Japanese Sweet Potato Creme Brulee (Served Directly in the Potato!)

This viral dessert is a creme brulee served directly inside a roasted Japanese sweet potato, and it’s SUPER EASY to make, coming together in just 10 minutes! Bonus: This version is naturally vegan, but you can substitute dairy if you’d like. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

What is Japanese Sweet Potato Creme Brulee?

Picture this: a thick, creamy creme brulee served directly inside a sweet potato with a crisp, crackly brulee top. It sounds like a dream, but it is REAL.

This dessert went viral on the internet thanks to Imo Pippi, a dessert cafe in Tokyo known for their potato-themed treats. However, sweet potato has been used in Japanese desserts for years. I was able to try sweet potato creme brulee desserts even at select Japanese restaurants in Seattle! If you’re in the Seattle area, you can check out Tendon Kohaku or Indigo Cow for their sweet potato offerings on their seasonal menus.

Are Japanese Sweet Potatoes Different than Other Sweet Potatoes?

Japanese sweet potatoes, called satsumaimo in Japanese, typically have a purple-ish skin and a very light yellow-ish flesh. Personally, I find their flavor to be lighter and more floral than the varieties found in typical American grocery stores. Another unique quality to Japanese sweet potatoes is that their cooked texture is extremely smooth and even fluffy if you roast it low and slow. If you’re shopping for these potatoes in the US, you can look for “murasaki” sweet potatoes, which can even be found at Trader Joe’s!

Vegan Sweet Potato Creme Brulee vs. Classic Creme Brulee

Honestly, I think the best part of this sweet potato creme brulee is that it is vegan and does not require any baking. Yes, you read that right! An eggless, no bake creme brulee. While I am not vegan myself, not having to deal with separating eggs and baking a custard while still getting a super creamy dessert is the best of both worlds.

For reference, a classic crème brulee uses milk or heavy cream mixed with egg yolks to form a custard. It needs to be baked in ramekins with a water bath for even heat distribution. Altogether, it’s much more fiddly than this sweet potato version.

However, if you really love dairy, feel free to use heavy cream or whole milk instead of the soy milk in this recipe. You still don’t need to bake!

Roasting Japanese Sweet Potatoes

​Altogether this recipe only takes 10 minutes. However, that assumes that you start with a fully cooked sweet potato. What’s great is that you can totally use leftover cooked potatoes from the day before!

Typically, I will roast a whole bunch of satsumaimo for dinner the night before. Then, I’ll save the leftovers to make this dessert the next day. When you roast a satsumaimo, it’s called yakiimo, or a roasted potato. Simply wash your potatoes and poke holes in the skin to let steam escape. Then bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for an hour. 

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes Fast for Desserts

Let’s say you forgot to roast your potatoes and still want to make this dessert in record time. I’ve got a hack for you: use the microwave! Poke holes in your potato, cover and microwave for about five minutes for a medium sized potato. 

I think the low and slow roast in the oven gives a better flavor and texture, but a microwaved sweet potato does the trick in a pinch.

How to Make the No-Bake, Eggless Creme Brulee

When you’re ready to make the creme brulee, simply slice the potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the sweet potato flesh, leaving the outer skin in tact. Blend with soy milk and a little sugar. If you want, you can add a 1/8 tsp vanilla extract, but I don’t like to mask the sweet potato flavor. Pour the mixture back into your sweet potato skin, smoothing out the top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and brulee with a kitchen blowtorch.

That’s it! So easy, so fast, so good.

For those of you who need very exact instructions, please note that I give instructions in grams for this recipe. Because sweet potatoes are so variable in size, it was easiest for me to measure by weight. In general, you want about a 1:2 ratio of milk to sweet potato in weight.

Also note: The blowtorch makes it really easy to brulee the sugar without burning anything else. I highly recommend it. Theoretically, you could use the broiler in the oven, but I have not actually done this myself because the blowtorch is so easy to use. And it’s cheap! I bought mine off Amazon.

More Asian Sweet Potato Desserts

​Are you a sweet potato lover like me? Check out these out sweet potato desserts:

• ​Purple Sweet Potato Latte
• Purple Sweet Potato Jam
• Purple Sweet Potato Butter Mochi
• Okinawan Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie Bars