Purple Sweet Potato Latte Recipe

This purple sweet potato latte is a fun drink with a naturally eye-catching violet color. Made from only three ingredients, it’s also easy to make vegan!

What is a Sweet Potato Latte?

A sweet potato latte is a great fall or winter beverage consisting of blended sweet potato and milk. In Asia, the word “latte” refers to a drink with milk and doesn’t necessarily need to contain coffee. This sweet potato latte has a thick consistency, similar to a smoothie, and although you can certainly drink it iced, I’ve always had them hot.

I first tasted a sweet potato latte in Korea over a decade ago when I was visiting a friend in the winter. Sweet potato lattes are very popular in Korea, and you can order them at many cafes. The latte I drank used the kind of sweet potatoes very common in Asia – with a reddish purple skin and white flesh. I loooove those sweet potatoes and use them to make Japanese yakiimo or daigaku imo.

But these days I’m really in a purple sweet potato phase. For years, I’ve used purple sweet potatoes to make my Okinawan sweet potato haupia pie bars. I realized that making a purple sweet potato latte is a perfect way to use up any leftover sweet potato that I had! I’m told that they make purple sweet potato lattes in Korea now too, but I haven’t been back to Korea in years, so I’ll need to go back to give it a try soon.

Types of Purple Sweet Potatoes and Where to Find Them

There are two types of purple sweet potatoes that would work well in this recipe: Okinawan and Molokai. Okinawan sweet potato is from the morning glory family, featuring light brown skin and bright purple flesh. When cooked, the flesh becomes a striking dark violet. As the name implies, this sweet potato is commonly grown in Okinawa, Japan, where it’s called “beni imo.” Okinawan sweet potatoes are also very popular in Hawai’i and used in Hawaiian desserts.

You may be able to find Okinawan sweet potatoes in Asian markets, especially Japanese and Korean, in the mainland US. In my experience, they are not always available and/or can be extremely expensive.

On the other hand, Molokai sweet potatoes are sometimes sold as “purple yams,” and have dark purple skin and flesh. They seem to be more commonly found and cheaper to buy in the mainland US. I find the Molokai potatoes to have more of a yam-like flavor with floral notes, whereas Okinawan ones have a sweet flavor like pure cane sugar. A strain of these Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes have also been patented by a farm in North Carolina and sell them as “Stokes” sweet potatoes.

How to Cook Sweet Potato for Desserts

You can cook purple sweet potatoes the same way you cook other sweet potatoes or yams. To use the flesh in dessert recipes or lattes like this one, I like to microwave my potatoes until soft, peel the skin, and mash the insides. However, you could also bake them in the oven, although that would take much longer.

How to Make Purple Sweet Potato Latte

After you’ve cooked your potato and scooped out the flesh, making the latte couldn’t be any easier. Simply blend with your milk of choice and a tablespoon of sweetener. I like to use honey – sweet potato and honey just seem like a good match. Then, I pour the latte into a pot and heat over stovetop for a nice, steamy beverage. If you want, you could also put the heated latte back in the blender to get extra frothy.

Alternatively, you could pour the latte directly from the blender into a microwave safe mug and heat in the microwave. Less dishes, right?

Make it Vegan

If you’re looking for a vegan version, all you need is to substitute a plant-based milk and use cane sugar or other sweetener instead of honey. So easy!

More Purple Dessert Recipes

Feeling purple? Check out these other purple treats!

• Okinawan Sweet Potato Haupia Pie Bars
• Okinawan Sweet Potato Haupia Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust
• Ube Butter Mochi
• Ube Matcha Latte
• Ube Crinkle Cookies