Sweet potato bites are fun, festive, and delicious and the perfect way to enjoy sweet potato casserole in an entirely new way. We make a sweet potato filling loaded with mini marshmallows and pecans. Then, we roll them into balls, coat them in a crispy graham cracker mixture, and fry them until golden brown. Finally, we make a homemade marshmallow dip for them. It’s sweet potato casserole 2.0!
Sweet potato casserole is a classic holiday favorite that we’ve been enjoying for years. Growing up, our mom made it for every holiday and special occasion, and now that we’re moms, we do the same thing. You just can’t beat that delicious, sweet flavor. It’s comfort food in every bite. Of course, just like our mom, we’re never content to make the same dish over and over. So, we’ve taken the flavors of sweet potato casserole and turned them into poppable, fried balls that we serve with marshmallow dip. It’s a totally new way to enjoy a classic dessert, and everyone always loves it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Just like traditional sweet potato casserole, these sweet potato bites are made with simple, basic ingredients.
- Easy: It only takes a few simple steps to make these delicious bites.
- Classic Flavor: With their sweet potato filling, graham cracker coating, and marshmallow dip, these bites are loaded with classic sweet potato casserole flavor.
- Fun: These little bites are a super fun way to enjoy everyone’s favorite classic.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Balls
- Sweet Potatoes: Mashed sweet potatoes are combined with the other filling ingredients to create classic flavor.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds a rich texture and a bit of tang to the bites.
- Mini Marshmallows: Cut-up mini marshmallows add classic sweet potato casserole flavor.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans add more classic flavor and crunch to the balls.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is the classic, warm spice that’s always used in sweet potato recipes.
Crispy Coating
- Egg and Buttermilk: A mix of eggs and buttermilk helps the graham cracker coating stick to the sweet potato balls.
- Graham Crackers and Panko: Crushed graham crackers and panko create a crispy, sweet coating for the balls.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Cinnamon sugar adds more flavor and sweetness to the balls after they’re fried.
Marshmallow Dip
- Marshmallow Cream: Marshmallow cream gives the dip a rich, thick texture and sweet marshmallow flavor.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds sweetness and tang, while make the dip the perfect texture for dipping the balls.
- Vanilla: Vanilla adds a rich note to the dip.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Pumpkin Pie Bites: Use pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to make pumpkin pie bites.
- Nuts: Walnuts work well in place of pecans for this recipe. They offer a deep, nutty, earthy flavor similar to pecans.
- Cream Cheese Dip: These bites are perfect with a sweet cream cheese dip, as well.
- Marshmallow-Free: Speaking of replacing the marshmallow dip, if you’re not a fan of marshmallows, just leave them out!
Instructions
Sweet Potato Balls
1: Boil the sweet potato cubes until fork tender. Then, drain them and set them aside to cool.
2: Mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Then, add the remaining sweet potato ball ingredients and mix until well combined.
3: Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, place them on a baking sheet, and flash freeze them for at least an hour.
Graham Cracker Coating
1: Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and set aside.
2: Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a shallow bowl. Then, mix the panko and graham cracker crumbs in another shallow bowl.
3: Roll the frozen balls in the egg mixture and then in the crumb mixture.
4: Preheat the oil to medium-high in a deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Then, fry 6 to 8 balls at a time in the oil until golden on all sides. Transfer the balls to a plate lined with paper towels, and repeat until all the balls are fried.
5: Roll the fried balls in the cinnamon sugar.
Marshmallow Dip
1: Beat the dip ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Enjoy with your sweet potato bites!
Hint
Moisten your hands just a bit to keep the sweet potato bite mixture from sticking to them as you roll them into balls. Not too much, though!
Storage
Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat the bites, defrost them overnight in the fridge if frozen. Then, bring them to room temperature and serve. You can also microwave them at 30-second intervals until warm.
Pairing Suggestions
These sweet potato bites are perfect for parties and special occasions when paired with other sweet treats, like pumpkin cheesecake balls, mini apple bundt cakes, or oatmeal cranberry cookies.
Tips
- We recommend mashing the sweet potatoes before mixing in the other ingredients to make things easier.
- Fully soften your cream cheese so it blends easily and completely with the rest of the ingredients.
- Work in small batches when frying your sweet potato bites to ensure the oil stays nice and hot.
- A hand mixer is the best way to make the marshmallow dip – unless you want a killer arm workout!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sweet potato bites are poppable variations of sweet potato casserole that contain all the flavors of the traditional casserole in a bite-sized form.
It’s important to thoroughly drain your sweet potatoes before mashing them and mixing them. Drain them in a strainer and leave them in it while they cool.
The key to a crispy fried coating is oil temperature. It’s important to preheat the oil and work in small batches to keep it hot. Hot oil immediately crisps the outside of the coating, creating a physical barrier that prevents the coating from soaking up oil and becoming soggy.
Try These Sweet Potato Bites for Yourself
With a sweet potato mixture full of marshmallows and chopped pecans, a crispy graham cracker coating, and an accompanying marshmallow dip, these sweet potato bites are a new way to enjoy all the flavors of sweet potato casserole. AND they’re easier to make than you’d think. That’s the kind of combination you just can’t say no to. Or at least, you shouldn’t. These are so good! Give them a try, and we guarantee you’ll fall in love with them.
More Delicious Bite-Size Desserts You’ll Enjoy
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Sweet Potato Bites
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Mixture
- 24 ounce bag sweet potatoes, cubed
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup mini marshmallows, cut into smaller pieces
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Crispy Coating
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, crushed
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Marshmallow Dip
- 8 ounce cream cheese
- 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
Sweet Potato Mixture
- In a large pot filled with water, over medium heat, add sweet potato cubes.
- Bring to a slow boil and boil until fork tender. Drain.
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese, mini marshmallows, chopped pecans, sugar, cinnamon, and cooled sweet potatoes. MIx until combined.
- Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
- Flash freeze for 1 hour.
Crispy Coating
- In a shallow dish, whisk together egg and buttermilk.
- Next, using another shallow dish, mix together bread crumbs and graham cracker crumbs.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- Once balls have been in the freezer for an hour, dip each ball into the egg mixture and then into the crumb mixture.
- Place 6-8 balls into the hot oil and fry until golden on all sides. Work in batches so the oil stays at the optimal temperature. Overcrowding the pan will lower the temperature and cause the balls to become soggy.
- Remove the balls from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- In a small bowl, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- Roll fried sweet potato balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Marshmallow Dip
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, marshmallow creme, ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla together until combined.
Notes
Tips
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- We recommend mashing the sweet potatoes before mixing in the other ingredients to make things easier.
-
- Fully soften your cream cheese so it blends easily and completely with the rest of the ingredients.
-
- Work in small batches when frying your sweet potato bites to ensure the oil stays nice and hot.
-
- A hand mixer is the best way to make the marshmallow dip – unless you want a killer arm workout!
These are amazing! I made a slow cooker turkey breast last night, and this was the perfect dessert.
Nice! I made a simple cream cheese glaze for them. Om nom nom.
These are such a great little appetizer. The sweet potato makes them feel a bit healthier, but they’re still totally satisfying. They disappeared in like ten minutes when I put them out for friends.
These turned out so fun and flavorful, with that perfect mix of sweet, crunchy, and creamy. The crispy graham coating with the marshmallow and pecan filling is such a good combination.
Ok these were such a sweet unexpected surprise! They turned out so good! I will definitely be making them again…these are also getting saved for the Thanksgiving menu!