Say goodbye to traditional rice and prepare to be captivated by the irresistible charm of riced sweet potato. Delightful vibrant colors and rich, earthy aroma is the best way to describe it. You will be ready to ditch plain old rice after you try it. We even give you 6 flavor variations to match your taste.
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If you are looking for more veggie side dishes, check out our roasted cauliflower with tahini, sauteed julienne carrots, and grilled vegetable napoleon.
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What to expect?
Sweet potato rice has a lovely texture. It is quite soft and tender, but if you pan-fry it long enough, it is caramelized and slightly crispy. Its sweetness is more evident this way, compared to a sweet potato that is cooked in water.
We added a bit of fajita seasoning because sweet potato in any form goes great together with Mexican and Tex-Mex-inspired dishes. Spicy flavors complement its sweetness and turn the rice sweet potato into a rich and flavorful side dish. Or go with your favorite flavors. We do have several recommendations in the Variations section to try.
Instructions
Preparing the ingredients
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes.
- If you have a food processor, use its grater blade. If the whole potato is too big for your chute, cut them in half or quarters.
- Alternatively, you can use a large-hole cheese grater and shred it. Even if you seem to end up with long strips like grated cheese, don’t worry. It will break down to a more rice-like texture during frying.
Making riced sweet potato
- Take a skillet or a frying pan and heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the shredded sweet potato and season it. We use our homemade fajitas spice mix, salt, and black pepper.
- Sauté it for approx. 15-25 minutes. The sweet potato “rice” becomes tender after only 15 minutes. The 10 extra minutes will make get slightly caramelized crispy edges like in the photo below.
Variations
While we love the Mexican spicy vibes with riced sweet potato, if this is not your cup of tea, here are some recommendations:
- Thai: Lemongrass and ginger will infuse your riced sweet potato with vibrant flavors. Add ½ teaspoon from each to 8 oz sweet potatoes.
- Mediterranean: Infuse your riced sweet potato with the woody and aromatic flavors of rosemary and thyme, adding a touch of earthiness to your dish. Add ½ teaspoon from each to 8 oz sweet potatoes.
- Cilantro Lime: While both white and brown rice are popular choices, cilantro lime can create a refreshing flavor for riced sweet potato. We show you how to do it in our Chipotle Veggie Bowl and Chipotle Veggie Burrito.
- Indian: Aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric, along with a hint of heat from chili peppers, create a harmonious flavor. Add 1.51 teaspoon of a curry spice blend to 8 oz sweet potatoes.
- Moroccan: Turn it into a pilaf, by adding a blend of warm spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and paprika, along with dried fruits like apricots or raisins.
Serving ideas
So you have your riced sweet potato seasoned with a fajita spice mix. What is next? Build the ultimate Mexican sweet potato rice bowl. You can find recipes for all delicious ingredients in the below photo.
- Sheet-pan fajita veggies or Chipotle fajita veggies
- Guacamole (we have it in Chipotle Veggie Bowl and Chipotle Veggie Burrito)
- Canned black beans (or if you want to use dried beans, here is a Copycat Chipotle Black Beans from Culinary Hill)
- Chunky salsa sauce (we used a store-bought salsa* and added canned corn)
- Sour cream (here is our nut-free vegan sour cream recipe)
- Shredded cheese (we used Violife*)
- Lime slices
What else can you add to your bowl?
- Vegan TVP taco meat
- Vegan shredded chicken
- Chipotle plant-based chorizo
- Vegan nacho cheese sauce
- Vegan queso dip
- Tortilla chips
- Flourless tortilla
- Shredded lettuce
- Freshly chopped cilantro
Storing tips
To properly store riced sweet potato, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container or resealable bag. Place it in the refrigerator, where it can stay fresh for up to 3-4 days. Alternatively, if you want to store it for a longer period, consider freezing it in portion-sized containers or freezer bags.
Even if you fry it longer until crispy, it will lose that crispiness overnight. When reheating, heat it on a stovetop, adding a splash of water or oil to prevent sticking. This way, you will get back some of that crispy caramelized edge you had in the first place.
FAQs
Yes. It is surprisingly easy to make riced sweet potatoes, even if you don’t have a food processor.
You can either use the grater blades of a food processor or a large-hole cheese grater to turn a raw, uncooked sweet potato into rice-sized pieces. A ricer will not work, as the uncooked vegetable is too hard to push through.
You can replace rice with it in almost any recipe. Think of stir-fry, curry, salad bowl, or burrito. It can be a colorful side dish to many main course meals as well.
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Riced Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 8 oz Sweet potato
- 1 Tbsp Vegan butter
- 1.5 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1.5 tsp Fajitas spice mix
Instructions
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes.
- Grab your food processor with grater blades or a large-hole cheese grater, and shred those sweet potatoes. If they’re too big for the chute, just cut them into halves or quarters. It is okay, if you end up with long strips resembling grated cheese. It will transform into a rice-like texture as you cook it.
- Take a skillet or a frying pan and heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the shredded sweet potato and season it with fajitas spice mix (or another seasoning to your taste), salt, and black pepper.
- Sauté the riced sweet potato until it turns tender in just around 15 minutes. Cook it for 10 more minutes, and you’ll get them caramelized and slightly crispy.
Notes
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- Thai: Add ½ tsp of lemongrass and ginger each.
-
- Mediterranean: Add ¼ tsp of rosemary and thyme each.
-
- Cilantro lime: We show you how to do add cilantro lime flavor in our Chipotle veggie bowl and Chipotle veggie burrito.
-
- Indian: Add 1.5 teaspoon of a curry spice blend.
-
- Moroccan: Turn it into a pilaf, by adding a blend of warm spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and paprika, along with dried fruits like apricots or raisins.
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