These Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes are grain-free, dairy-free and, as always, paleo and AIP compliant. Stuffed here with a savory beef filling, but are totally customizable and can be made vegan with a different filling.
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These AIP Stuffed Sweet Potato cakes are fun, filling and delicious! Creamy white sweet potatoes are paired with a flavourful beef filling and topped with a delicious avocado crema.
I’ll be the first to admit that this is a slightly more involved recipe. While it might not be a go-to weeknight meal (check out some of my fave quick meals), these are a fun treat to make on the weekend and to get the kiddies involved in. Who doesn’t enjoying rolling dough? What’s more, because of the sweet and savoury combo these are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Making the Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes
I’ve separated the recipe notes into how to make the beef filling and how to make the the sweet potato cakes. In reality, these things will likely happen simultaneously, especially if you’re like me and want to save time in the kitchen.
- To begin, peel, chop and boil sweet potatoes.
- As the sweet potatoes boil, make the beef filling.
- Puree the sweet potatoes in a food processor, or mash them using a potato masher. Note that if you aren’t using your sweet potato puree right away the mixture will likely oxidize. This won’t affect the taste, just something to note. Storing the sweet potato puree in the fridge also results in it releasing a bit of moisture so you will likely need more flour than called for in the recipe.
- Combine the sweet potato puree with the cassava flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper and then cut circles out of the dough.
- Fill the half the circles of dough with the beef filling and seal the top with remaining circles of dough.
- Cook 8-10 minutes in a hot cast iron pot with olive oil, flipping once and covering the pan halfway through.
Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes FAQs
Can I use another type of sweet potato in this recipe?
I recommend using Japanese sweet potatoes in this recipe. Japanese Murasaki sweet potatoes have a reddish-purple skin with a white interior. Their texture is a bit dry and their flavour almost nutty. This is important for the purposes of this Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes recipe and many others like my AIP Sourdough Bread in which I call for white sweet potatoes, because they don’t get as soggy or watery as orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. I do not recommend orange sweet potatoes for this recipe.
Can I substitute the cassava flour?
I haven’t tested any other flours with similar result so can’t say for sure or guarantee results with any flour substitutions.
Can I make the sweet potato puree ahead of time?
Yes, but note that the sweet potatoes will oxidize once out or stored in the fridge. This means they’ll turn a bit green in colour which is not a problem taste-wise, just something to note. The second thing to note is that when allowed to rest (e.g. overnight in the fridge), the sweet potatoes release more moisture and so you will likely need to use more cassava flour than the recipe calls for when putting the dough together.
How do I store these?
These should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I haven’t tried freezing them myself but my guess is that they might be a bit too waterlogged. Do let me know if you’ve had success freezing them!
This recipe will likely make a bit more ground beef filing than is necessary for the stuffed potato cakes. Use your leftover filling in a breakfast hash, eat with a salad or build into a burrito bowl!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:
- Sweet Potato, Bacon and Chive Muffins
- AIP Beef Patties
- Sweet Potato and Spinach Ravioli
- Sweet Potato Lasagna
If you loved this recipe, I would appreciate it so much if you would give it a star rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
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AIP Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes (paleo, grain-free)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 small sweet potato cakes 1x
Description
These AIP Stuffed Sweet Potato cakes are fun, filling and delicious! Creamy white sweet potatoes are paired with a flavourful beef filling and topped with a delicious avocado crema.
Ingredients
Ground Beef Filling
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsps salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms (button or cremini) finely diced
- 2 cups kale, roughly chopped
Sweet Potato Cakes
- 2 cups white sweet potato or Japanese sweet potato, boiled and mashed (about 3 large sweet potatoes)
- 2/3 cup cassava flour
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 TBSP olive oil (for frying)
Avocado Crema (Optional)
- 1 small avocado
- Juice 1/2 lime
- 3 TBSP additive free, full fat coconut milk (substitute with tigernut milk for coconut free)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Beef Filling
- Add olive oil to large skillet and heat on medium heat.
- Once hot, add ground beef, basil, oregano, salt and onion and garlic powder. Sauté 3-4 minutes or until beef is beginning to brown.
- Add add mushrooms and sauté 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add kale and stir so that the kale wilts. Finally, add parsley and sauté 1 minute. Remove pan from heat.
Sweet Potato Cakes
- Peel, chop, boil and mash sweet potatoes.
- Measure out 2 cups of sweet potato mash and mix together with cassava flour and salt until ingredients come together into a pliable ball of dough. If necessary, add a tiny bit more cassava flour to achieve this consistency. You want a soft and pliable dough that is not wet or sticky.
