These homemade sweet potato tots are the perfect tasty nutrient-packed meal or snack for both little ones and adults! Made with both sweet potatoes and red lentils, they’re loaded with fiber and protein and taste great on their own or as a side dish with your favorite entrees. Make a big batch and freeze the extras for later! {Vegan}
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Baked Sweet Potato Tots
Who knew that tater tots could not only be super fun to eat, but a nutritious option too! This sweet potato tots recipe is loaded with vitamin A, C, potassium and fiber and and is so tasty, especially when paired with a dip!
Cooked sweet potato is combined with some lentils for additional protein and iron and seasoned with spices for an extra burst of flavor. They’re then rolled into tots, baked in the oven until lightly golden on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
Sure, they take more effort than heating up bags of frozen tots from the store, but they taste so much fresher and are better for you, too! They’re the perfect way to add more lentils and fiber to your diet, especially if you prefer sweeter flavors.
Featured Comments
“Easy to make and delicious” – Zuzana
“These turned out good. I omitted the salt. 8 month old baby enjoyed them! Will be making again.” – Karina
For more fun and tasty little bites, be sure to try my Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes and Sweet Potato Fritters too!
Why We Love This Sweet Potato Tater Tots Recipe
- Picky eater approved: The sweet potato lentil combo is so perfect (especially for picky eaters) because you don’t even notice the lentils when they’re mashed together with the sweet potatoes, but they add that extra boost of protein, iron and fiber!
- Great for meal prep: Make up a big batch of these for easy meal prep. They keep well in the fridge and are freezer-friendly.
- Versatile: These tots are perfect for the whole family! From baby-led weaning, to a tasty appetizer or side dish for a main meal. You can serve them up at any time!
Are homemade sweet potato tots safe for babies?
Absolutely! The ingredients, shape, and size of these homemade tater tots are great for little hands and the texture is perfect for little ones who might not yet have any teeth. But they aren’t just limited to little ones — adults and older children can enjoy them too!
They can be served to babies as young as 6 months old, and work for any meal of the day. My kids enjoyed them for breakfast, lunch, or even a midday snack paired with some fresh fruits.
The tot shape makes them easy to hold, but you’ll want to keep an eye on them just to make sure they’re safe and sound.
For babies, I recommend leaving out the salt to limit sodium consumption, but for older children and adults, you can add a little bit of salt into the spice mixture, if desired. I tried them with and without salt and thought they tasted good both times, but it’s totally up to you!
Want to know more about baby led weaning? My ebook Healthy Baby Foodie goes in-depth into this subject and will help you implement BLW without a hitch.
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet potato: Cook and mash the sweet potato before mixing it in with the other ingredients. You can boil, roast or microwave the sweet potato before forming into tots. Great way to use up leftovers, too!
- Lentils: Red split lentils are best to use in this recipe as they cook quickly and have a nice soft texture that blends in well with the sweet potato. Green lentils will have a firmer texture and won’t mash together as well.
- Broth: Used to cook the lentils and infuse some extra flavor. You can use vegetable or chicken broth. If in a pinch, you can also use water to cook the lentils.
- Seasonings: Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and optional salt. Feel free to add other spices if desired.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs help to absorb excess moisture and firm up the mixture, making it easier to form the mixture into tots. You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or almond flour if you have a gluten intolerance.
- Oil: Oil is sprayed or brushed over the sweet potato tots to help the outside get lightly browned and crispy. Olive oil, canola or vegetable oil will all work well.
How to Make Sweet Potato Tots – Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce sweet potato with a fork and bake in oven for about 45-50 min. Alternatively you can microwave for approximately 6-10 mins, until soft to the touch. Allow the sweet potato to cool slightly. Remove skin from sweet potato and place in medium-sized bowl and mash until smooth.
- Step 2: While the sweet potato is cooking, add the lentils to a saucepan, cover with the broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until all liquid is almost absorbed (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat, cover with a lid and leave for 10 min.
- Step 3: Add the cooked lentils to the bowl with the sweet potato, along with the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, panko bread crumbs and salt (optional) and combine mixture with hands or a spoon.
- Step 4: Form mixture into approximately 18 small croquettes that are about 2-inches long and 1-inch thick and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spray or brush the oil over the top of each tater tot.
- Step 5: Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for approximately 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. They should be slightly crispy on the outside and lightly golden.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Tots
- You may notice when you’re forming the mixture into tater tots, the sweet potato mixture is pretty soft. Don’t worry — they will firm up as they’re cooking and cooling. The end result should be slightly firm and golden on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
- If you find that the mixture is too moist to form into tots, you may wish to add some additional bread crumbs to the mixture.
