Breakfast, Eggs, Food, Recipes

Sweet Potato Latkes

My boys love Sweet Potato Hash for breakfast but frankly, I’m kind of tired of it, so last weekend I decided to make my pile of freshly grated potatoes into sweet potato pancakes, or latkes if you will. We topped the savory sweet cakes with bacon and fried eggs.  Yum.

If you are looking for a way to fill up your kids in the morning, there’s nothing like a sweet potato based breakfast fried in coconut oil to delight their taste buds.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 12
Author Sarah Fragoso

Ingredients

  • 5 cups grated sweet potato
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons onions minced
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat and melt a spoonful of coconut oil.
  3. Take small handfulls of the potato mixture and drop onto the hot griddle or skillet and press down gently into little "cakes".
  4. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy and the potatoes are done all the way through.
  5. Top with fried eggs and bacon if you so desire.
  6. Makes 12 latkes.

Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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72 Comments

  1. Hi Sarah,

    These look delicious! My daughters love your sweet potato hash, so I am looking forward to trying these. I just have 1 dumb question……are the 3 eggs you listed part of the mixture for the latkes or are they the eggs you serve on top? Thanks 🙂

    1. Nevermind…3 eggs for the mixture to make 12 latkes…got it!

  2. Zomg, I bet these are easily way better than regular latkes, and I really like regular latkes. Most latke recipes ive seen require flour, though. I imagine that the eggs are working as the primary binding agent in this recipe instead.

  3. Hi Sarah,

    Does the coconut oil you use in your cooking have a coconut flavor to it? The coconut oil I got from Trader Joe’s has a strong coconut flavor to it which is ok but doesn’t jive well with savory foods.

    1. I use coconut oil from Tropical Traditions and yes it has a coconut flavor but not one that I think overwhelms most foods and is most delicious with sweet potatoes! Here’s the link to where I order from http://tinyurl.com/3w7t6w8

      1. Have you tried the Expeller Pressed Coconut oil? Almost no coconut flavor which makes it incredible for recipes like this.
        http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/expeller-pressed_coconut_oil.htm

        It is more refined, but mechanically not chemically

    2. Carmen Smith says:

      Omega Nutrition coconut oil does not have a coconut flavour. It may be a little more expensive but worth it!

  4. Tiffany says:

    Perfect timing, as usual! One of my daughters came home yesterday asking if we can have Latkes for Christmas… And I just returned from the market with sweet potatoes fully intent on finding a Latke recipe I could use with them…You are amazing! Thanks!

    1. Hurray! Hope you all enjoy the latkes!

  5. Kaitlyn says:

    Hi Sarah,

    I just want to thank you for sharing all of your amazing recipes. I have to be pretty strict about my diet, due to gluten and dairy allergies, and your website has made such a difference in my life! So far I’ve made your recipes for stuffing, the curried meatballs and the pumpkin pie- all were amazingly delicious, and my non-paleo family members (I’m working on it..) loved them as well. Thanks so much, and I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!!

    1. Thank you so much Kaitlyn for your sweet comment and I hope you also have a wonderful holiday!

  6. Sarah M says:

    How many servings does this recipe make? I see that it makes 12 latkes, but never having eaten them before, I wasn’t sure how many latkes per person.

    1. Well, it depends on the person! I ate two, my husband ate 3, my boys ate 1.

  7. What a great idea! I love latkes and love sweet potatoes even more. I can’t wait to try this recipe.

  8. Deirdre says:

    Hi Sarah~
    Do you peel the skin off the sweet potato, or is okay to throw the whole thing into the Cuisinart for grating?

    1. I peel them!

  9. similar recipe ive been enjoying since i found it,

    http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/breakfast/coconut-griddle-cakes/

    i make them with 2 eggs / cup of coconut flour.

