Potato & Kale Patties: Plant-based Nutritious Toddler Snack

---

Potato and kale come together in these soft, plant-based patties — a little healthy snack for toddlers, ready in about 20 minutes. Made from nothing but wholesome, nutritious ingredients, they are ones you can feel good about letting little ones eat as much of as they like. This one grew out of my daughter’s lunchbox, and it’s now one of our most reliable go-to snacks.

🌱Similar recipe –Oyaki: a Comforting Japanese Local Snack

Why you’ll love this recipe

• ✔ Made from only nutritious ingredients — no need to hold back on seconds
• ✔ Soft, easy-to-hold shape — great for baby led weaning or toddler snacking
• ✔ A gentle way to work greens into a little one’s diet
• ✔ Freezer-friendly, so mornings stay unhurried
• ✔ Naturally plant-based, with no eggs or dairy

Ingredients

(Makes about 10 small patties)

• 3 small potatoes, steamed and peeled
• 1 frozen kale cube, about 15g (or fresh kale, blanched and finely chopped)
• 30g wholemeal flour (plain flour works too)
• 15g soy milk
• ½ tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• A pinch of salt

How to Make Potato & Kale Patties

Step 1: Mash the potato

Steam the potatoes, peel them, and mash with a fork in a bowl until smooth.

If you have a rice cooker, I recommend my way- steam potatoes right alongside the rice, straight in the rice cooker — no extra pot or time. Cooking them unpeeled also helps hold onto more vitamin C.

Reference: National Library of Medicine|Changes in vitamin C content of Bintje potatoes during storage and usual culinary preparations

⚠️ A quick safety note: any green patches or sprouts on a potato contain solanine, which is toxic. Cut these away with a knife before cooking.

Step 2: Fold in the kale

Add the thawed kale to the mashed potato and mix well.

If using fresh, blanch it briefly and make sure to squeeze out the excess water before chopping.

Step 3: Add the rest

Add the wholemeal flour, soy milk, nutritional yeast, and salt. Mix until everything comes together evenly.

Step 4: Shape and fry

Divide the mixture into about 10 portions and flatten each into a small round patty. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the patties, leaving space between them.

Step 5: Cook until golden

Fry for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly before serving.

A Little Background

This recipe was born when my daughter started daycare. I needed lunchbox food she could pick up herself — something genuinely nutritious that she’d actually eat, which, as any parent knows, is the real test.

A few versions failed first. Shredded potato, she wouldn’t finish. Boiled potato took too long. Patties that looked nice but tasted of nothing. This version finally worked — simple, properly nourishing, and everyone in the house eats it too. She goes through a batch by herself in minutes, and it’s become one of those recipes that makes the morning rush a little calmer.

Frequently Asked Questions