These Thai-Style Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are filled with Peanut-Ginger Tempeh, sautéed garlic and ginger, cilantro, and red bell peppers. All topped with a Thai Peanut Sauce for a delicious vegan and gluten-free meal.
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Do you love sweet potatoes?
I do! I do! If you’ve been following along for a while, this is probably something you already know. Some of my most loved recipes on this blog are vegan sweet potato recipes such as this Sweet Potato Curry, Spiralized Sweet Potato Salad, and of course, the ever so popular Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole.
You probably also know that I love Thai food. Among the recipes I make for My Darling Vegan, Thai food might be the most represented. What’s not to love? Fresh, creamy, hot, and zesty, it’s the perfect combinations of flavors.
Because of my love for sweet potatoes and Thai food, I figured it was time to revisit this ancient recipe that dates back all the way to 2013. Thai-Style Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – a delicious recipe in desperate need of revitalization.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
These vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are loaded with all the good stuff. Filled with peanut ginger tempeh and sautéed peppers, garlic, and ginger, these delicious flavors are mixed together with a creamy sweet potato curry filling and topped with fresh herbs for an incredible vegan and gluten-free meal.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sweet Potatoes – Look for large full sweet potatoes.
- Oil – This recipe calls for coconut oil. You could also use sesame or peanut oil.
- Tempeh – If you don’t have access to tempeh, feel free to swap with extra firm tofu or soy curls. Make sure to rehydrate the soy curls before using them.
- Thai Peanut Sauce – This peanut sauce is a mixture of peanut butter (use unsweetened) sesame oil, soy sauce (use Tamari for gluten-free), rice vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, and maple syrup. If you would like to save on time, feel free to buy vegan peanut sauce.
- Red Bell Pepper
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Coconut Milk – This recipe calls for full fat canned coconut milk (not coconut milk beverage). For a lighter option, feel free to use Light Coconut Milk
- Red Curry Paste – You can make your own if you’d like, but I buy my red curry paste at the store. My favorite brand is Thai Kitchen. The heat of red curry will vary from brand to brand, so I recommend adjusting the red curry paste as you go.
- Lime
- Salt
- Toppings – I like to top my stuffed sweet potatoes with roasted peanuts, scallions, and cilantro
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe you will baking sheets, a skillet, handheld mixer, and basic kitchen utensils, including a chef’s knife. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Thai-Style Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These tempeh stuffed sweet potatoes are fairly easy to make but they do require an hour in the oven so keep that in mind as you prepare for dinner.
Step One – Bake the Sweet Potatoes
With a fork, poke a few holes in the potatoes to release the pressure. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, flipping halfway through. Bake until they are soft; a fork should easily pierce the middle of the sweet potato.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, let’s take a look at the rest of the recipe.
Step Two – Make the Tempeh
While the potatoes are roasting, whip together a batch of Thai Peanut Sauce. This will be divided. Half of the Peanut Sauce is for the tempeh and the other half will be drizzled over the sweet potatoes before serving. For this recipe, I add about 1 extra tablespoon of water to the peanut sauce so that it is a bit lighter.
Fully coat the tempeh in peanut sauce. Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the tempeh, sautéing while stirring often until it’s lightly brown on all sides. Remove the tempeh from the sauté pan, wipe down the pan, and sauté the red peppers, garlic, and ginger until they are soft and fragrant.
Toss in the tempeh and set aside.
Step Three – Fill and Top the Potatoes
Once the potatoes are soft, remove them from the oven and cut them down the middle lengthwise. Let them cool about 10 minutes before gently scooping out the center, leaving about 1/2″ around the walls of the sweet potato for structure.
Place the sweet potato filling in a bowl along with coconut milk, lime juice, and red curry paste and blend with a handheld mixer until creamy and smooth. Fold in the tempeh/pepper mixture and gently spoon the filling back into the sweet potato.
Top with fresh cilantro, peanuts, and green onions and serve!
Serving and Storing
Serving – Eat these Sweet Potatoes immediately. Unfortunately, they do not store well. Serve them as an entrée, or cut into halves and be enjoyed as a vegan side along with soup or salad.
Storing – There will be about a cup of reserved sweet potato mash. This can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and used to make sweet potato muffins or bread. Just swap out the pumpkin puree for sweet potato puree and you’re good to go! It can also be used to thicken chili, added to a smoothie, or even ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, I choose red curry paste. Red curry paste is a fiery blend of red chilis, garlic, ginger, green onions, and lots of spices; it’s amazing! You can find it at your local grocery stores in the International aisle or on Amazon.
