A simple oven-baked yakiimo recipe using Japanese sweet potatoes.
No foil, no newspaper—just set it in the oven and let it do its work. The result: sweet, creamy, perfectly baked yakiimo.
🍁 From the Autumn Kitchen
When autumn comes, I think of yakiimo—Japanese baked sweet potato (焼き芋).
My autumn doesn't really begin without it.
This method works every time—something I can rely on.
I'm using Beni Haruka (紅はるか) and Anno-imo(安納芋) this time. Warm from the oven, it's fluffy and light. Left to cool, it turns glossy and silky.
A small luxury that only autumn brings.
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🧺 What Makes This Recipe Work
- Simple oven-baked yakiimo—the oven does the work
- No foil or newspaper needed
- Works with Beni Haruka, Anno-imo, and other Japanese sweet potato varieties
- Ideas for using leftover yakiimo
☕️ Ingredients & Tools
Ingredients
- Japanese Sweet Potatoes (Satsumaimo) - as many as you like, any variety you prefer
▶︎ What I'm using: Beni Haruka (紅はるか)
- Creamy texture, intensely sweet. Honey drips from it when baked.
- Sweet enough on its own—no sugar needed.
- I bake extra for kinako balls, sweet potato lattes, other sugar-free vegan desserts
🌿 More on other varieties in the Kitchen Notes section
Tools
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Toothpick
Full recipe with measurements at the bottom 👇
📖 Instructions
- Prep
- Wash the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt
- Pat off excess water but leave them slightly damp
- Arrange on the baking sheet without overlapping
🌿 Leaving them damp helps create steam in the oven, which keeps them moist inside
- Bake
- Bake at 400°F/200°C (no preheating) for 20–60 minutes
- Check with a toothpick—it should slide through easily
- Or gently press the potato—it should feel soft (watch out, it's hot)
- Turn off the oven and let them rest inside until cool enough to handle
- Enjoy while warm—or chill for a custard-like texture
🌿 Baking time varies by size—see Kitchen Notes for guidelines
🥄 What Makes It Sweet
Three things I do for oven-baked yakiimo:
- Bake them damp - The moisture turns to steam, keeping them silky inside
- Start in a cold oven - Slow heating brings out the sweetness
- Let them rest in the oven - Residual heat finishes the job gently
What I've found: with Beni Haruka, these three steps give me sweet, creamy, honey-rich yakiimo every time.
📘 Kitchen Notes | Varieties, Timing, and Ideas
➤ Choosing Your Sweet Potatoes
Beyond Beni Haruka, here's what I've noticed about other varieties:
Japanese Sweet Potato Varieties & Characteristics:
- Beni Haruka: Sweetest, creamy and luscious texture. Best for sugar-free desserts
- Anno-imo: Creamy and sweet. High moisture content, soft texture. Beautiful orange color inside
- Silk Sweet: Smooth with a refined sweetness
- Naruto Kintoki: Light, fluffy texture. Milder sweetness
🌿 It's fun to bake a few different varieties and compare.
➤ Size and Baking Time
Baking time depends on size. What I do:
- Small (about 3 oz/80g) - 20 minutes
- Medium (about 5 oz/150g) - 30 minutes
- Large (about 10 oz/300g) - 50–60 minutes
🌿 These are rough guidelines—always check with a toothpick
➤ Ways to Use Them
Using leftover yakiimo (especially Beni Haruka), these vegan desserts need no added sugar:
- Sweet Potato Latte: Blend with your choice of milk. With mochi, it becomes a sweet treat
- Kinako Balls: Mix mashed sweet potato with kinako (roasted soy flour) or cinnamon. Black sesame works too
- Sweet Potato Cream: Combine with coconut milk for a rich vegan cream
- Baked Sweet Potato Ice Cream: Mix with rich coconut milk and freeze for incredibly creamy vegan ice cream
- Sweet Potato Oshiruko: Float shiratama balls in smooth sweet potato cream. Good warm or chilled
📚 Notes | Q&A
Not for this method. Just arrange damp sweet potatoes directly on the baking sheet. Less cleanup, too.
A. Let them cool completely, then refrigerate for 3–4 days. They'll keep frozen for several months. Cold yakiimo has a custard-like texture—quite different from when it's warm.
🍠 Got Extra Sweet Potatoes?
More than yakiimo—other ways I like to use Japanese sweet potatoes:
🥄 Using Leftover Yakiimo
Vegan desserts I make with baked sweet potatoes:
🍮 More Vegan Recipes
Some of my favorite vegan recipes:
✏️ Recipe Card | Summary
Yakiimo (Japanese Baked Sweet Potato)
Ingredients
- Japanese sweet potatoes (Beni Haruka, Anno-imo, etc. - as many as you like)
Instructions
- Wash sweet potatoes to remove dirtJapanese sweet potatoes
- Pat off excess water but leave damp, arrange on baking sheet without overlapping
- Bake at 400°F/200°C (no preheating) for 20–60 minutes
- Check doneness with a toothpick—should slide through easily, or sweet potato should feel soft when gently pressed (watch out, it's hot)
- Turn off oven and let rest inside until cool enough to handle
- Enjoy while warm—or chill for a custard-like texture
Notes
- Small (about 3 oz/80g): 20 minutes
- Medium (about 5 oz/150g): 30 minutes
- Large (about 10 oz/300g): 50–60 minutes
- Bake them damp - moisture creates steam for a silky texture
- Start in a cold oven - slow heating brings out sweetness
- Let them rest in the oven - residual heat finishes gently
🍂 Final Thoughts
Once you've got oven-baked yakiimo down, all that's left is eating it.
With strong coffee, black tea, a caffeine-free soy milk chai latte...
A quiet moment to enjoy.
Leftover yakiimo?ーThat's tomorrow's treat.
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