Sweet Potato Balls Recipe
Sweet potato ball is an amazing snack available in Malaysia, in the morning or afternoon market. They are commonly sold by street vendors.
Called “番薯旦” in Chinese, they are made with sweet potatoes, flour and sugar.
They are usually coated with sesame seeds and deep-fried. You can find similar versions in Indonesia and Thailand.
These taste of home sweet treats were my favorite childhood food, ones that I grew up eating. They are great as munchies for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Making them at home brings back lots of sweet childhood memories to me!
How to Make Fried Sweet Potato Balls?
Making these sweet dough balls are very easy. First, boil the sweet potatoes until the inside is cooked through.
Next, peel off the skin and keep the sweet potatoes. Mash and combine well with flour, sugar and water to form a dough.
Roll the dough into balls and coat them with sesame seeds. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Sweet Potatoes to Use?
As a general rule of thumb, you should use the sweet potatoes with pale yellow color flesh inside.
This type of potatoes make the best sweet potato balls. Avoid using orange or purple color sweet potatoes.
Can I Use Air Fryer To Make this Recipe?
Absolutely. Use air fryer to make healthy sweet potato balls that are not deep-fried.
Just follow the method in the recipe card and fry in an air fryer. However, you can’t oven baked.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 264 calories per serving.
What to Serve with This Recipe?
Serve them as appetizers or snacks, with other Malaysian sweet or savory treats.
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Sweet Potato Balls
Sweet Potato Balls - crispy fried sweet potato dough balls coated with sesame seeds. This Malaysian snack is great for afternoon tea.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (0.4 kg) sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 - 2 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- oil, for deep frying
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Boil the sweet potatoes in hot boiling water for 15 minutes, or until the inside is cooked through. Peel the skin off and discard. Smash the sweet potatoes.
- Add the mashed sweet potatoes with flour, sugar, and water to form a dough that is not sticky to the hands.
- Divide the dough into small, equal portions and roll them into balls. Roll the sweet potato balls with sesame seeds.
- Heat up a shallow pot with 2-3 inches oil. When the oil is fully heated, deep fry the sweet potato balls until golden brown. Dish out and drain well on paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
4 peopleAmount Per Serving Calories 264Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gSodium 64mgCarbohydrates 54gFiber 5gSugar 17gProtein 5g
Sandra
Can I air fry the sweet potato balls instead of frying them?
Rasa Malaysia
You can try.
Purba
Your recipes are great.
The air frier tip is very welcome.
Thank you.
Purba
Myrna Leite
Rasa thank you for giving us a delicious recipe. We will make it and enjoy. Thank you. Luana of Hilo, Hi
Eve
Can we bake it in oven instead of fried it? Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
You can but it’s not going to be good.
Alejandro
Thank you for this amazing recipe. My grandmother used to cook this when I was a little and this brings back a lot of great memories. I have made this today and it turned out amazing. Thank you!
Jesse
My daughter told me about this delicious sweet potato balls. I quickly searched the recipe and I found yours. It was amazing, all her friends loved it too. Thank you for sharing
Ivy
Due to health reasons, will it be less tasty if sesame seeds are omitted?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can skip the sesame seeds.
Judy
Why are the sweet potatoes green? You recommend yams, the lighter color potatoes and they are more a dark yellowish color. The orange ones are the true sweet potatoes and were brought here by slaves from Africa.
Rasa Malaysia
I didn’t recommend yams for this recipe. The recipe calls for sweet potatoes, yellow flesh. It’s not green in color.
Cat
There are many starchy tubers in this world with obscure English true names. Boniato, for example, is a white-fleshed sweet potato commonly used in Latin American cooking. I imagine that there is no commonly used English word to refer to the type of sweet potato in Malaysia.
Janice B
How many cups of sweet potatoes?
Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
1 pound of sweet potato. I don’t know how many cups.
Karen Herbert
We used to make these every year – and stuff a marshmallow inside :)
Rasa Malaysia
Yummy, sounds yummy!
Sara
Looks yummy! Can I use whole wheat flour instead?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sara, you can but it won’t taste very good with whole wheat flour.