The heat of red curry will vary from brand to brand, so I recommend adjusting the red curry paste as you go.
Variations of Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Chili and Avocado – Remove all but 1/3 of the sweet potatoes and mix it with this Smoky Tempeh and Pumpkin Chili. Top with avocado and fresh cilantro.
- BBQ Jackfruit and Pineapple – Make the BBQ Jackfruit according to these instructions. Add caramelized onions and 1/3 of the mashed sweet potato. Top with fresh pineapple.
- Spinach and Artichoke – Make a batch to this Spinach and Artichoke Dip and stuff it in your sweet potato. Top with bread crumbs and broil for 3-4 minutes until they are browned.
- Harvest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – Mix sweet potatoes with walnuts, cranberries, rosemary, and tempeh bacon.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Peanut-Ginger Tempeh
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil, divided
- 8 ounces tempeh, cubed into 1/2″ pieces
- 1 batch Thai Peanut Sauce, divided
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. red curry paste
- juice of 1 lime
- salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 scallions, minced
- 2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a fork, poke holes in the sweet potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 60 minutes, until a fork can easily pierce the inside.
- While the potatoes bake, make the Thai Peanut Sauce. Pour half of the peanut sauce in a shallow dish and toss with the cubed tempeh.
- When potatoes have about 10 minutes left, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add tempeh and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tempeh is browned. Remove from the skillet and wipe it clean. Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and sauté red bell peppers, ginger, and garlic for 2-3 minutes, until peppers are slightly soft and ginger and garlic are fragrant. Remove from heat, stir in tempeh and set aside.
- When potatoes are ready, remove from oven and set the oven to broil. Slice each potato down the middle and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Gently spoon out the inner flesh from each potato. Leave a wall of 1/4-1/2 inch of sweet potato around the skin for support. Place roughly 2/3 of the soft flesh in a small bowl. The remaining can be frozen or discarded. Add coconut milk, curry paste, and lime juice. Whip the mixture together using a handheld mixer.
- Fold in red bell pepper mixture, scallions, cilantro, peanuts, and seasonings. Spoon filling back into each sweet potato and return to the oven until tops have browned (about 3 minutes).
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Madeleine says
I have been making this recipe a few years now and love it! I have found that when made with kidney beans these freeze great. Just wrap in foil and reheat in the oven. If you are short on cooking energy this also tastes great as a hash. Just oven roast cubed sweet potatoes and a top with the sauteed veggies, sauce, and other toppings. When I do it this way I usually mix a little red curry paste and sometimes some coconut into the sauce. It serves well over rice that way.
Judi Perrin says
Tempeh is nowhere to be found. What would be a good substitute? We love sweet potatoes! Your recipes are terrific!
Sarah says
Thank you! You could try something like tofu or if you wanted a whole foods option, something like kidney beans.
Sarah says
Hi, I already have a bottle of thai peanut sauce in my pantry – how much would you say a batch makes?
Thanks!
Sarah says
A batch makes about 2/3rds cup but you really only need enough to drizzle on the top.
malou says
Thanks for this recipe, it was delicious! Definitely going to make this more often. I adaptedit a bit and used fresh thai basil, ground koriander, cumin and chili flakes instead of the curry paste.
Julie@Sweet and Spicy Monkey says
Oh my, I’m so glad I found your site, your recipes are amazing!
Sarah says
Thanks, Julie! I’m glad you found me too.
Tamara says
Wow! This looks delicious. We were looking for ways to stuff our sweet potatoes tonight, and this just might be it. The Thai flavors seem like they’ll be a great compliment.
luminousvegans says
Yum! What a brilliant idea! We are big on Thai flavors in this house and one can’t go wrong with sweet potatoes. Do you use refined or unrefined coconut oil in this recipe? I am wanting to incorporate more coconut oil in my life but have difficulty deciding between the two for different cooking tasks.
Sarah says
I usually used unrefined coconut oil. It’s better for me and it doesn’t have a strong of coconut taste. When using it for things like stir fries or other savory dishes where the coconut taste might be a good addition, I have a cheap, refined coconut oil I use – which is what I used in this recipe too because it would compliment the flavors and I was just using it to fry some veggies.
Emma says
These sound too perfect! I saw Kiersten’s article too and loved the ideas. I’m thinking of having a baked sweet potato for breakfast tomorrow in fact. Maybe with almond butter and cacao nibs?
Joy says
First off, this recipe looks SO GOOD! Secondly, no I cannot believe it’s November and there is already Christmas stuff everywhere! I’m not ready for this!
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
Thai and sweet potato?! Count me in! :)Yum, thanks for sharing, these look wonderful.