Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes are crispy, sweet and salty, and the easiest way to make the perfect potato pancakes every time! As a bonus, these healthy latkes won’t leave your house smelling like oil like traditional deep fried latkes do. They make a great Hanukkah side dish, but are also delicious to enjoy all year.

Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free option

The winter holidays are here and Hanukkah is around the corner! Although I have extreme Christmas envy – the decor!! – I do love our family Hanukkah celebrations every year. 

Since I was younger we would celebrate with both sides of my family and there would always be latkes. But before we got out of the car at my grandparents house or aunt and uncle’s home my mom would always say “Leave your coats in the car, I don’t want them to smell like oil!”

Deep frying latkes can stink up a home and that smell lingers. My mom didn’t want to send our clothes to the cleaners, so we would run from the car into the house freezing… ya know, because December used to actually be frigid outside!

As you can imagine, my mom never made latkes from scratch. Luckily, there are so many great Jewish delis around who make delicious latkes and my uncle always made them from scratch too, so I never missed out!

However, sometimes it’s nice to DIY. And that’s why I created these Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes!

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes are…

• Insanely crispy on the outside
• A crowd pleaser
• Easy to make
• Made in 1 bowl and with just 5 ingredients (+ salt and pepper and oil)
• …with easy clean up

But isn’t the whole point of eating latkes the oil?

YES! The whole point of eating latkes and doughnuts on Hanukkah is because of the oil. You see, in the story of Hanukkah, the oil miraculously lasted 8 days. So we celebrate by eating oily foods. 

This recipe is not oily.

However, it does contain some oil and it’s delicious, so I hope you try it alongside other oily foods for your Hanukkah celebrations!

In fact, my husband said these are better than the deep fried ones because they’re not soggy in oil like some latkes can be (yuck!). 

The outside is nice and crispy, with a soft interior with the perfect bite.

Ingredients to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes 

You need just 5 ingredients (+ oil, salt and pepper) to make these air fryer latkes.

You’ll need:

1. Sweet potatoes
2. Onions
3. Flour (all purpose, whole wheat, or a gluten free alternative)
4. Smoked paprika
5. Eggs

Nutritional Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

9/10 times I’ll choose regular potatoes over sweet potatoes. But when it comes to latkes, I love using sweet potatoes. Because sweet potatoes contain less moisture than gold potatoes, they always turn out crispier (at least I think so!).

Plus, you get to skip a step from squeezing out all of the excess moisture in white potatoes.

But contrary to what most people think, sweet potatoes are not automatically healthier. In fact, white potatoes and sweet potatoes are fairly comparable when it comes to their nutrition, aside from their vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes contain 283% daily value of vitamin A compared to white potatoes 0%. Check out this Instagram post for more of the 411.

Can you use regular potatoes?

Yes you can! I chose to make sweet potato latkes because I love the sweet and salty combo. However, of course you can use regular potatoes as well. 

Keep in mind that regular potatoes tend to hold more moisture compared to sweet potatoes. Therefore, squeeze out any excess water after shredding the potatoes. You may also need a little bit more flour (but not too much because that will dry them out).

Can these air fryer sweet potato latkes be made vegan?

While you could try to make them with flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water), they simply don’t stick together as well. 

Instead of cooking them in the air fryer you may wish to bake the latkes in a muffin tin so they don’t fall apart. 

How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes 

Preparing the latkes…

Latkes are actually pretty simple to make. Essentially, you’ll combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. That includes the shredded sweet potatoes, onions, flour, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. You want to make sure the flour is well distributed and not clumped in one area in the bowl.

Next, mix in the eggs and oil until well combined. The liquid is necessary to get the latkes to stick together.

Now we cook the latkes!

Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop ¼ cup of batter and form into a patty using your hands. Place in the air fryer basket. Repeat so that you have one even layer of latkes in the basket. Don’t stack them! You may need to cook the latkes in batches.

Set your air fryer to 375°F and cook the latkes for 6 minutes. Carefully flip the latkes and then cook for another 5-6 minutes, until the edges are crispy. Remove the latkes from the air fryer basket and place on a plate.

Repeat until all of the batter is used. I’ve made 12-15 latkes with this recipe.

Can you bake the latkes instead of using an air fryer?

There’s no reason you can’t place the patties on a lined baking sheet and bake them. However, they will take longer to bake and crisp up than the short 11-12 minutes in the air fryer.

How should you serve Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes?

My favorite way to serve latkes is with applesauce. I even love to put out a variety of applesauce flavors when serving latkes – plain, cinnamon, cranberry applesauce, pear sauce… the options are endless.

If you prefer a savory dipping sauce, I’d suggest sour cream or Greek yogurt. I even once made an avocado aioli to serve alongside my latkes and that was delicious too!

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More delicious holiday recipes:

• Roasted sweet potatoes and green beans with cranberries
• No Sugar Cranberry Applesauce
• Vegan Cranberry Bread

XO