Vegan Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée
Imagine this … you’re walking past a small café in Tokyo, the smell of freshly baked sweet potatoes is in the air and suddenly you see a dessert you’ve never seen before: a sweet potato crème brûlée. Sounds strange? But it’s soooo delicious! Of course, I wanted to go in right away to try it, but of course it wasn’t vegan. Noooooo!
Back in Berlin, I grabbed my apron and was determined to recreate this dessert myself. And here it is: our vegan sweet potato crème brûlée.
A dessert with sweet potato: does that even taste good?
The sweet potato adds a gentle, natural sweetness to the dessert, but also makes sure the sweetness of the cream doesn’t overpower everything. We wouldn’t have thought it ourselves, but the vanilla cream actually goes really well with sweet potato.
And what’s in the vegan crème brûlée?
The cream itself is made with potato milk – perfect for an allergen-free version! We used DUG potato milk because it’s gluten-free, soy-free, climate-friendly, and neutral in taste – simply ideal for our dessert. On top comes the caramelized sugar layer, for which it’s best to have a kitchen torch ready.
Last questions for the sweet potato crème brûlée:
Can you prepare it in advance? Absolutely! Just chill it and caramelize the sugar crust right before serving.
No kitchen torch? No problem – just put it under the oven grill. But keep a close eye on it so the top doesn’t get too dark.
No sweet potato at home? No worries – you can make it without, or even try regular potatoes. That works great too!
Vegan Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
For the crème brûlée:
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 300 g (10.5 oz) silken tofu
- 75 ml (0.33 cup) potato milk (e.g., from DUG)
- 75 g (2.5 oz) white sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2.5 tbsp cornstarch
For caramelizing:
- 4 tbsp white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 °C (top/bottom heat). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the sweet potatoes on it. Prick the tops of the sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for 45–55 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool until lukewarm.
- Gently press down on the tops of the sweet potatoes with your hands or a fork to flatten them slightly. Cut open the potatoes and use a fork to mash the flesh. Set the sweet potatoes aside.
- In a saucepan, combine silken tofu, potato milk, sugar, the seeds from the vanilla bean, and salt, heating while stirring constantly. Mix the starch with a little water until smooth, then add it in while stirring. Bring the mixture briefly to a boil until it thickens.
- Let the cream simmer gently for a few minutes until it reaches a pudding-like consistency. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature.
- Once slightly cooled, carefully fill the mixture into the sweet potatoes and refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours (or overnight).
- Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of white sugar evenly over each sweet potato to create a smooth sugar layer. Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch until a golden brown crust forms. Serve immediately.
