Sweet Potato “Rice”
This Sweet Potato Rice is a great side dish that’s both delicious and healthy, plus it’s easy to make! It only takes 25 minutes to prepare, and pairs well with many different meat entrees like Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Steak, and Slow Cooker Short Ribs.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve made this rice. Easily hundreds of times. After James was born, I started experimenting with cooking every single vegetable in every way imaginable. The point being to get him to eat more vegetables, hah. From the very beginning, he LOVED sweet potato rice.
This sweet potato side dish is nothing more than shredded, sauteed sweet potato, but it takes on a really fantastic texture that’s soft but also slightly golden and crisp, and an intensified sweet flavor that is usually only coaxed out with a long roast in the oven. And that’s quite a feat for 25 minutes, because normally it takes at least an hour to make Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Tips for Best Results
Use a nonstick skillet – Because of the natural sugars in this root vegetable, I recommend you use a nonstick skillet here. This will ensure maximum caramelization without risk of the shredded bits sticking to the pan and burning.
Don’t stir too much – Much like when you make Hash Browns, try not to stir too much, so that you develop more browning and also don’t break down the shreds excessively.
Select good sweet potatoes at the store – Make sure each piece you buy is rock hard and firm to the touch. If there are any soft spots at all, that means they’re old and rotting, and you should steer clear. Also try to select ones without any bruising or cracks.
While this is a great side dish to all sorts of meals, it can also be used as the base for on-the-fly bowl meals. Sometimes I’ll simply add some black beans, corn, thinly sliced radishes, cotija cheese, and this cilantro lime dressing, and make a meal of it.
Step by Step Overview:
While you don’t have to peel the skin off, I like to remove the skin for a more consistent texture:
Whether or not you peel is up to you, and either way works.
Next, it’s time to shred. I recommend using a food processor (affiliate) for this, and you will likely have to cut smaller pieces in order to fit chunks into the chute:
Use a shredding disk to cut ribbons:
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the freshly cut shreds, salt, pepper, and your fat of choice.
Butter tastes the best, but to make it dairy-free, I use olive oil most of the time. I’ve tried coconut oil, and personally I find the flavor to be too odd of a pairing. Same with avocado oil.
After about 15 minutes, the shreds should be soft and tender:
You’ll see that the strands start breaking up into a more rice-sized shape, as they become tender.
Even though this should be tender enough to eat after 15 minutes, I like to take it further to about 20-25 minutes of total cook time, until the pieces start to get golden brown in spots.
You can see here that many of the clumps have a golden, caramelized exterior:
The sweet potato rice will have a soft, slightly crisp texture with a deeply caramelized taste. It’s SO good.
This recipe goes well with meat entrees like 40 Clove Garlic Chicken, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, and Glazed Spiral Ham. But sometimes I use it to bulk up savory fritters like shrimp cakes or salmon cakes.
This sweet potato side dish is whole 30 friendly and paleo friendly. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQ and Tips
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw by leaving in the fridge overnight.
My favorite method is to pan fry your desired serving over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until warm. However, you may also microwave it in 30 second intervals, until heated through.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Sweet Potato “Rice”
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs sweet potato
- 3 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato if desired, then shred using the shredding disk of a food processor.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the olive oil or butter, sweet potato, salt, and black pepper.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the shreds shrink down considerably and starts to become golden and caramelized on the edges. If the "rice" starts to look dry, add one tablespoon more oil.
- Do a final tasting and see if it could use more salt, and season appropriately. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
7 Comments on “Sweet Potato “Rice””
Excited to try. Thank you :)!
Great web site. Plenty of useful info here. I am sending it to some pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks in your sweat!
We made this for our family bowl night and it was so good! Healthy too.
I am going to make the ‘rice’ – can it be frozen too? I want to make portions for one with the ‘rice’.
Thanks, glassy
I haven’t tried freezing it, but it would likely be fine, especially since it’s cooked. I store leftovers in the fridge for a few days, but they usually don’t last long because we eat it within a day.
Must try this one, sounds great, thanks!
Barb
Thanks Barb, hope you enjoy it!