Sweet Potato Butter is a creamy spread of cooked sweet potatoes and warming spices that is perfect for your morning toast!
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The idea for this sweet potato butter came to me after I made a batch of pumpkin butter for my brother and sister-in-law when we were heading to their house for a birthday party. I came home and couldn’t believe I didn’t make a double batch so we could have some!
I set out to make another batch of pumpkin butter, but when I saw the sweet potatoes in the pantry, I thought, Why not?
I need to ask myself that question more often. Good things come from questions like that. This sweet potato butter is a great example.
I basically used my pumpkin butter recipe, with a few tweaks. Instead of xylitol, I sweetened it with maple syrup. You can really use whatever your preferred sweetener is, and you don’t need very much.
The same spices and flavorings that work so well with pumpkin work just as well with sweet potato. The result was a smooth, spicy, sweet butter that is loaded with nutrients. This recipe is bound to become a fall staple in my household. I think you should make it one in yours, too.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Butter Recipe
Sweet Potatoes
We need about 1 pound sweet potatoes for this recipe, cut into chunks for more effortless blending. Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese. They are also a decent source of calcium and iron. They are also antioxidant-rich and a good source of prebiotics.
Apple Cider
Next, we need 1/2 cup unsweetened apple cider. This helps sweeten the sweet potato butter naturally.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a must! We need 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in this recipe. It brings out the sweet potato flavor and gives the butter a hint of warmth. Plus, cinnamon helps regulate your blood pressure
Maple Syrup
I prefer natural sweeteners over artificial ones. So, I used 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup in this recipe. This finger-licking syrup is incredibly nutritious and provides your body with plenty of antioxidants. If you’re out of maple syrup, dark brown sugar works just as well.
More Spices
You’ll also need 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. They’ll enhance the flavor and make this butter irresistibly delicious.
How to Make Sweet Potato Butter
Now that you have all your ingredients for this easy and yummy butter recipe let’s check out what you need to do.
- Steam your potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until they are super soft. For me, my rice cooker with the steamer option works great. You can stick to a steamer basket if you don’t have one. Place it on top of a pot of boiling water, and viola! A slow cooker also works fine.
- Blend your softened sweet potatoes in a blender or a food processor till you get a smooth puree.
- Now, pour the puree into a medium pot along with all the rest of the ingredients and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow your mixture to thicken a bit. It’ll take about 20 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. This way, your butter will stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 weeks easily.
Tips and Tricks
- Many varieties of sweet potatoes will work here. For the bright orange hue, look for Jewel Sweet Potatoes.
- Peel your sweet potatoes for a smooth texture. Sweet potato skin has a lot of nutrients, however, so if you want to keep the peel on for health benefits (I do), use a professional-grade blender. It’ll still be smooth and delicious!
- If you’re out of apple cider, orange juice or unsweetened apple juice will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to use Leftover Sweet Potato Butter?
You can easily find a spot for this sweet butter in your other sweet potato recipes. It works great in sweet potato pie or sweet potato biscuits.
Can I Manually Mash the Sweet Potatoes?
It’ll be a bit of a workout, but it’ll do the job. Use a potato masher and mash until you get an even texture throughout. If you’re going manual because your food processor is out of order, you can also use your hand mixer or immersion blender.
What Other Similar Butter Recipes Can I Try?
Oh, there are so many. I love apple butter and honey butter. You can also try pumpkin butter; it’s pretty versatile too.
If you make this recipe, or any of my other healthy recipes, please leave a star rating below! It’s so helpful for other readers to see which recipes are tried and true! I’d also love to see it–share your photo of this dish and tag me on Instagram and I’ll feature you!
If you need more sweet potato recipes, scroll below the recipe card to see some of my absolute favorites.
Sweet Potato Butter
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 - 10 ounces 1x
Description
A versatile butter that the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, cut into chunks*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple cider
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Steam your sweet potatoes until they are very soft, about 15-20 minutes**
- Transfer the potatoes to a blender or food processor and process until you have a smooth puree. Put the puree, along with the rest of the ingredients, in a medium pot and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the mixture thickens slightly, about 20 minutes or so.
- Allow the mixture to cool before transferring it to an airtight container for storing. The sweet potato butter will keep, refrigerated, for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
*To peel or not to peel, that is the question. I didn’t because I prefer to keep all the nutrients that are in the skin. With my Vitamix blender, I was able to get a super smooth consistency. If you are worried that your blender or food processor won’t be able to get the tators smooth with the skin, go ahead and peel ’em.
**You can use your Instant Pot to steam them as well, 5 minutes with the steam function works well,.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 10 ounces
- Calories: 69
- Sugar: 9.9g
- Sodium: 35mg
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17.1g
- Protein: 0.7g
Meghan enjoyed this spread on top of a sliced apple…that apparently got cut out of the picture. The evidence is on her face. 
This is a perfect way to add vegetables to your toddler’s snack time. In case you are wondering, Meghan’s going through a phase where she must be in some sort of dress up costume at all times. This is her hippie dress. 🙂
Want some more ideas on how to use this versatile and super healthy sweet potato butter?
Check it out:
- Spread it on sliced apples, bananas, or your favorite fruit.
- Spread it on toast.
- Spoon a bit into plain Greek yogurt.
- Add it to your oatmeal for a warm, fall-themed breakfast.
