Sweet Potato Croquettes are delicious, flavorful, savory balls of mashed sweet potatoes, cheese, and an assortment of seasoning. They have the perfect crisp on the outside, and soft and tender inside. The best bite-sized comfort food ever.

The best part? Sweet Potato balls are easy to make ahead, freeze well, and can be cooked from frozen. Plus, you can deep fry them on the stove, bake in the oven, or cook in the air fryer.

Why You'll Love these Sweet Potato Croquettes

• Bite-sized comfort food. Think Mashed Potato Balls but with sweet potatoes. These appetizers are creamy, cheesy, and full of carbs, which makes them a total comfort food appy. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But just as perfect for a cozy lunch or a game day snack.
• The best texture. These sweet potato croquettes have a perfect crispy, golden, outer layer with a soft and creamy inside. It’s the best of both worlds.
• Easy to make. Croquettes may seem complicated to make, but they are surprisingly very easy, All you need to do is combine the ingredients, roll into balls and cook. It's a perfect recipe for beginners to try, but seasoned home cooks will love it too!
• You can fry, bake, air fry them. I personally love making these sweet potato croquettes in the air fryer because it cooks fast, requires no preheating, and the results are delicious. But luckily, even if you don't have an air fryer, you can easily cook these bites in the oven or deep fry them in a cooking pot.
• Great for meal prep. These croquettes are easy to make ahead. You can make them and store in the fridge for hours or days before cooking, or freeze them for up to 3 months for a stress-free appy or snack to make on demand from frozen.

Ingredient Notes

To make these delicious Sweet Potato Croquettes, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• mashed sweet potatoes - you can also use leftover Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Candied Yams from a holiday dinner. Using this will change the taste of these sweet potato balls, so I would recommend adding then ingredients up to and before the egg. Give it a taste and adjust the amount if seasonings to add, as needed.
• milk
• cheese - Most hard cheese will work. I recommend using cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese for a complementary flavor.
• meat - add in some ham or bacon or leave it out completely to keep the recipe vegetarian. We used deli ham but this is a good recipe for using a baked ham from your Christmas leftovers too.
• green onions
• seasoning - we use garlic powder, paprika (or chili powder for a spicier kick), salt, and pepper.
• panko breadcrumbs - adds a crispy coating to these sweet potato balls. We like the texture of panko breadcrumbs, but regular breadcrumbs will work well too.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a cooking pot, sheet pan, or air fryer (depending on the cooking method that you choose).

How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Croquettes

1. Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, milk, cheese, ham, green onions, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well until smooth.

2. Shape balls. Take 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato mixture at a time and use your hands to shape into balls like meatballs. Alternatively, you can use an ice cream scoop to shape into even balls.
3. Coat. Add breadcrumbs to a large bowl or shallow plate. Dip the mashed potato balls in the breadcrumbs and gently press the crumbs to coat.
4. Freeze. Arrange the mashed potato balls evenly in a parchment lined half sheet baking pan and transfer into the freezer. Freeze for 15-20 minutes to firm up (and help the croquettes hold their shape while cooking).

5. Cook. You can cook the croquettes on the stove, in the oven, or in the air fryer.

How to Serve

Serve mashed sweet potato balls as a hot appetizer on its own or with a side of mayo or your favorite dipping sauce. Try it with:

• Tzatziki Sauce
• Whipped Ricotta Dip
• Queso Mexican Cheese Dip
• Tahini Sauce
• Whipped Feta

You can also serve these air fryer sweet potato balls over salads too that need a little extra to make them more filling.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Make Ahead Instructions

For easy party prep, you can prepare a whole batch of these sweet potato bites and store in the refrigerator or freezer for hours, days, or months ahead of time.

Cook when you are ready to host your guests for fresh appys on call. Quickly fry them up or pop into the oven or air fryer. You could also cook them in advance, refrigerate, and reheat.

How to Store

Allow the sweet potato Croquettes cool to room temperature first (otherwise you’ll end up with soggy croquettes). Then, transfer the balls to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.

How to Reheat

Reheat leftover cooked mashed sweet potato balls in a single layer in a 375F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or in the air fryer at 350F for 5-10 minutes until warm and crisp on the outside.

How to Freeze

Freeze sweet potato croquettes before you cook them. Prepare them up to the point of cooking, then arrange the balls in a single layer on a large half sheet baking pan. Freeze until hard, about 1 hour. Then, transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can cook directly from frozen.

To cook from frozen, just cook in the same way that you would when following the recipe. Add a few extra minutes to the cook time as it will take slightly longer to cook until crisp and golden brown.

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