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Japanese Sweet Potato and Sesame Muffins

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These sweet and delicious vegan muffins are made with caramelly Japanese roasted sweet potatoes and nutty sesame seeds.

Why We Love These Japanese Sweet Potato Muffins

  • Moist and Fluffy: The roasted Japanese sweet potato makes these muffins so moist and fluffy with a hearty, slightly dense bite to it – like biting into a perfectly roasted Japanese sweet potato!
  • Wholesome Ingredients: This recipe uses an entire medium-sized Japanese sweet potato (which is rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium), roasted sesame seed paste instead of butter or oil, and white whole wheat flour (but you can easily swap for all purpose if you prefer).
  • Flavorful and Not-Too-Sweet: These muffins have a sweet, caramel-like flavor from the roasted Japanese sweet potatoes which pairs deliciously with nutty roasted sesame seeds. They’re absolutely delicious and not loaded with sugar, making them the perfect breakfast treat!

Key Ingredients

  • Roasted Japanese Sweet Potato (Yakiimo 焼き芋) ⟶ In Japan you can find yakiimo at many supermarkets or street vendors. Roasting the sweet potato brings out its natural sugars and results in a fluffy, creamy texture.
    • Japanese sweet potatoes have purple skin and yellow flesh. You can also use Korean sweet potatoes which are similar.
  • Roasted Sesame Seed Paste* ⟶ Instead of oil or butter, these sweet potato muffins get most of their fat from sesame seeds. The roasted sesame flavor pairs perfectly with Japanese sweet potato!
    • Please note, this is not the same as tahini, which is made from raw or very lightly toasted sesame seeds, which have a more bitter flavor.
  • White Whole Wheat Flour* ⟶ This is softer and milder in flavor than regular whole wheat flour. I love using white whole wheat flour in quick breads and muffins since it produces a texture and flavor similar to all purpose flour, but with extra nutrients and fiber.
  • Black Sesame Seeds ⟶ apanese sweet potato and black sesame is a very popular combination in Japan. The nuttiness from the sesame pairs deliciously with the sweet, creamy sweet potato. You can use roasted white sesame seeds, they just won’t be as noticeable.
  • Ground Flaxseed ⟶ Just a little bit to help bind everything. You can try leaving it out, but your muffins might be slightly more crumbly.
  • Granulated Sugar ⟶ Plain ol’ granulated white sugar helps bring out the sweetness and flavor of the Japanese sweet potato, without adding any distracting flavors like you might get from alternative sweeteners like coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave, etc.
  • Soy Milk ⟶ I like to bake with soy milk since it’s creamier and has more protein than other non-dairy milks, more closely mimicking dairy milk. For a soy-free option, try pea milk or oat milk.
  • Vinegar ⟶ A little bit of acidity is needed to activate the baking soda, and it also makes the muffins slightly more tender.
  • Baking Powder + Baking Soda ⟶ For optimal rise and fluffiness. Baking soda also helps the muffins brown a bit more.

Tips for Success

Roast sweet potatoes until very soft ⟶ You may be tempted to just boil or steam the potatoes to save time, but roasted sweet potatoes are much creamier with a caramel-like sweetness. I recommend baking the sweet potato the day before you bake these muffins. Bake until the sweet potato is very soft so it will blend easily with the batter.

Expect a thick batter ⟶ The batter will be very thick, but don’t add extra milk! The sweet potato releases more moisture as the muffins bake. If you add extra liquid, your muffins may not bake properly or be too dense.

Use gram measurements ⟶ I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale*, especially if you do a lot of baking, because gram measurements are much more accurate.

Longer bake time ⟶ These muffins have a lot of sweet potato, so they’re very moist and require a slightly longer bake time than the average muffin. Keep baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist (cooked) crumbs.

Japanese Sweet Potato Muffins FAQ

These muffins are very moist, so I recommend storing them in the fridge after the first day. They will start to dry out over time, so after about 3 days I recommend freezing them.

