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Easy riced sweet potato is a healthy, nutritious, delicious, versatile side dish – a low-carb alternative to rice with a sweet, earthy flavor in under 20 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love Sweet Potato Rice
- It’s a fun and delicious, lower-carb alternative to white or brown rice and a great way to introduce more veggies to your diet.
- Quick and easy to make, with just 4 ingredients in under 20 minutes.
- An allergy and diet-friendly side dish – it’s Paleo, whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, vegetarian, and vegan.
- Sweet potatoes are also nutrient-dense, loaded with vitamins A, C, and E, plus gut-friendly fiber and are complex carbs.
- It’s delicious—tender yet slightly crisp and lightly caramelized, which brings out the potatoes’ natural sweetness.
- Ricing potatoes is perfect for vegan meal prep.
- An endlessly versatile side you can season, dress up, and serve in countless ways.
Plus, it cooks in far less time than other sweet potato favorites of ours – like mashed sweet potatoes, stuffed sweet potatoes, and baked sweet potato fries.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
- Sweet potatoes: For the best flavor, use the freshest sweet potato (firm with no soft spots or wrinkly skin). While it’s possible to use frozen and thawed potato, it’ll likely be mushier.
- Oil: Use any neutral cooking oil, like olive oil or avocado oil. Vegan butter would work, too.
- Sea salt & black pepper: To season the riced potato to taste.
- Parsley: (Optional) To garnish the potato rice for a hint of freshness and color.
Add more flavor with simple seasonings, like garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and nutritional yeast. Make a sweeter version with brown sugar and cinnamon. You could also use 50/50 sweet potato and cauliflower.
How to Make Riced Sweet Potato
How to Rice Potatoes
- First, wash, peel, and cube the sweet potato into ½- 1-inch pieces.
- Then, transfer the sweet potato to a food processor along with a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and pulse using the ‘S’ blade for 15 seconds, or until you achieve your desired texture or ‘rice’ grains.
Be careful not to over-blend the sweet potatoes, or they’ll become mushy.
Pan-Fry Method
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet (non-stick is best) over medium-high heat. Once hot, spread the riced potato in an even layer in the pan and leave it to cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute.
- Mix well, spread into an even layer once more, cook undisturbed for a minute, and then repeat the process once more (mix, spread, leave untouched).
If it isn’t tender enough, repeat the process until it reaches your desired texture. If you prefer it even more tender, cover it with a lid for several minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings, then transfer it to a bowl, optionally garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
FAQs
We found that a grater made pieces that were too fine to hold up to the cooking process.
Technically, no. Feel free to leave the skins on. There will be extra texture, fiber, and nutrients.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Don’t over-blend: Otherwise, it will become mushy when cooked and not retain texture.
- Use the correct cooking process: It’s important to spread it in a thin, single layer for caramelization and even cooking.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Cook the riced sweet potato in batches, if needed, then place it all back in the skillet at the end to ensure it’s all warm.
- Cooking time varies: We like tender-crisp texture, but increase the cooking time based on your preferred texture.
Serving Suggestions
This sweet and savory sweet potato rice is a versatile side dish especially well-suited to spicy and earthy flavors (and Tex-Mex/Mexican cuisine), including:
- To make a bowl meal – With toppings like pinto/black beans, salsa, guacamole, fajita veggies, shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, vegan cheese, etc.
- With curries and stews
- In or alongside vegan burritos or tacos
- With vegan burgers – like Southwest black bean burgers, black bean bulgur burgers, spicy red bean burgers, etc.
- Alongside chili – like lentil bean chili, red pepper chili, or black bean chili
Storage Instructions
Leave the riced sweet potatoes to cool, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
You can also freeze it in Ziplock/Stasher bags (spread flat) or freezer-safe containers for 2-3 months. Leave it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
We prefer to reheat sweet potato rice in a skillet with a little more oil for slightly crispier results. However, it’s possible to microwave it, too (in 30-second intervals).
More Vegan Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet potato quinoa bowl
- Sweet potato sandwich
- Easy sweet potato lasagna
- Sweet potato enchiladas
- Sweet potato burritos
- Quick sweet potato smoothie
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Easy Riced Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato (1-pound), cubed
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cubed sweet potato in a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pulse for 15 seconds or until you achieve the texture of grains of rice. Do not over blend it, or it will become mushy.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the sweet potato and spread it on the pan in an even layer. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute. Mix well, spread it into an even layer, and cook undisturbed for 1 minute. Mix well, spread it into an even layer and cook for one more minute. Taste and adjust any salt and pepper levels.
- Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl immediately or it will continue to cook in the hot pan.
- Optionally, garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- Don’t over-blend: Otherwise, it will become mushy when cooked and not retain texture.
- Use the correct cooking process: It’s important to spread it in a thin, single layer for caramelization and even cooking.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Cook the riced sweet potato in batches, if needed, then place it all back in the skillet at the end to ensure it’s all warm.
- Cooking time varies: We like tender-crisp texture, but increase the cooking time based on your preferred texture.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Love this sweet potato dish!