Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Pudding

Leftover sweet potatoes? Make this Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Pudding! This vegan and paleo-friendly dessert is made with just four ingredients. There's no added sugar, it's super easy to make, and is sweet and delicious. 

If you've been following along here for a while, then something you probably already know about me is that I have very strong opinions about desserts being desserts. I'd much rather enjoy the real deal from time to time in all its delicious sugary, fatty glory, than suffer some sad dessert imposter that will leave me feeling unfulfilled and reaching for the cookie jar anyways.

You know then, on the few occasions when I have shared things like whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, or brownies made from beans, that it is not because they are healthier versions of their treat analogues, but because they are damn delicious.

This Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Pudding is something I've been making for several years now, ever since my friend Gena posted a version on her blog a few years ago.

I know what you're thinking: Give me a break, Nutrition Lady! Sweet potatoes aren't dessert!

But hear me out.

Sweet potatoes are one of the most gloriously versatile foods around, and they straddle the sweet and savoury continuum with ease and grace. Sweet potato fries? Yes, please! Loaded sweet potatoes? Sign me up! Spicy Tofu Grain Bowls with Roasted Sweet Potato? Damn straight! 

Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Pudding? Tell me more!

What goes into this sweet potato pudding?

Just FOUR ingredients! 

• Roasted sweet potatoes. And yup, your Thanksgiving leftovers will work like a dream. 
• Chai tea bags. I like to use rooibos chai here. 
• Your favourite plant-based milk.
• Vanilla extract. Have you tried homemade?
• A pinch of sea salt. Ooooh, you could totally use vanilla salt here. 

How do you make sweet potato pudding?

Here's the deal: you throw a couple of sweet potatoes into the oven and let them get all roasty toasty. While that's happening, you heat up some non-dairy milk (I used oat milk) and add a couple of chai tea bags to steep.

I used rooibos chai, and I think that saccharine nature of rooibos really goes well with the sweet potatoes. Plus you can steep rooibos for ages without it ever getting bitter.

Once the sweet potatoes have cooled off, you scoop them out of their skin and put them into your food processor along with the chai-spiced oat milk, a splash of vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt. Blend until velvety smooth, and then it's sweet potato pudding time!

Let me tell you this: my child shows early signs of having inherited the sweet tooth which runs rampant on his father's side of the family, and the few times I've made him a "healthier" treat (because he is, after all, a tiny monster) he has sniffed out the whole-grain-naturally-sweetened nonsense and immediately rejected said treat.

So I expected a similar reaction when I tried to pass off this sweet potato purée as dessert, but once he'd had one taste of it he stood in front of me, mouth open like a baby bird, and could not get enough of the stuff. And folks, if that doesn't sell you on this velvety smooth chai spiced sweet potato pudding, I'm not sure what will.

Hey Nutrition Lady, what's the deal with sweet potatoes?

Orange fleshed sweet potatoes are incredibly rich in beta-carotene, a pre-curser to vitamin A. In fact, some studies have shown that sweet potatoes contain even more bioavailable beta-carotene than leafy green vegetables.

Sweet potatoes also contain storage proteins called sporamins which have unique antioxidant properties. Also valuable for their anti-inflammatory benefits and blood sugar regulation, sweet potatoes are loaded with fiber, which helps steady the pace of digestion and regulate glucose uptake.

They're also a great source of vitamin C, manganese, vitamin B6, potassium, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and phosphorus complex carbohydrates.

Other healthy desserts you might enjoy:

Chocolate Energy Bites
Cinnamon Roasted Apples
Black Bean Fudge Pops
Raw Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

This recipe was originally published November 10, 2017. It was retested and updated on November 23, 2018.