- To prevent them from sticking to the pan, I suggest baking the tater tots on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or a silicone baking sheet. I use these tools all the time and they can make the clean up process SO much easier. There’s enough cleaning up to do with kids in the house!
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
To Store
You can store these homemade sweet potato croquettes for up to four days in the fridge, or better yet, if you don’t feel you can eat them within that time frame, you can place them in a Ziplock bag or air-tight container separated with parchment paper and store them in the freezer. They should be good in the freezer for up to three months.
How to Reheat
Oven method: To reheat, simply place in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Microwave method: Pop them in the microwave for about a minute or until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
Lentils are a great source of protein, fiber, and iron. While these nutrients are important for everyone, iron, in particular is especially essential for babies! Babies need to consume sufficient iron after 6 months of age since their iron stores start to become depleted at this time.
There are different forms of iron — both animal and plant-based. Because lentils are plant-based, the iron is not quite as readily absorbed, but by pairing them with the sweet potato, which is a source of vitamin C, it helps to enhance the absorption of this mineral. That’s why these two foods together are a winning combination!
You can certainly use a different type of lentils if desired, but the biggest difference will be with the texture. Red split lentils turn quite mushy after cooking so you don’t even notice that they’re mixed in with the sweet potato.
Canned and cooked green lentils tend to be a bit firmer so they might not break down as much when incorporated in with the sweet potato. Plus, the color will change and turn the tots a more brownish color.
All options will work, it’s just a matter of the texture you prefer. Canned lentils also tend to be higher in sodium so keep that in mind if watching sodium intake.
I haven’t personally tried it myself so I can’t speak to the results, but if you try it out, be sure to leave a comment and let me know how it goes!
Serving Suggestions
There are a number of ways to serve up these sweet potato tater tots. Eat them either warm or at room temperature and further enhance the flavor (and fun!) by pairing them with a dip like any of the following:
- Tzatziki
- Roasted Garlic Dip
- Avocado Creme
- BBQ Sauce
- Ranch
- Ketchup
- Hot sauce
For adults, to add to the taste and presentation, you can also sprinkle with some chopped parsley or cilantro!
Recipe Variations
- Other seasonings: Try a bit of cayenne to add a spicy kick.
- Fresh herbs: Try adding finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro to the mix.
- Make them gluten-free: Use almond flour or gluten-free bread crumbs instead of panko.
More Baby-Led Weaning Recipes
- Mini Sweet Potato Muffins
- Cheesy Cauliflower Bites
- Broccoli Cheese Tater Tots
- Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites
- Baby Frittata
- Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries
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Homemade Sweet Potato Tots Recipe {Great for BLW!}
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato (about one 8-oz medium-sized sweet potato)
- 1/2 cup red split lentils, uncooked
- 1 cup no salt-added vegetable broth (can also use chicken broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (can also sub in gluten-free bread crumbs or almond flour)
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce sweet potato with a fork and bake in oven for about 45-50 min. Alternatively you can microwave for approx 6-10 mins, until soft to the touch. Allow the sweet potato to cool slightly. Remove skin from sweet potato and place in medium-sized bowl and mash until smooth.
- While the sweet potato is cooking, add the lentils to a saucepan, cover with the broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until all liquid is almost absorbed (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat, cover with a lid and leave for 10 min.
- Add the cooked lentils to the bowl with the sweet potato, along with the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, panko bread crumbs and salt (optional) and combine mixture with hands or a spoon.
- Form mixture into approximately 18 small croquettes that are about 2-inches long and 1-inch thick and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spray or brush the oil over the top of each tater tot.
- Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for approximately 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. They should be slightly crispy on the outside and lightly golden.
Notes
- You may notice when you’re forming the mixture into tater tots, the sweet potato mixture is pretty soft. Don’t worry — they will firm up as they’re cooking and cooling. The end result should be slightly firm and golden on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
- If you find that the mixture is too moist to form into tots, you may wish to add some additional bread crumbs to the mixture.
- For babies, I recommend leaving out the salt to limit sodium consumption, but for older children and adults, you can add a little bit of salt into the spice mixture, if desired. I tried them with and without salt and thought they tasted good both times, but it’s totally up to you!
- To prevent them from sticking to the pan, I suggest baking the tater tots on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or a silicone baking sheet.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in July 2018 and was updated in September 2021 to include more helpful tips and photos. The text and formatting were updated again in August 2025.
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I saw other comments about the tots not binding, so I added 1 medium egg which definitely helped them to keep shape.
I didn’t cook the lentils in stock – just water, but then added some dried herbs for added flavour instead.
9 month old seemed to enjoy them!
Thanks so much for sharing Lisa! I’m glad the addition of the egg helped out and I’m sure this tip will be helpful for others too :) So happy your baby has been enjoying them!