Fried Sweet Potato Tots Recipe (Vegan + Gluten Free) | Wicked Spatula (2024)

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, what could be better than fried sweet potato tots?! Okay, I’m a little over excited but this sweet potato tater tots recipe is delicious and so stupidly easy, I don’t know why I haven’t been making them for years!

Fried sweet potato tots are one of my go-to paleo side dishes for my kids. They round out our low carb meals for them and make them so happy.

Plus, this vegan sweet potato tater tots recipe is awesome for barbecues, game night, or parties. They scream party food!

Are Fried Sweet Potato Tots Healthy?

Absolutely, these fried sweet potato tots are healthy. While they aren’t low carb, they tick just about every other health food checkbox. Paleo, whole30, vegan tater tots made with natural ingredients? Yes!!

Not all sweet potato tater tots are healthy, though. All store bought ones I’ve seen contain processed ingredients such as sugar, cornstarch, refined vegetable oils, dextrose, and even artificial flavors. No, thanks!

That’s why I like to make homemade sweet potato tots – I know exactly what ingredients go into them.

Don’t let the word “fried” scare you into believing they have been made in an unhealthy way. Coconut oil is good fat and is ideal for cooking foods at higher heat.

Plus, sweet tater tots have beneficial nutrients, including vitamin C, fiber, beta-carotene, magnesium, copper, and niacin.

How To Make Sweet Potato Tots Crispy

The key to super crispy sweet potato tater tots? You need to FRY them!

There’s a time and a place for baked foods, and I love them, but for these, frying is best for that super crispy exterior.

How To Make Homemade Sweet Potato Tots

I am so excited to show you how to make sweet potato tater tots because they are the easiest! You can make your own vegan sweet potato tots in just 4 steps:

• Cook the sweet potatoes. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into cubes, then boil them for about 12 minutes, until just tender. Drain well.

PRO TIP: Don’t overcook the sweet potatoes – they can get too mushy and not stick together well. They’re ready to drain when you can pierce them with a fork, without much resistance in the middle.

• Mix the sweet potatoes with almond flour, tapioca flour, and seasonings. I used sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
• Form tater tot shapes. You can make them any size you like! I like small ones so that I get more crispy exterior surface area.
• Fry the vegan sweet potato tots in coconut oil over medium-high heat, about 1 minute per side. They are done when the outside is golden brown and crispy!

How To Make Sweet Potato Tater Tot Sauce

You could totally enjoy these paleo sweet potato tots without the sauce, but I think it’s a must!

To make the sauce, simply mix up some avocado oil mayo, chipotle pepper, and ranch seasoning mix.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you: the tater tot sauce is crazy good and you’ll want to use it on everything! It’s perfect for crispy baked sweet potato fries, too.

Can I Use Yams In This Sweet Potato Tater Tot Recipe?

Yes, you can use yams in this sweet potato tater tot recipe — usually you can use yams and sweet potatoes interchangeably.

There’s a lot of confusion between sweet potatoes and yams. Here are the main differences:

• Yams – The skin of a yam is typically darker and rough, while the inside is light in color. Because yams are drier, you will want to use a little more oil when cooking with it.
• Sweet Potatoes – The skin of a sweet potato is a fair amount lighter than a yam, and the inside is light yellow to a dark orange color.

The biggest difference? Sweet potatoes are much sweeter than yams!

Variations For This Sweet Potato Tots Recipe

I think this sweet potato tots recipe is perfect as-is, and don’t recommend messing with it if you’re making it for kids especially. But, if you want to lighten it up a bit or cut down on carbs, here are some ways to sneak some veggies in there:

• Broccoli – The flavor combination of sweet potatoes and broccoli is perfection. Boil the broccoli with the potatoes and blend together.
• Cauliflower – Add some extra nutrients by adding in some cooked cauliflower, which is naturally low carb. Plus, it won’t alter the flavor of the sweet potato tater tots recipe too much!
• Carrots – If you toss in some cooked carrots, your crispy tater tots will turn out sweeter.

If you choose to add veggies like these, you can just boil them at the same time as the sweet potatoes.

Can You Make Fried Sweet Potato Tots Ahead?

Yes, you can fried sweet potato tots ahead. They make wonderful leftovers! Follow the instructions as directed, then refrigerate or freeze them in an airtight container.

So if you think serving homemade tater tots for a party is too much work, making them ahead is the key. Same goes for meal prep!

You can store fried sweet potato tots either before or after frying, but I’d probably do it before. The flavor won’t diminish since the sweet potatoes were cooked before forming the tots!

To reheat either refrigerated or frozen sweet potato tots that were already fried, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat them on a baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes if they are thawed, or 16 to 20 minutes from frozen. If they aren’t crispy enough, place under the broiler for a couple minutes at the end. Or, fry them a bit a second time.

If you didn’t fry your vegan tater tots before storing, it’s best to fry them in coconut oil as directed on the recipe. This is the crispiest option!

What To Serve With Sweet Potato Tater Tots

The sweet potato tater tots are so good, you could make a meal out of them, but you probably shouldn’t on their own. 😉 Here are some amazing paleo recipes that go with them:

• Veggie Packed Turkey Burgers…or Cauliflower Burgers for a vegetarian meal!
• Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings
• Beef Chuck Eye Steak

More Paleo Sweet Potato Recipes

• Sweet Potato Fries
• Cinnamon Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Sweet Potato Salad