Purple Sweet Potato Jam
This purple sweet potato jam can be made from Okinawan sweet potatoes or other varieties of purple sweet potato. Inspired by the Filipino ube halaya, this is a sweet spread with a vibrant purple color.
Hello, friends, and welcome to a new chapter of Mochi Mommy, in which everything is purple. Sorry. I’m kind of in my Okinawan sweet potato era. I’ve always loved Okinawan sweet potato pie and other purple potato treats from Hawai’i, but I really wanted MORE. More purple! More potato! More desserts!
And as much as I love ube, it just doesn’t have that nostalgia factor for me, probably because I’m not from the Philippines. For me, Okinawan sweet potato is where it’s at. BUT, thanks to the popularity of ube, I was inspired by an ube halaya recipe (a.k.a. purple yam jam) to develop a similar purple-y spread out of purple sweet potatoes. It’s great on toast, but I love it to incorporate into OTHER desserts. You’ll see in the coming weeks, but I use it for fillings in bread and pastries, like homemade Pop-tarts and cinnamon rolls. It’s also great for making purple glazes!
But it all comes down to this base recipe, so give it a try!
What is Okinawan sweet potato?
Okinawan sweet potato is a variety of sweet potato with a light brown skin and a light purple flesh. When cooked, the flesh becomes a very deep purple color! To me, it also has a slight floral flavor. This is different from ube in that ube is a variety of yam, not sweet potato.
Okinawan sweet potatoes are famous for being a healthy food that contributes to the long Okinawan life span. They’ve got tons of antioxidants, high in vitamin A, vitamin C, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and iron.
But you shouldn’t eat them just because they’re healthy. You should eat them because they taste good!
Where to buy purple sweet potato?
Okinawan sweet potato in particular is common in Japan, obviously. But it’s also very popular in Korea and Hawai’i. On the mainland, I’ve found Okinawan sweet potatoes in both Japanese and Korean grocery stores. I’ve also been able to find them through Say Weee, which is an online Asian grocery delivery service. If you’re interested, I do have an affiliate link that gives us both $10 off our orders.
In general, though, on the mainland, Okinawan sweet potatoes can get pretty pricey. I’ve seen them sometimes at over $5 a pound. Yikes.
If you can’t find Okinawan sweet potatoes or they’re just too expensive, you can also try other varieties of purple sweet potato. One that I can find pretty easily is the Stokes purple sweet potato, which comes from South Carolina (I think?) but looks like it’s a variety of the Molokai purple sweet potato.
Ingredients for Purple Sweet Potato Jam
You only need five ingredients to make this sweet potato jam!
- 1 large Okinawan sweet potato around 10-12 oz
- 1 13.5oz can of coconut milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
I’ve made this jam also with condensed milk, and while I liked the flavor, I found that it made the color less purple. With less dairy you get a less caramelized creamy flavor, but it retains that vibrant violet hue without any food coloring! I prefer keeping it more coconut-y and opting out of the milk, but you can adjust to your preference.
Make it Vegan
To make this purple sweet potato jam vegan, you can simply omit the butter or substitute a vegan butter. Butter just adds a little extra spreadable consistency to the jam but it’s pretty smooth without it as well.
How to Cook Purple Sweet Potato
I used to avoid making sweet potato recipes because I found it annoying to have to cook it first and THEN bake into a dessert, but I’ve found a way to streamline the process as much as possible. And that way is the microwave.
Seriously, I poke a few holes in the potato, put it in a microwave safe dish with a little water for steaming, cover, and cook for about 5-6 minutes. When it’s soft enough to easily poke through with a fork, it’s done. By that time, it’s also super easy to peel and mash.
After that, I blend the potato with sugar, coconut milk, and salt. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan with deep sides on the stove and cook it down until you get a jam consistency. Stir in the butter, and you’re done! It’s pretty easy. I recommend using a larger, shallower pan so that it cooks down faster.
What to Eat with Purple Sweet Potato Jam?
Serve this jam with toast or as a topping on ice cream. It also can be a filling for sweet rolls or mixed with powdered sugar for a glaze. Maybe even stuff it into some mochi for daifuku? Stay tuned for more recipes to come!
More Purple Desserts:
Are you in your purple era too? Check out these other recipes:
- Ube Crinkle Cookies
- Ube Cupcakes
- Okinawan Sweet Potato Haupia Pie Bars
- Okinawan Sweet Potato Haupia Pie
- Ube Matcha Latte
- Purple Sweet Potato Latte
Purple Sweet Potato Jam
Ingredients
- 1 large Okinawan sweet potato, around 10-12 oz
- 1 13.5oz can of coconut milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Equipment
- Blender or Food processor
Instructions
- Wash your Okinawan sweet potato and steam in the microwave for 5-6 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through the flesh.
- Peel sweet potato and transfer purple insides to a blender or food processor.
- Add sugar, coconut milk, and pinch of salt to the sweet potato. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer blended sweet potato mixture to a large saucepan (the larger the pan, the faster your jam will cook down).
- Bring to a simmer and cook, continuously stirring, until mixture reaches your desired thickness for jam. Remember that it will continue to thicken as it cools down.
- Add butter and mix it into your jam as the butter melts.
- Transfer to a container with an airtight seal and store in the fridge.
This is so delicious!!
Really good way to consume Okinawa sweet potatoes.
I plan it to put it in my lattes and use as a spread on toast.
Thanks for reviewing! Using it in lattes sounds amazing.
How long do you have to eat it before it goes bad? It looks delicious!
Hi Kiki, I recommend eating it within a week.