Since you all loved my post on the Three Best Ways to Cook Zucchini Noodles, I wanted to do a deep dive into how to cook sweet potato noodles.
This post covers everything you need to know about cooking sweet potato noodles, including:
- How to cut them
- If you should peel them or not
- My three favorite ways to cook sweet potato noodles
And a bonus: how to make sweet potato rice!
How To cut Sweet Potato Noodles
The first step you must take to ensure that your sweet potato noodles come out well is to cut them properly. The best way to do that? With a spiralizer, of course.
Once you have your spiralizer, it’s easy and straightforward to cut a sweet potato into long, curly noodles.
Tips for Cooking Sweet Potato Noodles
Before I go over the three best ways to cook sweet potato noodles, here are my top tips for creating those gorgeous orange noodles:
Peel your Potatoes
Unless you’re making sweet potato fries or something similar, peel the sweet potato before spiralizing. The skin is tough. And when you go to spiralize the sweet potato, the skin can make things difficult. Plus, the sweet potato comes out more like pasta when it doesn’t have the texture from potato skin. However, if you’re making sweet potato fries, keep the skin on and just use a bit more elbow grease.
Put on the Pressure
Don’t be afraid to use pressure and force when spiralizing sweet potatoes. I ran a spiralizing demo once and asked someone in the audience to try out the spiralizer with a sweet potato and the first thing I noticed was that they barely used any pressure. Sweet potatoes have a tough flesh, so if you don’t apply a good amount of pressure while spiralizing, it won’t work properly! Think about cutting a sweet potato with a knife: it takes a little bit more elbow grease than a zucchini, for example.
Also, make sure you’re always using that side handle for leverage. To learn how to use a spiralizer properly, watch this video.
Choose the Right Pan
Cook sweet potato noodles in a nonstick skillet or use plenty of oil. If you’ve ever tried to cook sweet potato noodles and they’ve broken up in the pan, there could be two issues:
- You could be grasping them too roughly with your tongs. They’re veggies, be nice and gentle!
- The noodles are sticking to the pan and breaking. To avoid this, use a non-stick skillet or plenty of oil.
Choose the Right Potato
Choose the right sweet potato for spiralizing. Overripe sweet potatoes don’t spiralize well. Instead, they fall apart and the noodles become very brittle. Make sure the flesh is firm and doesn’t have many flaws in the skin (like dark spots).
Three Best Ways to Cook Sweet Potatoes
Keeping these tips in mind, these are the three methods that I recommend for cooking spiralized sweet potatoes:
Sautéed Sweet Potato Noodles
Sautéing on the stove is my favorite way to prepare sweet potato noodles.
Here’s how to do it in two simple steps:
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil.
- When the skillet is hot (flick water in, it should sizzle), add in the sweet potato noodles. Toss the noodles lightly with pasta tongs and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.
Tip: Don’t let the noodles cook for longer or they’ll start to break apart.
For faster cooking, cover the skillet to steam the noodles. Note that this will cause the noodles to become slightly soggier and more likely to break apart. If you don’t mind a little breakage, this method is great!
Best Sautéed Sweet Potato Noodle Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Noodles with Garlic Kale and Roasted Pork Chops
- Red Curry Shrimp with Sweet Potato Noodles
- Sweet Potato Noodle Breakfast Plate
Oven-Roasted Sweet Potato Noodles
Roasting is an easy no-mess way to cook sweet potato noodles. Plus, the noodles take on a delicious caramel flavor and texture that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Here’s how to make roasted sweet potato noodles:
- Season the noodles: On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potato noodles with olive oil. To keep things light, I like to spritz the noodles with an olive oil mister or cooking spray. Add salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste and toss well.
- Roast in a 425°F oven for 10-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your noodles.
Tip: Sweet potato noodles roast well with other ingredients too, as in my recipe for Mom’s Chicken over Root Veggies.
Best Roasted Sweet Potato Noodle Recipes
- Foil Pouch Sweet Potato Noodle Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Meatball Parmigiana and Sweet Potato Noodle Bake
- BBQ Sweet Potato Noodle Bun with Smoked Mozzarella
Cook Separately and Add to Soup (NEVER BOIL!)
You should never boil your sweet potato noodles or simmer them too long in a soup. They’ll break up and eventually dissolve altogether.
However, if you cook the noodles first on the stove and stir them into the liquid just before serving, they’ll maintain their texture well.
Best Sweet Potato Noodle Soup Recipes
Bonus: Make Riced Sweet Potato
Are you already bored with sweet potato noodles? Good news! Sweet potatoes make the BEST vegetable rice!
To make sweet potatoes into rice, watch this how-to video. It’s quick and easy after you’ve spiralized the potato.
Then, you can turn riced sweet potato into curry, soups, stews, chilis, or just sauté it with some olive oil in a skillet and make a grain-free “grain” bowl. It takes about 5-7 minutes to cook sweet potato rice. To speed up the cooking process, add some moisture. 1/2 cup of veggie or chicken broth will help soften up the “rice” in no time and add extra flavor.
Best Sweet Potato Rice Recipes
- Sweet Potato Rice Breakfast Bowl with Avocado
- Vegetarian Sweet Potato Rice & Bean Chili
- Pomegranate Sweet Potato Rice Bowls with Roasted Maple Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese
And if you want to see a sweet potato being spiralized, watch below:
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