When I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old issue of National Food Magazine for sweet potato waffles, I was intrigued—but I seldom make waffles. I then wondered if the same recipe would work to make pancakes.
Well, I gave it a try, and the Sweet Potato Pancakes were awesome. The recipe called for separating the eggs, and beating the egg whites until stiff. It definitely was worth the extra effort. The pancakes were incredibly fluffy and light.
I served the pancakes with maple syrup. The vivid, yet delicate, sweet potato flavor worked perfectly with the maple syrup to create a lovely taste experience.
Sweet Potato Pancakes would be perfect for an autumn brunch. This seasonal dish will impress even your most discerning foodie friends.
Sweet Potato Pancakes (Waffles)
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Combine the mashed sweet potatoes*, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, egg yolks, milk, and butter. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the sweet potato mixture.
To make pancakes: For each pancake, put two heaping tablespoons of the batter on a hot, lightly-greased griddle. Using the back of the spoon gently spread the batter to make a 3-inch pancake. Lightly brown on both sides. Serve with butter and honey or maple syrup.
Makes 12-15 3-inch pancakes
Note: Batter may also be used to make waffles.
*Mash cooked sweet potatoes with a fork until smooth.
Adapted from recipe in National Food Magazine (September, 1914)
A Hundred Years Ago 
Oh, they look and sound delicious; a perfect autumn breakfast!
They are a lovely fall food.
I love sweet potato, and often bake more than I need for a meal in order to have extra on hand. This will be a perfect way to use some. I’ll bet they’d freeze beautifully once made, too. I’ll find out, that’s for sure.
That’s a good idea. I never thought about freezing left-over pancakes.
It works beautifully — just like frozen pancakes and waffles in the store, only better!
These look delicious, thanks for sharing!
They are tasty!
My mother used to make potato pancakes but I’ve never though to use sweet potatoes in the recipe. Sounds tempting! ~Elle
Potato pancakes sound good, too. I’m going to have to see if I can find a potato pancake recipe. 🙂
I have yet to find a good one! Let me know what you find.
That sounds delicious. I am surprised that waffles were popular one hundred years ago.
Back when I was posting my grandmother’s diary, there actually was a diary entry where she mentioned eating waffles at a friend’s house.
“The whole family was invited out for dinner today. We all went except Pa. It was up at Tweet’s place. We had something that I always had a curiosity to know what they tasted like. It was waffles.” (December 6, 1913).
That post includes a picture that a reader sent me of an old-fashioned waffle iron that was used with a wood stove.
Great photo of the old waffle maker!
mmmm these sound delish will have to try them, thank you for sharing 🙂
They are good. 🙂
I love sweet potatoes! I would eat them with butter,and forget the syrup. I’m not fond of pancake syrup,and maple syrup isn’t handy here in the south. Wonder what brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top would taste like?
Brown sugar and cinnamon sounds good to me. I love cinnamon and sugar on toast–and think that it would work well with pancakes.
I love using sweet potatoes in baking and now you gave me another idea for using them. Looks wonderful! 🙂
I’ve just started to realize in recent years what a versatile food sweet potatoes are.
Same here! 🙂
If interested, check out these recipes with sweet potato:
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/mushrooms-and-sweet-potato-mini-bakes/
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/sweet-potato-banana-breakfast-bread/
Thanks for sharing these recipes. I’m going to have to try them. The mushroom & sweet potato one looks particularly intriguing.
It’s always quite a hit when I make it… 🙂
I’m on my way over! So yummy!
They are good!
Yummy! That looks absolutely delicious.
I think that you’d like them.
Oh does this sound delicious! There is a lot to learn from 100 years ago. 🙂
People did eat well back then–though it had to have been much more difficult to prepare meals using wood/coal stoves.
Definitely have to give this a go, Sheryl. Looks delicious.
They are good.
Hi Sheryl! These look incredible! I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be making them for my “WordPress Cooking Challenge”. I’ll be making and writing about them in the next couple weeks (with a link back to your post and recipe). 🙂
I’m honored that you think this recipe is worthy of trying for the WordPress Cooking Challenge. I look forward to reading the post.
Yum yum.
They are delicious! 🙂
An old post, but I just saw this. YUM! I love anything with sweet potatoes. I need to try this one!
I’d almost forgotten about this recipe. I’ll have to make it again sometime soon.
My recipe is printed out and sitting in my printer tray, ready to go! Now just to get to the store.