Sweet Potato Pudding is a healthy dessert, made with just 4 simple ingredients. It tastes like the holidays, with a hint of ginger in each bite, and has a vibrant hue, thanks to whichever variety of sweet potato you use.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s unique! While most pudding recipes use milk as the base, this pudding is primarily made of roasted sweet potatoes. When you blend them together with ginger, coconut milk, and maple syrup, it has a warming, comforting flavor that feels like Fall in a cup.
It’s wholesome. Instead of using brown sugar or marshmallows, this pudding recipe is naturally sweetened and relies heavily on the sweet potatoes for texture, so there’s plenty of fiber, vitamin C, calcium, and potassium inside.
It’s allergy-friendly. When you use coconut milk for blending, this recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. You can also use almond milk or oat milk, if you prefer. (Really, any liquid should work.) No butter, eggs, or flour are required.
It’s quick to prepare. You do need to bake the sweet potatoes first, but once you have those ready, you just have to toss the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. This is the perfect recipe to use up leftover sweet potatoes!
It’s easy to make ahead. This pudding is delicious when served warm, but it is also excellent when it is served chilled straight from the fridge. That means you can make it a few days in advance, if you plan on serving this during the busy holiday season.
Prefer to make a casserole? Check out this healthy sweet potato casserole with a crispy oatmeal pecan topping, for more of a Southern sweet potato pudding recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in sweet potato pudding?
- Baked sweet potatoes
- Coconut milk
- Ginger
- Maple syrup
When I can find purple sweet potatoes at the store, I love to use those for their vibrant color and high antioxidant content. Orange sweet potatoes and white sweet potatoes (sometimes called Jamaican sweet potatoes) will work for this recipe, too.
Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest results. Since coconut milk can separate in the can, you might want to blend it together first, so it’s easier to measure for this recipe.
Want to add more flavor? You can add a splash of vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon, or a handful of raisins to this recipe before serving.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pudding
1. Roast the sweet potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a knife, to help them vent. Rub the outside with olive oil, then place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on their size. You can also cook sweet potatoes in the air fryer, if you prefer not to heat up your whole house.
Tip: Use an instant read thermometer to make sure your sweet potatoes are tender on the inside. When they reach an internal temperature of at least 207ºF, you’ll know they are ready.
2. Blend.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half and scoop out the tender insides. (Save the skins for another use, like baked chips.)
Add the scooped potato to a blender, along with coconut milk, maple syrup, and fresh ginger. If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you could use a 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, or a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, instead.
Blend until very smooth. Depending on the size and sweetness of your sweet potatoes, you may need to add extra coconut milk, or extra maple syrup, to taste. Continue adding, and tasting as you go, until the pudding reaches your desired consistency.
If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can also mix this pudding the bowl of a standing mixer until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides often, until everything is evenly mixed.
3. Chill.
You can serve this pudding right away, if you’d like to, or transfer the mixture to an airtight container and let it chill in the fridge. You can serve it chilled in about 4 hours, or make this up to 5 days in advance.
To help the pudding cool down even faster, spread it out into a thinner layer in a large baking dish, and then place it in the fridge to chill.
Serve in individual ramekins or small bowls, with coconut whipped cream on top. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, or any other spice you like. (A hint of nutmeg is also nice!)
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Looking for more ways to enjoy sweet potatoes? Try these!
Sweet Potato Frosting. This is especially fun for Halloween-themed cupcakes, because you can use purple and orange sweet potatoes to make a colorful topping for cupcakes.
Sweet Potato Toast. Roasted slices of sweet potato make an easy alternative to bread! Pop them in the toaster to reheat, and add your favorite toppings, like peanut butter, sliced banana, or avocado.
Sweet Potato Curry. This savory dish is a fast dinner idea! Serve it with rice and any veggies you need to use up.
Sweet Potato Brownies. These vegan brownies are made with sweet potato instead of eggs. They turn out ultra-fudgy, and they are naturally gluten-free.
Vegan Sweet Potato Pie. This tastes better than pumpkin pie, if you ask me! It’s a serious hit around the holidays, and is a delicious way to use up baked sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ½ inch fresh ginger , peeled
- ½ cup maple syrup , or to taste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- To cook the sweet potatoes, pierce them several times with a knife to allow for venting. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400ºF for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the center reaches an internal temperature of 207ºF. Cut them in half, and set them aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Once the sweet potato is cool, scoop the insides into a high speed blender, along with the coconut milk, ginger, maple syrup, and salt.
- Blend until very smooth. Add more coconut milk, or a splash of water, if needed to help achieve a silky smooth texture.
- You can serve the pudding while it's still warm, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge to chill. It will keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge, and can be served chilled for an easy dessert. Top with coconut whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this sweet potato pudding recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
First of all- that is freaking gorgeous and I cannot wait to try it. Second- I can’t believe I’m still confused about this but does canned coconut combine as a starch? I know young coconut does but I always thought the canned stuff ended up in the nut category…
Hmmm… I guess I’ve never thought of that since I rarely use the canned stuff! I think canned coconut milk is made from MATURE coconuts, so it most likely does combine as a nut/seed.
