This melt-in-your-mouth sweet potato gratin will amaze your taste buds. Slightly spicy, sweet, with a fresh touch of lime. It’s love at first bite.
New culinary challenge for me today as I’m taking part in the Foodista Challenge organized by food blogger Goulucieusement. The idea? Create an American recipe with an orange ingredient. Since everyone is totally obsessed with pumpkins, I went for another seasonal produce: sweet potatoes.
I looooove sweet potatoes. I find them sweet, comforting and so soft too. Also, did you know they are actually on the healthy side too? Really there is no reason not to love them.
Among all the sweet potato recipes, there is one I love more than anyone else: this sweet potato gratin. I found it a while ago in a Swedish cookbook, tried it, and it since became my go-to sweet potato recipe when they are in season.
So what’s in this sweet potato gratin?
- Sweet potatoes (obviously!)
- Peanut butter
- Chili
- Lime juice
I usually go for chunky peanut butter rather than smooth peanut butter as I like the extra crunchiness, but it is really up to you to go for your favorite one. Whatever you decide, make sure it is unsweetened. Because it’s a savory dish, you don’t want and don’t need any sugar in this recipe, unlike a sweet potato casserole.
You can serve this gratin as a side dish or like me as a main vegetarian dish. If so, there are several sides you can serve with your gratin: fresh cilantro, goat cheese sprinkled on top, avocados, salad… and extra fresh limes to squeeze over the gratin!
Note that I layered the sweet potatoes in a fancy way on the photos but you could simply lay them flat in the dish. It may be less beautiful but the taste will be no different!
For a vegan version:
Simply replace the cream with soy cream or any other dairy substitute you would use in a quiche or a gratin. This recipe is very forgiving and can easily adapt, so feel free to explore the possibilities.
Naturally gluten-free, it’s also a great meal idea if you happen to be gluten intolerant or simply want to reduce your gluten consumption on a regular basis.
The result: a sweet and sour dish, bursting with comforting flavors and a hint of spice. Perfect for those chilly days out there.
PrintSpicy Sweet Potato & Peanut Butter Gratin
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Plant-based
- Cuisine: American
This melt-in-your-mouth sweet potato gratin will amaze your taste buds. Slightly spicy, sweet, with a fresh touch of lime. It’s love at first bite.
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs (1 kg) sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 0.5 inch thick
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) vegetable oil, neutral in taste
- 1 small chilli pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (240ml) whipped cream
- Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon (135g) crunchy peanut butter
- 1 lime, finely grated + 2 Tablespoons fresh juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 370°F (190)C) and grease a gratin pan. Blend the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and with 2 Tablespoons of oil, chilli, garlic, cream and season with salt and pepper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, blend the crunchy peanut butter with the remaining oil, lime zest and juice.
- Add half the sweet potato in a layer in the dish, then sprinkle the peanut butter mixture on top. Cover with the second half of sweet potatoes and pour the remaining cream from the dish.
- Cover the gratin pan with foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake again for 30 minutes more until the sweet potatoes are soft and the surface slightly browned and crisped. For extra crispness, you can finish under the grill for a few minutes, but keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn. Serve with a salad to balance the sweetness of the gratin.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Sweet Potato & Peanut Butter Gratin, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
Note: the original photos have been updated on February 2019.
Chelsea
Wow! Vraiment super! J’ai substitué une demie canne de lait de noix de coco à la place de la crème car mon fils est allergique aux produits laitières. Mon petit de 2 ans a adoré et même mon chum qui n’aime pas tant la patate douce l’a aussi aimé.
Delphine Fortin
Oh super nouvelle! J’adore cette recette de gratin de patates douces qui reste l’un de mes préférés. Ravie d’apprendre qu’il vous a plu aussi et que le plat fonctionne très bien avec du lait de coco en lieu et place de la crème. Del
Camille
Cette recette était juste à tomber: je n’en ai pas laissé une miette! Je viens de découvrir ton blog et c’est certain, je vais me laisser tenter par d’autres de tes recettes 🙂
Delphine Fortin
Bonjour Camille. Oh, j’adore cette recette aussi, c’est un plat que je refais souvent. Tellement gourmand. Ravie qu’elle t’ait plue également et bienvenue sur le blog 🙂
Debi @ Life Currents
Wow this sounds delicious! I love all the flavors and wonderful healthy stuff going on here!
Delphine Fortin
Thank you, Debi! 🙂
justine @ Full Belly SIsters
i adore all these ingredients, but never would’ve thought to put them together. Genius!
Delphine Fortin
Thanks for your nice words, Justine! I really recommend this dish, the flavor combo is just amazing!
Katerina
What an interesting combination of flavors. Definitely something to look forward to!
Delphine Fortin
Yes, an amazing combo of flavors in this dish indeed, with nice hints of chilli and lime to balance the whole. Just delicious!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Ha – I am working on a sweet potato gratin myself as well but your looks so much better than mine.
Delphine Fortin
So now I’m curious, please let me know when you publish your recipe as well. It’s always good to taste and I’m sure it will be amazing too!
Elizabeth
What an intriguing recipe! I bet this tastes absolutely fantastic!
Delphine Fortin
Thanks Elizabeth! It is a really sweet dish, just perfect for Thanksgiving for instance 🙂
Manila Spoon
Sweet potato with peanut Butter and a spicy kick from the chili – what a delicious dish! I love it!
Delphine Fortin
I’m happy you like this dish, Abigail. Thanks for your kind words!
Janette@culinaryginger
I think I could eat a large serving of this, yum
Delphine Fortin
I bet you would love it, Janette! Sweet, tender, with a hint of chilli… mums!
Sandrine Petit
Bonjour,
J’ai fait votre recette samedi dernier. Elle n’était pas aussi belle que la vôtre, mais ça n’a semblé arrêter personne. Tout le monde a adoré son originalité et mon plat a été entièrement mangé.
Je la cuisinerai à nouveau pour les fêtes de Noël, afin de changer des marrons ou potimarron habituels. Je suis végétarienne et pour moi, cette recette est parfaite. Mais pour le reste de ma famille qui ne l’est pas, je suis certaine que cet accompagnement sera parfait avec une volaille.
Merci pour ce très très bon repas. Je vais fouiller vos autres recettes.
Sandrine