Purple Sweet Potato Frosting

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan

Keyword: sweet potato frosting

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 84kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

This Sweet Potato Frosting is made with purple sweet potatoes, which give it a vibrant purple color without using food coloring!

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 large purple sweet potato (any sweet potato variety will work; about 12 oz. in weight)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (at room temperature; 203 grams)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (55 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional; but recommended)
1/8 teaspoon pinch of salt
2 to 4 tablespoons non-dairy milk , or water

Instructions

Peel and cut the sweet potato into 1-inch chunks. Arrange a steam basket in a 2-quart saucepan and fill it with 1 inch of water. Pour the potatoes into the basket and bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling, lower the heat and cover the pot, letting the potatoes cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. They should be very soft and easily pierced with a fork.
Drain the potatoes and mash them with a fork until relatively smooth. Measure out a tightly packed cup of mashed sweet potato, and reserve any leftover cooked potato for use in a smoothie later. (Try my Sweet Potato smoothie recipe!)
Add the cup of mashed sweet potato to a blender, along with the maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, salt, and milk. I like to start with just 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and blend until very smooth, but you can add up to 2 more tablespoons if needed to help the blender along. This works best when the potatoes are still slightly warm, so that the coconut oil remains liquid while blending. Using a milk makes the purple frosting slightly lighter in color; using only water will make it a darker purple color.
Pour the blended potato frosting into an airtight container with a lid, and place it in the fridge to set. It should thicken up in about 8 hours, so it's best to make this the night before you need it so it can thicken overnight in the fridge.
Spread the frosting on your favorite cake or cupcakes. This recipe makes roughtly 2 cups of frosting, which should frost 12 cupcakes or a single layer cake. For a two-layer cake, I recommend making a double batch.

Notes

I use purple sweet potatoes for this recipe, but I've also made it with orange and white sweet potatoes. Feel free to use whichever variety is most convenient for you.

I use maple syrup to keep this recipe vegan, but you can use another liquid sweetener, like honey or agave to taste, if you prefer. I recommend starting off with less of those, since they are both sweeter than maple syrup. If you need more liquid for blending, use more coconut oil so the frosting doesn't become too runny when it's chilled. (Too much water or almond milk added to it will make it not set.)

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