Whole30 smoky sweet potato zucchini burgers – meatless, paleo, and Whole30 compliant burgers are the most versatile dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
43,659th times the charm, right? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, but recipe testing for these Whole30 smoky sweet potato zucchini burgers was a process. I didn’t just try these one, two, or even three times. Nope, more like six.
I swear I would have given up the fourth time if these didn’t taste so dang good. Even the failed ones, so yum. I’m actually surprised we didn’t all turn orange after eating these for WEEKS. These are most definitely worth it, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was ready to give up time and time again.
These Whole30 smoky sweet potato zucchini burgers are kind of like toddlers. So pure and good yet fussy, finicky and defiant. Good thing I’ve been well-trained in toddler handling or else these delicious little burgers may have been chucked across the room in frustration. But when you deal with toddler meltdowns, repeated questions, and constant demands, you’re pretty much primed to handle anything. Seriously, anything.
Except smoke alarms blaring during nap time. There’s that…
I think it was my third or fourth attempt – I was ready, in the game, mentally there. The morning was busy and exhausting but I got both kids down for nap after lunch and I was ready to tackle what I thought would be the final attempt. The patties looked perfect, the pan was hot. One by one, I placed these nutritious and delicious little burgers into the pan. Everything was looking good, until I flipped them. A minute in to searing on the other side and all the smoke alarms on the first level of our house started BLARING.
Talk about heart attack. It wasn’t the smoke or the burgers I was worried about, it was waking the wild beasts from their afternoon slumber.
OMG OMG OMG, MUST STOP THE ALARMS FROM SCREECHING!!
I started opening windows and doors like a lunatic crazy women. I grabbed the kitchen hand towel and began waving it under the smoke detectors (does that even work? I dunno). The sweat started to form at the top of my forehead as I was repeating (praying), “please don’t wake up, please don’t wake up!!”
If you’re a mom, you understand. You sympathize. You get it. Don’t mess with nap time. Never, EVER mess with nap time.
The smoke alarms stopped and miraculously the kids were still sleeping. I swear it was divine intervention. God wanted me to get these Whole30 smoky sweet potato zucchini burgers right. And long behold, once again, they fell apart. FAIL.
I decided to give up, but kept thinking about the awesome taste and knew, just KNEW I had to try again, as many times as needed, to fix the broken recipe and share this goodness to the world. It was my mission. It was a mission from God (name the movie). And I think I’ve completed my life’s work.
These Whole30 smoky sweet potato zucchini burgers are delicate (fair warning) but seriously worth the effort because of their taste. I’ve tried them a number of different ways, so my best advice is to handle with care, do not make recipe substitutions (unless you’re a rockstar cook, in that case maybe I need to learn a thing or two from you), and enjoy the process (aka don’t set the smoke alarms off). I love these as a base for my morning eggs, reheated for lunch, or as a side for dinner.
And be sure to check out other Whole30 compliant recipes perfect to get you through the 30 days! Whole30 Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, One Pot Creamy Mushroom and Sage Chicken, Whole30 Sloppy Joe Bowls, 5 Ingredient Whole30 Hawaiian Chicken Burgers, Sweet Onion Teriyaki Salmon Packets, and 20 Minute Whole30 Orange Chicken.
- 1 cup grated zucchini (roughly 1 medium zucchini)
- 1½ cup grated sweet potato + ½ cup mashed sweet potato (roughly 1 large sweet potato)
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1½ teaspoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil of choice to cook
- Grate the zucchini and place in a mesh strainer. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and let sit as you assemble the rest of the ingredients
- Grate roughly one half to three-fourths of the sweet potato until you have 1½ cups of grated sweet potato. Using whatever sweet potato you have left, microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or roast in the oven until soft inside. Once slightly cooled, scoop out the sweet potato mash and measure out ⅓ cup. You should be able to easily get both grated and mashed out of one large sweet potato
- Add the grated sweet potato, mashed sweet potato, ground flaxseed, cumin, paprika, and salt to a bowl. Mix well
- Using a paper towel or thin kitchen hand towel, strain the grated zucchini to release all the excess moisture. You'll want the zucchini to be as dry as possible. Add the strained grated zucchini to the bowl
- Next, incorporate the egg, almond flour, and coconut flour. Mix well then form 4-6 patties
- Heat a large skillet on medium high with 1 tablespoon ghee or oil of choice. When ghee/oil is hot, add the sweet potato burgers. You may have to do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan.
- Cook roughly 3 minutes per side. Add more ghee if needed after the flip to avoid the burgers from burning
Yum! These look really good. I’ll giving them a try this weekend.
Enjoy Fiona!
They’re so pretty Chrissa; God so graciously gave you the perseverance to keep going and keep trying, because these are absolutely beautiful! 🙂 I can imagine a fried egg tasting really delicious on top.
Thank you so much Emily!
Hate to sound stupid, but I’m one of those who can burn water! Anyway … I’m assuming to mash the sweet potato, it must be cooked…? And, do you just use a regular grater for the zucchini and sweet potato? Thanks!
No stupid at all! Yes, the potato must be cooked to soften and make a mash. And yes, I use a regular cheese grater for the zucchini and sweet potato 🙂
These look awesome, going to try this weekend!! What do you think about making a double batch and freezing half? Sorry if that’s a dumb q!
🙂
Never a dumb question! I don’t think these would freeze well – they are very delicate as is, and I think the process of freezing and thawing would turn them into mush.
Oh MAN are these good. First recipe of yours I’ve gotten around to trying – you have a new devotee 🙂
Whoo hoo! So glad you’re a new fan Lauren!