You could always stick to almond milk or water, to make it easier, too!
If I remember correctly, the canned coconut combines as a nut/seed and the young coconut can combine as a starch *or* a nut/seed. This pudding so so beautiful! I don’t know if I can find the purple yams anywhere around here, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for them! I wonder if it would work with sweet potato… Hmmm
It definitely works with sweet potato! The purple ones might be a little sweeter, but that can easily be adjusted to taste. 😉
YOU MADE THE PUDDING!! I WANT!!!!!
It’s so good! Break out that Magic Bullet. 😉
That pudding looks to die for- thanks for sharing! Now I need to find the purple yams!
The purple yams have such a gorgeous color…so excited for these new recipes..thank you!!!! 🙂
Wow, it’s just GORGEOUS! I’d probably leave out most of the ginger, but maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon would be nice in there? Yum!
Mmm… I love cinnamon-y desserts, too! I bet that would be fantastic.
Can I boil or steam the sweet potato instead of roasting it? Also is the ginger necessary?
The ginger is DELICIOUS, so it will be more bland without it, but yes I think you could boil if you prefer. The potatoes might be a little less-sweet that way, but still good.
Mahalo for your response. Can I use a hand blender too if I am only making a small amount?
I’ve never tried a hand blender for this one, but it’s worth a shot!
Wow! You woke me up with the color of the purple pudding! When I lived on Maui I used to eat purple sweet potatoes from Molokai and these remind me of them.
I love how your sweet treats are delicious and healthy!!
Hey Megan,
Ever since you posted your pictures from your time with Doris, I have not been able to get this pudding off my mind! I am so glad you posted the recipe, I am super pumped to try it. I may just try homemade coconut milk with the shreds and see how that digests because I love the idea of sweet potato, ginger and coconut. Thanks for posting all of these recipes, they are inspiring me to branch out from my normal dinners.
Jamie
Hope you like it, Jamie! I just had it again tonight, and it just gets better and better as the flavors meld together in the fridge. YUM. 😀
This pudding looks delicious – and I love your idea of topping with chilled coconut milk. …Can I come to your house for cauliflower crust pizza & pudding now? 🙂 Ha.
I just made this but didn’t have time to roast the yam so I used it raw….still awesome and delish! Thanks!!
Oh, good to know! Glad you liked it. 🙂
OMG! I was eating some purple sweet potatoes right now and this looks perfect for my other ones!!! Mine has a purple flesh as well as purple skin!
Wow looks amazing! Is this ok to eat on a candida cleanse?
It depends on which approach you’re using for Candida cleansing, but if you’re following a D4W approach, this would be fine as an occasional treat! Just make sure you prepare it with stevia instead of agave. 😀
(You could reduce the sugar content even more by using filtered water instead of coconut water, too!)
Thank you so much for this recipe. I had to use ginger powder,but WOW this is SOOOOO good!
Can you make yam and pine nuts Pudding?
I saw that on KBS (Korean T.V.)
I’ve never heard of that! I’ll have to look into it. 🙂
That looks BEAUTIFUL and purple just happens to be my favorite color!! I have never seen a yam that color and didn’t even know they existed!!! I’ll have to check at Whole Foods to see if they sell them there!! It looks like so much fun to eat purple pudding and my kids would be more apt to eat it too. 🙂 Thanks! You gotta admit…you are so lucky to have a blog where you get to make up/try out recipes. It’s my dream job!! 🙂 Let me know if you need an assistant from Iowa! ha ha
Made this tonight…LOVE purple (wore purple shoes for my wedding)…I didn’t even know purple yams existed and have recently discovered purple cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes…thinking of doing an “all-purple” meal some time.
I was wondering how yours looks so creamy? I ended up adding at least twice the coconut milk (didn’t measure) and it was still pretty pasty…also added some cinnamon…it tasted good, just interesting texture. Husband “will take some getting used to”.
Been doing a lot of your other recipes lately, too (love the 3-min chocolate pudding)…keep up the great work and congrats on the little one ☺
Please remove agave from your recipes. It is high in fructose and not healthy for anyone as it is easily converted to triglycerides in the liver. I’m certain you know this but perhaps your staff could take the time to adjust your recipes accordingly. So many people look to you for good advice. Thanks!
Thanks for catching that– I thought I had already removed agave from my site completely. It only had staff to help me! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was so good! i made coconut milk out thai young coconut meat and used a couple of medjool dates to sweeten it. Honestly the yams are so sweet as it is that it barely even needs any sweetener!
This pudding is so fun and tasty!
So comforting and satisfying. I left out the sweetener and used coconut cream and a stokes purple potato. Just sweet enough without adding sweetener 🙂 Always a treat to make this. Thx!!!
Shoot ! Just realized the insides of the ones I roasted are white not purple . Doh! Wonder if I could still make the pudding ? Lol
Yes, it will work with any variety!
This is amazing! I will make it for a holiday, it’s so fun, yummy, and beautiful. I was nervous about the ginger, but it was the perfect amount.
It is exciting to have found a great tasting dessert that’s so easy to make. Can’t wait for my granddaughter to try it.