What if You Don’t Like Sweet Potatoes?
So many people love sweet potatoes, but there are people who don’t. I don’t like sweet potatoes, but I love other potatoes. I guess it’s the sweetness that throws me off that I don’t like about sweet potatoes. So, if you don’t even like sweet potatoes, you may be asking why you should eat them at all because you probably don’t want to eat something that you don’t even like. Well, I used to think that way, and I found out that I benefit way more from eating amazing, powerful, nutritous foods. You definitely can, too. All whole plant foods. Sweet potatoes happen to be one of them.
There are other foods that I’m not crazy about, like kale, broccoli, carrots, radishes, beets, butternut squash, and beans. I eat all of these though for the incredible nutrients they have that I don’t want to miss out on. I just found ways to prepare them that actually tastes great to me. Yes! I eat for taste, meaning that every single thing I eat tastes wonderful, amazing, and delicious to me. Even foods that I don’t particularly like the taste of now taste so great to me since I know how to prepare them in different ways suited to my preferences. Even if you do like or love sweet potatoes, you can benefit from this blog post, too.
Amazing Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse. They have fiber (improves digestion), minerals (magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, and zinc), antioxidants, and vitamins (A, C, B6, and E), can help regulate blood pressure (because of the potassium and magnesium), can assist with good eye health (because of the Vitamin A), can help with weight loss (since they contain lots of nutrients and keep you full), and are anti-inflammatory (because of the nutrient choline). The best part about sweet potatoes is that they are super versatile. There are so many ways you can prepare them and have them in a variety of different meals and snacks.
25 Ways to Prepare Sweet Potatoes
If, like me, you don’t like sweet potatoes, here are ways you can prepare them that you will look forward to and like to eat them. These are ways I like to eat sweet potatoes, but there are many other ways to prepare them as well.
1.) Smoothies: The easiest way to have sweet potatoes are in smoothies. This happens to be my favorite way to have sweet potatoes. You can leave the skin on or take it off. I keep it on. When putting sweet potatoes in smoothies, cook them first. I just cut them in half, and I cook them in a pot of water on the stove. The two best smoothies with sweet potato in them that I’ve had are Kimberly Snyder’s Spiced Pumpkin “Milkshake” Smoothie and Detoxinista’s Sweet Potato Smoothie (that tastes like pie!)
2.) Fries: It’s well-known that there are sweet potato fries, and if you like fries, you’ll probably like sweet potato fries, too. The Vegan 8 has a simple and delicious Crispy Sweet Potato Fries recipe that is oil-free, plus includes a Spicy Cream Sauce recipe, Detoxinista’s Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries are super simple as well, and Blissful Basil has a Sweet Potato Fries recipe with Cilantro & Hemp Seed Aioli.
3.) Muffins: Sweet potatoes are so perfect for making desserts and sweet options. The Vegan 8 has a couple of muffin recipes using sweet potatoes. These Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins are my favorite muffins! I want to try these Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Muffins, too. Detoxinista has her Sweet Potato Muffins recipe that is freezer-friendly, which is great if you want to make a bunch and freeze them for later. Eating By Elaine has her own recipe of Vegan Blender Sweet Potato Muffins. There’s Fragrant Vanilla Cake’s Vegan Sweet Potato “Cream Cheese” Muffins that are super indulgent in a much healthier way than typical muffins you would find in stores and bakeries. For savory muffins, there’s Natalie Jo’s Sweet Potato & Herb Savory Muffins.
4.) Pancakes and Waffles: I love this way to have sweet potatoes because sweet potatoes in pancakes and waffles work beautifully that are easy and quick to make! Seriously, The Vegan 8 never lets me down, and I can always go to her for the best recipes. Her Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes are so amazing. Emilie Eats has her awesome Blender Sweet Potato Waffles with Blueberry Sauce that is super easy to make all in one bowl.
5.) Bisque Soup: If you don’t like sweet potatoes, blending them up into a bisque soup is a great way to have them that you will like the taste. The Full Helping has an awesome Simple Sweet Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup recipe, and Choosing Chia’s Roasted Sweet Potato Cinnamon Soup is super simple. Cinnamon is a wonderful option to pair with sweet potatoes!
