Sweet potato brulee is dessert hiding inside a sweet potato. You roast Japanese sweet potatoes at 375°F, blend the flesh into a silky vanilla custard, bake it back in the skins at 325°F for 30 minutes, then torch a crackly sugar top. It takes about 1 hour 35 minutes, and that first crack of the spoon is worth every minute.
The secret is a little cornstarch in the custard. It gives you a creamy, pudding-style set that holds its shape inside the skin instead of puddling out the sides. Pull it at 30 minutes while the center still has a slight jiggle. It keeps setting as it cools.
Sweet potatoes are a big deal across Asia. In Japan, roasted satsumaimo gets sold from trucks all winter. In the Philippines, we coat kamote in caramelized brown sugar and call it kamote cue. This brulee lands right in between: creamy custard, glassy sugar shell. Team sweet potato dessert? Make my sweet potato brownies next, or keep it savory with baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer.
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How to make (VIDEO)
Ingredients
How to make (PICTURES)
- Step 1: Slice each one in half lengthwise then roast the sweet potatoes at 375°F for 45 minutes, until super tender.
- Step 2: Slice each one in half lengthwise and gently scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin layer so the skins hold their shape.
- Step 3: Blend the sweet potato with the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, cream, milk, melted butter and vanilla paste until silky smooth.
- Step 4: Fill the skins with the custard and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle.
- Step 5: Let them cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the sugar evenly over the tops.
- Step 6: Torch the sugar until it melts into a hard, golden crust. Serve right away.
What to serve
- Your Thanksgiving dessert table, right next to the pie
- The grand finale after Classic Filipino Chicken Adobo
- Dessert after a big tray of Sticky Asian Ribs
- A scoop of Mango Sorbet on the side for hot and cold
- An Asian dessert spread with Mango Sago
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Sweet Potato Brulee
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roast the sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet for 45 minutes, until super tender.4 medium sweet potatoes
- Lower the oven to 325°F. Let the sweet potatoes cool just enough to handle, then slice each one in half lengthwise.
- Gently scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a thin layer against the skin so the shells hold their shape.
- Add the scooped sweet potato, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, cream, milk, melted butter and vanilla paste to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Set the skins on the baking sheet and fill them with the custard.
- Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still has a slight jiggle.
- Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the tops.¼ cup granulated sugar
- Torch the sugar until it melts and hardens into a crackly golden crust. Serve right away.
Notes
- Use any sweet potatoes. If you can find Japanese sweet potatoes (purple skin, pale yellow flesh) use them, they give the creamiest custard.
- Pull the custard at 30 minutes while the center still jiggles slightly. It keeps setting as it cools.
- Torch right before serving so the sugar crust stays crackly. No torch? Broil on the top rack for 1 to 3 minutes, watching closely.
Nutrition
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Hi, I'm Carmen!
I'm the creator of Eat With Carmen, where I share Filipino and other Asian recipes I love and grew up eating, made simple for everyday cooking.
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Frequently Asked Questions for Sweet Potato Brulee
Sweet potato brulee is a roasted sweet potato filled with blended sweet potato custard and topped with a torched, crackly sugar crust. Think creme brulee, but the sweet potato skin is the ramekin.
Japanese sweet potatoes are best because their flesh is sweeter and creamier than regular orange sweet potatoes. Look for purple skin and pale yellow flesh. Orange sweet potatoes still work, you just get a brighter orange custard.
Bake the filled sweet potatoes at 325°F for 30 minutes. The edges should be set and the center should still have a slight jiggle. It keeps setting as it cools.
Yes, you can use your oven broiler. Sprinkle on the sugar, set the sweet potatoes on the top rack and broil for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch the whole time, because broilers burn fast.
Yes, bake the custard-filled sweet potatoes up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Add the sugar and torch right before serving so the crust stays crackly.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sugar crust softens overnight, so sprinkle on a little fresh sugar and torch it again before eating.
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