Miso Sweet Potatoes Recipe

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You're going to love these flavorful, easy, Miso Sweet Potatoes. The Japanese inspired miso glaze is rich and salty, with a touch of spice, and deliciously caramelized. It perfectly compliments the creamy sweetness of the potatoes for a simple, but impressive side dish for a holiday feast or every day meals.

Six miso baked sweet potato halves on a black cast iron skillet.

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This miso sweet potato recipe is included in our Twelve Favorite Vegetable Holiday Side Dishes, so be sure to check out that post if you're looking for more!

I love sweet potatoes. I usually have them on hand for all kinds of recipes; like my sweet potato chickpea curry, or sweet potato black bean soup. These miso sweet potatoes are another favorite that I can't wait for you to try.

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What is Miso?
Why we love baked miso sweet potatoes
Ingredient Notes
How to make it, step by step
Helpful Tips
Serving Suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
More sweet potato recipes
Recipe
Comments

What is Miso?

Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans, salt, and grain. The paste is similar in texture to peanut butter. and the taste is salty, savory, and umami (meaty). It's a common Japanese condiment and a versatile one.

Miso soup is probably the most well-known use of miso because Japanese restaurants usually serve it as a first or second course to a meal. You can also make your own: try my miso mushroom soup. But miso paste has many other uses. You can use it in glazes for vegetables, like this miso-glazed baked sweet potato recipe, or on meat, fish, or chicken. You can also use miso paste in sauces, salad dressings, and dips.

A pan of roasted miso sweet potatoes on a table.

Why we love baked miso sweet potatoes

Fantastic flavor combo. The salty, umami depth of miso is a perfect foil for the natural sweetness of the potatoes.
Simple to make. We roast the sweet potatoes in their skins, and the delicious miso glaze gets whisked together in a jiffy.

Ingredient Notes

Sweet potatoes. I used regular orange-fleshed sweet potatoes in this recipe. However, if you are able to find some beautiful purple-fleshed sweet potatoes, or white-fleshed Japanese sweet potatoes, use them by all means.
Honey. A touch of honey accentuates the natural sweetness of the potatoes in contrast to the salty and spicy elements of the miso glaze. You can use maple syrup or agave syrup instead, to keep this recipe vegan.
Soy sauce. Use low sodium soy sauce, because miso paste is already salty. I use glute-free soy sauce or tamari.
Sriracha. A kick of spice is essential to this recipe. Sriracha is perfect, but you can use any hot sauce or a chili paste like sambal if that's what you have on hand. A pinch of cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes will also work for spicing things up a little bit.
Miso paste. I'm using red miso paste, which has a stronger flavor than white miso paste. It stands up well to the sweet potato, but white miso's milder flavor will also work.
Oil. This recipe has coconut oil, and sesame oil. Look for toasted sesame oil to add its delicious toasty flavor.
Ground ginger. You can use grated fresh ginger if you prefer.
Green onions (scallions), and toasted sesame seeds. These add flavor and garnish. You can replace the sesame seeds with toasted hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds, too.

How to make it, step by step

Scrub the sweet potatoes and poke them all over with a fork. Put them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and put them into the preheated oven.

Four small whole sweet potatoes on a baking tray.

While the potatoes are baking, whisk together the miso glaze ingredients in a small bowl.

The miso glaze in a glass bowl with a whisk.

Cut the baked sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Brush the cut side of each half generously with the miso glaze.

Baked sweet potato halves brushed with miso glaze.

Broil until they start to turn golden brown. Then remove them from the oven, top with chopped green onion and toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Glazed miso sweet potatoes garnished with sliced green onions.

Helpful Tips

Sweet potato size. If you can find mini sweet potatoes like the ones I'm using here, you can roast them whole and just cut them in half. If you only have large sweet potatoes, you can peel and cut them into cubes or rounds. Spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet, and cut the cooking time to 30 minutes, or until fork tender, turning halfway through.
Glaze. If you add the miso glaze too soon, it will burn. Just brush it on for the last five minutes under the broiler.
Make ahead. You can make this recipe ahead. Just bake the sweet potatoes and mix up the miso glaze. When you are ready to use them, reheat the roasted sweet potatoes in a low oven, then slice, apply the miso glaze, and broil.
Sodium level. Miso paste is fairly high in sodium, so be sure to use a low sodium soy sauce for this recipe. White miso is less salty, and you can also find a low sodium miso paste.
Allergies. This recipe isn't suitable for soy allergies. Look for gluten-free miso if needed.
Storage. Store leftover miso glazed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
To Freeze. Freeze the completely cooled miso sweet potatoes first on a parchment lined baking sheet until firm. Then pack them into a freezer container or re-sealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Serving Suggestions

Miso glazed sweet potatoes are a delicious side dish for holiday meals, or for dishes like my grilled Asian salmon kebabs, teriyaki chicken, air fryer orange chicken, General Tso shrimp, or Asian chicken meatballs.

Mini sweet potatoes like these ones that I'm using make great appetizers, too.

If you use larger sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes before roasting, miso glazed sweet potato cubes are great for salads, like sweet potato quinoa salad, or rice bowls (try them on sriracha chicken bowls).

Baked miso sweet potatoes in a pan with a fork.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Miso Gluten-Free?

The type of grain that a particular miso paste is made from determines whether it is gluten-free or not. Some of the grains that are used to make miso are barley, wheat, and rye, which are obviously not gluten-free. But you can also find rice, buckwheat, and millet-based miso pastes, which are gluten-free.
If, like me, you cannot eat gluten, it's important to look for a certified gluten-free miso paste. Get more info here: Miso Paste: Gluten and Soy Free Alternatives.

What Colour Miso Paste Should I Use?

In North America, the most commonly available varieties of miso paste are light (or white) and dark (or red). Light miso (shiro miso) tends to be lighter and sweeter, while dark miso (aka miso) is saltier and stronger flavoured, due to a longer fermentation time and a higher concentration of soybeans.
For the sweet potato glaze in this recipe, you can use either light or dark miso. Regardless of which miso paste you use, it will still be delicious. I used dark miso because I find that it's a perfect foil for the sweetness of the sweet potato.

Where Can I Buy Miso Paste?

You can usually find miso paste online or at most Asian groceries, especially Japanese groceries. You can also find it in many health food stores, and in grocery stores, where you can often find it near the tofu products section.

How To Store Miso Paste?

Store miso paste, tightly sealed, in the fridge. Miso paste is fermented, so it will keep for a fairly long time, even up to a year. Be sure to make note of the best before date on the package. So, if you buy some miso paste for this recipe, you will have plenty of time to use it in all kinds of other recipes.

More sweet potato recipes

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