  10. It looks like you’re actually using yams, not sweet potatoes- I prefer sweet potatoes as they have a lower gycemic index, but the consistency is a little different. So you use raw yams, right? I don’t know if that would work with real sweet potatoes, but I could just use cooked ones, and make a “hash” type latke by mashing them…

    1. They are by definition sweet potatoes. True yams are native to Africa and Asia and are much different then the “yams” that you find in our supermarkets that are actually sweet potatoes. http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/sweetpotato.html

  11. sarah k. says:

    My husband’s favorite meal is a labor intensive Fine Cooking recipe of sweet potato hash with red and green peppers, onions, jalapenos, spices, etc, that we serve with fried eggs, homemade corn tortillas (alas, we don’t get those too often anymore) and this amazing chipotle mayo.

    This morning, for Christmas breakfast, I didn’t want to spend that much time in the kitchen, so I made these pancakes instead, adding about a teaspoon of oregano, and no cinnamon, to the mix. I layered the egg on top of the pancake, like you did, forgot the bacon, but blobbed on some chipotle mayo, which, if you do paleo mayo, you should definitely try. It’s about 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon (or more!) chopped chipotles in adobo (I used La Costena brand), and 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix it all till smooth, add salt if you want. This is the only way I like chipotles, and it’s marvelous.

  12. Stacey says:

    Theses look great and I can’t wait to try them tomorrow on the last night of Chanukah, but NO BACON! lol We still keep kosher in this Paleo house.

    1. Were kosher too keeps things interesting.

  13. what!!!!!recipe right away…:) just kidding this is very good i must force my woman to make me this tomorrow for dinner….

  14. I just wanted to say, I love you. This post is amazing.

    We’re moving in a few days, so we’ve vowed not to buy any more groceries until we’re well-settled, but…I think we’ll be ringing in the new year with these. I could even see serving them to my kids with butter and a little honey and berries sprinkled on them like pancakes. Oh my. Nom. Nomnom.

  15. This sounds amazing….so testing this out this weekend!

  16. Wow! Delicious! Thank you for this recipe. This is my families first paleo recipe to try. It was a hit!

  17. Hi! So, I’m catching up in my reader after the Christmas holiday, and I noticed a lot of your recent posts involve a whole lot of bacon. I’ve heard from a lot of paleo people that bacon is a staple of the diet, but every time I go to the grocery, I can’t find bacon that isn’t full of HFCS, sugar or other nasties. Have you found bacon that is a simple, whole cut of meat somewhere? Is it ridiculously expensive?
    Thanks!
    Kate

    1. Sarah says:

      I don’t consider bacon to be a staple of what I eat, I just eat it when it sounds good and it’s probably just coincidence that my last couple of recipes involved bacon. : ) I love the bacon from Niman Ranch and the Trader Joe’s brand is also good and without HFCS. Also, check out http://www.eatwild.com for local sources of pasture raised pork products. I just bought 1/2 a pig from a local supplier and am looking forward to the bacon, sausage, and all of it actually!!

  18. loligoss says:

    Loved your recipe . I made mine before I found your recipe and included a grated red onion. Mine weren’t Paleo as they had oat bran in them.

    Traditionally Jews from German origin eat latkes with apple sauce and sour cream. Try the apple sauce from elanasparty (just apples and cinnamon) it is heavenly.

  19. Liz S. says:

    hi Sarah!

    I am easing my family into a Paleo lifestyle, but my husband is allergic to coconut. Thus, I can’t use coconut oils. What substitutes would you recommend?
    Thanks!
    Liz S.

  20. Matt H. says:

    Hey Sarah – Love the recipe. Have you, or anyone else run into any problems getting the Latkes to stick together? Any suggestions?

    1. Sarah says:

      Make sure your pan or griddle is really hot before you drop down the latkes and do not smash them flat with a spatula or try to press them together into a “pancake” before you cook just mix all ingredients together and use your hands to pick up and drop down your latkes into the hot and well oiled pan – wait the full 2-3 minutes (or longer if needed) before you flip – don’t mess around with them while they are cooking!

