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Perfectly Baked Crispy Cheesy Sweet Potato Bites. Made with sweet potatoes, parmesan cheese, butter, garlic, fresh herbs, plenty of flaky sea salt, and black pepper. Each homemade oven-baked sweet potato bite is delicious. Mashed sweet potatoes rolled in spicy Panko bread crumbs for a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside sweet potato. Once the bites are out of the oven, drizzle them with garlic thyme butter and then finish with grated parmesan. These bites are deliciously fun as both an appetizer and a side dish.
Most years when it comes to Thanksgiving, I love a traditional menu filled with everyone’s favorites. I try to include all the classics, but this year things feel different. I’m having fun testing out some not-so-typical holiday recipes.
As far as sides go, we all love my sweet potato casserole (no marshmallows for us though). But I can’t lie, I love these crispy sweet potato bites even more. They’re so good. And while my photos aren’t perfect, I hope I’ve at least managed to convey their deliciousness.
Everyone loved these bites and has been requesting them ever since I made them. I’m excited to share them with family over the next few weeks!!
The idea was pretty simple. I wanted to recreate fried sweet potato bites, but baked bites instead of fried, I hate to fry.
I knew that we’d all have tons of sweet potatoes on hand this week. And I knew that some of you might be looking for last-minute appetizers + sides! So here we are! I created the recipe and they turned out delicious.
The secret is the extra parmesan on top!
Here are the details
These are pretty easy and even kind of fun to make! I start by cooking the potatoes. I do this either on a pan in the oven or the instant pot. Either option is great!
If you have leftover cooked potatoes, you can definitely use those up too!!
The only reason this recipe isn’t quicker is that the potatoes take some time to bake. The actual hands-on time is really not too bad!
Once the potatoes are cooked, peel away the flesh and mash the potatoes with a mix of Parmesan and manchego cheese. You can use all Parmesan if you don’t have Manchego, but I really love the mix!
Form the sweet potatoes into balls and roll them through the seasoned Panko bread crumbs. I like to season the crumbs with paprika and cayenne, the combo is delish!
Don’t stress about the shape of these bites, the shape really isn’t that important! You just want to make sure you bake them until crispy.
While they bake, I melt butter together with garlic and thyme. Then, mix the remaining Parmesan with sage and chili flakes. As soon as the bites come out of the oven, drizzle the butter over each bite and sprinkle with Parmesan. Do this while the bites are warm…this is key!
The warmth will melt the cheese and give you the most delicious bite!!!
I think it’s what makes these bites really addicting!
These are great as an appetizer, but would also be a fun side dish too for any upcoming holiday gatherings. You can even make them ahead of time!!
The outsides of each little bite have some nice crunch. But the insides are sweet and creamy. And the flavors are spot on – spicy, sweet, buttery, and cheesy!!
Totally delicious! I hope you’re able to give them a try soon!!
Looking for other easy holiday recipes?? Here are my favorites:
Pull Apart Garlic Butter Spinach and Artichoke Dip Sliders.
Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie
Whipped Goat Cheese with Warm Candied Bacon and Dates
5 Ingredient Cranberry Brie Cinnamon Puff Pastry Swirls
Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread
Mini Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie Bites
Lastly, if you make these Crispy Cheesy Sweet Potato Bites, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Cheesy Sweet Potato Bites
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 319 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup grated asiago or manchego cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 pinch chili flakes (to taste)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake directly on the rack until tender, 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool.2. Once cool use your hands to peel away the sweet potatoe skins. It should just easily slip off. Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash well. Stir in the 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, the manchego, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stick in the freezer to chill for a few minutes.3. Combine the Panko, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.4. Scoop about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato out of the bowl, roll into a cylinder, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sweet potato mix. The sweet potato mixture will be wet, don't stress, the shape does not need to be perfect. Roll the sweet potato cylinders in the crumbs to coat. Place back onto the baking sheet. Lightly shape them into a square. Brush/mist each bite with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden and crisp.5. Meanwhile, melt the butter, garlic, and thyme, in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Drizzle the butter over the warm bites. Mix the parmesan with the sage and chili flakes, then sprinkle on top. Serve the bites warm or at room temp.
Instant Pot
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the potatoes and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 10 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick-release function and release the steam. Drain the potatoes. 2. Finish as directed above from step 1 on.