- Blend a few tablespoons up with ice, banana, and yogurt and/or milk for a delicious smoothie.
- Try it as the base for Cottage Cheese Toast!
Want more sweet potato recipes? Try my flourless sweet potato muffins, sweet potato chips, Loaded Sweet Potato Fries or my sweet potato soup recipe. All great ways to get more of this super star into your diet!
This recipe was first published in 2011. Photos were updated in 2023. Enjoy!
Is this something I could give as a gift in a jar?
Sure! Just make sure you let the receiver know it’s perishable. 🙂 Unless you can it!
can you water bath process this to put on shelf instead of refrigerating it I bought a pint at a craft show she said it was okay to leave out until I opened then refrigerate.
Yes, I think you could can this recipe. I’m not that familiar though with safety standards of canning, so I’d check with a more reliable source first! 🙂
I have a recipe for sweet potato butter similar to yours. It is a Pioneer woman recipe.
It can be canned. However it has apples in it instead of apple cider, however it doesn’t affect the taste. It doesn’t give a shelf life. Mine never last long enough to find out.
I was at Lake Lure, in the N.C. mountains yesterday, and bought a small jar of Sweet Potato Butter, in a gift shop. It is really good. It had to be canned to be on the shelf, for sale. It should be easy to can, with apple cider vinegar added. Just wondering what you found in your research as to not canning it. Thanks.
I was at Lake Lure, in the N.C. mountains yesterday, and bought a small jar of Sweet Potato Butter, in a gift shop. It is really good. It had to be canned to be on the shelf, for sale. It should be easy to can, with apple cider vinegar added. Just wondering what you found in your research as to not canning it. Thanks.
can it be canned? if so for how long? hot water canning or pressure?
No, apparently sweet potato and pumpkin butter cannot be canned. (At least that’s what I found in my research) Sorry!
Yum, yum, yum. Just made a batch of this and it is sooo delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You are welcome! Glad you liked it.
Just had this on a sandwich thin with sliced pear…. Mmmmm! Thanks! I just love the Fall…. My husband loved it too.
Ooh that sounds like a wonderful combination!
So weird. I was actually eating a sweet potato when I sat down and opened my email and saw this post, lol. Yum. This looks like something I’m going to want to can a lot of for this Winter! 🙂
Definitely. It’s so tasty! I need to make a huge batch and can it, too. Whenever I find the time. 😉
This sounds delicious! I have a couple of other recipes that call for apple cider though, and I can never find it. I don’t know if it’s just not really a southern thing or what. Can you think of any substitutions that might work?
Look for an unfiltered (or lightly filtered), unpasteurized apple juice. Good luck!
Oh my this is perfect!! I am actually working on a sweet potato post right now and I have LOTS of sweet potatoes so perfect timing to try this =)
Sweet potatoes might be the perfect food. 🙂
That looks so yummy (and right up my alley).
I do have a question about agave nectar. I’ve heard (but not found any actual research) that pregnant women shouldn’t eat agave. Have you heard this? Any thoughts? I have a stash of agave that I’d love to be using- just wanting to know it’s safe!
First, let me say that I’m not an expert and you should always talk to your doctor about any questions you have regarding the safety of different foods. That being said, here’s what Dr. Andrew Weil has to say about agave and pregnant women:
A 2006 review of the scientific literature on agave published in HerbClip™, on the Web site of the American Botanical Council, concluded that it is safe to use agave in the amounts usually found in foods and beverages, but the reviewers cautioned that pregnant women should avoid it because some species (more than 200 have been identified) contain anordin and dinordin, steroids with contraceptive effects that could lead to miscarriage. I think this is a very low risk. (You can read more here.)
I have only used it in moderation during my pregnancy. I avoided everything that has even a small question mark in my first trimester, however.
Maryea, thank you so much for so thoroughly answering my question. That helps a lot!
This looks delicious. And I like Meghan’s hippie dress.
I never in a 1000 years would have thought to make sweet potato butter! This looks delicious and I’ll have to give it a whirl this year instead of my normal pumpkin butter.
Looks super delish! I love sweet potatoes. When I was growing up I only had them on Thanksgiving and Christmas but now I eat them all the time!
I love sweet potatoes and this looks really smooth and delicious! What a great idea, I can not wait to try this on some toast. Thank you!
That’s my new favorite evening snack–toast with sweet potato butter. So good! 🙂
This sounds fabulous! I will be picking up a few more sweet taters tomorrow at the farmer’s market and I just might have to try this. I’ve been looking for a sweet alternative to jelly- I have a few homemade ones that have tons of white sugar in them and I’d really rather not use them.
This is a great alternative to traditional jelly. With only a small amount of agave nectar, it’s still sweet. I love it!
LOVE pumpkin butter!!! I seriously can’t wait to try this new twist! Totally outside the box, I love it! 🙂 ….I bet the husband will be shocked when I put this on his toast!
He loves it! This is what he said about it: “This is really good, but you should call it something other than sweet potato butter. That doesn’t sound appetizing.” 🙂 Men are funny.
I’m doing a little happy dance over here! I am so excited by fall flavors I can barely stand it. Your idea of putting this in oatmeal is a brilliant one! And plain yogurt? Perfect for sweetening it just right for the kids! Awesome.
we should all ask Why Not? more often! especially when something like THIS is the result – looks delicious!!