These *NEW AND IMPROVED* Sweet Potato Fritters with lentils and kale are a fantastic high iron first food for baby led weaning, especially for vegetarian and vegan babies.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that we love to share baby led weaning recipes on the feed! When I started solids with my first born, I wanted to introduce some of the major allergens right out of the gate via the baby-led weaning approach.
This meant that instead of relying on infant rice cereal for baby’s first sources of iron, I had to get a bit more creative in the kitchen. This was the inspiration for these sweet potato fritters with lentils which have since become an absolute favourite with my son even now that he’s a full blown toddler!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
My Big Boy E would be the first to tell you that these sweet potato fritters are the bomb dot com and not to sleep on them! Besides the fact that they kinda taste like a yummy crispy falafel, here are a few more reasons why these sweet potato fritters are great for baby led weaning.
- Packed with with antioxidants and fibre
- Good for regularity
- Easy for baby to eat
- vegan source of iron and protein
- Requires less than 10 ingredients
Key Ingredients
Red Lentils – we use split red lentil to make these sweet potato fritters because they are super easy to work with and prep! All we do is soak them over night to soften and thats it, no pre-cooking required.
Oats – I will typically use rolled oats for this recipe, but you might find it easier to use quick cooking oats as they are smaller in size which may help to soak up the moisture from the sweet potato fritters slightly better. Otherwise, you can use rolled oats and grind them up a bit in the food processor.
Kale – I love to add a healthy dose of greens anywhere I can when i’m feeding my little one so I threw in some kale to make these sweet potato fritters. But you can of course add any green of your choice. Spinach would work great here as well!
Sweet Potato – Rather than pre-cooking the sweet potato here, we grate it and allow it to cook at the end when panfrying. I would also be mindful to press any excess liquid out from the grated sweet potato with paper towel before combining with the rest of the ingredients as the extra moisture might make it too wet to bind together.
Flax Egg – To make this recipe vegan we use a flax egg as a binder by combining 1 tablespoon of flax seed with 2 tablespoons of almond milk and letting it thicken in the fridge for 15 mins. But if you don’t need to make these vegan, you can use an egg instead.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1-2: To a food processor, pulse the lentils, garlic, kale, sweet potato, cumin, paprika, and flax egg.
Step 3: Transfer to a bowl and stir in the oats.
Step 4: Shape into long finger like “sticks” and place on a lined baking sheet.
Step 5-6: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet, and pan-fry on all sides until golden brown. Serve at room temperature.
Expert Tips
These sweet potato fritters are great for batch cooking which is why I like to make a big batch of them for the week! I keep half in the fridge for the week, and freeze the other half. Then every few days, I pull out a few little fritters and let them thaw in the fridge before dinner. Honestly, I’ve eaten a lot of these fritters myself since I like to model the eating in front of my son while he’s having his meal. If I enjoy them even without salt, I know they’re pretty good.
Also, let’s talk about shape. These fritters are easy for baby to pick up and hold because of their finger shape. They’re also soft enough inside that they can chewed on even without teeth.
I also really wanted to introduce kale or other dark nutritious greens, and since it’s hard for babies to eat salad, pureeing them into these baby fritters seemed like a perfect idea.
Recipe FAQs
You definitely can! Although they wont turn out as crispy and golden as they do when pan fried. I’d suggest baking at 375F for 30-35 mins and flipping them halfway.
You can store these fritters in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.
If you don’t need to make these vegan then yes definitely! I also like to use flax seed here because it boosts the omega 3 fats.
To get 1 cup of soaked lentils you’ll need 1/2 cup dry soaked in about 1 cup of water (the lentils will expand significantly).
I’d suggest mixing in more oats (1 tbsp at a time) to help soak up some of the moisture and make it easier to work with and shape. Otherwise, you can also try sprinkling in a bit of flour or bread crumbs as well.
More Recipes You Might Like
If you loved these sweet potato fritters for baby led weaning, then you are going to LOVE these recipes for your little one.
- Salmon Sweet Potato Fritters
- Sweet Potato Apple Muffins (High Iron)
- Mini Broccoli and Egg Muffins
- Hummus Baby Meatballs
Now loves, let me know, what are some of your baby’s favourite homemade snacks that are high in iron?
Sweet Potato Fritters with Lentils & Kale (Vegan BLW Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked red split lentils soaked overnight in water, measured after soaking
- 1 cup minced baby kale
- 1 cup grated sweet potato
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp ground flax with 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup gluten free oats
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the lentils, garlic, kale, sweet potato, cumin, paprika, and flax egg. Pulse for 3-5 minutes until fully combined, scrapping down the sides if needed.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the oats. If you find the mixture is too wet to shape, add more oats 1 tbsp at a time.
- Shape into long finger like "sticks" and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or baking sheet.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet, and pan-fry on all sides until golden brown. Fritters might be delicate when flipping so use a spatula and carefully flip them.
