Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites

These sweet potato bites are a fun and festive party appetizer! A nutty, tangy avocado tartare tops thin rounds of roasted sweet potato.

Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites

How cute are these sweet potato appetizer bites?! The topping is my plant-based riff on classic tuna tartare, with diced avocado in place of the fish. It tastes fantastic, with a yummy mix of nutty, tangy, creamy, and crunchy elements. It’s also pretty! The vibrant sweet potato contrasts with the pale avocado, and watermelon radish adds a big pop of pink. If you ask me, these sweet potato bites are almost as fun to look at as they are to eat.

Speaking of eating, these sweet potato appetizer bites are totally vegan and gluten-free! As a result, they’re a perfect allergy-friendly party appetizer. But if you don’t have any parties coming up, don’t worry. You could just as easily enjoy these sweet potato bites for a light and healthy lunch.

Sweet Potato Bites ingredients

Sweet Potato Bites Ingredients

These sweet potato appetizer bites are super easy to make! You’ll only need 10 basic ingredients:

  • Sweet potatoes, of course! You’ll use the thick centers of the potatoes for this recipe, or any part that you can slice into wide rounds. Set the sweet potato ends aside. Later, you can roast them and toss them into a salad or bowl.
  • Avocado – Its creamy texture is irresistible on top of the tender roasted sweet potato.
  • Sesame oil, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice – I use them to season the avocado tartare. Together, they create a tangy, bright, and nutty dressing with a peppery kick from the mustard.
  • Red onion – It adds crunch and punchy flavor to the tartare.
  • Watermelon radish – Layer it onto the sweet potato bites for a gorgeous pop of color and extra crunch.
  • Sesame seeds – Another crunchy element! In addition, they amp up the tartare’s toasty, nutty flavor.
  • And sea salt and fresh black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Slice the sweet potatoes into thin rounds, toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast them for 20 minutes. Flip them over, and roast them for 10 to 15 minutes more. While the potatoes bake, dice the onion, and whisk it together with the sesame oil, mustard, and lemon juice.

Right before you eat, dice the avocado and fold it into the dressing with the onion. Season to taste, and dot the tartare onto the baked sweet potato bites. Add the radish slices, and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Enjoy!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Avocado tartare

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If you love these sweet potato bites, try one of these tasty appetizers next:


5.0 from 11 reviews

Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites

 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These sweet potato bites are such a fun party appetizer! You can roast the sweet potato slices in advance, but wait to dice the avocado and make the tartare until the last minute. That way, the avocado will be nice and green when you eat.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced, cut into half moons
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, white or black
Avocado tartare
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice + more for squeezing
  • ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • 1 medium-large ripe avocado
  • Sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Slice thin rounds (smaller than ¼ inch, not quite as thin as ⅛ inch) from the thick middle of the sweet potatoes. This should yield 14 to 16 rounds. (You can chop up the ends of the sweet potatoes into cubes and roast them for another use).
  3. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the slices and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until tender.
  4. Make the Avocado tartare: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, lemon juice, mustard, and a few pinches of salt. Stir in the red onion and set aside.
  5. When the sweet potatoes are almost done, dice the avocado and stir it into the tartare along with an extra squeeze of lemon. Season to taste.
  6. Top the roasted sweet potato rounds with the watermelon radish slices and the avocado tartare. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and coarse salt.

 

42 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Abbey
    11.06.2023

    Raw slices of sweet potato are very delicious and that gets around the whole limp cooked sweet potato problem.

  2. Suzanne
    10.31.2023

    Are these served at room temperature? Can the sweet potato slices be cooked a day ahead?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.31.2023

      Hi Suzanne, they’ll just get softer after a day in the fridge so they might be harder to pick up.

  3. Jennifer Wise
    02.23.2023

    Was looking for a vegan, gluten and soy free appetizer for a group gathering, and this one ticks all the boxes, plus looks delicious!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.23.2023

      Hope you enjoy!

  4. Gayle
    01.17.2023

    Wondering what the sweet potatoes’ texture should be after roasting. Crispy? Just crispy on edges? Also, will Japanese sweet potatoes work in the same way? I am new to sweet potato experimentation. Thanks.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Gayle, they’ll be lightly crisp around the edges and tender in the middle. We haven’t tried preparing Japanese sweet potatoes like this, but I think it would work fine. If you try it, let us know how it goes!

  5. Ava
    12.11.2021

    What can I replace watermelon radish with? I can’t seem to find it in any of my local supermarkets.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.12.2021

      Hi Ava, you can use regular red radishes if you put two or so on each piece since they’re smaller.

  6. Sue
    01.28.2021

    How thin should the sweet potato slice be?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.28.2021

      Hi Sue, smaller than ¼ inch, not quite as thin as ⅛ inch.

  7. Inga Jarvis
    07.31.2020

    What is watermelon radish?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.31.2020

      It’s a type of radish that’s pink on the inside and green around the edges.

  8. Susan P
    07.19.2020

    A vegan friend brought these little jewels to a July 4th backyard gathering and we all raved about them! He sent me the recipe, and I am gathering the ingredients now.

  9. Debbie
    01.19.2020

    I made these for my daughters baby shower. They were absolutely delicious. I could’ve eaten the whole tray myself! A keeper for sure!

  10. anna from televinetherapy.com
    01.14.2020

    You’re a fantastic cook.

  11. Erin
    11.19.2017

    Would normal radish work? (The plain old red ones). Should the sweet potato be warm when served?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.19.2017

      Hi Erin – yep, normal radish would be just fine or you can skip it altogether. I probably wouldn’t re-warm the sweet potato or they’ll get soggy. The sweet potato can be served at room temp, but I’d probably roast them close to serving time so that they don’t get too soft. Hope that helps!

      • Emily
        09.17.2022

        So, do you think it’s possible to roast the sweet potato rounds in advance, then rewarm the day of?

  12. Kacy from library.uonbi.ac.ke
    06.05.2017

    Sounds interesting and simple, will try it out

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.