These sweet potato chickpea patties are the perfect high iron baby led weaning recipe that uses simple ingredients. It is also gluten free and vegetarian!
It’s official. My second born has officially hopped on the baby led weaning train which means we are pumping out new baby led weaning recipes on the regular.
But I will say, not much has changed since I was developing baby led weaning recipes with my first born – I still like to keep things super simple, easy, and to the point. That means using simple ingredients that are nutrient-dense, along with minimal equipment. Because ain’t nobody got time for dat!
So If you are also a mama (or dada) that is pressed for time and wants to ensure that your little babe gets the nutrition that they need without the fuss, then these sweet potato chickpea patties are right up your alley!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
These sweet potato chickpea patties have a high approval rating in my household from both my baby and toddler. I’ll admit, even mama had a few bites and thoroughly enjoyed. Here are a few more reasons why we are loving this recipe!
- High in protein and fibre
- Requires few ingredients and minimal equipment
- Family Friendly
- Gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan (if you omit the sauce)
Key Ingredients
Sweet Potato – For this these sweet potato chickpea patties we use one medium sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are also nutrient-dense and very palatable for babies starting solids.
Chickpeas – I love using chickpeas in my baby led weaning recipes because they are a great source of protein, fibre, and iron!
Flax Egg – the flax egg acts as a binder to help hold the patties together. If you don’t need to make these vegan, you can use an egg instead.
Chickpea Flour – the chickpea flour works with the flax egg to help bind everything together. Chickpea flour is also gluten friendly and complements this recipe quite nicely. But you can feel free to use an alternative flour like almond or oat instead.
Spices – To flavour these patties we use a combination of cumin, curry powder, and turmeric. We only use about a 1/4 teaspoon of these spices as a little bit goes a long way. But if you are making these for adults, you can be a bit more liberal with the spice quantities.
Nutritional Yeast – Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein and B12! It also adds a yummy cheese like flavour to the patties, which is great if you want to make these patties vegan.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Pierce sweet potato with a fork, wrap with a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 8-9 minutes. Carefully cut the sweet potato in half and scoop out the flesh and set it aside.
Step 2: Drain and add half a cup of chickpeas to the food processor. Pulse until it breaks down to a coarse texture. Add the sweet potato flesh and pulse to combine. Add in curry powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, flax egg, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast.
Step 3: Pulse until blended. Let the mixture set in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Shape the mixture into patties and transfer to a baking tray and brush with olive oil.
Step 5: Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly golden, flipping halfway through. While the patties are in the oven, add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend to form a smooth sauce.
Expert Tips
To cook the sweet potato, you can certainly roast or boil. However, my favourite sweet potato hack is to poke several holes in it with a fork, wrap in a wet paper towel, and nuke it in the microwave for about 10 minutes. This will save you SO much time!
We also recommend toasting the chickpeas flour before combining with the rest of the ingredients for the patties as this will bring out a nice nutty flour.
If you are making this for your little one, keep in mind that a little bit of spice goes a long way. However, if you are making this for yourself, feel free to add more spice to yield a more flavourful patty.
Recipe FAQs
For sure. These should keep in the freezer for up to 6 months!
Totally! If you are making this for you AND your little one, you can set aside half of the blended ingredients and add salt to the adult portion before baking.
These patties are allergy friendly and don’t contain any of the common allergens. However, if you a guide for allergen introduction with your little one you can check that out in my allergen guide.
Yes! One patty provides around 2mg of iron which is great for infants. If you are interested in more information on iron rich foods, I talk all about it in my iron-rich guide for babies and toddlers.
Absolutely. Instead of Greek yogurt, you can substitute it for a plain vegan-friendly option instead.
More Recipes Like This
If you liked this recipe, you’ll love more of these baby led weaning recipes on the blog!
- Sweet Potato Fritters with Lentil & Kale
- Kale Frittata with Red Peppers
- Sweet Potato Apple Muffins
- Hummus Baby Meatballs
Did you enjoy these sweet potato chickpea patties? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Sweet Potato Chickpea Patties (BLW)
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- ¼ teaspoon mild curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 flax egg
- ½ cup chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Avocado greek yogurt sauce
- 1/2 an avocado
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
Instructions
- Dry roast the chickpea flour in a small dry skillet, until fragrant and begins to change colour (about 5 minutes). Set aside in a small bowl.
- Wash the sweet potato, pierce with a fork and wrap with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 8-9 minutes. Start with 4 minutes and then do an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Carefully cut the sweet potato in half and scoop out the flesh and set it aside.
- Drain and add half a cup of chickpeas to the food processor. Pulse until it breaks down to a coarse texture. Add the sweet potato flesh and pulse to combine. Add in curry powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, flax egg, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast. Pulse a few more times till everything is well blended.
- Let the mixture set in the fridge for about 30 minutes, this will make it easier to shape.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Lightly grease your hands and shape the mixture into patties. Transfer the patties to the baking tray and brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly golden, flipping halfway through.
- While the patties are in the oven, add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend to form a smooth sauce.
- Serve patties warm or at room temperature along with the dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Updated on July 31st, 2023
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Melody says
Recipe was easy to follow and came out perfect! My 12 month old loved them! We used an egg, oat flour, and omitted the curry, and used a small cookie scoop to scoop the ‘dough’ before flattening with the back of the cookie scoop before baking. Will definitely be making a double batch next time. Thanks so much for sharing.
Jamie says
How long do these last in the fridge?
Abbey Sharp says
Around 3-4 days in an airtight container or you can freeze them
Debbie says
is nutritional yeast and parmesan good for babies during weaning? I’m trying to decide on which recipes to use & was considering whether to use the nutritional yeast or parmesan in this recipe. also, we’re not vegan so can egg be used instead of the flax egg?
thanks
Jan says
Can I use cheese instead of nutritional yeast? how much should I use?
Abbey Sharp says
I would sub for 2 tbsp parmesan. Hope this helps!
Carleen says
Since the size of sweet potatoes can vary greatly, about how many cups do you use for this recipe.
Abbey Sharp says
about 3/4 to 1 cup
HC says
Unfortunately, these did not turn out for me at all! The mixture turned out to be similar to the consistency of hummus, and even after refrigeration and mixing in some additional flour, it was still a goopy mess that definitely did not benefit from baking! I can’t help but wonder if the flour measurement is incorrect in the recipe?
Abbey Sharp says
So sorry to hear that!
Here are a few things that helped me that you can try next time.
– I drained and dried the chickpeas using a paper towel that way I did not add extra moisture into the patties
– I also lightly greased my hands to prevent the dough from sticking
– It is also important to consider the size of the sweet potato, if there is too much sweet potato puree the resulting dough will have hummus-like consistency
– If the mixture is still too moist, you can add more flour 1 tbsp at a time
I hope that helps!
Lilia says
Hi Abbey,
At what point do you incorporate the sweet potato with the chickpea mixture? Do you add it in to the food processor? Or just mash the sweet potato with a fork and mix it with the food processor contents before placing the bowl in the fridge?
I’m wondering if this detail would make a difference in the consistency I’m getting.
Abbey Sharp says
Hi Lilia, I just updated the recipe card! At the end of the day it shouldn’t matter as long as it’s well combined.
Kailee says
These were delicious! Subbed the chickpea flour with almond flour and added a little Parmesan cheese and it was so good. I have been looking for some healthy recipes for awhile and I am so glad I came across your website!
Mikaela says
Love, so good!