      1. Matt H. says:

        Thanks so much!

      2. Matt H. says:

        Worked like a charm! Thanks again. We’ve also learned that adding some nutmeg and/or ginger is a nice variation on top of the cinnamon. And some extra egg everyone once in a while is a nice way to make it a more substantial serving on those “I’m very very hungry” mornings. Almost reminds me of french toast when it is more eggy.

        1. Rachel says:

          It also helps if you squeeze the grated sweet potato in a paper towel or hand towel to get as much moisture out as possible, the egg will glue them together that much better.

  21. marcos says:

    I loved this recipe! It was a great change up to breakfast, and I will definitely be using this more often.

  22. Getting prepared for a day at the Winter Central Oregon Crossfit Games and before we go we will be feasting on these bad boys! Thank you so much for posting this recipe it looks fabulous! Oh and Sarah my soon to be 4 year old really wants us to buy him your Paleo Pals cookbook! He is requesting it and that makes ME happy 😀

  23. Kevin Greene says:

    In the first post it looks like Joy asked and answered her own question, but she said 3 eggs. So just to be clear you mix all the ingredients together (including 2 eggs as stated in your recipe) then fry those into pancakes, correct?

  24. Steve George says:

    My first try at this tasted good but they didn’t hold together and were kind of mushy. Any ideas why? One more egg? Hotter coconut oil?

    Thanks! I love your recipes!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hotter oil and maybe another egg!

    2. Rachel says:

      Squeeze the shredded taters in a paper towel to get as much moisture out as possible, the egg will make a much better “glue” that way and they’ll get crispier. 🙂

  25. Michelle says:

    Hi Sarah, not sure what i am doing wrong. I would like to get mysweet potato hash crunchy but it just seems to burn;( Advice?

    1. Sarah says:

      Do you have enough egg in them? Start on medium high heat and once the latkes start to crisp and hold together on the bottom turn the heat down to medium and let them cook for a couple of minutes and then flip. Watch them close and flip them before they burn!

      1. Michelle says:

        Thanks Sarah- I guess it would help if added the eggs to the sweet potatoes;) They came out yummo!!! I just had the best breakfast for lunch.

        THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO:) I’M LOVIN IT!!

  26. Cheryl says:

    Sweet potatoes?? I thought tubers are OUT.

    1. If you are otherwise lean and healthy sweet potatoes can be a great addition to eating paleo. However, I recommend that folks who are trying to lean out “earn” their sweet potatoes. In other words, eat them AFTER a workout to replenish muscle glycogen – but do not eat them all day everyday. For kids, starchier veggies are fair game!! Not sure if you have checked out http://www.eplifefit.com but there you will find all the nutritional and fitness support you could possibly imagine!!

  27. Tried these this past weekend and they were off the chain! I will be writing about it on my blog. Thank you for this recipe!!!

    1. So glad you liked the Latkes Carmen!

  28. These were delicious ~ the onion added so much to them. Thanks for posting!

    1. You are very welcome, glad you enjoyed them!

  29. Do I use raw sweet potatos?

    1. Sarah says:

      Yes!

  30. Nomnomnic says:

    OMG, these were so delicious!! Next time I will add more onion, because I am an onion fiend…

  31. Michelle says:

    I am gluten and corn intolerant and have finally ditched the grains completely…now baby stepping the family…made these today…the boys have them drizzled with a touch of maple syrup. Thumbs up! We will be making these again!

  32. Rita says:

    what do I do if I want to make for 2 people, how do I adjust ingredients?
    Thanks

  33. I tried them tonight! I’m new to sweat potatoes, mainly because I just didn’t like their taste. Anyway, I see some posts about them not binding well I was wondering, are they supposed to be watery? Mine had a ton of liquid and fell apart on the pan. Also, they didn’t come out cripsy at all do they not get really crispy? Thanks!

