When the fall season rolls in, this twice-baked Japanese Sweet Potato dessert brings a nostalgic memory to many Japanese. We mash the baked flesh and broil it in its own shell for a unique presentation. Sweet and creamy, it makes a delicious autumn dessert or snack.
Does your culture use sweet potato in desserts? The Japanese absolutely adore sweet potato treats and often use it both savory and sweet dishes. You may have seen popular snacks like Daigaku Imo (Candied Sweet Potatoes) at the street stalls and Sweet Potato Pies at local bakeries in Japan.
Today I’m sharing Sweet Potato (スイートポテト) recipe. You may ask what I’m making with it. Well, I’m making double baked “Sweet Potato” and that’s the name of this dessert!
Watch How to Make Japanese Sweet Potato
When fall season rolls in, this popular Japanese dessert “Sweet Potato” brings a nostalgic memory to many Japanese. Double baked in the oven, the mashed sweet potato dessert is served in its own shell for a unique presentation. It’s sweet and creamy and makes a wonderful autumn dessert!
What is Japanese Sweet Potato Dessert?
Basically, it’s a dessert made out of sweet potato puree and served in the shells to make it look like an actual sweet potato itself (too many “sweet potatoes” in one sentence!). Your brain thinks you’re going to take a bite into a savory vegetable, but it turns out to be sweet, creamy and silky. And that’s what makes this dessert fun and surprising!
It gets confusing when the name of the dessert literally means Sweet Potato while it is made out of Japanese sweet potato. Why would we do that? “Sweet Potato” dessert was invented around Meiji period when Japan had a lot of western influence. This dessert made with Japanese sweet potato Satsumaimo (さつまいも), heavy cream, butter, and sugar was considered a western dessert. Therefore, instead of naming this dessert a Japanese name, it received the English name “Sweet Potato”, written in katakana スイートポテト.
Satsumaimo has purple-ish or reddish color skin and creamy white flesh that turns yellow after cooking. The taste is much sweeter than ordinary sweet potatoes found in the U.S, which makes it an ideal ingredient for making desserts.
Recipes Using Satsumaimo on Just One Cookbook
Desserts
Savory
- Steamed Vegetables with Miso Sesame Sauce
- Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts with Sweet Potatoes) for Japanese New Year
- Gluten Free Tempura
Creamy and Smooth Japanese Sweet Potato
The ultimate goal for this dessert include 3 important aspects:
- The silky and smooth texture of the satsumaimo puree.
- Sweet, but not overly sweet.
- Buttery, rich, and creamy taste.
These are the most important characteristics you look for when you eat Sweet Potato the dessert.
3 Tips to Make Successful Japanese Sweet Potato
It’s a simple recipe, but if you don’t pay close attention, your Sweet Potato may end up looking rather sad and can taste worse than the actual baked sweet potatoes. So don’t miss these three tips!
1. Adjust the amount of ingredients for a smooth and creamy puree
Sweet potatoes vary in sizes and each one weighs differently. I strongly recommend weighing them and make an adjustment if necessary after comparing with my recipe. If yours weigh more, then you will need to modify the amount of butter, sugar, and heavy cream. This ensures the right texture of the puree.
Without the right amount of ingredients, your puree will turn into a big lump and won’t be even smooth and creamy. I know so because I’ve failed a few times by following too closely to my own old measurement without any alteration.
2. Keep a 5 mm wall to create sturdy shells
When you scoop out the flesh, create a sweet potato shell with a 5 mm (1/4 inch) wall. Don’t carve out too much flesh because if your wall is thinner, the wall cannot support itself.
3. Smooth out the filling and make a little mountain
When you stuff the shell with sweet potato puree, make sure to create a mountain with a gentle slope. Because of the extra amount added to create the slope, you can only make five Sweet Potatoes instead of 6 (each sweet potato makes 2 shells).
Where to Find Japanese Sweet Potatoes?
