Clean Eating Sweet Potato Butter Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a healthy alternative to butter on sweet potatoes? ›

For something smoky, tangy, and nicely salty, smear some plain Greek yogurt on your sweet potato, then layer with smoked fish, scallions, and briny capers. Roast whatever mushrooms you have until crispy. Thin some tahini, adding a little yogurt for creaminess. Or mix hummus and yogurt, and spread on your potato.

The healthiest ways to prepare sweet potatoes are to steam or boil them. You can also bake, roast, or fry sweet potatoes, but you should take care to limit these preparation methods, which will cause the sugars to break down in different ways and often include extra recipe ingredients like oil, butter, or sugar.

To remove excess starch, place cut sweet potatoes into cold water making sure the cut surfaces are submerged. This step is especially recommended for "kinton" (Japanese-style mashed sweet potato) and other lightly seasoned dishes where a delectable color is desired. Soaking time of about 5 minutes is sufficient.

A: Yes, you will lose nutrients if you soak potatoes in water; the longer they soak, the more you lose. Potatoes are a good source of potassium, vitamin C and some B vitamins, and a portion of these water-soluble nutrients will leach into the water.

For a topping, stick to butter, Greek yogurt, or sour cream, or try adding a dollop of cilantro lime dressing, tzatziki, chipotle sauce, pesto, guacamole, or a drizzle of tahini sauce. If you have leftover baked sweet potatoes, save the soft flesh for another recipe.

As with potatoes, cooking decreases or removes many sweet potato antinutrients. Sweet potato allergy or intolerance is quite rare.

Sweet Potatoes and Health

Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are richest in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes with purple flesh are richer in anthocyanins. Beta-carotene and anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemicals that give vegetables their bright colors.

Additionally, sweet potatoes are rich in carbohydrates. Therefore, those on a carbohydrate restriction diet should avoid overindulging in them. This doesn't mean we have to avoid sweet potatoes, because they are always beneficial to the body when consumed in moderation.

Don't store potatoes in the fridge.

Raw potatoes have lots of starches, and the cold temperatures can turn the starches into sugars. This can make your potatoes turn sweeter and darker during cooking.

Why soak sweet potatoes in cold water? ›

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The main secrets to achieving that incredible crispy texture, is to soak the cut sweet potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps remove the starch from the sweet potatoes so they´re not limp & soggy.

Rinse and soak in cold water

Much of the surface starch can be washed away with a quick rinse in cold water. All you need to do is cut your potatoes and rinse them under cold water. For better results, soak the potatoes in a bowl of cold water for a few hours.

Sweet Potatoes

Plus, their high fiber content helps protect the body from free radical damage and supports a healthy digestive tract, which is critical in the body's natural detox process.

Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them! The exception is deep frying, which can lead to the formation of acrylamide, a potential human carcinogen.

Despite their sweet taste, these potatoes have an intermediate glycemic index (GI) level, meaning they are digested and absorbed fairly slowly, leading to a more gradual increase in blood sugar levels. But, a lot of these benefits, including nutrients and taste, can be lost by boiling sweet potatoes.

Coconut oil is a great replacement for butter in most instances if you're baking. You can also use ghee or shortening. Corn oil is the closest to replicating that mouthfeel you get from butter, but it also has significantly more calories.

Some people with high cholesterol may need medications, but doctors will usually always recommend these additional dietary changes initially: cooking with healthful oils, such as olive, avocado, or sunflower oil. using yogurt instead of butter, cream, or sour cream.

Because a saturated fat such as butter can increase your cholesterol when eaten in excess, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends people use healthier options like canola and olive oil instead.