Sesame Soy Glazed Japanese Sweet Potatoes

One of my favorite ways to serve Japanese sweet potatoes is with a simple sesame soy glaze and roasted in the oven until the sweet potatoes are golden brown. That’s why I’m sharing this super easy, 7-ingredient, vegan recipe for Sesame Soy Glazed Roasted Japanese Sweet potatoes, which you can have on the table in about 40 minutes. All you have to do is cut the sweet potato into slices, mix together the Sesame Soy Glaze, drizzle over the potatoes, and roast the Japanese sweet potato in the oven until soft and delicious. Then dig in! Serve them as a side with veggie-burgers, sandwiches, or lentil patties. Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free soy sauce.

What Are Japanese Sweet Potatoes?

It’s not an orange sweet potato like the Garnet or Jewel varieties we usually think of. Japanese sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) have rich magenta skin with cream-colored flesh that turns a soft gold when cooked. They have a drier and creamier texture than sweet potatoes at the same time, and a subtle earthy nutty sweetness that differs from the pure “sweetness” of sweet potatoes. These qualities make Japanese sweet potatoes a versatile ingredient in many different recipes. In Japan, it is often used to make Yakiimo (Japanese baked potato), Daigaku imo (sweet potato) and even as a starch for brewing. Because of their dryness, Japanese sweet potatoes are also perfect for baking sweet potato fries in the oven as they become crispy and slightly hot unlike orange sweet potatoes which tend to come out squishy and soft due to their high moisture content.

Interestingly, these potatoes are not native to Japan. The variety we call the “Japanese” sweet potato originates from Central and South America, where more than 4000 varieties of potatoes are grown! This particular variety was brought to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan by China in the early eighteenth century, where it is still called karaimo (Chinese potato) today. This new plant is spreading rapidly on the mainland and small islands, and is often called satsumaimo (Satsuma potato) throughout Japan. Sweet potatoes became a staple of the Japanese diet that many people relied on to survive the stormy seasons, cheap cost, and flexibility in cooking. The popularity of these sweet potatoes in Japanese cuisine is why we call them “Japanese sweet potatoes” in the US today. Are you excited to try this recipe? Find them at farmers markets (I got mine at the Ojai farmers market), stores like Trader Joe’s (like Murasaki potatoes), Whole Foods, and Asian grocery stores.

Japanese Potato Nutrition

These sweet potatoes are packed with several vitamins, minerals, and lots of antioxidants combined with their purple pigment. Japanese sweet potatoes are a source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, fiber, potassium, and calcium. These sweet potatoes are also rich in plant compounds such as chlorogenic acid, which is a polyphenol antioxidant, and anthocyanins, the pigment in purple plants. They also have a lower glycemic index than orange varieties.

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For more vegetarian dishes, check out some of my favorites:

Lime Dill Roasted Asparagus
Sweet Potato Home Fries with Zucchini
Rosemary potatoes and roasted tomatoes
Lemon Herb Roasted Artichokes
Asparagus Esauté with Fava Beans

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