February 8, 2025

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How to Make Sweet Potato Puree

How to Make Sweet Potato Puree

Learn to make Sweet Potato Puree in two easy steps! This simple recipe results in smooth sweet potato puree that has the most concentrated flavor and is perfect for all your sweet potato recipes or to use for homemade baby food.

Sweet Potato Puree in food processor.

Sweet Potato Puree, much like pumpkin puree, is an earthy vegetable puree that is loaded with vitamin A and fiber. When used in recipes like Sweet Potato Casserole and Sweet Potato Waffles, it adds moisture, nutrients, and incredible flavor!

Unlike pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree can be hard in most grocery stores. But there is absolutely NO REASON to go hunting for it when it is SO easy and SO cheap to make homemade sweet potato puree.

Selecting Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato puree should be made with orange sweet potatoes, not yams or purple sweet potatoes. Use potatoes that are similar in size so that they will cook evenly. You also want to look to purchase sweet potatoes without black spots on the skin.

How to Make Sweet Potato Puree

While you can boil cubed sweet potatoes in water, the sweet potatoes will absorb some water which can literally water down the flavor. To produce the most flavorful, creamy sweet potato puree, it is best to roast or steam whole sweet potatoes. By cooking whole sweet potatoes with their skins intact, the flavor intensifies and the flesh becomes insanely soft and creamy. And it is so easy to do.

Prepare Sweet Potatoes

To prepare your potatoes, simply wash and dry them well and prick each sweet potato several times with a fork. This will allow steam to escape and prevent your sweet potatoes from bursting.

Cook Sweet Potatoes

You have two options for cooking your sweet potatoes, with equally delicious results. You can opt to roast the sweet potatoes in the oven or steam the sweet potatoes using the Instant Pot.

  • To roast in the oven, place your sweet potatoes on a sheet pan that has been lined with foil. That foil allows for EASY clean-up. Bake at 400 degrees F until the potatoes are super soft and the flesh gives easily when tested with a fork. This will take anywhere from 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of your sweet potatoes.
Raw Sweet potatoes on foil lined baking sheet.
  • To cook sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, place the prepared potatoes on a trivet inside the inner pot of an electric pressure cooker. Pour in 1 cup of cold water for a 6-quart Instant Pot model and 1-½ cups of cold water for an 8-quart Instant Pot Model. Set to cook on high pressure for 18-27 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Side by side photo of instant pot with sweet potatoes in the inner pot of the instant pot before and after cooking.

Process Sweet Potatoes

Depending on what you intend to use your sweet potato puree for, you can opt to use either a blender or food processor to create a smooth puree or mash the flesh of the sweet potatoes with a fork for a chunkier, more rustic puree. If you intend to use it for baking, I highly recommend pureeing the sweet potatoes until fully smooth and creamy.

  • Once the potatoes have been cooked, allow them to cool slightly.
  • Remove the skin of the sweet potatoes and place the flesh of the sweet potatoes into a blender or food processor fitted with an s-blade.
  • Blend on high or process until smooth and creamy.
Side by side photo showing sweet potatoes in food processor with s-blade before and after pureeing.

Baby Food Sweet Potato Puree

Sweet potato puree is a nutrient pack recipe perfect for baby food or toddlers. This is a perfect base recipe to use with one thing to keep in mind. You will want to process the flesh of the sweet potato until COMPLETELY smooth. And if your little one needs the puree to be a bit looser, add a bit of purified water, formula, breast milk, or 100% apple juice when pureeing the sweet potatoes.

Homemade sweet potato puree in white bowl next to matte spoon.

How to Use Sweet Potato Puree

Besides serving as a delicious side dish or serving to your little one as homemade baby food, sweet potato puree has endless uses. Think pumpkin puree–any way you use pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree works. And in my humble opinion is the superior of the two flavors! Below you will find a few of my favorite recipes using sweet potato puree.

If you tried this recipe for sweet potato puree, please be sure to leave a comment and review below.

Sweet Potato Puree in food processor.

Sweet Potato Puree

This simple recipe results in smooth sweet potato puree that has the most concentrated flavor and is perfect for all your sweet potato recipes or to use for homemade baby food.

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 4 cups

Calories: 292kcal

Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

Instructions

  • Scrub sweet potatoes and dry well. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork several times.

  • To roast sweet potatoes in the oven, place your sweet potatoes on a sheet pan that has been lined with foil. Bake at 400 degrees F until the potatoes are super soft and the flesh gives easily when tested with a fork. This will take about 45-50 minutes for medium sweet potatoes. Smaller sweet potatoes cook for 35-40 minutes, and larger sweet potatoes need 60-65 minutes.

  • To cook sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, place the prepared potatoes on a trivet inside the inner pot of an electric pressure cooker. Pour in 1 cup of cold water for a 6-quart Instant Pot model and 1-½ cups of cold water for an 8-quart Instant Pot Model. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes for small potatoes, 22 for standard, and 27 for large. Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

  • After the sweet potatoes have been cooked, allow them to cool slightly, so that you can easily handle them.

  • Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and then place the flesh of the sweet potatoes into a food processor fitted with an s-blade or a powerful blender. Process the sweet potato puree until smooth and creamy.

  • Serve or use in any recipe calling for sweet potato puree as you would use canned sweet potato puree.

Notes

Yield: Each medium sweet potato yields about ¾ cup of sweet potato puree. Larger sweet potatoes will yield closer to 1 cup of sweet potato puree. 
For Baby Food: You may want to add a bit of purified water, formula, breast milk, or 100% apple juice when pureeing the sweet potatoes to make them a bit looser. 
Storage: Allow the sweet potato puree to cool and then store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Alternatively, store the cooled pureed in a freezer-safe container for the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and use as desired. 
Nutrition is based on 1 cup of sweet potato puree. 

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 1142mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 48094IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg

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