Miso sweet potatoes are simply roasted in the oven and brushed with a glaze made of miso paste, water and sesame oil and finished off under the broiler for a delicious, caramelized and savoury side dish.
I always have sweet potatoes on hand. They are so delicious and versatile, and you can often find them on sale for $0.99 per pound. You can make a simple side dish like sweet potatoes on the barbecue or sauteed sweet potatoes with kale. You can also use them as the base of many weeknight dinners; sweet potato lentil curry is one of my go-to’s.
Why this recipe works
Look, sweet potatoes and miso are a terrific flavour pairing. So it’s a no brainer that miso glazed sweet potatoes are terrific. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes, the salty-savoury flavour of miso paste and the bitter notes of toasted sesame gives you an umami-packed side (that’s also vegan).
The key to success is to broil them once you’ve added the miso glaze. This is how they’ll get caramelized and delicious. This recipe is Japanese-inspired and also inspired by this recipe from Goop.
Ingredient notes
- Sweet potatoes, we’re looking for about medium-sized sweet potatoes. Make sure you pick some that are uniform in shape and size so they finishing cooking at the same time.
- Miso paste you’ll want to use a white miso which is milder in flavour than red. It’s a good all-purpose miso paste to keep on hand–it’s the same one I used in my miso salmon recipe. You can learn more about miso here.
- Toasted sesame oil pairs so well with miso and sweet potatoes.
- Warm water helps to loosen the texture of the glaze.
- Cayenne pepper is optional, but I always like to add a little bit of spice for balance.
- Scallions and sesame seeds are the final garnishes that add a burst of fresh flavour.
Expert tips
- Once your sweet potatoes have roasted in the oven, be sure to allow them to cool so you don’t burn your fingers.
- The recipe calls for two tablespoons of warm water, but if you need a little bit more to loosen the miso paste, start by adding one additional teaspoon at a time.
- Keep your eye on them when they are under the broiler as they can burn quickly, I find within three to five minutes they get nice and caramelized without burning.
What to serve this with
Baked trout fillets
One pan chicken with Brussels sprouts and cauliflower
Leek asparagus soup
Miso Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pierced all over with a fork
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- sesame seeds, optional for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven until soft, about 40-45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, whisk miso with water, sesame oil and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Split sweet potatoes lengthwise and return to baking sheet. Evenly spread the miso mixture on the cut side of each sweet potato. Turn on the broiler, and broil sweet potatoes for another 3-5 minutes or until miso has begun to caramelize, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Make sure you prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork as this lets steam escape while they are roasting in the oven.
- When you’re making the glaze, if you find the miso isn’t loosening enough, you can add more warm water, one teaspoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency.
Shirley Clements 
Sarah Miller 
Lou
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