Steamed Sweet Potato Recipe: How to Steam Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a root vegetable belonging to the morning glory family, native to the tropical regions of the Americas. Its smooth, outer skin ranges in color from dusty orange-brown to violet and light yellow-beige. The insides range from an immediately recognizable orange flesh to purple and even pale white.

As their name suggests, sweet potatoes have a naturally sweet flavor profile that pairs especially well with other sweet components, like toasted marshmallows or brown sugar on a sweet potato casserole. Though unrelated to regular potatoes or yams, chefs and home cooks prepare them in similar ways, whether roasted, pan-fried, or steamed.

Here’s what to know when steaming sweet potatoes:

1. 1. Leaving the skin intact: The skin of a sweet potato acts as a barrier during steaming, trapping extra heat. It also keeps the flesh intact: You can always remove and discard the skin after steaming (or, even better, include them: sweet potato skins are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C), but peeled sweet potatoes will turn messy as they soften during the steaming process.
2. 2. Choosing the right cut: Steaming is one of the easiest ways to cook sweet potatoes, but the time it takes will depend on the size and quantity of the veggies. Steam whole sweet potatoes, or halve them lengthwise and place them cut-side down in the steamer basket. For an even quicker cook time, slice potatoes into thick rounds.
3. 3. Steaming methods: You can steam the veggie in the microwave, a multi-cooker, or a pressure cooker. Many rice cookers feature a steaming function; depending on the size of the sweet potato, pressure cookers can cut the cooking time in half. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use the microwave—just be sure to poke holes all over the sweet potato to release moisture and prevent explosions.

Steaming and boiling can both soften a sweet potato’s inner starchy flesh. Here’s how the two cooking methods differ:

• Cleanup: Steaming can make cleanup easier since there’s no risk of the sweet potatoes falling apart in the water.
• Technique: Boiling cooks sweet potatoes by direct and prolonged exposure to hot water, often seasoned with salt, which allows you to season the potatoes from within. Steaming uses indirect heat to cook the sweet potatoes gently.
• Texture: Boiling sweet potatoes causes them to absorb water, resulting in a slightly wetter texture and softened flavor expression. A perfectly steamed sweet potato should hold its shape but turn velvety soft once cut into, like baked sweet potatoes.
• Timing: Boiling vegetables requires bringing a large pot of water to a boil, which can take several minutes. Steaming requires just an inch or two of boiling water, so you can start cooking the sweet potatoes sooner.

You can incorporate steamed potatoes into many appetizers, main courses, and side dishes. They’re particularly suited to sweet potato recipes where a smooth, creamy texture is the highlight. Here are some ideas to consider:

1. 1. Add to a salad: Keep cubed, steamed sweet potato on hand to add earthy sweetness to a mixed green salad. Combine the sweet potato cubes with chopped veggies, crispy roasted chickpeas, or roasted spiced cauliflower, and dress with a creamy tahini sauce.
2. 2. As a dessert filling: Many people know sweet potato as the star of a Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole, or pumpkin pie’s cousin, sweet potato pie. To make a sweet filling for desserts, scoop out the flesh of the steamed sweet potatoes and combine it with warm baking spices in a food processor.
3. 3. As a side dish: Serve mashed sweet potatoes as you would mashed potatoes, with a bit of butter and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.
4. 4. In a vegetable-based dip: Pair chilled raw vegetables and pita bread slices with a steamed sweet potato and black bean hummus. Blend the steamed sweet potatoes and cooked black beans in a food processor with one or two grated garlic cloves, a third cup of olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. If you like, add a pinch of chipotle powder.
5. 5. In pasta: For a twist on the Italian classic, put steamed sweet potatoes to work in sweet potato gnocchi.
6. 6. Make sweet potato fries: You can turn steamed sweet potatoes into za’atar sweet potato fries. Slice partially cooked potatoes into wedges, toss them with cornstarch, and transfer them to the oven or an air fryer for a quick crisping up. Then sprinkle them with za’atar or your favorite spices.