I set my sights on some gluten free sweet potato gnocchi recently. Of course, to make the aforementioned gnocchi I needed some sweet potato puree! So today I thought I would share this easy microwave method that I absolutely love.

Sweet potato puree (in the microwave)

Name: Sweet potato puree (in the microwave)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 kg (2.5lbs) sweet potato (weighed with skin on)

Yes, this recipe is made in a microwave. There are plenty of recipes out there for making puree in the oven or over a pot, but this is how I make my vegetable purees (pumpkin puree included).

There are a few reasons I like making my puree in the microwave. Firstly, it is less fiddly than using a steaming basket. I don’t have the right setup to do this well, so it always takes me way longer than necessary. I also sometimes find that it can contribute too much liquid to the sweet potato, which creates a waterlogged puree. This is the reason I don’t boil vegetables for puree – it introduces far too much liquid to the equation.

Oven baking your sweet potato can easily leave it with a tough skin unless you watch it like a hawk. You’re also adding oil to the puree in order to minimise this tough skin. This isn’t a bad thing but it is adding new flavours and fat content to a puree, which may change how it works in a recipe.

Microwaving your sweet potato avoids these pitfalls. It results in a puree that is thick, creamy and smooth. The puree can be used as baby food but it also works well in any recipes where sweet potato puree is required.

An aerial image of sweet potato puree in a white bowl atop a white marble table

Recipe tips

You can make as much as or little puree as you’d like. I have tested this method with all different sized sweet potatoes and it worked well every time. While the recipe card specifies 1kg sweet potato, you can use however much you like.

The more sweet potato you use, the longer the cooking process will take. While 500g of sweet potato might take 10 minutes cooking time and 5 minutes steaming time, 900g will take at least 15 minutes cooking time.

How much puree you get at the end depends on a number of factors. Namely, the sweet potato in question (water content, etc), how you peel your potato and how diligent you are in scraping every morsel of puree into the bowl. The exact weight of puree you get will likely change every time, so I recommend making more than you need for a seamless experience.

Trying to rush through the cooking process will only leave you with a lumpy puree.

Blending your cooked sweet potato is the absolute best way to make puree. In fact, I almost insist it. I tested using a potato ricer or mashing by hand and a blender was so far superior to both methods. You could try using an immersion blender/soup stick if you don’t have a blender.

I used a mini KitchenAid food processor to blend the puree. It is great for small volumes but I find nothing more enraging than having to constantly scrape down the sides of a food processor.

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