Notes
To Make Ahead: the bites can be made up to 4 days ahead of time. To warm, place the tots on a baking sheet and warm in a 400° oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve as directed.
To Freeze: bake the bites as directed through step 5. Allow to cool, then freeze on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours, until frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. To warm, bake the frozen tots at 400° for 15-20 minutes, until warmed throughout. You can drizzle the tots in herb butter before or after freezing, it doesn’t matter.
I guess I needed to bake them longer, they were not crispy. I thought they could have a little
More spice in the panko.
Hi Diane,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Let me know if you make them again with better results! xT
I’m always looking for a new way to serve sweet potatoes and these bites are delicious! Instead of brushing w olive oil I drizzled the garlic and thyme infused butter over each square before baking. 😋 For serving I’ll drizzled a bit more butter and dress it out w the parmesan and sage. Thank you!!
Hi! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! 🙂 xT
I’m confused. The ingredient list calls for one cup Parmesan, while the directions say 1/2 cup. Which is it?
Hi LeAnn,
The other half of the parmesan is used in step 5:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
5 stars just isn’t enough. These little bites of heaven are SERIOUSLY SO GOOD. Crispy on the outside and warm & creamy on the inside. I brought these to an event and everyone loved them. My husband raves about them. Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Jenn,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and sharing your feedback! Thanks for making it:) xx
These were VERY well received with dinner tonight. Thanks for another delicious recipe!!
Hey Becky,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it was a hit! xx
We made this and it was de-lish! Any suggestion for the weight measurement of the sweet potatoes? We have homegrown and they vary in size.
Hey Melissa,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! So sorry, not sure about the weight, but I would say about 3-4 cups of sweet potatoes. xT
DELICIOUS! Used Italian breadcrumbs since that’s all we had and added a bit of lemon to the butter at the end, broiled then with the cheese at the last minute and everyone was in love! Like little sweet potato pillows
Hey Emily,
Happy Monday!❄️ I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xx
My family loved these as a change up from our traditional appetizers (meaty, cheese, dips, etc)! I opted to cook in the air fryer to really get that panko cripsy. The addition of all of the spices to the panko really made this dish come alive. The parm topping is also key! My sister commented that these would be great on a leafy salad instead of a protein and couldn’t agree more!
Hey Carly,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄
Sadly didn’t work for me!
First recipe off here I have been disappointed with.
Unfortunately they all went flat and split in whilst cooking
Any tips on what this may have been from?
As they sound delicious in the recipe so was quote sad they didn’t work out!
Could I use Italian bread crumbs instead of regular? That’s all I have on hand. These look so delish I plan to make for Xmas eve!
Hey Mia,
Sure, they will work, but they are going to add some Italian flavors:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Made these last night for my annual Christmas Craft night with my girlfriends, along with the Roasted Garlic Spinach and Artichoke Dip Sliders, Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates and Pomegranate Champagne Mules. Definitely tasty! Love the addition of the manchego cheese for a change. Very delicate though, and a lot more prep/work than I realized. They were the only thing left over at the end of the night (which may just speak to how amazing the other items were). It was kinda hard to get the right crisp in the oven too, as is common with sweet potato – they were much crispier and better in the airfryer this morning though I devoured them for breakfast. 🙂 I probably won’t make them again but only because of how tedious they were to make. Very yummy!
Hey Allison,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you didn’t love them! Happy Sunday! xx
I was on a Half-Baked Harvest kick tonight and made a few of your recipes! This one turned out amazing and they were so flavorful. I froze a bunch and I can’t wait to heat them up and eat them again! I love all your recipes and you are so inspirational! My boss and I at work always share your recipes that we make and they are always amazing! ☺️
Hey Katrina,
Happy Sunday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Made this post-Thanksgiving to go along with my turkey 😋 quite tasty but definitely time consuming! I loved the texture of Panko. In a pinch do you think it would work with traditional bread crumbs or would they not hold up as well?
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful!!❄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner:) Traditional breadcrumbs should work well for you! xx
You have not listed an amount of garlic to heat with the butter and sage.. what would you recommend?K
Hi Kary,
You can use 1 to 2 cloves of minced garlic. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xT
Have you tried frying them to make things a little quicker?
Hey Colin,
Sorry, Ive never tried frying these! Let me know if you give that a try, I hope you love the recipe! xT