You can thaw the muffins in the fridge overnight, at room temperature for a few hours, or microwave them in 15-20 second intervals.

Yes! It’s actually really easy. Toast sesame seeds in a pan on the stove over medium heat until fragrant and golden brown. Stir frequently as sesame seeds can burn easily. Once toasted, remove the pan from heat and let the sesame seeds cool for a few minutes (just until they’re not hot but still warm). Then add to a food processor and blend until smooth (about 10 minutes total). Stop to scrape down the food processor as needed, and let it rest for a few minutes if the motor gets too hot. If you’re having trouble getting the paste smooth and runny, add a few teaspoons of neutral-flavored oil to help blend.

Another nut or seed butter such as walnut butter, almond butter, pecan butter, or cashew butter can be substituted, but the flavor will be a bit different. You can use tahini if you love the flavor, but personally I find it too bitter and overpowering in this since we want to taste the sweet potato. You can also try a neutral oil or melted (vegan) butter.

I’ve only tested this bread with Japanese and Korean purple skinned (yellow flesh) sweet potatoes, but yellow or purple sweet potatoes might work. I don’t recommend orange sweet potatoes/yams since these are more watery and less starchy.

White whole wheat flour* is a type of whole wheat flour made from white wheat, which is softer than the red wheat variety used for whole wheat flour. It has a milder flavor and lighter color than whole wheat flour.

If you can’t find white whole wheat flour, you can use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour, or just all purpose flour. You can make these muffins with regular whole wheat flour, but they will be denser with a stronger “whole wheat” flavor, which can distract from the sweet potato flavor.

More Ways to Use Japanese Sweet Potato

  • Japanese Sweet Potato Bread
  • Sweet Potato Mochi Cake
  • Vegan Yakiimo Basque Cheesecake (coming soon)
  • Daigaku-Imo: Chunks of fried Japanese sweet potato coated in a sweet and savory glaze.
  • Add it to stews, soups, and curries.
  • Cut into small chunks and cook with rice.
  • Try it in place of potatoes in my white bean korokke.
  • Personally, my favorite is to just eat it as-is, sometimes with peanut butter or yogurt. It’s also really good frozen!

If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Japanese Sweet Potato and Sesame Muffins

These sweet and delicious vegan muffins are made with caramelly Japanese roasted sweet potatoes and nutty sesame seeds.
PRINT PIN
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Servings: 10 muffins

Ingredients

  • 240 grams roasted Japanese sweet potato1 (yakiimo 焼き芋) about 1 medium
  • 225 ml soy milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 72 grams (6 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 60 grams (¼ cup) roasted sesame seed paste*2
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp ground flaxseed

Dry Ingredients

  • 190 grams white whole wheat flour* or all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp roasted black sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F/215°C. Line or grease a muffin pan.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mash roasted sweet potato until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are fine).
  • Whisk in remaining wet ingredients (soy milk, vinegar, sugar, sesame paste, vanilla extract, and ground flaxseeds).
  • In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk to combine.
  • Add the flour mixture and sesame seeds to the wet ingredients, then fold together to a form a thick batter. Be careful not to overmix.
  • Transfer the batter into your prepared muffin tins. If you have leftover roasted sweet potato, you can cut some into small chunks and add to the batter.
  • Bake at 425°F/215°C for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F/180°C for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with some moist crumbs (but not wet batter).
  • Cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

1) To roast Japanese sweet potatoes, wash the skin, pat dry, and bake in the oven at 350°F for about 1 hour or until soft. You can test the doneness by inserting a skewer or knife through the center of the potato. If it slides in easily, the potato is ready. Then let the sweet potato cool completely (I recommend roasting the sweet potato the day before). Some Japanese markets sell roasted sweet potatoes (yakiimo 焼き芋) if you’re lucky enough to find one!
2) You can also make your own sesame paste by lightly toasting sesame seeds in a pan, then blending in a food processor until smooth.

*Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but the price remains the same to you. Thank you for supporting Ellie Likes Cooking!

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