- Place ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. If you roll them thinner than this, they will likely break.
- Next, cut rounds out of the dough about 2.75 – 3 inches in diameter. You can do this using a round pastry cutter – I used the cover to a 1/2 pint sized mason jar.
- Fill half of the rounds with about a TBSP of filling. Try to avoid getting filling too close to the edges, since this is what the remaining circles of dough will adhere to. Gently wipe away excess with your your finger or a small towel if need be.
- Next, place the remaining rounds of dough on top of each filled one. Using wet fingers, press the edges to seal and smooth.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add 3-4 of the sweet potato cakes for 4-5 minutes and then flip. Cover your pan, reduce heat slightly and let cook another 3-4 minutes until they are golden brown. Repeat with remaining sweet potato cakes.*
- Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.
- Optional – Garnish with additional parsley and serve with avocado crema if desired.
Avocado Crema (Optional)
- Peel and mash avocado and combine with lime juice, coconut milk and salt. Add more coconut milk as desired to reach your preferred consistency.
Notes
*I’ve found that working in batches is important to give you space to maneuver your spatula and flip them without them falling apart.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: AIP potato cakes, AIP stuffed sweet potato cakes, paleo, grain-free, dairy-free, sweet potato
I just got done making these for the fourth time in two weeks. I just started AIP a month ago and this is my favorite recipe so far. I shared with my husband and a couple friends (who are not doing the AIP diet but were willing to try a new recipe) and all are obsessed! One friend even texted me a few days later to tell me she was still thinking about them! I’m taking some to her tonight. The avocado, the chewy potato, the flavorful meat, it’s all perfect.
Yay! I’m thrilled to hear this!
Oooofff idk what I did wrong but my potato cakes came out burnt on the outside, no matter how often I turned them. I was using a cast iron skillet which I don’t have much experience with… I think I should have tried my regular skillet. I tried turning the heat down but it didn’t help. This hasn’t discouraged me, I’ve made many recipes from her and I’ve loved most of them. The potato/flour mix turned out great… I was worried about that. I think this was a user error of the cast iron skillet .. idk
I’ll leave this one for the more experienced cooks out there lol… it was a lot of work for me.
The avocado cream was sooo good I’ll make that again because you can’t burn that lol
This diet I have to be on I’m always open to trying something new and not all the time it comes out… I’m ok w that I have left over potato (not mixed w flour) and meat I can eat separately and I’m happy w that! So I’m still giving 4 stars the flavor is there!
★★★★
THANK YOU! I cried last night, wanting something that tasted like “normal food.” Part of jumping back on the wagon. Tonight, we made these. I had leftover chicken, seasoned it with an AIP-ish Mexican-style seasoning (I include non-nightshade seed spices). Shredded it up and used that in place of the beef. They didn’t get cooked as long as you called for, maybe because the heart was too high. But the result was that the inside had the texture of refried beans! It went perfectly with the seasoning I’d chosen. My son, who eats normal food and is an adult with his own preferences, explained, “If I was served this at Taco Bell, I wouldn’t be mad.” Best? I agreed, and felt like I was indulging in something from a food truck.
Thank you so much.
★★★★★
you’re very sweet, thank you!
So filling and flavorful! Thanks for the recipe I am finally really trying AIP. I made so many that it lasted a few days might try to freeze some next time.
★★★★★
These look delicious! Do you know if they can be frozen and reheated?
Yep! They freeze very well
I LOVE these! The texture is perfect and chewy. Your blog turned me onto japanese sweet potatoes and I’m so grateful to learn all the ways to use them!
★★★★★
They all fell apart on me but that’s ok because they were delicious if not pretty! hahaa
★★★★
I made these a couple times and absolutely LOVE them!!! Great taste and texture. I’m so addicted to them now and will make these regularly. Fabulous for take and go snacks/lunch. I have made them with the ground meat as Nicole provided in the recipe, and with a shredded chicken, both equally delicious. Thank you Nicole for providing amazing AIP recipes every time! This is another “blue ribbon” winner! 🙂
★★★★★
I don’t often comment but just had to on this one! These were delicious! I subbed almond flour for the cassava (I react to cassava) and air fried. Yummo!
★★★★★
Looks delish. Just always looking for different gf recipes.
