Do you want to know what my favorite food holiday is? Cinco de Mayo!!! I look forward to it all year long. I love the food of Cinco de Mayo more than any Thanksgiving feast, more than cookies at Christmas, and definitely more than any 4th of July BBQ you can throw at me. So, over the course of the next week, I am going to show you a few of my new favorite Mexican-inspired dishes, like this taquito recipe, that would be a perfect fit for the holiday.
I am starting with quite possibly the best appetizer I have come up with yet. Sweet Potato & Lime Taquitos!! Sure, you could cook up a whole batch and eat them by themselves, or maybe as a side dish to tacos, but I think they are the perfect starter course.
My Mexican food loving clan enjoyed these last weekend alongside a big pot of my fast & smokey black beans, and heirloom chile infused rice. The avocado dipping sauce that goes along with these worked great as a stand in for guacamole over our beans and rice and gave the taquitos just the kick that they needed to tame the sweetness of the sweet potato.
This vegan taquito recipe tastes just like the real thing and are simple to put together.
These taquitos come together pretty easy on their own. You basically just boil, mash, chop, stuff, and roll, but if you boil and mash your sweet potatoes the day before you want to throw these little beauties together it's even easier.
Now if you are throwing an EPIC Cinco de Mayo party I would suggest making these alongside a batch of my black bean flautas and serving it all up together buffet style with the dipping sauce. Your guests will go crazy for both of them and, in my opinion, it is always great to have a savory and sweet(ish) option.
Whether you make my flautas or taquitos besides their respective fillings they are both laced with my (not so) top secret (anymore), knock-your-socks-off, incredibly easy taco topping that I serve at every Mexican inspired dinner we have here at home. It's your basic red onion, cilantro, and lime relish that will BLOW your mind with how good something so simple can be.
So, go ahead, whip up a margarita, put your sweet potatoes onto boil and brace yourself for one amazing taquito!!!
If you’ve tried this Sweet Potato and Lime Taquito Recipe, I would be so grateful if you would rate it. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I just love hearing from you, and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours!
PrintSweet Potato and Lime Taquitos
Don’t forget to rate the recipe, and let me know what you think about these Sweet Potato and Lime Taquitos in the comments below. I just love hearing from you. Your reviews/comments really help other people that visit This Mess is Ours!
- Yield: 4 as a main, 8 as an appetizer 1x
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds sweet potato (about 1 large), scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter substitute, ghee, or salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut in half
- 12-14 white corn tortillas, warmed (see note)
- Olive oil for pan frying
- Avocado Dipping Sauce (see recipe below)
- Chopped lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, hot sauce (I use Cholula), and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling drop the potatoes into the water and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, return the potatoes to the pot and combine with the vegan butter, cinnamon, cumin, and salt. Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or a fork until they reach the desired consistency.
- In a small bowl, combine the red onion, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally.
- In a large heavy skillet, heat ¼-inch of oil over medium heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, rub the fleshy side of half of a lime over the tortilla then spread 1 heaping tablespoon of mashed sweet potatoes and ½ of a tablespoon of the onion, cilantro, and lime mixture evenly along one side of the tortilla. Gently roll the tortilla tightly beginning on the side with the filling. Use a toothpick to secure the taquito so it doesn't unroll while cooking. (Corn tortillas have a tendency to dry out quickly and split, so I rolled 4 taquitos then placed them in the hot pan and rolled 4 more while the others were cooking until they were all finished.)
- Place the prepared taquitos seam side down in the hot oil and cook, rotating with tongs, until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides, approximately 4-5 minutes per batch. Continue to cook the rest of the taquitos in batches, adding more oil as needed. Remove the toothpicks after you have fried them and serve with Avocado Dipping Sauce, lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, cilantro, hot sauce, and lime wedges.
Notes
Corn tortillas will often tear if they're not warmed before you roll them. To heat them up, simply wrap them in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds at a time until they're pliable.
Note: Roasted sweet potatoes, which are featured in the video are also great in these taquitos! To bake the taquitos: Use gluten free flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. Line taquitos on baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes.
Avocado Dipping Sauce (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
Don’t forget to rate the recipe, and let me know what you think about this Avocado Dipping Sauce in the comments below. I just love hearing from you. Your reviews/comments really help other people that visit This Mess is Ours!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados, halved and pits removed, scooped from their shells
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (for a less spicy version remove the seeds and ribs)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons water
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine the avocado, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, and water in a blender or food processor, then puree until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with kosher salt. Chill until ready to use.
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What are the health benefits of sweet potato?
Sweet potatoes, especially when also eating the peel, are full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. These nutrients help in promoting gut health, improving vision health, and ridding the body of free radicals.
Click here for more information on the health benefits of sweet potato.
Lisa says
Can you bake, freeze and then reheat these? If so, please advise.
thismess says
I honestly haven't tried to freeze these before...if you were using regular flour tortillas then I would say give a try, reheating at 350°F for 20 minutes. If you are using gluten free flour tortillas though, I find those to be SUPER fragile, so I imagine they wouldn't freeze well.
Niccole SERVAGE says
What would you think of adding in some black beans as well? I will definitely be making these VERY soon!
thismess says
You could totally do that if you wanted!
Carolyn says
Made these for a Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. Added a bit of fajita seasoning to the sweet potatoes, a touch of jalapeno balsamic vinegar to the onions, used olive oil and sprinkled with Oaxaca cheese before baking. Yum!
