Air Fryer Recipe
Crispy Sweet Potato & Chickpea Cakes
These crispy sweet potato and chickpea cakes are just the sort of thing the air fryer does well: craggy and golden on the outside, soft and savoury within.
Ingredients
- 450g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 240g drained weight)
- 1 small red onion, very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes, optional
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra wedges to serve
- 15g fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 45g gram flour (or plain flour)
- 35g panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper, freshly ground
- 1½ tbsp olive oil, plus oil spray for the basket and tops
Method
- Put the sweet potato chunks in the air-fryer basket, toss with ½ tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt, then cook at 190°C for 14–16 minutes, shaking halfway through, until tender and lightly browned at the edges.
- Tip the hot sweet potato into a wide bowl and leave it uncovered for 8–10 minutes, so the steam can escape before you mash it.
- Add the drained chickpeas to the bowl and roughly mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Stir in the red onion, garlic, tomato purée, cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, chilli flakes if using, lemon juice, herbs, salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Add the gram flour and panko breadcrumbs, then mix firmly until the mixture clumps together when pressed in your palm.
- Shape into 8 cakes, each about 7cm wide and 2cm thick. Press the sides in firmly and flatten the tops.
- Chill the shaped cakes on a plate for 15–20 minutes if you have time.
- Preheat the air fryer to 190°C for 3 minutes. Lightly spray the basket or perforated liner with oil, then arrange the cakes in a single layer, leaving at least 1cm between them.
- Brush or spray the tops with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Air fry at 190°C for 8 minutes. Turn carefully with a fish slice or tongs, spray the second side lightly, then cook for another 6–8 minutes, until deeply golden with crisp edges.
- Rest the cakes in the open basket for 2 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
