Sweet Potato Bites with Whipped Avocado

These colourful sweet potato bites are a fab lower-carb, gluten-free option if you’re looking to switch up your party food spread. Dolloped with zesty whipped avocado, crispy chorizo and pickles, they’re an easy, crowd-pleasing snack that will disappear quickly.

I truly think you can’t go wrong with this combination of flavours. Anything sweet, spicy, zesty, creamy and crunchy is going to be a winner and these lovely little bites have all of those elements going on. You’ve got sweetness from the sweet potatoes themselves, the chorizo gives you something crispy, smoky, spicy and salty, the whipped avocado is creamy and zesty and the pickled onions give you that lovely tangy hit that cuts through the richness of the avocado.

They’re also very simple. Just slice your sweet potatoes, throw them in the oven, then prep the toppings. You can even prep everything ahead of time, then just assemble them when you’re ready to serve. They’re also great if you’re catering for anyone gluten-free, or if you just want something a little lighter in a sea of party food ideas that tend to be more carb-focused.

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes. Try to find ones that are long and thin, so you get little uniform discs. There’s no need to peel them.
• Avocado. It’s important you use a ripe avocado for the best flavour and texture.
• Scallions (spring onions). You’ll use these in two ways – in the whipped avocado topping and as a cute little curly garnish on top. If you don’t like them, you could just use extra mint leaves, or cilantro (coriander), flat-leaf parsley or even basil.
• Pickled onions. I love the zing these bring to the bites – they cut through the sweetness and creaminess and really finish them off beautifully (they also bring a gorgeous pop of colour). You could use another pickle though if you like – try chopped gherkins.
• Chorizo. This is the crispy, salty element of the bites. I LOVE the smokiness of chorizo and it’s a great one to pair with the avocado, but streaky bacon also works, or, make the bites vegetarian and use pan-fried cubes of halloumi cheese. I also like a quick tomato salsa with these (mix chopped cherry tomatoes with black beans, lime juice and salt).
• Mint. Swap this for flat-leaf parsley, cilantro or basil if you like.

How to make them

Slice your sweet potatoes into thin discs, then toss with olive oil and salt and pop into the oven to bake. While they’re in the oven, cook your chorizo until lovely and crispy, and make the whipped avocado.

PRO TIP: All of the separate elements for the bites can be prepped ahead of time (up to 3 days), and then you can just assemble them when you’re ready.

Pile a heaped teaspoon of the whipped avocado onto each sweet potato slice, then top with a couple of pieces of crispy chorizo (I also like to drizzle some of the chorizo oil from the pan on top for more flavour!) Finish with the pickled onions and the curly scallions.

Complete your holiday season menu with these ideas

Got a question?

Can I make them in advance?

You can prepare the different elements ahead of time, then just assemble them when you’re ready to serve. They’ll be fine at room temperature once assembled for a good few hours if you really want to get ahead too. The sweet potato slices, whipped avocado and crispy chorizo will be fine for about 5 days if stored in the fridge. Bring the sweet potato and avocado to room temperature if possible before serving, for the best flavour. I like to pop the chorizo in the microwave for 15 seconds to heat it slightly before assembling the bites.

What could I use instead of chorizo?

Try streaky bacon, or cubes of halloumi for a vegetarian version. You could also mix a quick salsa with cherry tomatoes, black beans, a little lime juice, salt and chopped scallions and pile that on top.

With the avocado stay green?

The lime juice helps with this, but over time it will start to discolour a little, as it’s exposed to the air. If you’re making the whipped avocado ahead of time, press a piece of cling film directly onto the avocado in a container, then cover with the lid. This will help it stay bright green for longer, as it limits oxygen exposure.

Like this recipe? Here are more easy party food ideas for you

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These colourful sweet potato bites with zesty whipped avocado and crispy chorizo are a fab lower-carb, gluten-free option if you're looking to switch up your party food spread. They're an easy, crowd-pleasing snack that will disappear quickly. Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins

Servings: 40 bites

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 scallions, spring onions
• 100 g chorizo, (3.5oz), casing removed and diced
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• A handful of mint leaves
• ¼ cup pickled onions, diced

Method

1. Roast the sweet potatoes. Heat your oven to 400°F (200℃) fan. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice your sweet potatoes into thin rounds (roughly ¼" thick), then toss with olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Lay out the sweet potato rounds onto your prepared tray, on a single layer (you may need two trays). Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until charred around the edges and cooked through (pierce the middle of one with a knife to check if you like). Check on them about halfway through and rotate the tray if one end is cooking faster than the other.
2. Make the curly scallions. While the sweet potato cooks, thinly slice one of the scallions lengthways, into long strips. Pop the strips into a glass of water. This will make them curl up and create a lovely little garnish for the bites.
3. Make the crispy chorizo. Add the diced chorizo to a dry pan and set it over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the chorizo is super crispy. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
PRO TIP: Don't discard the leftover oil in the pan from the chorizo – this adds lovely flavor and color to the bites – I like drizzling it on top.
4. Make the whipped avocado. Add the avocado, mint leaves, one chopped scallion, 1 teaspoon of salt and the lime juice to a small food processor or chopper. Blitz into a smooth puree, taste, then season with more salt and lime juice if needed.
You can also do this by hand: just chop the mint and scallion finely, then mash them up with the avocado, lime, and salt in a bowl with a fork.
5. Assemble the bites. Smooth a heaped teaspoon of the whipped avocado onto each sweet potato bite, then top with a couple of pieces of the crispy chorizo, drizzling a little chorizo oil on top as well.Finish with the chopped pickled onions and top with a little curl of the thinly cut scallion ribbons. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 4bites
Calories: 144kcal
Carbohydrates: 14.7g
Protein: 3.9g
Fat: 8.2g
Saturated Fat: 2.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g
Monounsaturated Fat: 4.8g
Trans Fat: 0.02g
Cholesterol: 9mg
Sodium: 654mg
Potassium: 355mg
Fiber: 3.3g
Sugar: 3g
Vitamin A: 8592IU
Vitamin C: 4.6mg
Calcium: 25mg
Iron: 0.8mg

Notes

PREP AHEAD: The elements can all be made ahead of time, and then you can assemble the bites when you’re ready. The sweet potatoes, chorizo and whipped avocado will keep for at least 5 days in the fridge. To keep the bright green colour of the avocado, press a piece of clingfilm directly onto the avocado in the container you store it in, then pop the lid on. This is going to reduce its exposure to the air, helping to stop any discolouration. I like to pop the chorizo into the microwave for about 15 seconds before assembling too. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any leftovers will be fine in the fridge for 5 days – I like to add them to salads or pile them into tacos. INGREDIENT NOTES: You want to make sure you use sweet potatoes that are long and thin, and relatively uniform in size, so you get even discs. SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the mint for flat-leaf parsley, cilantro (coriander) or basil, or you could use streaky bacon instead of chorizo. To make it vegetarian, pan-fry diced halloumi cheese, or mix a quick salsa of cherry tomatoes, black beans, lime juice and salt to pile on top of the avocado.