I finally got around to trying sweet potato toast this week, a concept that I’ve been seeing circulating around the internet. Our instagram post about it generated a lot of interest, so I thought I would go into more detail here today. Basically, the whole idea is replacing bread with thinly sliced, toasted sweet potato and topping it as you would any toast. I know, why mess with an already perfect concept like toast? For one, it’s great for those trying to take it easy on grains or gluten. It’s also perfect for sweet potato lovers just looking to change things up for breakfast, snack, etc. (me). It’s a fun way to eat a nutritious root vegetable, and I have a feeling that it could easily be made very kid-friendly. It is decidedly its own thing, not toast, but totally stands on its own as tasty and filling fare.
As with any toast, there are infinite possibilities when it comes to the toppings, since sweet potato gives a pretty neutral base. I offer my favorite sweet and savory options below. In the sweet one, earthy and creamy tahini is studded with jammy, smashed raspberries (I use frozen and defrosted ones this time of year), drizzled with honey/maple syrup and sprinkled with cacao nibs and seeds, and that combination is incredibly lovely. The savory one is (surprise!) avocado toast, but made a bit more substantial with the addition of balsamic lentils, a dusting of nutritional yeast and seeds.
On a technical note, the whole reason behind the sweet potato toast craze is that you can cook the sweet potato slices right in the toaster. The catch is that I don’t own a toaster, so what I like to do is cook the slices in the oven the night before and then re-heat them, either in the oven or in a pan on the stovetop whenever I’m ready to eat my ‘toast.’ You could even cook a bigger batch for the week ahead, since the roasted sweet potatoes hold up well in the refrigerator. But if you do have a toaster, by all means cook the potato slices in there. I offer directions for both methods in the recipes.
There are some weekend links below, Sunday hugs to you :)
What The Health – a new film from the creators of Cowspiracy, this time targeting health organizations. Really excited to watch it, it’s available to stream on their website now.
Hugh Forte’s Food Photography – just learned that the photographer behind Sprouted Kitchen has a separate Instagram account for his dreamy food photos, I can stare at them for ages.
How Millions of Kids Are Being Shaped by Know-It-All Voice Assistants
Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Dinner Salad – looks perfect, and those photos are amazing.
The Avocado Show – an Amsterdam cafe centered around everything avocado, look at that.
What We Eat When We Eat Alone – recently discovered this gem by Deborah Madison.
- 1 medium sweet potato
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil - soft (if using the oven)
- 2-4 tablespoons sesame tahini
- ¼ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- honey or maple syrup for drizzling
- mixed seeds for garnish (I used cacao nibs, hemp, pumpkin seeds)
- Peel and slice the sweet potato into even, ¼"-thick slices. If you have an organic sweet potato, you can leave the skin on, but I prefer it peeled.
- If using an oven, preheat it to 400° F (200° C). Prepare a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and place the sweet potato slices on the sheet. Add the coconut oil and mix with your hands to coat. Put the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Flip the slices and cook another 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Add toppings and enjoy right away or refrigerate in an air-tight container until ready to eat. Reheat in a 350° F (175° C) oven for about 5 minutes, then top.
- If using a toaster, place the sweet potato slices in the toaster and toast on high for about 5 minutes, until cooked through and toasty at the edges. Cooking time will vary slightly for different toasters.
- Spread tahini on each slice. Add raspberries, mashing them a bit with a fork. Drizzle each slice with the desired amount of honey/maple syrup and sprinkle with mixed seeds. Enjoy!
- 1 medium sweet potato
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil - soft (if using the oven)
- ⅓ cup cooked black or French lentils
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar, plus more for drizzling
- 1 small, ripe avocado
- juice of ½ small lemon
- sea salt - to taste
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- nutritional yeast for garnish
- mixed seeds for garnish (I used hemp, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds)
- Peel and slice the sweet potato into even, ¼"-thick slices. If you have an organic sweet potato, you can leave the skin on, but I prefer it peeled.
- If using an oven, preheat it to 400° F (200° C). Prepare a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and place the sweet potato slices on the sheet. Add the coconut oil and mix with your hands to coat. Put the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Flip the slices and cook another 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Add toppings and enjoy right away or refrigerate in an air-tight container until ready to eat. Reheat in a 350° F (175° C) oven for about 5 minutes, then top.
- If using a toaster, place the sweet potato slices in the toaster and toast on high for about 5 minutes, until cooked through and toasty at the edges. Cooking time will vary slightly for different toasters.
- In a small bowl, combine lentils, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, half of the lemon juice, salt and pepper. In another small bowl, mash the avocado with the remaining lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Spread mashed avocado onto each sweet potato slice, followed by the lentils and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and mixed seeds. Drizzle with more balsamic vinegar and enjoy!
Jess @Nourished by Nutrition says
These look fabulous! I always top my sweet potato with almond butter and sweeter toppings so the tahini raspberry combination looks heavenly. I must say I’ve tried the sweet potato toast in the toaster a few times and was quite disappointed. The inside never seemed to get soft and the outside just ended up burning the longer I tried to toast it. Baking multiple thin slices in the oven seems like the best way to go! Thanks for sharing! xx
Anya says
Thank you Jess, that’s super helpful info about the toasting. I’ve gotten similar burnt on the outside/not cooked on the inside results when I tried toasting it under the broiler. I do know a few people who have toasted sweet potato successfully, so I think it might largely depend on the toaster? In either case, I’m a fan of the bake ahead option, too :)
Ellie says
I have never tried to make sweet potatoes into toast!!!! Both of these recipes look amazing, I’ve never had sweet potatoes as a dessert but so many people say it tastes like candy when it’s caramelized, I guess I’ve just never thought about trying it as a treat. Thank you for this!
Anya says
Thank you Ellie! Sweet potatoes are sooo good in dessert, we have a Sweet Potato Caramel Nougat recipe that we can’t get enough of, it’s here if you’re interested :)