{"id":44898,"date":"2023-11-10T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=44898"},"modified":"2026-09-14T06:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T13:06:49","slug":"how-to-eat-sweet-potatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/how-to-eat-sweet-potatoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking with Sweet Potatoes: Flavorful Recipes to Try Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Jump to Recipes<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\nPicture King Henry VIII of England at dinner. What\u2019s he eating? If you\u2019ve ever gone to a Renaissance Faire, you may have seen royals from this time period hefting a giant roast turkey leg<\/a> to their faces. But funnily enough, a more historically accurate depiction<\/a> would have them digging into a heaping plate of sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n

Henry VIII was wild for sweet potatoes. And I\u2019m sure how they were prepared was a big factor. According to the Library of Congress<\/a>, his favorite way was in a \u201cspiced sweet potato pie.\u201d But other popular ways of eating sweet potatoes at the time were \u201croasted and infused with wine, boiled with prunes, or roasted with oil, vinegar, and salt.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sweet potato was way more popular in Europe than the white potato, which arrived with Columbus from the Americas and didn\u2019t catch on until the 1800s. And while we\u2019re on the subject, sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes<\/a>, and in fact, aren\u2019t related botanically.<\/strong> While I would never diss the potato, the sweet potato is slightly healthier<\/a>, with a broader range of nutrients and a lower glycemic effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But sweet potatoes are, well, sweet. And they\u2019re often turned into desserts like Henry VIII\u2019s favorite spiced pies. But they\u2019re also versatile enough to star in many other types of sweet potato recipes, including savory ones.<\/p>\n

So in this article, we\u2019ll look at some of the modern ways to use them in different kinds of recipes \u2014 from savory to sweet, simple to sophisticated.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ll cover how to choose, store, and clean sweet potatoes so they\u2019re fresh and tasty when you\u2019re ready to indulge like a king (or queen).<\/p>\n

When Are Sweet Potatoes in Season?<\/h2>\n
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iStock.com\/okugawa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While you can find sweet potatoes year-round in many grocery stores (because they can store well for a long time in the right conditions), they\u2019re typically harvested in the fall. Sweet potatoes<\/a> take from 100 to 150 days<\/strong> to grow, from sowing to harvest.<\/strong> And planting doesn\u2019t occur until the soil warms up to at least 60\u00b0F.<\/span>\u00a0Sweet potato slips planted in late spring become ready to harvest in July, and those put in the ground in early summer will be ready to dig out around November.<\/p>\n

Some varieties can stay in the ground longer, however. Certain types of Japanese sweet potatoes<\/a> are in season in the winter months as well.<\/p>\n

How to Choose and Store Sweet Potatoes<\/h2>\n

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes, and they come in colors ranging from white to yellow to orange to purple.<\/strong> And since the colors of whole plant foods are due to particular nutrients, they can be a big help if you want to \u201ceat the rainbow<\/a>\u201d to get a wide variety of phytochemicals. (Note: Skittles and M&Ms don\u2019t provide this benefit; in fact, they take advantage of the fact that our brains code \u201ccolorful\u201d as \u201cnutritionally complete\u201d to get us to overconsume while we wait for all those supposed nutrients to hit our digestive tracts.)<\/p>\n

When shopping for sweet potatoes<\/a>, look for ones with skins that are intact and mostly the same color. They should also be free of bruises, cracks, or signs of sprouting. (And they should also not be made of plastic, with eyes, ears, noses, and mustaches stuck on them \u2014 oh, sorry, that\u2019s Mr. Potato Head.) Plus, give them a gentle squeeze all over, to make sure they\u2019re firm and not squishy (which could indicate rotting).<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve brought your sweet potatoes home, you can keep them on a kitchen countertop at room temperature \u2014 as long as you plan to consume them within a week or two.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to store them longer, keep them in a cool, dark space like a cellar or pantry. If the ambient temperature is between 55\u201360\u00b0F (12.5\u201315.5\u00b0C) and the relative humidity is high (around 85\u201390%), sweet potatoes can last from three to six months.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve cut or cooked a sweet potato, it can last from three to five days in the fridge<\/a>, or up to a month in the freezer.<\/p>\n

How to Clean Sweet Potatoes<\/h2>\n
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iStock.com\/tesdei<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sweet potatoes are on the EWG\u2019s Clean 15<\/a> list, which means they\u2019re among the fifteen plant foods lowest in pesticide residue<\/strong> (although they\u2019re not completely free of it).<\/p>\n

The main pesticide used in sweet potato farming is a fungicide found on the skin. This chemical is used to prevent scurf<\/a>, which isn\u2019t a cross between a neck covering and foam football, but rather a fungal discoloration.<\/p>\n

You can significantly lower your exposure to this fungicide by peeling the skin, although you\u2019ll also lose some nutrient concentration. Alternatively, you can soak them in a water and baking soda bath<\/a>. To avoid mold and rotting due to excess moisture, don\u2019t soak your sweet potatoes until you\u2019re ready to prep and cook them.<\/p>\n

Can You Eat Raw Sweet Potatoes?<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t eat regular potatoes raw (especially ones with green bits) because they contain a toxic compound called solanine<\/a>. But sweet potatoes are members of a different family of tubers<\/a>. They\u2019re related to morning glories, while potatoes go to family reunions with tomatoes, eggplants, and other nightshades. Sweet potatoes and their morning glory relatives do not contain solanine, so they can be eaten raw.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, sweet potatoes do contain raffinose<\/a>, which is an oligosaccharide (the O in FODMAPs) that can cause gas, cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. On top of this, the main protein in sweet potatoes, sporamin<\/a>, inhibits the properties of certain digestive enzymes. This makes it more difficult for some people to digest the proteins found in sweet potatoes, which can also lead to gastrointestinal discomfort.<\/p>\n

So while sweet potatoes aren\u2019t toxic and can be eaten raw, they\u2019re easier to digest when cooked.<\/strong> You can also slice them and soak them in water for a few hours. This process removes some of their starch<\/a>, making them more enjoyable to eat raw and possibly easier to digest.<\/p>\n

How to Prepare Sweet Potatoes<\/h2>\n
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iStock.com\/Liudmila Chernetska<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sweet potatoes are nothing like Green Eggs and Ham<\/a>, except for one thing: You can eat them everywhere (and \u201ceverywhen,\u201d a word that I bet Dr. Seuss wished he had thought of). Sweet potato dishes are appropriate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts.<\/strong> You can cook them by boiling, baking, stir-frying, grilling, or cooking and mashing.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also commonly deep-fried to make sweet potato fries, but this isn\u2019t a healthy way to consume them. Deep-frying high-carbohydrate foods leads to the formation of acrylamide<\/a>, a carcinogen, although the amount formed varies by sweet potato variety and frying method. If you like the crispiness of fries, a healthier method is to bake or air fry<\/a> them, which will still form some acrylamides, but less than deep-frying in oil.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the best way to prepare sweet potatoes is in ways you\u2019ll enjoy them often. And if you can cook and eat them with their skin on, you\u2019ll help retain more antioxidants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sweet potatoes are high in carotenoids<\/a>, namely beta-carotene, which converts into the active form of vitamin A. Because this is a fat-soluble vitamin, be sure to eat sweet potatoes with a healthy source of fat<\/a> to help your body absorb as much vitamin A as possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do I love sweet potatoes? Let me list the ways. Some of the best ways to eat sweet potatoes are:<\/p>\n