These Sweet Potato Lentil Baby Fritters 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 I have been sharing my son’s evening meals on my Instagram stories. We started solids just a bit before he turned 6 months as he was showing the signs of readiness. I wanted to introduce some of the major allergens right out of the gate, and have been using a baby-led weaning approach. This meant that instead of relying on infant rice cereal for baby’s first sources of iron, I have had to get a bit more creative in the kitchen. This was the inspiration for these sweet potato lentil baby fritters which have since become an absolute favourite with Baby E.
Why Sweet Potato Lentil Baby Fritters?
Sweet potato was Baby E’s second ever food and has remained one of his stand by favourites. It’s sweet, it’s packed with antioxidants and fibre for regularity. Also, when cooked well, it’s easy for babe to eat.
Lentils are a great source of vegetarian protein and iron, which babies have elevated needs for by the 6 month mark. When my son was just starting baby-led weaning, he was a bit resistant to eating meat, so I’ve gotten creative with vegan sources of iron and protein.
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.
Also, let’s talk about shape. These Sweet Potato Lentil Baby 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 like making 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 sweet potato lentil baby fritters myself since I like to model the eating in front of Baby E while he’s having his meal. If I enjoy them even without salt, I know they’re pretty good.
Now loves, let me know, what are some of your baby’s favourite homemade snacks that are high in iron?
Leave me a comment below with your thoughts on these sweet potato lentil baby fritters!
Sweet Potato Lentil Baby Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked red split lentils soaked overnight in water
- 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
- 6 tbsp gluten free oats
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- To a food processor, pulse the lentils, garlic, kale, sweet potato, cumin, paprika, and flax egg. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the gluten free oats.
- Shape into long finger like "sticks" and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet, and pan-fry on all sides until golden brown. Serve at room temperature.
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian, an avid food writer and blogger, a cookbook author and the founder of Abbey’s Kitchen Inc.
LIELLE says
Can i soak lentils for 3 hours instead of overnight?
Abbey Sharp says
That should be fine.
Madi says
Hi. Quick question: can you substitute yams for the sweet potatoes?
Abbey Sharp says
Yup, for sure.
Kk says
Do you cook the potato first???
Abbey Sharp says
Nope, just grate it.
Krysta Phalen says
These were amazing. I added extra 1/2 cup oat flour. Also nutritional yeast!
Definitely time consuming making them into little nuggets but we lovedddd the flavor. Baby loved them too. Thanks Abby! I watch your videos on YouTube All the timeeee. More vegan videos please!!
Abbey Sharp says
Awesome! Thank you 🙂
Nathalie says
I wanted to love these, and they do taste great! Buuut I’m an experienced cook and even I feel like the instructions are too vague. It wasn’t clear to what extent the mixture needed to be processed. Usually pulsing means to leave it a bit coarse so that’s what I did, but with no idea of *how* coarse it should be I was just guessing. The coarseness made them hard to form, and I realized later that the consistency looked a lot mushier in your finished product, almost like it should have been processed into a creamier texture. So it would be nice if you had explained what the texture should be like at the end of processing 🙂 I used quick oats for my oats, but again it wasn’t clear if that was the right texture for the recipe? In the end I added an egg and managed to get finger shapes with a good deal of frustration. They break when my baby picks them up but he’s managing to eat them between picking up some chunks and me feeding him the ones he can’t get (we just experiment with BLW).
Abbey Sharp says
So sorry about that. We will review the instructions and create some more clearer steps. Thanks for your comment.
Laura says
Hello, Abbey. Do you think I can try baking these instead of pan frying?
Abbey Sharp says
Yup, you can try!
Verena says
Hi, do you leave the lentils uncooked for processing and until frying?
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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!