If you’ve ever wished you could enjoy a rich, creamy caramel sauce made with simple, wholesome ingredients, you’re going to love this Sweet Potato Caramel.
It’s smooth, sweet, and surprisingly luxurious, but it’s also completely oil-free, vegan, and made with nourishing plant-based ingredients.
Instead of butter and heavy cream, this healthy vegan caramel sauce gets its creamy texture from cooked Hannah sweet potato.
It might sound unexpected, but trust me – it works beautifully.
Warm, silky, and full of rich caramel flavor, it’s delicious drizzled over oatmeal, pancakes, baked apples, dairy-free ice cream, fruit, or just about any dessert that could use a little something extra.
This recipe comes from my Let Them Eat oil-free Vegan collection. You can pick them up in my books shop.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Caramel
This is one of those recipes that’s almost too easy. Just toss everything into a blender, blend until smooth, and you’re done.
Here’s why I love it:
- Rich and creamy without any oil or dairy
- Made with simple whole-food ingredients
- Ready in just a few minutes
- Naturally sweet with a deep caramel flavor
- Delicious served warm or cold
- Great for meal prep and keeps well in the fridge
- Made with one of my very favorite ingredients, ever… sweet spuds!
The Secret Ingredient
The secret to this oil-free vegan caramel sauce is a yellow sweet potato (most common variety is Hannah).
Hannah sweet potatoes have a mild flavor and naturally creamy texture, which makes them perfect for creating a smooth caramel sauce. They also have a lighter color than orange sweet potatoes, giving the finished sauce a more traditional caramel look.
How to Make Sweet Potato Caramel
This recipe couldn’t be much simpler, but requires one advance step: cooking the sweet potato.
I prefer to bake sweet potatoes, as I find the flavor is better. When we steam or cook in the instantpot, it’s still okay, it’s just baking concentrates the flavors – more delicious!
To bake, simply place your spuds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not pierce! Bake whole (or cut in half) at 400 or 425 degrees for 40 minutes or longer, until tender. Let cool slightly or fully. Then scoop out the flesh, and you’re ready to blend.
You can batch-cook sweet potatoes and keep in the fridge for other delightful sweet potato recipes!
Once you have your baked yellow sweet potatoes, simply add everything to a high-speed blender and blend until it’s completely smooth and creamy. If you like your caramel warm (which I definitely recommend), use your blender’s soup or heating setting if it has one.
If you’d like a thinner sauce for drizzling, just blend in a splash more non-dairy milk until it’s the consistency you like.
A Few Helpful Tips
Coconut Sugar Makes the Best Flavor
Coconut sugar has natural caramel notes, which is exactly why it works so well here. It gives this healthy caramel sauce that rich flavor without needing traditional caramel-making techniques. You can also use date sugar, but I prefer coconut.
Nut Butter Notes
A spoonful of raw cashew butter or macadamia butter adds a little extra richness and makes the sauce feel even more decadent. If you prefer to keep it lower in fat, simply leave it out. The sweet potato still makes the sauce wonderfully creamy.
Can You Use Dates?
You can replace part of the coconut sugar with dates if you’d like. I’ve tested using all dates, and while it works, the flavor isn’t quite as caramel-like.
For the best balance, use about 1/3 cup pitted dates and 1/4 cup coconut sugar.
Ways to Use This Healthy Vegan Caramel Sauce
Once you make a batch, you’ll probably find yourself putting it on everything.
It’s delicious over:
It’s also a fantastic fruit dip or an easy dessert sauce to have on hand whenever you’re craving something sweet.
Storage Tips
Store your Sweet Potato Caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I am loving my Caraway Home containers for storage, you can check those out here – or here on amazon.com.
It thickens as it chills, so when you’re ready to use it again, simply stir in a splash of non-dairy milk or warm it gently until it’s smooth and pourable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze this sweet potato caramel?
Yes! Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then give it a quick stir or blend before serving.
Can I use orange sweet potatoes?
You can, but Hannah sweet potatoes really give the best texture, color, and flavor. If you can find them, they’re worth using.
Final Thoughts
This Sweet Potato Caramel is proof that a healthy vegan caramel sauce can taste every bit as rich and satisfying as the traditional version. It’s creamy, naturally sweet, and made with simple plant-based ingredients you can feel good about.
Whether you’re drizzling it over breakfast, adding it to your favorite desserts, or sneaking a spoonful straight from the jar (no judgment!), this is one of those recipes you’ll want to make again and again.
Enjoy the recipe, let me know how you served it up in the comments. x Dreena
Sweet Potato Caramel
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked yellow sweet potato flesh Hannah sweet potato, see note
- 1 cup non-dairy milk or more to thin if desired
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar see note
- 1 tbsp macadamia nut butter or raw cashew butter see note for lower fat version
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp little scant sea salt
Instructions
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In a high-speed blender, puree all ingredients until very smooth.
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If you want a warm sauce (and I highly recommend this!), continue to blend on the ‘soup’ or other setting to heat the sauce.
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Serve as desired.
Notes
Coconut sugar note: Coconut sugar has a natural ‘caramel’ flavor so is perfect for this recipe. Don’t substitute regular unrefined sugar here. You can substitute date sugar, but the flavor and texture will be somewhat different. I find 1/2 cup yields a sauce that is sweet enough. If you want it a touch sweeter or have more ‘caramel’ flavor, you can add another 1-2 tbsp of sugar to taste.
Date note: I have tested this fully with dates and the flavor isn’t as good. You can, however, sub pitted dates for about half of the sugar. So, instead of 1/2 cup of coconut sugar use 1/3 cup of pitted dates and 1/4 cup of coconut sugar.
Nut butter note: A touch of mac butter or raw cashew butter will give this caramel sauce and extra depth of luxuriousness, but it’s optional if you need a lower fat content.