6.) Frosting: Yes, you can make frosting with sweet potatoes. Detoxinista has the perfect recipes for this! Her Purple Sweet Potato Frosting (No food dye!) and Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (Nut-Free!) are all you need to make a healthy version of vegan frosting that is perfect. If you want chocolate frosting, Eating By Elaine has her own Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting recipe. If you want vanilla frosting, Natalie Jo has her Vegan Vanilla Frosting made with Japanese sweet potatoes.
7.) Pudding: Sweet potatoes have a great thick consistency for puddings just as avocados do. This Vegan Rocky Road Pudding and Vegan Mexican Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding from The Vegan 8 are yummy options for a healthier pudding. The Full Helping has her Five Ingredient Maple Sweet Potato Pudding that is extra easy. Blissful Basil has a decadent sweet potato pudding recipe as well that is her Vegan Spiced Sweet Potato Pie Pudding.
8.) Ice Cream: So much yum! Bananas and avocados are used a lot to make ice cream, but sweet potatoes can be used for this, too! Try Blissful Basil’s Sweet Potato Breakfast Nice Cream and The Vegan 8’s Vegan Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Ice Cream for great ice cream options. You can even have purple ice cream with Natalie Jo’s Purple Sweet Potato Ice Cream.
9.) Fudge: Like I said, sweet potatoes are so perfect for desserts. This is because of the consistency that they have, their sweetness, and they go well with so many foods. The Vegan 8 has two different sweet potato fudge recipes, and they’re the Vegan Toffee Sweet Potato Fudge and the Dark Chocolate Chipotle Sweet Potato Fudge.
10.) Bread: Sweet bread can be made with sweet potatoes or bread that’s not sweet. From My Bowl has her Sweet Potato Bread recipe that is sweet, for some bread made with sweet potatoes that’s not sweet, Blissful Basil has her Vegan Sweet Potato Spelt Garlic Knots, Natalie Jo has Sweet Potato Flatbread that can be made sweet or savory, and Blissful Basil has two sweet potato bread recipes that are Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Swirl Bread and Vegan Sweet Potato Bread.
11.) Brownies: The best brownies can be made with sweet potatoes, and they’ll be the perfect texture for brownies being so rich and soft. There’s Detoxinista’s Sweet Potato Brownies and Eating By Elaine’s Sweet Potato Brownies with Almond Butter Swirl and Flaky Sea Salt.
12.) Burgers: Sweet potatoes are one of the many whole plant foods that burgers can be made with. Here are three recipes. The Vegan 8 has my favorite burger, which is her Smoky Barbecue Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers, Eating By Elaine has her Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers, and Blissful Basil has her Sweet Potato & Lentil Cakes with Lemony Avocado Sauce that can be on burger buns to make a burger.
13.) Hummus: Don’t forget about hummus! Just like burgers, sweet potatoes are so great for hummus, too. Forks Over Knives has their Sweet Potato Hummus recipe, A Sweet Pea Chwf has her Sweet Potato Hummus recipe, and Cookie and Kate has her Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus recipe.
14.) Pizza Crust: Cauliflower and sweet potatoes make awesome pizza crusts. Here are some sweet potato pizza crust recipes. Blissful Basil’s Sweet Potato Pizza Crust, From My Bowl’s Sweet Potato Pizza Crust, Ela Vegan’s Sweet Potato Pizza Crust, and Nora Cooks Vegan’s Sweet Potato Pizza Crust are all great options.
15.) Caramel: You can put caramel on ice cream, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, pancakes, etc., so it’s great that vegan caramel can be made with sweet potatoes and a few other simple ingredients. Sweet Potato Caramel from The Vegan 8 is versatile to top on many things., and so is the Vegan Sweet Potato Caramel from Run Cook Laugh.
16.) Crackers: You can make your own crackes with sweet potatoes. Detoxinista’s Savory Sweet Potato Crackers from her recipe book No Excuses Detox is the best recipe I’ve seen for this, and A Saucy Kitchen’s Sweet Potato Crackers looks great, too.
17.) Chips: Chips are super easy to make with sweet potatoes if you cut them right. Detoxinista’s Sweet Potato Chips can be made in the oven or dehydrator, and the Baked Sweet Potato Chips from Minimalist Baker are simple and easy to make, too.
18.) Blondies: Just like brownies, blondies can be made with sweet potatoes as well. The Vegan 8 has a Vegan Sweet Potato Caramel Chocolate Chip Blondies recipe. Natalie Jo also has a Sweet Potato Blondies recipe that’s vegan.
