These Tuna Patties with Sweet Potato are always a crowd-pleaser! Ready in just 30 minutes, they’re crispy, flavorful, and so delicious! This gluten-free recipe is perfect as a light meal or hearty appetizer.
I always love a healthy and satisfying recipe that I can make with just a few pantry staples. These tuna patties are made with canned tuna and sweet potatoes, plus a few other simple ingredients. They’re also super versatile, so I can enjoy them as a healthy meal, a satisfying snack, or a tasty appetizer.
If you have leftovers, they’re perfect for meal prep, too! I like to make a few extra and portion them out for healthy lunches, similar to these Salmon Patties with Coleslaw Meal-Prep Bowls.
Sweet potatoes are such a delicious addition to classic tuna patties! They help hold everything together, so the patties don’t fall apart when you cook them, like most fish cakes. Plus, it makes them soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, and absolutely irresistible.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes — I use 2 small sweet potatoes for this recipe.
- Tuna — I recommend using good-quality canned tuna. Feel free to use whatever variety you prefer.
- Onions — For the best flavor, I like a combination of white and green onions.
- Breadcrumbs — I use gluten-free breadcrumbs, but you can use regular if you don’t need the recipe to be gluten-free. Or you can use almond flour too.
- Eggs — The eggs are what bind the ingredients together.
- Seasonings — I use a blend of garlic powder, chili pepper, and salt and pepper.
- Lemon— I juice half of the lemon, and cut the other half into wedges.
- Mayonnaise — I recommend trying my easy homemade mayonnaise for this recipe. Of course, you can use whatever mayo you have on hand.
- Cooking spray — For simplicity’s sake, I like to use olive oil cooking spray, but you can also use a drizzle of olive oil.
Instructions
Cook the sweet potatoes:
- In a medium pan or stockpot, bring water to a boil and add the cubed sweet potatoes. Cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’re fork tender.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and run them under cold water to cool them down. Then, transfer them to a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork.
Combine the ingredients:
- Once the sweet potatoes have cooled, add the tuna, green onions, white onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, and mayonnaise. Season with garlic powder, chili pepper, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Then, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
Shape and cook the patties:
- Using your hands, shape the tuna mixture into evenly sized patties or tuna cakes/tuna burger.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add cooking spray, vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Cook the tuna patties for 3 to 4 minutes on both sides or until they’re golden brown.
Garnish and serve:
- Allow the tuna patties to cool slightly before serving.
- Garnish with chopped scallions or fresh herbs, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges, yogurt dipping and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- For perfectly uniformed patties, I use a large ice cream or cookie scoop to portion out the mixture.
- Be sure to chop the sweet potatoes as uniformly as possible so they cook evenly. Alternatively, you can buy pre-cut sweet potatoes in the produce section of your grocery store.
- A great time-saver that I recommend is to place the green onions and onions in a food processor to mince them up super finely.
- My secret to the perfect sear is to not overcrowd the pan or flip the patties too soon. Allow them plenty of space to cook and time to get nice and browned.
- If the patties are hard to form, I suggest letting them chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. You can also wet your hands with cold water to keep the mixture from sticking.
- Flavorful sauce: These tuna patties are incredible on their own, and even better with a yummy sauce. I recommend a simple lemon aioli or this Whole30 creamy avocado sauce.
- Side salad: When I want a fresh meal that’s still cozy, I like to pair this recipe with delicious side dishes like this roasted sweet potato kale salad or arugula salad.
- Fluffy rice: For a warm, satisfying lunch or dinner, I like to serve these tuna patties on top of fluffy rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
- Tasty appetizers: If I’m serving these as an appetizer, I’ll pair it with other hearty finger foods. A few of my favorites are bacon-wrapped dates, stuffed mushrooms, and cauliflower bites.
- Swap the tuna: These tuna patties are super versatile, so feel free to use whatever canned fish you’d like, such as salmon, mackerel, or even crab. I also like to make these with leftover homemade salmon and they’re just as delicious!
- Fresh herbs: When I have fresh herbs on hand, I’ll add them in for a nice bright flavor. Dill, fresh parsley, and chives are all delicious additions to this recipe.
- Spicy tuna patties: For an extra kick, I recommend adding diced jalapeño or a dash of your favorite hot sauce to the mixture.
- Other seasonings: You can also add lemon zest, Old Bay seasoning, and even a bit of Dijon mustard to the tuna mixture.
More Delicious Tuna Recipes
Tuna Cucumber Cups Recipe
15 mins
Avocado Tuna Salad
10 mins
Avocado Tuna Boats
10 mins
Quick Easy Tuna Pasta
25 mins
Tuna Patties Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes peeled and sliced into chunks
- 2 cans tuna drained and flaked
- ½ cup green onions
- ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup white onions
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper for taste
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Lemon wedges for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium pan, bring water to a boil and add sweet potatoes. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes or until tender.
- Drain and run them under cold running water. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a fork.
- Add the tuna, green onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, onions, garlic powder, chili pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
- Use your hand to shape mixture portions into patties.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil or cooking spray.
- Cook patties for 3-4 minutes on both sides or until golden brown.
Notes
- For perfectly uniformed patties, you can use a large ice cream or cookie scoop to portion out the mixture.
- Make sure to chop the sweet potatoes as uniformly as possible so they cook evenly. Alternatively, you can buy pre-cut sweet potatoes.
- You can place the green onions and onions in a food processor to mince them up super finely.
- My secret to the perfect sear is to not overcrowd the pan or flip the patties too soon.
- If the patties are hard to form, let them chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. You can also wet your hands to keep the mixture from sticking.
- To store: Store the cooked sweet potato tuna patties in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- To reheat: You can reheat the patties quickly in a skillet.
- To freeze: Flash freeze the patties on a lined sheet pan and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe sounded so strange, but it was delicious!!
I know some people don’t think that tuna and sweet potato do well together, but they actually do 😉
First attempt came out very good !
I used chopped white onions and fresh garlic and sautéed till they turned soft and then added to the mix . Added fresh chopped parsley .
So happy to hear that 😉
Why do you changed the recipe? It used to have bell peppers
It’s the same recipes. I just skipped the bell peppers. Feel free to add them 😉
We are on a journey to healthier eating and this recipe was a wonderful addition to quick easy meals that are healthy for you. And even better our kids actually liked this for the most part (if you have kids you understand).
The flavors we great and the recipe is quick and easy. Also this meal was one of the most budget friendly meals for a family of 7! We definitely plan on trying this with other meats.
I’m glad to hear this recipe was a hit and fit well into your healthy eating journey! It’s awesome that even the kids enjoyed it. Quick, easy, and budget-friendly meals are always a win. Enjoy experimenting with other meats!
How many cans of tuna do you use in this recipe, and how many patties does it make?
2 cans and it makes about 8 patties! You can find all this info on the recipe card.
sorry what size are the cans?
It’s about 7 oz (198g) can.
Wow! These were delicious!! I never would have thought to mix sweet potato with tuna. I’m so glad you thought of it! My husband and I loved them and forgot we were eating healthy … except that we ate too many because they were delicious! Thanks.
I’m so happy you and your husband loved them! The sweet potato and tuna combo is a favorite of mine too. Thanks for trying the recipe and leaving such a kind comment! 😊