Sweet Potato Cake Patties with Lemony Slaw

5 from 11 votes

These sweet potato cake patties are a delicious vegan dinner recipe. Naturally gluten free, they use quinoa and hemp seed for vegan protein.

An overhead shot of a sweet potato cake pattie perched on top of a lemony slaw with a drizzle of tahini dressing. There is a lemon wedge to the side.
An overhead shot of prepped components for making sweet potato cake patties.
An overhead shot of a quinoa, mashed sweet potato, and herb mixture in a bowl with a spatula.
A 3/4 angle shot of formed sweet potato cake patties on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Lately, the idea of spending extensive hours cooking elaborate vegan dinner recipes is just not super appealing. That’s why I set aside a day or afternoon with the intention of getting some meal prep or meal component prep in the fridge. Knowing that dinner or lunch is a few simple moves away is seriously calming for me.

When I’m in the flow of meal or component prep in my everyday life, I always bake whole sweet potatoes. I have so many sweet potato recipes, but I typically reheat them and stuff them, smush them up in dal, or even blend them into smoothies. I also give little spoonfuls to my dogs, no shame. They love them so much! The ideal landing place for cooked sweet potato though? It might be these sweet potato cake patties with quinoa, hemp, herbs, and tons of spices–including my fave blend ever Old Bay.

Compared to other recipes of mine, these patties are pretty minimal on the chopping front, which is a nice break! If you take your meal prep one step further and cook quinoa at the beginning of the week and make your lemony tahini sauce, this one can comes together pretty quickly. these patties will keep in a sealed container in your fridge for up to 5 days.

Here, I pair them with a lemony tahini dressing that coats a kale and cabbage slaw. But you could easily work them into all kinds of meals. You could serve them with a traditional veggie burger setup, in a wrap, any kind of salad or grain bowl that you like, or even as an appetizer in mini form!

I crave sweet potatoes in recipes or in their simple roasted form all year. They’re easily one of my favourite foods! Some other great sweet potato recipes on the site: the best Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Granola with Pecans, and a Ginger Sweet Potato Stew with Coconut Milk.

An overhead shot of shaved red cabbage, kale, chopped fresh dill, and a creamy dressing in a mixing bowl.
An overhead shot of baked sweet potato cake patties.
An overhead shot of sweet potato cake patty perched on top of a lemony slaw with a drizzle of tahini dressing.

Sweet Potato Cake Patties with Lemony Slaw

These sweet potato cake patties are a delicious vegan dinner recipe. Naturally gluten-free, they use quinoa and hemp seed for vegan protein.
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Servings 4

Ingredients

LEMONY TAHINI SAUCE:

  • cup tahini
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard mustard
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar/maple syrup
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon ice cold filtered water

SWEET POTATO CAKES:

  • ½ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato flesh
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon psyllium husk powder
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • avocado oil spray (or other oil spray of choice)

ASSEMBLY:

  • 4 cups shredded kale or cabbage (or a mix)
  • chopped fresh dill or more parsley
  • lemon wedges

Notes

  • These cakes should be crisp on the outside and soft/moist on the inside. Remember to flip them over at the halfway point!
  • I used a mix of lacinato kale and red cabbage for my slaw because I have an abundance of both in my garden. You could also use shaved fennel, shaved carrots, broccoli stems, all kinds of things!
  • I bake whole sweet potatoes as part of my meal prep every week. For this recipe, I’d recommend the cooked and cooled flesh of roughly 1 medium sweet potato.
  • The drier the quinoa is when you mix it, the better your sweet potato cakes will be!

Instructions

  • Make the lemony tahini sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, dijon mustard, agave, salt, and pepper. Then, add the ice water and whisk until smooth. The colour of the sauce should pale and the texture should be slightly thick. If it’s too thick, add more water by the teaspoon until you have the right consistency. Set aside in the fridge.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  • Place the rinsed quinoa in a small saucepan along with 1 cup of filtered water and a pinch of salt. Cover the pot and place it over medium-high heat. Bring the quinoa to a boil. Then, lower to a simmer, remove the lid, and cook until almost all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let it cool.
  • Once the quinoa is cool and dry, add it to a large bowl along with the mashed sweet potato, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, Old Bay, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, lemon zest, psyllium husk powder, salt, and pepper. Once evenly mixed, taste the mixture for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
  • Lightly spray the parchment-lined baking sheet with oil spray. Divide the sweet potato cakes mixture in 4 equal portions. Lightly oil your hands and from each portion into a patty. Place each patty on the oiled parchment, giving each some space.
  • Bake the sweet potato cakes for 35 minutes, carefully flipping them over at the halfway point. Once the sweet potato cakes are browned on the outside and firm, remove them from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes.
  • In a separate large bowl, toss the shredded kale/cabbage with enough of the lemony tahini dressing to coat. Season the greens with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
  • Divide the lemony slaw evenly among 4 plates. Top each heap of slaw with a warm sweet potato cake. Drizzle extra lemony tahini sauce over the sweet potato cakes and finish with some chopped dill/parsley and a lemon wedge. Enjoy!
Sweet potato cakes perched on top of a lemony slaw, photo is taken at a side angle with a blue-grey background.
25/09/2019 (Last Updated: 25/09/2019)
Posted in: appetizer, autumn, creamy, earthy, gluten free, kale, main course, nut free, refined sugar-free, roasted, salad, sauce, side dish, spring, summer, sweet, sweet potatoes, tahini, vegan, winter
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