  34. Mimi says:

    Do you peel the sweet potatoes before grating?
    Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      Yes, definitely peel the sweet potatoes. : )

  35. I am trying these tonight and can’t wait! I don’t have coconut oil yet as I am not technically starting until next week (payweek for shopping!) so I will be using EVOO. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

  36. These are so good! I used bacon fat instead of coconut oil since after cooking the bacon, it was all right there and seems logical. Curious though how the coconut oil would taste.

    As far as the yam/sweet potato debate, that historical info about Africa and Asia is really interesting. Never heard that. But when we go to the supermarket here in America, the orange ones say “yams” and the white ones say “sweet potatoes”. So not quite sure what to do with that. I made them with the orange ones and they were delicious! Also dashed some nutmeg in there too.

    Great recipe, thanks!!

    1. Jamie says:

      Our stores here in Wisconsin only carry the oranges ones and they are labeled sweet potatoes. Technically they are just different types of sweet potatoes. Yams do not grow in the United States.

  37. Joeyian says:

    Hey, just tried the recipe, but i realized that the sweet potatoes were not very cooked even after cooking it for 10 mins, should i first boil the sweet potatoes before cooking it again with the egg mixture?

    Thanks!

  38. Anthony says:

    These came out great today

  39. Meghan says:

    Thanks for posting this! We hosted some family friends for brunch this morning and not only are they Paleo eaters, but the BFing mom is off gluten and dairy due to baby’s intolerance. So I cooked these to go with out bacon and eggs and we finished the entire batch! I did make some changes though:

    With the full 5 cups of shredded potatoes, I found I needed a third egg. I used shallots instead of onions. And, the cinnamon sounded unappetizing to me, with onions, so I omitted that and substituted some oregano and thyme, about 1/2 teaspoon of each. Then I threw in some chopped Italian parsley, about 1/4 cup. Turned out yummy! Since my own family does not eat Paleo all the time, we’ll be enjoying them next time with some homemade tzatziki or a garlic aioli.

  40. I like the flavor of these, so yummy. I just made a similar latke recipe but I think they are more of a veggie pancake, super simple like these and delicious for in you sack lunch or pocket while snowboarding! 😉
    Check em out on my blog http://irislazz.blogspot.com
    Happy paleo living!

  41. Suzette says:

    Just saw this recipe last night and it sounds delicious. My family and I trying not to buy more than we need to make a meal — saving money and all. So, I was wondering, about how many sweet potatoes should I buy to make 5 cups of shredded sweet potato?
    Can’t wait to put these yummy goodies in my mouth!

  42. Shavonne says:

    Greetings!! I made these this morning an fell in love; however I had some leftover can I cover and refrigerate the mixture of should I have made them all and reheated for later?

    1. i did, it’s just me so i grated up one medium size sweet potato, added one egg and the spices, made two 5-6″ latkes yesterday, refrigerated and made one more today…turned out the same as the others!!! i couldn’t resist the urge to press and flatten, so they didn’t stay uniform. i think if i can master keeping the “cake” together i’d make the whole batch and maybe freeze for future breakfasts?

  43. these are delish!!!!!!!! with a big blop of the applesauce i just made (just raw apples and cinnamon in a blender!)…omggggggggggggggggggggg! thanks for the new staple breakfast in my house 🙂

  44. Dawn says:

    Ugh. If any recipe needed sugar, it’s this one. My son and I both found this to be pretty awful, and I love sweet potatoes! This one’s a big swing and a miss.

    1. Sugar??? These aren’t supposed to be sweet like a pancake but savory and just a little bit of sweetness from the potato themselves and served with eggs and bacon. So sorry you didn’t enjoy them!

  45. Maureen says:

    Your blog and site are very helpful. Just started gluten n sugar free six months ago. Has been very difficult. I think I need dairy to go too. I’m feeling it. I’m scared but am doing well on replacements. This recipe sounds great I love sweet potatoes!! Thanks again.

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