa and zucchini and are ready to eat in just 35 minutes! Serve with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce for a vegetarian meal the whole family will love.
Meat-free and made with healthy ingredients, these simple sweet potato fritters take just 15 minutes to prepare and are just what you need for an easy vegetarian meal, or as a vegetable side dish.
Just like my zucchini fritters, corn fritters and mashed potato cakes these sweet potato fritters double as a yummy lunch or a light dinner.
With a crispy outside (hello crunchy panko crumbs and quinoa!), these fritters are filled with a super soft filling thanks to the cooked sweet potato and fresh zucchini.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Freezer-Friendly - the perfect recipe for meal prepping and saving for later, these sweet potato fritters are freezer-safe and defrost well!
- Quick & Easy - made with just a handful of simple ingredients, this recipe is super quick and easy to throw together for an effortless snack or light meal.
- Kid-Friendly - the kids will love these cheesy sweet potato fritters. They're the best way to squeeze in some extra veggies and protein!
What You Need
Make these cheesy zucchini and quinoa sweet potato fritters with just a few basic, healthy ingredients!
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
- Sweet Potato - The mashed sweet potato (also known as kumara) gives the fritters their creamy, sweet flavour.
- Quinoa - Naturally rich in protein and fibre, quinoa is an excellent addition to these fritters and provides a nutty flavour.
- Water - for cooking the quinoa.
- Zucchini - Grated zucchini keeps these savoury fritters extra moist.
- Garlic - Freshly minced garlic is best, but if you don't have minced garlic, then garlic powder is fine to use.
- Egg - A beaten egg helps to bind all of the ingredients together. Use a large egg (approximately 60g).
- Cheese - Both parmesan and cheddar cheeses are needed for this recipe to provide all of the yummy cheesiness!
- Panko crumbs - For a crunchy and crisp texture.
- Salt and pepper - Season to taste.
- Olive oil - If you don't have olive oil, then you can use any type of oil such as vegetable oil.
- Optional: Sour cream, sweet chilli sauce, and chopped spring onions (also known as green onions) for toppings.
Step By Step Instructions
Once prepped, these fritters are cooked in just 20 minutes which means you'll have a delicious, healthy meal prepared in no time!
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
Step 1 - Cook The Sweet Potato
Boil the sweet potato. Drain, mash and set aside.
Step 2 - Cook Quinoa
Next, cook the quinoa. Set aside.
After that, grate the zucchini. Remove moisture from the zucchini by squeezing it through a strainer or with paper towel.
Step 3 - Combine Ingredients
In a bowl, combine cooked quinoa, mashed sweet potato, grated zucchini, egg, garlic, grated cheeses, panko crumbs, salt and pepper.
Step 4 - Form Patties
Form the sweet potato mixture into equal sized fritters.
Step 6 - Preheat Oven
Next, preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
Heat one to two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan.
Place several fritters in the pan and press down lightly. Cook for five minutes on each side.
Place the cooked fritters in the oven while frying the remaining fritters in the pan. Serve topped with sour cream, sweet chilli sauce and chopped spring onions.
Expert Tips
Sweet potato fritters are patties made with sweet potatoes, zucchini, quinoa, cheese and breadcrumbs, then lightly fried.
Store cooked fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
To freeze any leftover fritters, simply store them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to four months.
These quinoa fritters are delicious served with sour cream, a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce and a few chopped spring onions. You could even add some peas or corn to this sweet potato fritter recipe.
You can serve these fritters either warm or chilled, topped with sour cream, sweet chilli sauce and a side salad if you like.
Related Recipes
You're going to love these simple savoury fritters!
Here are some of my very favourite savoury snacks and recipes:
- Ham and Cheese Scrolls - ready in just 30 minutes, these savoury ham and cheese scrolls are perfect for kids, lunch boxes, picnics, and so much more!
- Pizza Scrolls - with just ten minutes of prep time, these easy pineapple and ham pizza scrolls are great for picnics, lunches, parties - any type of occasion!
- Zucchini Ham Muffins - 100% kid-approved for a yummy savoury muffin that is just the thing to 'grab and go', for lunch boxes, meal prep, and a simple brunch.
- Healthy Sweet Potato Quinoa Nuggets - toddler friendly and a great kids snack, these sweet potato quinoa bites are so easy to make with leftover mashed potatoes.
- Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Zucchini Slice - sweet potato, zucchini, and bacon come together for this summer-friendly slice recipe. The whole family will love it!