I was contemplating on making this sweet potato cakes versus a Cornish pasty that I love. Gosh, I am glad I gave this recipe a trial and this is for sure going to be a keeper. I’m Cantonese Chinese and these remind me of pan-fried pork buns as northern Chinese comfort food. The beef fillings are well seasoned, while the cakes are crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. I didn’t cover my pan after they are flipped, so I probably ate some raw cassava flour! I slapped them into the oven for 10 minutes at 350 for the leftover and they’re so so good. Thanks, Nicole, for another satisfying recipe!
I really wanted to try these but don’t have cassava flour, so I took a chance making them with coconut flour. It worked, but I don’t recommend the substitution – the coconut flavor came through a lot and combined with the sweetness of the potatoes made the dough too sweet for me. I’ll have to try it again in the future and actually follow the recipe – the filling was delicious!
Made these last night delicious! And I had extra filling so making them again tonight and can’t wait for dinner!
These were delicious!! I was actually really surprised because I super struggled in the beginning with the potato cakes. I used white sweet potatos as directed, specifically “Boniato” sweet potatoes. Not sure if that was not supposed to be that way… but my mash was SUPER wet afterwards. I had to add a good 3-4 extra cups of flour to make it somewhat not sticky and even then would need to add extra flour to help it not be sticky when I rolled it out. It was awful. I was pretty discouraged but kept it up. I think next time I’ll squeeze the mash into some cheese cloth or even just a kitchen towel to get out extra water. Maybe it was also because I doubled the recipe? Not sure.
We did this recipe because my husband has a lot of allergies (like potatoes) but he isn’t necessarily AIP. I’m vegetarian, so we switched out the beef for 16 oz of minced mushrooms (even though we doubled the recipe for the potatoes this was sufficient). I also added Balsamic Vinegar (AIP friendly!!) and it was AMAZING. Loved this so much. Definitely will make some changes next time, but overall great recipe!
★★★★
This one is so tasty and simple to replicate! I’ll be making double batches next time!! Without your delicious recipes I couldn’t have lasted this long on AIP! 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this review Sharon, I really appreciate it 🙂
I’m excited to try these! I think my kids would eat them too which is always a plus. I can’t get white sweet potatoes where I live. Can I substitute white potties I read of sweet potatoes?
Hi Christy, do you mean white potatoes? If you have reintroduced potatoes then you can try them but I haven’t tried myself. Orange sweet potatoes won’t work the same in this recipe
Do yourself a favor and make these AIP stuffed sweet potato cakes IMMEDIATELY!! They are fun to make and they are literally so delicious. I love the combination of the sweet potatoes and the savory filling. I tried these with the avocado crema too and it was amazing. Other sauces work well too, but sauce isn’t even needed because they taste so good by themselves!
I’ve made these twice and just have two tips!
1. Cook the cakes on a cast iron skillet. When I used an enameled cast iron, the cakes stuck to the bottom a little bit, but on the cast iron they were perfectly frying and able to move around and flip.
2. The first time I used too much cassava and made the cake patty too thick and they fell apart easily. The second time I more closely followed directions and made sure to measure the thickness and ensure the dough isn’t too dry!
Can’t wait to make these again and again!
★★★★★
This is my first recipe comment ever because this was so creative and tasty it knocked me out of my AIP blues! LOVE the “crema” with the sweet potato! I used arrowroot starch and it still worked well too.
★★★★★
Aww thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment Danielle!
Delighted to have made this recipe, thank you for it! I made a few stuffed sweet potato cakes on the stovetop and they were delicious! I was crunched for time the evening I made them and ended up making one very large ‘cake’ with the remaining ingredients,’ brushing it with olive oil, and baking it in the oven. It delicious to split with my partner as a leftover later in the week.
★★★★★
Here I was wondering how these would be baked. Thanks for that.
I made this for my husband. I’m not following and aip diet but I am strictly grain free and this was great. I really enjoyed it. I definitely will make this again. I even think this would be good to make a big batch and freeze for quick meals in the future.
★★★★★
I didn’t have white sweet potato, only orange, and after seeing your comments about it not holding together well, I made it more like shepherd’s pie style with the breading on top. It was very tasty! And I look forward to trying the real version soon.
Thanks Courtney!
My husband made this tonight for the family and it was a hit! The kids even asked for seconds. I’ve been on AIP for about 5 months now and this recipe made me feel like I was cheating! So good. Can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
These are so delicious and easy to make. I have made the recipe a few times and swapped a shredded chicken mixture for beef, equally as easy and delicious!
★★★★★
I made these and they were great. After frying for a few minutes on each side, I baked them at 350 for about 10 minutes, they got crispier!
Awesome! thanks for sharing that tip, Stacey!