Aside from Japanese grocery stores, you can find Japanese Sweet Potatoes at Whole Foods and some other well-stock major stores these days. If you know of your local farmers market that carries them, please share your location in the comment below.
I hope you grab a few of these highly nutritious Japanese Sweet Potatoes and make this delicious dessert. It’s a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth and celebrate fall without overdoing it.
Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Japanese Sweet Potato (Dessert)
Video
Ingredients
- 3 Japanese sweet potatoes (Satsumaimo) (1.8 lb, 816 g; be sure to weigh the potatoes to determine how much sugar and cream to use; select medium potatoes for a nice size shell; avoid small potatoes, which easily break when removing the flesh)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 Tbsp sugar (to keep the sweet potatoes natural yellow color, use granulated sugar instead of other sugars such as brown sugar)
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream (you can use milk instead for a lighter version, but I like the rich taste heavy cream gives to this dessert)
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk (the egg yolk acts as a binder as well as additional rich yellow color and custardy taste)
- ½ tsp toasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).
- Wash 3 Japanese sweet potatoes (Satsumaimo) carefully (the skin is edible and very nutritious) under running water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Wrap each sweet potato with a sheet of aluminum foil. Poke a few holes in the potatoes with a skewer (for steam to escape).
- Put the sweet potatoes in the oven and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until the inserted skewer goes through all the way.
- Carefully open the aluminum foil and cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise. Make sure not to tear the skin.
- While it’s hot, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a ¼-inch (5-mm) wall around the edges to create a shell. We use the shells to stuff the sweet potato pureé later on, so be careful not to break the wall. You will only use the 5 best-looking shells out of 6.
- Transfer the sweet potato flesh onto a fine-mesh sieve and strain the flesh by pressing it with a wooden spatula. Alternatively, you can put the flesh in a food processor and make a pureé (you may need to add a tiny bit of water if the sweet potato flesh is too dense).
- Continue with the rest of the sweet potatoes. Collect the strained pureéd sweet potato in a bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, add the pureéd sweet potato.
- Add 5 Tbsp sugar and mix well together.
- Then, add 2 large egg yolks one at a time and quickly incorporate into the sweet potato mixture so the egg doesn’t become cooked and scrambled. Keep stirring.
- Gradually add ⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream, stirring continuously, and combine well with the mixture.
- Add ½ tsp pure vanilla extract and mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If the mixture turns into a big lump and not the silky texture, you can add more melted butter and/or heavy cream to loosen up. Turn off the heat.
- Scoop the mixture into the sweet potato shells. I use a cookie dough scooper to make the job easier (this is great for portion control, too).
- Using an offset spatula (or a silicone spatula), smooth out the surface of the filling, creating a gentle slope in the center of the sweet potatoes.
- Place the sweet potato shells on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg yolk and brush the egg wash on the sweet potato mixture.
- Sprinkle ½ tsp toasted black sesame seeds on the center of each sweet potato.
- Position the rack in the middle of the oven. Broil on Medium (500ºF/250ºC) for 3–4 minutes, or until the top starts to brown a little bit.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Hi! I wanted to try to make a sweet potato pie using satsumaimo. Do you think I could use this as a filling for a blind baked pie shell? Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for reading Nami’s post!
You can certainly use this recipe as a filling. We hope you like it.
Happy Baking!
I love making these with the mini sweet potatoes my farmer’s market has. Very occasionally, they’ll get a batch of these sweet potatoes that are about as big as an egg and they’re perfect for making this dessert. Funnily enough, the first time I saw this dessert and was interested in it was in the game “cooking mama”. I had no idea it was a real thing but I’m so glad it is! Thank you for the recipe, Nami-San!
Hi Kitty, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Egg-size sweet potatoes sound very cute.😃
Thank you for sharing your story and experience with us. Nami and JOC team are glad to hear it work out well for you.
Happy Baking!🤗
Hi Nami! When I pulled the satsumaimo out and cut them in half the insides were kind of mottled grey throughout and especially on the edges by the skin. Is this normal or should I toss them? Thank you!