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Cheesy Quinoa, Sweet Potato & Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 (approx 350g) sweet potato
- ½ cup quinoa uncooked
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups (approx 350g) zucchini grated
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup (60g) parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup (60g) cheddar cheese grated
- 1 cup (90) panko crumbs
- sea salt and cracked pepper
- olive oil
- sour cream sweet chilli sauce and chopped spring onions or kewpie mayonnaise to serve.
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Peel and chop the sweet potato. Boil in a saucepan of water until soft and tender. Drain and mash then set aside.
- Cook the quinoa in 1 cup of water according to the packet instructions. Set aside.
- Grate 2 cups of zucchini (about 2 large zucchinis or 3 medium sized) and place into a colander to drain. Squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Place the cooked quinoa, mashed sweet potato, grated zucchini, egg, garlic, grated cheeses, panko crumbs and sea salt/pepper into a large bowl. Mix until well combined (I like to use my hands to get all of the ingredients really well mixed together).
- Shape the mixture into 12 equal sized fritters.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (to keep the fritters warm, while the others cook).
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Place 4-5 fritters into the pan and press down lightly.
- Cook for approximately 5 minutes on either side or until golden brown.
- Place into the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batches.
- The fritters will be golden on the outside, but lovely and soft on the inside.
- Serve with sour cream, sweet chilli sauce and chopped spring onions or kewpie mayonnaise.
Thermomix Method
- Peel and chop the sweet potato. Boil in a saucepan of water until soft and tender. Drain, place into the TM bowl and mash by mixing on Speed 6, 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat for a further 5 seconds. Set aside in a seperate bowl.
- Cook the quinoa in 1 cup of water according to the packet instructions. Set aside.
- Roughly chop the zucchini and and place into the Thermomix bowl. Grate by tressing Turbo for 2-3 seconds or until finely chopped. Place into a colander to drain. Squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside.
- Place the parmesan and cheddar cheeses into the Thermomix bowl. Grate by tressing Turbo for 2-3 seconds or until finely chopped.
- Add the cooked quinoa, mashed sweet potato, grated zucchini, egg, garlic, panko crumbs and sea salt/pepper to the cheeses in the Thermomix bowl. Mix on REVERSE, Speed 2 until well combined (use the spatula to help mix).
- Shape the mixture into 12 equal sized fritters.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (to keep the fritters warm, while the others cook).
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Place 4-5 fritters into the pan and press down lightly.
- Cook for approximately 5 minutes on either side or until golden brown.
- Place into the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batches.
- The fritters will be golden on the outside, but lovely and soft on the inside.
- Serve with sour cream, sweet chilli sauce and chopped spring onions or kewpie mayonnaise.
Coco
These sound really good and I'd like to make a batch for my own breakfast (I am a BIG kid). But I am not crazy about cheddar cheese. Could it be omitted from the recipe? Would I have to alter the other ingredient amounts if I choose to not use cheddar?
Lucy
Hi Coco, could you try using a different cheese? Like grated halloumi? Or mozzarella?
Alys
Oh my, made these and then had to make yet another batch! So this evneing i will make more for lunches but...... how do we think Dill will go if added???
Lucy
Ooh yes that could work! Especially if you love dill!
Opal
This worked out great! I was looking for a bite size dinner item for my 2 year old twin girls. I am like a masked super hero trying to save the day by hiding nutrition in any food I can! I love sweet potatoes and I love quinoa so, if all else failed I could eat them myself. I didn’t have a grater so I had to just chop the zucchini squash by hand, and I didn’t have but just a cup full. I also used bread crumbs instead of panko (just workin’ with what I got!). I didn’t add any salt but I did add a little pepper. The result was tasty. One twin ate it and so did I so, in my book, that’s a winner for me! Thank you for the simple recipe!
P.S. I live in the U.S. and have zero clue what Thermomix is! Sounds interesting.
Lucy
That's fantastic!!! One happy kid out of two is a success!!! A Thermomix is just a kitchen appliance - helpful but not a necessity! xx
Larissa
Hi Lucy, am I going crazy, but I can't see the thermomix receipe for this?
Lucy Mathieson
Hi Larissa, nope not crazy at all!! I don't currently have a Thermomix recipe for this one! I promise to work on it! xx
Karen
Any Thermomix instructions for this one yet? Please say yes.
Lucy
Hi Karen, no sorry!!! Its on my list, I promise!
Ollie
Super delicious, thank you! Our little 1 1/2 year old snuffled it up too. We used a short cut by adding instant brown rice with quinoa and it turned out perfectly.
Lucy
That's a wonderful idea!
Lucinda
These are so yummy....my 8 month old son thought so too!!! Thank you
Bake Play Smile
Oh gorgeous!!!! I'm so glad he liked them! xx