Sweet Potato Latte
Warm yourself up with a Sweet Potato Latte. Inspired by Korean Goguma, this recipe features sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, and spice blended into a rich, creamy latte.
If you’re in a winter weather funk, this sweet potato latte is the perfect cozy and comforting drink to cheer yourself up -but what is a sweet potato latte? Imagine warm sweet potato pie as a drink, but more specifically…Sweet potato lattes, aka Goguma lattes, are a staple in South Korean coffee shops and cafes.
Goguma lattes are traditionally made without any coffee despite being called a latte. They’re made with roasted sweet potato, milk, and sweetener. However, for a caffeine boost, feel free to add coffee to your sweet potato latte.
Why You Should Make A Sweet Potato Latte
- It’s a great alternative to a pumpkin spice latte and tastes like sweet potato pie.
- Caffeine optional – Goguma is delicious with or without coffee.
- It’s the perfect sweet, warm, and satisfying fall/winter drink.
- It’s vegan (when made with plant-based milk).
- Sugar-free option – Sweet potato acts as a natural sweetener. Additional sweetener is optional.
🍠 Ingredients
- Sweet Potato – Purple-skinned sweet potatoes with white/cream-colored flesh are commonly used. Check your local Asian grocery stores for Korean sweet potatoes. While you can use orange or purple sweet potatoes, keep in mind that the color of your sweet potato will also be the color of your latte!
- Milk – Milk blends with the other ingredients to make a frothy, delicious latte. You can use dairy milk or dairy-free milk (almond, coconut, oat, or cashew).
- Coffee – Traditionally, sweet potato lattes are made without coffee, but feel free to add a splash of strongly brewed coffee or espresso for caffeine and flavor.
- Sweetener – You can use maple syrup, honey, or simple syrup for a hint of added sweetness. I like to taste the mixture first and then add sweetener.
- Spice – Warming spices like freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Recommended Tools –
- High-Speed Blender
- Small Saucepan
- Mesh Strainer (optional)
📖 How To Make Sweet Potato Latte
1️⃣ Step One: Prep sweet potato
Halve the sweet potato and roast flesh side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet until the flesh is soft and fork-tender. Steaming or pressure cooking will also do the trick, but roasting sweet potato deepens the cozy flavors.
2️⃣ Step Two: Blend latte
Add the cooked sweet potato, milk, cinnamon, coffee, and sweetener to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
3️⃣ Step Three: Warm latte
Transfer your latte to a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until it reaches your preferred temperature.
4️⃣ Step Four: Strain, garnish and serve
If necessary, strain the latte before pouring it into a large mug. Top with cold foam (optional) and a sprinkle of freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Enjoy!
👉 Recipe Tips
- Small sweet potatoes are sweeter in flavor, while larger ones retain more moisture.
- You can steam the sweet potatoes first, but roasted sweet potatoes have a richer, nuttier flavor. Roasting them at 375 degrees takes about 40 to 50 minutes.
- Be sure to use a high-speed blender that’s sturdy enough to blend sweet potato.
- Sweet potato acts as a natural sweetener, so you may not need to add extra. Taste the mixture sweetening.
- After blending, if your latte still has bits of stringy flesh, you can strain it through a fine-mesh strainer.
🔀 Variations
Make this specialty drink even more special with one of these variations:
- Iced – Skip warming the latte on the stovetop and pour it straight from the blender into a glass with ice.
- Purple – Make a vibrant purple sweet potato latte with Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes. They’re purple on the inside and outside.
- Flavor – Sweeten while adding flavor with flavored syrups like vanilla simple syrup, brown sugar syrup, or orange simple syrup. You could also add a tiny bit of vanilla or almond extract to add depth to the flavor.
- Spice – Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice before serving.
- Nuts – Finish your drink by sprinkling finely chopped almonds or walnuts over the top.
- Cold foam – Top your sweet potato latte with a frothy layer of cold foam.
- Vegan – Use your favorite plant-based milk. Top with vegan cold foam.
🧊 How To Store
Storing: Sweet potato latte is best sipped on asap, but you store extra in an airtight jar in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Shake the jar to reblend the ingredients before serving.
Freezing: Lattes aren’t great for freezing, especially if they contain dairy milk. However, you can freeze the mixture in ice cube trays and then use the cubes to chill and add flavor to future iced drinks.
❔ FAQ
Sweet potato powder is cooked, ground sweet potato that can be used instead of fresh sweet potato, but the taste and texture won’t be as dimensional. This recipe hasn’t been tested with sweet potato powder, but the consistency will most likely be much thicker.
In a pinch, yes. Just make sure it isn’t packed in syrup. You do not need to roast it first as it is steamed before being canned.
Yes. When blended the naturally sweet flavors from the potato and the sweet and tangy flavors from the milk become a delightfully rich and creamy drink.
One serving has roughly 350 calories when sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
🧋 More Specialty Drinks
Sweet Potato Latte
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sweet potato cooked no skin
- 10 oz milk or dairy free milk
- 1/4 tsp cround cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (optional)
- 1 oz espresso or strongly brewed coffee (optional)
Instructions
- Roast, steam, or pressure cook sweet potato until flesh is soft and fork-tender. Remove the skin.
- Add the cooked sweet potato to a high-speed blender along with the milk, cinnamon, coffee, and sweetener. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a small saucepan and heat stirring with a whisk until the desired temperature is reached.
- Strain if necessary, or pour into a large mug. Top with cold foam if desired and garnish with freshly ground cinnamon or nutmeg.
