This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Add a pop of color to your sweet dishes with purple sweet potato paste. Make this sweet paste in under 15 minutes with only 4 ingredients: purple sweet potato, water or milk, sugar, and oil. It is a healthy and all-natural addition to any sweet dish, from puddings to buns and baked goods.
What Is Purple Sweet Potato Paste?
Sweet potatoes have different colors, such as yellow, red, purple, and brown. You may know this as Okinawan sweet potato or Japanese purple sweet potato. Making this recipe, of course, requires a purple sweet potato.
However, you can use other types of sweet potatoes to have a variety of colors too! The filling takes its natural sweetness with nutty and earthy flavors. You can expect the texture to be starchy, similar to a regular potato.
In this recipe, the purple sweet potatoes are peeled and diced before steaming them to soften. It is mashed and blended with water or milk of your choice. Then, it is heated in a pan with sugar and corn oil.
How To Use Purple Sweet Potato Paste
Once you have purple sweet potato paste, you can incorporate this in several recipes and get creative. You can mix it with the dough for cakes and cookies to taste sweet and nutty. It can be used as a filling for Chinese buns and pies.
The options are endless for a sweet treat! Here are some excellent ideas on how to use purple sweet potato paste:
- Chinese buns, like purple sweet potato bun and red bean paste bun.
- Cheesy purple sweet potato ball
- Mochi, like Peanut Mochi and Red Bean Mochi
- Mooncake
- Cookies
- Pies
- Mont Blanc cake
- Fruit cakes
- Jelly cake
- Sandwich filling
- Puddings
Ingredient Alternatives For Purple Sweet Potato Paste
The 4 main ingredients you need are purple sweet potato, water or milk, sugar, and oil. You can customize and change these ingredients according to what you see fit for the recipe and your preferences. If you decide to make changes, here are some alternatives worth trying:
- Purple sweet potato
- You can buy this in most grocery stores as a fresh vegetable.
- Although most purple sweet potatoes have purple skin and flesh, some have brown skin and purple flesh.
- If you are in luck, you may be able to find purple sweet potato puree in cans or jars and use it as an alternative.
- It can also be sold in powder form, which is usually intended for baking. If using the powder form alternative, you will have to mix it with water or milk before mixing it with the dry ingredients.
- If you can’t find purple sweet potatoes, you can use other colors of sweet potatoes available. As a last result, you can still achieve a purple color without a purple sweet potato with purple yam or taro. Learn about their differences with my guide Taro Vs Sweet Potato Vs Yam Vs Yuca.
- Milk or water
- To moisten the sweet potato and make it smoother, you need to add a bit of milk or water. Only add a little liquid, or else it will become watery and not paste-like. Should you wish to add milk, you can use any type of milk, such as soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk. If you want to make it creamier and nutty, I suggest using coconut milk.
- Granulated sugar
- Adjust the level of sweetness with your desired amount of sugar. You can use any type of sugar, including white or brown sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. Remove the sugar from the recipe if you prefer a sugarless filling.
- Corn oil
- I used corn oil and mixed it with the mixture in a non-stick pan. Corn oil is preferred for its neutral flavor and light consistency. Adding oil helps maintain the filling’s moisture, making it easier to get a scoop. Aside from corn oil, you can use peanut or soybean oil for a neutral taste. If you prefer something healthier, use olive, avocado, sesame, or safflower oil.
What You Need To Make Purple Sweet Potato Paste
The special tools you will need are a steamer and blender. A steamer is needed to steam the potatoes. Alternatively, you can also steam without a steamer in 5 methods: pan with steamer rack, microwave, pan with sieve, rice cooker, and instant pot.
You will need to make the puree with a blender or food processor. If you don’t have these appliances, try mixing the mashed potatoes and water with a whisk and flattening it with a silicone spatula. Lastly, I suggest using a non-stick pan when heating the puree in the pan with oil.
Kitchenware
- Steamer
- Blender
- Potato masher or fork
- Non-stick pan
- Silicone spatula
- Glass jar or airtight container (to store the filling)
Ingredients
- 300g purple sweet potato (peeled and diced)
- A small amount of water or milk
- 60g granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 35g corn oil
Recipe Steps To Make Purple Sweet Potato Paste
You can finish this recipe in 15 to 30 minutes! The recipe steps call for mashing the potatoes, blending with water, and sautéing with sugar and oil. I find the preparation of purple sweet potatoes by peeling and chopping is the longest step. Check out my short tutorial guide on Instagram and TikTok.
Step1 Make the mashed purple sweet potatoes
Prepare the purple sweet potatoes by peeling and cutting them into cubes. I suggest cutting them into small pieces to make it faster and easier to steam.
Place purple sweet potatoes in a steamer with water and steam until they become soft for mashing. Use the fork test to check if the sweet potatoes are soft.
Mash the sweet potatoes until you get a soft paste.
Step2 make the sweet potato paste
In a blender, blend the mashed sweet potatoes with water or your choice of milk. The puree should become more moist but not runny.
Sauté the puree in a non-stick pan for 3 minutes.
Then, add granulated sugar and corn oil.
Mix well and keep stirring until it is sticky and paste-like.
Enjoy your purple sweet potato filling with any recipe, such as pies, buns, and cakes! If you enjoyed making this filling, try my other paste recipes such as taro paste, red bean paste, and yam paste.
Create Purple Sweet Potato Paste With 4 Ingredients
Equipment
- Steamer
- Blender
- Potato masher or fork
- Non-stick pan
- Silicone spatula
- Glass jar or airtight container (to store the filling)
Ingredients
- 300 g purple sweet potato peeled and diced
- A small amount of water or milk
- 60 g granulated sugar adjust to taste
- 35 g corn oil
Instructions
- Prepare the purple sweet potatoes by peeling and cutting them into cubes. I suggest cutting them into small pieces to make it faster and easier to steam.
- Place purple sweet potatoes in a steamer with water and steam until they become soft for mashing. Use the fork test to check if the sweet potatoes are soft.
- Mash the sweet potatoes until you get a soft paste.
- In a blender, blend the mashed sweet potatoes with water or your choice of milk. The puree should become more moist but not runny.
- Sauté the puree in a non-stick pan for 3 minutes.
- Then, add granulated sugar and corn oil.
- Mix well and keep stirring until it is sticky and paste-like.