- Serve at room temperature.
Video
Nutrition
Leave me a comment below with your thoughts on these sweet potato fritters!
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.
Jen says
How to store them?
Abbey Sharp says
Sealed container in the fridge or freezer if you’re not using them as often.
Katlyn Smith says
Where I am, it is hard to get kale.. Would I be able to swap in spinach?
Abbey Sharp says
Yup, that works!
Barb says
Could I make these instead of frying them ? With a spritz of oil on parchment and if so how long or just until heated ? Delish!
Abbey Sharp says
Hi Barb, I haven’t tested a baked version but I think it could work. 20-25 mins at 400F might be a good place to start – let me know how it goes!
meea says
Hi, how long would you bake for?
Abbey Sharp says
I didn’t bake them in this recipe, but I would assume 15-20 minutes.
Estefania says
Hello! Do you store these in the fridge/freezer cooked or uncooked? Thank you! X
Abbey Sharp says
Cooked
Taylor says
Does the sweet potato have to be cooked first?
Abbey Sharp says
Nope!
Thalia says
Would there be an alternative to frying that would work? I like this recipe but the frying part I’m not keen on.
Abbey Sharp says
You could try to bake it.
Emily says
Can I use any kind of oats (i.e. rolled oats, steel cut, quick)? Do I have to grind them up? Are rolled oats too tough to chew? Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
Hey Emily, I often use rolled oats and I recommend grinding them up so they’re easy to chew.
Beth says
Is the flaxseed a major part of the nutrition? Could I use an egg to bind instead?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes absolutely.
Carter says
Hi Abbey! Could an actual egg be used in place of the flax egg?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes! I just like the extra omegas from flax
Min says
Can I use green lentils instead of the red?
Abbey Sharp says
Should be fine
Carly says
Hi Abby,
I have lots of green lentils on hand. Would this be an okay substitute for red lentils? Or would it alter the recipe and textures too much?
Abbey Sharp says
i think it should be fine!
Christina says
What is a flax egg?
Abbey Sharp says
A flax egg is a vegan egg substitute. You can make one flax egg by combining 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk.
Christopher says
Hi Abby,
How much water do you soak the lentils in? I soaked some and they more than doubled in volume. Is this right? If so, do I use only a cup of these lentils or the whole amount (which is now 2+ cups).
Thanks! Chris
Abbey Sharp says
Hi Chris, only 1 cup of soaked lentils should be used in the recipe.
Carolyn says
Hi Abby!
I tried making these, and they were a hit with both me and my baby. But I couldn’t get them to stay together very well. Any tips?
Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
hey Carolyn, glad your family loved! Hm, it could be that the veg or soaked lentils were just a bit too moist. Try patting the lentils dry, and give the sweet potatoes a squeeze to remove excess liquid after its shredded and before you add them together. Another method would be to add a little more oats to help bind. It was likely just a moisture balance issue and all veggies are a little different.
Grace says
This might be a daft question but if I were to freeze these how would you thaw and reheat these for best results? Thank you.
Abbey Sharp says
You can let them thaw in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for about a minute or so.
Abbey Sharp says
Wetting my hands with a bit of water can help to keep it together. Let me know
Carolyn says
I made them a second time and patted everything dry. They’re much better… But this time I forgot the kale ????#mombrain
Thanks for your help!
Abbey Sharp says
ha, I know the feeling. Thanks Carolyn 🙂
Katherine says
Do you need to cook the lentils before blending with the other ingredients, or just soak them?
Abbey Sharp says
Hey Katherine, the lentils are soaked overnight.
Bec says
I made the recipe and so far it’s lovely, thanks! Just had a thought along these same lines though; aren’t there some negatives to not fully cooking lentils? Eg phytic acid limiting calcium absorption and perhaps generating excess gas? 😉 Or are they supposed to cook long enough in the pan to fully cook the lentils (I might not have done that).
Abbey Sharp says
Hey Bec, the lentils should have been soaked overnight.
Bec says
Definitely soaked; is that equivalent to cooking?
Abbey Sharp says
They’re soaked first and then cooked when made into fritters.
Michelle says
Is there a benefit to frying them versus baking them? Do they stay together better? I’d prefer to avoid the oil.
Abbey Sharp says
My son seems to prefer the texture and its a great way to sneak in extra fats, which babies need, but you can definitely try it baked.
Ann says
Hey Abbey! These look delicious! I just wanted to let you know they aren’t vegan with the egg in the them – is there a substitute you would recommend?
Abbey Sharp says
Hi Ann, my bad! The recipe meant to say flax egg. Thanks for spotting!
Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com says
Yum, these look so amazing! Love the idea of using lentils here too, can’t wait to try this!!
Abbey Sharp says
Yayy enjoy!
Dee says
Could we air fry these?
Abbey Sharp says
I haven’t tried it but I think you could. Let me know how it goes!