Hi Annie! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Without looking at your Satumaimo, it is hard to tell. But sweet potatoes contain Chlorogenic acid (type of polyphenol), and if it reacts during baking, it makes the sweet potatoes turn blackish or grey-green. If that is the case, it’s safe to eat.
We hope this helps!
Best sweet potato recipe! As always, I really appreciate Nami’s detailed recipes!
Hi Izumi! Aww. Thank you very much for your kind feedback!🥰
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear this is the best sweet potato recipe!
I made these yesterday and they are incredibly delicious! No complaints here, thank you for the lovely recipe!
Hi Marren! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dessert!😊
Hi, If anyone wants to buy Japanese sweet red purple potatoes, can buy from Bangladesh where can buy very sweet red and yellow colour potatoes and the price is very cheap.
thanks
Hi Kobir, Thank you very much for your input!
Hello Nami,
Can I steam the sweet potato instead of baking it in the first stage?
Hi Wangchi!
Yes, you can.
Thank you for trying this recipe! We hope you like it.
You are bringing back yummy memories of my mom/older sister’s nihonshoku before WW2. I am a Nisei…still managing to maintain a relatively healthy life. The secretm I think is savoring Japanese food whenever possible here in the Midwest.
Yes, we lived in Los Angeles and enjoyed all lthe Japanese dishes then. My favorite…chawan mushi and my father’s sukiyaki. Local eateries, do not serve or are they familiar with these cuisines?
So, thank you for your elegent recipes, now available for all the world!
Hi Hannah!
Thank you very much for your kind words! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you! ☺️
I’m usually not a good cook and I messed up the recipe by adding egg whites instead of yolks and it still came out delicious.
Perfect description sweet but not too sweet, I don’t like anything too sweet and this was absolutely perfect
Hi Cindy! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback! P.S. I really think making mistakes is the only way to learn what would happen to the food; otherwise, we never get to see or learn. 🙂
We first had these at a little shop near the Nezu Shrine in Tokyo and loved them. I made them yesterday and my son and I reminisced about our trip while we ate them. Once again your recipe was easy to follow and turned out just right. Thanks Nami!
Hi Karen! Aww I’m so glad to hear you and your son got to enjoy this treat again! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Do you have a print format of your recipes? Thanks.
Hi Bettina! You can print out the recipe, and the print button is inside the recipe box. 🙂
[…] Japanese Sweet Potato […]
Hi! Looks great! Do I need to poke holes in de sweet potato as well or only in the foil? Will make it soon!
Thank you in advance
Hi Wendy! Only in the foil so steam can escape. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.I saw them being sold in some japanese bakeries but very expensive 100g $3
I’m glad i can make it myself now.It’s easy to get japanese sweet potatoes here in S’pore..Can get it @ Meidi-ya, isetan.But it’s not cheap.Depending on the size can be $8-$10 a packet for 2 pieces.
I’ll definitely try your recipe soon
Tina
Hi Tina! I see. Hopefully, one day Japanese sweet potatoes will be more commonly used and become cheaper. It’s very sweet and kids enjoy it too. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Oh man, whenever it starts to get cool here, I die for a baked sweet potato… I remember I used to buy one after I was done with the groceries, the supermarket next to my place always had a charcoal place outside selling them.
I’m sad that it’s hard to find purple sweet potatoes in France. I have to go to special super market but they are pretty far.
Aaah I can’t wait to find somme and make somme to my boyfriend. He still isn’t used to the idea of being able to make delicious pastries and pies with potato or pumpkin
Hi Andrea! Haha you sound like me. I crave for satsumaimo when it gets cool, too. I love everything made with satsumaimo, even just roasted ones. Purple sweet potatoes are harder to find here too, but regular satsumaimo is much easier to find at our local Japanese grocery stores. Hope they are easily available worldwide one day! Have fun cooking Sweet Potato for your BF!