19.) Pie: Just like pumpkin pie, there is sweet potato pie. There’s Sweet Potato Pie Bars from From My Bowl and Beet Sweet Potato Pie from Natalie Jo.
20.) Cupcakes: How fun are cupcakes? They’re so yummy, and they’re the perfect size. Here is Eating By Elaine’s Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes recipe. Here is Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Sweet Potato Frosting from Darn Good Veggies.
21.) Wraps: Something that is always such an amzing choice to eat for lunch, as a snack, or whatever any time of the day anywhere is a wrap. You can add sweet potatoes to wraps, and you’ll more than likely like it since the sweet potatoes are with other foods, plus some kind of sauce or spread. The Vegan 8 has the Sweet Potato Chickpea BBQ Wraps recipe that is full of flavor! The Vegan Thanksgiving Wraps from Minimalist Baker are also an option, they have sweet potatoes in them, and these wraps can be eaten any time of the year.
22.) Burritos and Enchiladas: Load up your burrito or enchilada with sweet potatoes, and you won’t even taste the sweet potatoes or barely taste them at all. From My Bowl has Sweet Potato and Black Bean Vegan Breakfast Burritos, and Choosing Chia has Vegan Breakfast Burritos. Detoxinista’s Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas are made with zucchinis instead of tortillas, Oh She Glows has her Next Level Vegan Enchiladas, and there’s Minimalist Baker’s Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas.
23.) Tacos and Tostadas: I couldn’t put burritos and enchiladas in this post without having tacos and tostados on here, too. Blissful Basil’s Vegan Crispy Sweet Potato Tacos with Avocado Cream is an option anyone would love, there’s also Sweet Potato Pecan Tacos from The First Mess, Lentil and Sweet Potato Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce from Veggies Don’t Bite, Easy Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos from The Full Helping, and Vegan Roasted Veggie Tacos (including sweet potatoes) with Citrus Salsa from Veggies Don’t Bite. For tostadas, there’s Roasted Sweet Potato Mash Tostadas from The Glowing Fridge, Creamy Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas from Eating By Elaine, and Black Bean and Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas with Avocado Lime Crema from Connoisseurus Veg.
24.) Queso Dip and Cheese Sauce: Yes, vegan queso dip and vegan cheese sauce don’t always have to be made with cashews, other nuts, mustards, yellow potatoes, zucchini, vegan yogurt, nut butters, or tahini. They can also be made with sweet potatoes. Detoxinista has her Sweet Potato Queso Dip recipe, Connoisseurus Veg has her That’s Nacho Sweet Potato Cheese! recipe, and Blissful Basil has her Give-Me-A-Kick Vegan Sweet Potato Nacho Cheese recipe.
25.) Macaroni and Cheese: Just like vegan chese dips and sauces, vegan macaroni and cheese can be made with sweet potatoes, too. There’s Detoxinista’s Sweet Potato Mac N’ Cheese and Eating By Elaine’s The Best Vegan Mac ‘N Cheese. You won’t even be able to tell that sweet potaotes are in these!
Bonus! Also, check out Blissful Basil’s post 14 Genius Vegan Ways to Eat Sweet Potatoes and The Vegan 8’s post Vegan Desserts Using Sweet Potatoes for a bunch of other recipes using sweet potatoes in different ways.
Ending Thoughts
Sweet potatoes are so versatile! You can make so many different meals and snacks with them. Even if you don’t like the taste of them, like I don’t, there are plenty of healthy, delicious, vegan recipes to make using sweet potatoes that you’ll love. When you don’t like the taste of a food, but you know you need to eat it because of the many important nutrients it has in it, there are ways to prepare it that you will look forward to eating and actually enjoy.
I listed a lot of different recipes using sweet potatoes in this post, but there are other ways as well that I left out. There’s also stews and soups, like curry and chili, different bowls, noodles and pasta, shepherd’s pie, casseroles, and others that have sweet potatoes in them. I just disn’t include any of those here because I don’t like those made with sweet potatoes.
So, I wanted to include different recipes here for you that use sweet potatoes in unique ways, plus ways that I’m sure you’ll love. You won’t even be able to tell that sweet potatoes are in a lot of these recipes once you make them! Either way, don’t miss out on getting the amazing benefits of eating sweet potatoes just because you’re not crazy about the way they taste. There’s a recipe for that!