Natalie Wilson says
I made these tonight. SOOOOOO delicious! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Elisa says
Can these be eaten cold?
thismess says
I have served them at room temperature before, I think they may loose their crispiness if refrigerated after cooking.
Priyanka Prasad says
There were fantastic! My family normally complains that I'm the slowest cook on the planet, but I got done making these within 20 minutes. We polished off the whole batch in 5 minutes, including the portion I had saved to take for lunch tomorrow.
Meg says
Hooray!! I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed them, although I know what a bummer it is for your work lunch to be gobbled up in the process.
Francesca says
Thank you for this recipe...it was the perfect start for a great evening. The only thing i changed is the frying part, i grilled them on a grilling pan instead 🙂
jon says
Hi, probably a dumb question! But just to be safe, what size tortilla wraps roughly?
Meg says
Not a dumb question at all Jon, I use soft taco/enchilada sized tortillas:)
Gabe says
Probably don't need to scrub and peel the sweet potato! 😉
julie says
OH, MY...I can't stop eating these! I made one slight change...I used a seeded serrano chili in the onion/cilantro mix...YUM... I am SOOOOO making these on a regular basis!
Meg says
Hooray Julie!! I am so glad you like them and I am sure a little spicy kick would be a nice addition. 🙂 I just published a spicy potato taquito recipe tonight so you will love that one too, I just know it!
Deborah Pipi says
They look beautiful....I can't wait to try them! Thank you Meg!
aarti says
So i made this but I didnt make them into the tacquito format because I cant eat corn at the moment
the filling on its own is awesome! I actually did the lime/onion/cilantro mix in a mason jar overnight (and i've actualy had it for a couple of days since I had leftovers)
added some goat cheese to the mix and it was amazing
thanks for sharing!
Deborah Pipi says
Hi Meg! I have a question before I attempt to make these.....what is the orange-ish stripe (maybe hot sauce) going around all of the taquitos in the pictures? You didn't mention finishing it off with a drizzle of anything and I was just wondering if that is a part of the recipe I should know about. I just want them to come out perfect, like yours 🙂 Thank you!
Meg says
Hi Deborah,
You are so sweet! Yes, the stripe is hot sauce. I usually set aside a few taquitos for the kids and drizzle hot sauce over the top for Todd and I.
Jackie says
Made this last night, they were so so so good! Definitely a remake!
Meg says
Jackie I am so glad you liked them!!
Erin says
I made these tonight and they were amazing!!! Thanks for the recipe - I think I will bake them next time to save some oil 🙂
Meg says
I am so glad you enjoyed then Erin! I have baked them before as well and they are really delicious:)
Jill says
I made these last night using your baking method.....it took some practice to get the rolling down without the tortilla breaking, but OMG!!! They are awesome! This will DEFINITELY be a do over, and over, and over! Thanks so much!
Meg says
Yay Jill! I am so glad you liked them. If your tortillas are breaking on you it is probably because they are drying out. Try steaming a stack of them in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel for 30-40 seconds then if you work while they are still warm it should be ok.
joshlyne says
Made these tonight and could not believe how amazing they were! Even with my inattentive self adding 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon instead of a fourth. And I was so excited to eat them I forgot the avocado dipping sauce. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Meg says
Ha ha! I am SO glad you enjoyed them and hey, I am all for more cinnamon;)
Gwen says
Could you bake these instead of frying? That would free me up to do the salad which i think will go perfectly with these, jicama, avocado, onion, mango and butter lettuce with a lime dressing. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Meg says
You can absolutely bake these...soak the toothpicks in water while you're doing the prep work and preheat your oven to 400ºF. Spray a baking sheet with an oil mister. Prepare the flautas as described in the recipe, then place them on the baking sheet. Spray them with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until crisp.
Angelique says
Suggestion: When cooking with yams or sweet potatoes, you get better flavor when you bake them then when you boil them. Just prick them a few times with a fork and put them in a high oven on a baking sheet. Don't cut them or -- heaven forbid! -- wrap them in any way. (Wrapping them in foil like the restaurants do just gives you the same watery flavor and texture as boiling them. )When they're done, you let them cool enough to touch (or just put them in the fridge for another time) and then scoop out the soft insides. We usually eat them just like that, but I also make mashed yam casseroles.
Meg says
I totally agree that roasting sweet potatoes give them a great flavor as well. You can absolutely fill these with roasted sweet potatoes as well, it just takes a bit more time.
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
Meg, these look amazing!!! I was going to make vegan nachos this weekend, but now I'm definitely going to make these. Great idea using sweet potatoes as the filling. I may eat the avocado dipping sauce with a spoon. *hehe*
Meg says
Yay Courtney! I am SO glad you liek the recipe. I can't wait to hear what you think of them when you try them:)
Donna says
Was going to wait until the weekend to make these, but , instead, made them tonight . Husband is due home in 4 hours.. don't think there will be any leftover.... the family absolutely loves them!
Meg says
Yay Donna! You just made my day:) I am so glad your family liked them!
Lynell says
So making these! I love sweet potatoes. And Mexican food. Yum. 🙂
Meg says
Yay Lynell! I hope you love them as much as we do.
dixya@food, pleasure, and health says
i love Mexican food...these taquitos look fantastic. pinning it.
Meg says
Thanks Dixya!!!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Oh man, these sound so good!! Perfect combo of flavours! xx
Meg says
Thank you Katrina!!