These fluffy dough balls are the best snack or side to serve with a meal! I’m obsessed and can’t stop making them! They’re a perfect snack or side for a meal. I usually have then on the side of a soup, and dunk them into the soup like I would with a bread roll. Alternatively, I dip them in hummus (I will link my low FODMAP hummus below in my recipe notes), or in a dairy free parsley butter dip- again, I will link this below so you can check this out! Have fun with these- and let me know what you eat your sweet potato doughballs with!
It’s super important that you boil your sweet potatoes until they are super soft and mushy- perhaps a little more than just for tender. This is because you want them to be really easy to blend into a smooth puree- meaning that the overall consistency of your sweet potato doughballs is consistent. I don’t know about you, but I don’t fancy biting into a doughball to find a big chunk of unblended sweet potato. As much as I love sweet potatoes, I prefer a soft, spongy and consistent doughball! So, I always make sure to boil my potatoes for longer than usual (probably about 15-20 mins) despite them being relatively thinly sliced. I then proceed to blend for at least 2 mins to ensure I haven’t missed any bits.
Love sweet potato? Check out some of these recipes:
- Sweet potato, chocolate chunk biscuits
- Sweet potato brownies
- Double chocolate orange protein brownies
- Carrot and sweet potato soup
- Sweet potato gnocchi
- Microwave potato wedges (made with white potatoes but you can easy swap out for sweet potato)
I would recommend being generous with the amount of salt added to the recipe. Because the potatoes are so sweet, and the flour doesn’t add much flavour at all, you want the salt to really bring out a bit more flavour. Without the salt, the doughball’s flavour is a little flat and the sweet potato almost gets drowned out by the amount of flour used in the recipe. The sesame seeds are a great way to boost the flavour, but without the salt, these doughballs really aren’t the same. I use sea salt, but normal table salt, Himalayan salt and flaky rock salt will all work in this recipe. It is also a great idea to sprinkle a small amount of salt on top of the doughballs too.
Ideas on how you could eat your sweet potato doughballs:
- With a soup- check out some of my soup recipes here
- Dipped in some hummus- here is my low FODMAP roasted carrot hummus recipe
- Dairy free melted cheese
- Parsley butter (I made parsley butter breadsticks but the same technique could be used here)
- Tahini
- Low FODMAP guacamole
- Salsa
- Dairy free cream cheese dip
- Lemon and herb dip
- As a starter dish
You want the dough to be super easy to work with. This means no sticking to the bowl or your hands- otherwise it will be impossible to roll out and into small balls. Whilst I have stated the correct amount of flour below in the ingredients list, I find that different brands and blends of gluten free flour have various levels of moisture absorption. So, you may find that you need more or less flour depending on what flour you use. I would recommend starting with a small amount, mix it in and then gradually add small amounts to ensure you don’t add too much. You want to stop adding flour as soon as the dough comes together as a ball and can be easily handled.
Extra ingredients you could add to your sweet potato doughballs:
- Chopped olives
- Dried herbs
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Poppy seeds
- Chia seeds
- Dairy free melted cheesy core
- Parsley butter glaze
- Flaky sea salt topping
Sweet options:
- Chocolate chips
- Peanut butter core
- Shredded coconut topping
- Melted chocolate core
- Finely chopped strawberries
- Finely chopped nuts
My favourite part of this recipe is the fact that you can make a batch of these and then have sweet potato doughballs to last you the week! Whilst they may start to go stale after a couple days, I find that briefly microwaving them before consumption brings back the moisture and plumpness you have when you initially make them! I also wanted to note that you can bake or fry these doughballs if you do not have an air fryer. Fry on a low heat for a few minutes, then shake the pan so they roll and a new part of the surface is touching the pan. This method can be a little tricky regarding keeping the integrity of the sesame seeds. Alternatively bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
I always find it really beneficial to flip/turn the sweet potato doughballs after about 6/7 mins in the air fryer. This not only ensures that they do not burn on one side, but just creates a much more even and consistent colour, texture and appearance around the entire doughball. I find that if I do not flip or shuffle them, the base stays quite moist and gooey compared to the top of the doughball. It also causes the doughballs to have a flat base- which is usually not what I am going for in a doughball- but if you want a flat base then you may not need to roll them over! I would still keep an eye on them though as different air fryers cook foods differently- and you don’t want burn doughballs!
Ingredients: (makes around 15)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1.5 cups gluten free flour
- 1 tbsp salt
- Sesame seeds
Method:
Step 1: boil your sweet potatoes until fork tender.
Step 2: drain your sweet potatoes, then blend. Add in your salt.
Step 3: transfer the puree to a bowl. Sieve in your flour and stir until you get a workable dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Step 4: roll your dough into a long sausage and divide into even segments.
Step 5: roll each segment into a ball- they should be slightly smaller than golf balls.
Step 6: lightly press some sesame seeds into the top of your balls.
Step 7: place into the air fryer at 190° for 9 mins.
Best served warm! These will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend microwaving them for 1 minute to reheat them, restoring them to their brilliant fluffy texture!
Definitely send me your sweet potato doughball images to my Instagram TheLazyLowFODMAP! Tag me in your images or DM them to me so that I see them!
