Crispy Sweet Potato, Fig and Pomegranate Bites
Ready to meet your new favourite snack? Here comes canapé number two of our Very Vegan Christmas Feast – crispy sweet potato, fig and pomegranate bites!
These bites will definitely hit the spot on Christmas Day, or any day for that matter! Not only are they fully vegan, made with some of our delicious vegan ricotta from the Christmas Vegan Ricotta Bonbons they are also gluten free!
Coating the sweet potato in a mixture of corn flour and olive oil, then baking them low and slow is key here. If you have ever made sweet potato chips in the oven before, you will notice their high natural sugar content makes them go almost black when crisp. The corn flour and oil help the exterior get deliciously crispy, without going too dark. The low and slow cooking also concentrates the natural sugars in the sweet potato flesh, giving the final product gooey caramel flavouring notes. Choose nice, cylindrical, sweet potatoes of a similar size to ensure your sweet potato disks are roughly uniform.
The sweet potato rounds will require a bit of time in a low oven, to get them both super creamy and deliciously crispy, but the active cook time is a mere 20 minutes. You can either save some vegan ricotta from our ricotta bonbons for this recipe. Otherwise a shop bought, spreadable vegan cheese will work just fine!
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in an Air Fryer?
Yes, instructions for cooking this in the air fryer and in the oven can be found in the recipe.
Can I make this with dairy?
You can indeed. Simply substitute the vegan cheese used in the recipe with dairy-based cheese.
Can I make this gluten-free?
This dish is gluten free! Enjoy!
Crispy Sweet Potato, Fig and Pomegranate Bites
- Total Time: 1 Hour
- Yield: 15 - 18 Bites
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 500g)
- 1 1/2 tsp cornflour (pick a gluten free brand if required)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2–3 fresh figs, depending on their size
- 1 cup vegan ricotta (from this recipe) or use shop-bought vegan cream cheese or ricotta
- 80g or 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- pepper
For serving (optional)
- Colourful sprouts
- Baby herbs, microgreens, or a little picked fresh thyme, removed from the woody stems
Instructions
In the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into just over 1cm thick rounds.
- Arrange the rounds on a baking paper-lined baking tray (this prevents the sweet potato from sticking) and sprinkle over the cornflour, oil, salt and a touch of pepper. Massage all the ingredients together until the cornflour and oil have combined and evenly coated the sweet potatoes.
- Roast until crisp and soft, about 50 minutes to one hour, turning halfway through, so that they crisp evenly.
- While the potatoes are roasting taste the ricotta. Add a touch of salt and pepper if necessary.
- Thinly slice the figs
- Once the sweet potatoes have finished cooking, you can plate up the bites to serve immediately, or set the sweet potato disks aside, to reheat once needed.
- To assemble, place the sweet potato disks on a warmed serving platter. Top the disks with a blob of vegan ricotta, a slice of fig, and a few pomegranate rubies. Finish the bites with a crack of black pepper, a few tri-colour sprouts and micro-greens (optional).
In the air fryer:
- Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into just over 1cm thick rounds.
- Place the rounds a bowl sprinkle over the cornflour, oil, salt and a touch of pepper. Massage all the ingredients together until the cornflour and oil have combined and evenly coated the sweet potatoes.
- Place the sweet potatoes in an even layer in the fryer basket.
- Preheat the air fryer to 165C
- Air fry until crisp and soft, about 20-35 minutes, turning halfway through, so that they crisp evenly. The time here will depend on your make and model of air fryer.
- While the potatoes are roasting prepare your toppings. Taste the vegan cheese. Add a touch of salt and pepper if necessary.
- Thinly slice the figs
- Once the sweet potatoes have finished cooking, you can plate up the bites to serve immediately, or set the sweet potato disks aside, to reheat once needed.
- To assemble, place the sweet potato disks on a warmed serving platter. Top the disks with a blob of soft vegan cheese, a slice of fig, and a few pomegranate rubies. Finish the bites with a crack of black pepper, a few tri-colour sprouts and micro-greens (optional).
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 56.22kcal
- Sugar: 2.28g
- Sodium: 150.81mg
- Fat: 2.42g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.60g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8.15g
- Fiber: 1.22g
- Protein: 0.92g
- Cholesterol: 0g