These were really great!! I actually ended up putting veggies inside because I needed a meat break. I was worried they would never turn out like the photos, but they really did! They were great with avocado and sauerkraut on top and just as delicious for leftovers. I’m excited to try the real recipe with beef the next time. Thank you for this yummy recipe!!
★★★★★
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your review/ So glad you enjoyed and I love your addition of sauerkraut on top! Yum!
Is it possible to use regular orange sweet potato instead of the ‘white’ sweet potato? I live in the Netherland can’t find the white version unfortunately. Thank you for your advice!
Hey Lynn, As I mention in the blog post, I don’t recommend this because their texture is different, they’re a lot less starchy and especially when boiled, do not perform the same.
Has anyone tried freezing these after they’re cooked? I usually hesitate to freeze potatoes, but I think these may survive the freezer. Just wondering if anyone has tried it.
Thanks
Can sweet potato flour be used in place if the mashed sweet potato? The flour is made from white sweet potatoes. Thanks! Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Julie, there’s nothing else in here to bind the flours besides the mashed sweet potato so unfortunately flour alone won’t work.
So good!!!! It does take a bit of time if you don’t have a your timing down, but totally worth it and a great weekend dinner. The avocado cream or a nice salsa take these to the next level. My husband is not a fan of mushrooms but even he loved these
★★★★★
Thanks, Kristin. So glad you and yours enjoyed!
Holy smokes these are tasssttyyy! I’ve tried Paleo sweet potatoes buns before and they were so doughy. These are light and savory! And adding the avocado crema?! Genius! I wish I would have doubled the recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks Kendra! I agree! The next time I make these I am going to double the recipe and try freezing them before they’re pan fried.
Hi Nicole – did you ever end up experimenting with freezing these?
I haven’t! I think they’ll be fine though and would freeze them pre-cooked.
Looking forward to making this recipe. I only have on hand 2 white sweet potato (white inside and outside) and an orange sweet potato. Do you think it would work or be a total fail with the orange sweet potato?
Hi Suzy! I typically don’t recommend the orange ones in this recipe because they’re not as starchy and don’t hold together as well but seeing as 2/3 are white you could try it! Alternatively you can halve the recipe and just use your white ones, saving the leftover filling for other meals!
I made this recipe today and it was perfection! The dough is so easy to work with and it was so delicious! The only changes I made was using buffalo instead of beef and I added a whole yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic and only used 1/2 tsp of the garlic and onion powders. You can really tailor the stuffing to be whatever savory concoction you like, but this one was so good! You won’t regret making this recipe!
★★★★★
My first ever day on AIP and how lucky were we to find this recipe. Not only was it divine it made 3 meals for my husband and I while we came up to speed with my new AIP Diet plan. Couldn’t find Cassava Flour but substituted with coconut flour and now love it made with either…
I have made them 2 nights in a row now they are so delicious! I have a few extra so fried them up and decided to freeze them, I hope that works.
★★★★★
These look yummy! Can you freeze these?
Hi Andrea! I haven’t done this but my guess is they’d freeze nicely before frying. You’d have to then defrost before cooking.
Two nights ago I made this recipe and then again today! This recipe reminds me of arepas which I avoid because they are made out of corn. The consistency of this dough is perfect, soft, pliable, non sticky, and so easy to work with. I played a little with it and even made a soft shell taco. Using cassava flour makes these cakes soft in the inside but not gummy.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and for the beautiful food photography in your blog.
★★★★★
Se ve genial! It looks so great. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
They look absolutely delicious!! By any chance, do you have an estimate for how many cups or a weight for the sweet potatoes?
Also, what is the texture like of the sweet potato dough after cooking? I’ve had so many gummy AIP end products and it’s not a texture I enjoy.
Thank you!
Hi Tasha, I’ve made a note in the recipe to clarify – it’s 2 cups of white sweet potato mash. I dislike gummy baked goods as well! These are fried though, so they’re a bit different. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and slightly chewy on the inside. They’re super yummy but don’t have a bread-like texture, so they might not be to your liking.
Do you havr a recommended substitute for cassava flour? This looks amazing!
★★★★★
Hi Jenn! I haven’t tried any substitutes but one reader has said she’s tried coconut flour successfully. If you can tolerate tapioca/arrowroot starch I think a combination on that and coconut flour might give the best texture. Do let me know if you try!
These look amazing! If I only have orange sweet potatoes, can I make it work or should I not bother trying/will they totally fall apart? Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Hi Stacey, I don’t recommend them in this recipe because they aren’t as starchy and don’t hold together as well but the flavour would still be great. Let me know if you try!