Sweet Potato Pudding

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.

If you try this sweet potato pudding recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!