Mashed Sweet Potato Croquettes

These Mashed Sweet Potato Croquettes have a creamy sweet potato center, a crunchy cornflake exterior, and a smoky melted cheese surprise in the middle. They're utterly delicious and perfect for a special celebration!!

When you'd like to impress but don't want to stress, here are a few other recipes that take advantage of leftovers or convenience products from the grocery store: Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer Bites, Duchess Potato Roses, Coconut Cake Mix Cookies, and Bratwurst Appetizer Bites.

How to make Mashed Sweet Potato Croquettes video:

The ingredients:

Ingredient information:

MASHED SWEET POTATOES - I used 4 cups of leftover mashed sweet potatoes to make 14 croquettes. Feel free to use your favorite mashed sweet potato recipe. For mine, I boiled six large, peeled, and cubed sweet potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain the potatoes. Then I added butter, heavy cream, minced garlic, and black pepper and mashed the potatoes until no large lumps remained.

SHALLOTS - I love shallots and add them to many of my savory dishes. Shallots lend a very mild onion and garlic flavor without being overpowering. You'll need two tablespoons of finely minced shallots.

SEASONED BREAD CRUMBS - I used store-bought breadcrumbs, but homemade crumbs would undoubtedly lend more flavor and texture. If you have homemade breadcrumbs, by all means, use them.

EGGS - Lightly beat the two eggs in a small bowl before adding them to the mashed sweet potatoes for easier combining.

CORNFLAKE CRUMBS - I'm crazy for cornflake crumbs and keep them in my pantry year-round. I find they add more flavor than panko breadcrumbs, and their crunch is undeniable, even after spending time in the oven.

WHITE SMOKED CHEDDAR CHEESE - I went with a white double-smoked cheddar because I wanted the smoky flavor and also the color contrast of the creamy white cheese against the rusty orange color of the sweet potato. Feel free to change this up if you'd prefer to use a different kind of cheese, or you can omit the cheese entirely.

BUTTER - Salted butter is always on my counter. Did you know that you can keep salted butter out at room temperature so you'll always have delicious, soft, and creamy butter to spread at the ready? Yep. True story. No more trying to spread hard, unyielding butter on bread or toast. Those days are over.

OLIVE OIL - I chose olive oil to mix with the melted butter but feel free to use avocado oil or even canola oil if you prefer. Of course, you can omit the oil entirely and only use melted butter in the muffin tins and brush it on top of the croquettes. I guarantee you that nobody will mind. LOL

SMOKED PAPRIKA - I wanted to really drive home the fact that there is a surprise smoky element inside the croquette because of the addition of the double-smoked and gloriously melted cheddar cheese in the center. The smoked paprika is optional, but it does give the end result a bit more pizzazz (in my honest opinion).

BLACK PEPPER and KOSHER SALT - You won't need much black pepper as the leftover mashed sweet potatoes should already have pepper added. A tiny bit of pepper and kosher salt is used to season the cornflake crumbs. Remembering to season every layer while cooking is the key to great-tasting dishes.

*Important Note—If using table salt instead of kosher salt, please cut back on the amount of salt called for in the recipe card by half because they measure differently due to grain size.

Kitchen tools and equipment needed:

• standard muffin tins (you'll need 2 if making the entire recipe)
• mixing bowls
• measuring cups and spoons
• pie plate or shallow dish
• pastry brush
• ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop
• cutting board
• chef's knife
• kitchen scale (optional)
• offset spatula
• parchment paper
• baking sheets
• avocado oil

Add-ins and swap-out suggestions:

If you don't have leftover mashed sweet potatoes (or you're not a fan of sweet potatoes), but you do have mashed russets, please feel free to substitute those instead of mashed sweet potatoes.

Any type of firm, melty cheese can be used for this recipe. Cubed Swiss cheese, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, or even cubed Bleu cheese would make for an interesting surprise inside.

Homemade breadcrumbs would make a delicious substitution for the store-bought variety if you have them.

In place of the cornflake crumbs, using panko crumbs would be a tasty crunch option.

I used olive oil and a butter mixture, but feel free to brush your croquettes with just butter or just olive oil. Either one alone would still be great.

My top tips for recipe success:

• For easier rolling of the mashed potatoes, make sure they're cold straight from the fridge.
• Oil your hands and the ice cream scoop to make rolling easier and less sticky.
• Cut the cheese cubes 1" square or slightly smaller.
• Reshape the croquettes, if needed, after they've been coated in the cornflake crumbs.
• Brush the muffin tins liberally with the melted butter and oil mixture before adding the croquettes to the pan.

Can sweet potato croquettes be frozen after cooking?

They sure can!

Flash-freeze the cooled croquettes until firm, and then store them in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag for up to three months.

I like to use these dissolvable content labels for adding dates and container content information to the outside of refrigerator and freezer packages.

How to store cooked mashed potato croquettes:

Cool the croquettes completely and store them in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Can mashed potato croquettes be made in mini muffin pans?

You bet!

When making mini mashed potato croquettes, remember to cut the cheese cubes no larger than ½" cubes.

With a smaller size croquette, less oven time will be required. Since the potatoes have already been cooked, you're really only looking to melt the cheese and warm the potatoes. Bake smaller croquettes for 10-12 minutes and serve them as appetizers if desired.

Can potato croquettes with cheese filling be made into other shapes?

If you'd like to make the croquettes into patties, that will work as long as you keep the cheese intact and don't flatten them too much.

I'd suggest frying the flattened croquettes in a skillet for 2-3 minutes per side, flipping carefully.

Can cheese-stuffed potato croquettes be made in advance?

Yep, which makes them perfect for entertaining.

Once you've coated the croquettes with the cornflake crumbs, add them to the muffin tin, cover the tin, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

When ready to cook, allow the croquettes to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven, brush the croquettes with melted butter and oil, and bake them as the recipe instructs.

Can panko crumbs be used in place of cornflake crumbs?

Yes, and they'll still have a crunchy textural element that is a wonderful contrast to the creamy mashed potato and melted cheese centers.

How to make homemade cornflake crumbs?

• Place cornflake cereal in a large zip-top bag.
• Remove the air from the bag and seal it shut.
• Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush the cereal to your desired consistency.

How to easily adjust the serving size of this recipe

Should you need to increase (or decrease) the serving size for this recipe you can easily adjust the ingredient quantities using the sliding scale shown in the recipe card by hovering over the number in the serving size.

Additional muffin tin recipes you'll enjoy:

Muffin Tin Crab Cakes are everything you love about a meaty crab cake but without that annoying flip in the skillet.

Strawberry Crescent Roll Muffins are delicious sweet muffins that are as easy to make as they are delicious!

Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Muffins are wonderful golden, savory quick bread muffins that taste like you were baking all day...but there was no "knead" (pun intended). LOL

I sincerely hope you'll enjoy making (and eating) these delicious cheese-stuffed sweet potato croquettes as much as I've enjoyed bringing them to you!

Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!

Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!

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Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!