No season is better to enjoy creamy lattes than autumn. The delightful pumpkin spice latte may be the seasonal favourite, but if it's the only liquid treat on your autumn to-drink list, you are missing out on some delicious flavours. Sweet Potato Latte tastes just as delicious, if not better. Sweeten it up with some salted caramel syrup, and it will be impossible to resist.
What is Sweet Potato Latte?
Sweet potato latte is a drink made with sweet potato puree, milk, sweetener, and a tea base. Both sweet potato latte and pumpkin latte are made with purees. Sweet potato puree may be more difficult to find in shops than pumpkin puree, but you can easily make it at home. You will only need 1-2 teaspoon of puree for making a latte, so it may be more cost effective to make it by yourself.
What is the easiest way to make a sweet potato puree?
The easiest and fastest way to make a sweet potato puree is by steaming it. Wash and peel it, cut into smaller pieces and steam in a steaming basket in a saucepan for about 20-30 minutes. Check with a fork if it's soft, then mash it or blend it. Blending is a better option because it will give a much nicer and softer texture.
Which tea should I use?
The best tea for this latte will be a simple strong Assam black tea. Sweet potato is quite sweet and flavourful, and lighter teas may not give enough depth to your latte. When making tea lattes with purees, it's always good to use 2 teaspoons of tea leaves to get a stronger base. Alternatively, you can choose flavoured black teas that will go well with the flavour of sweet potato such as vanilla or caramel.
What if I don't have a caramel sauce?
If you don't have caramel sauce, you can use brown sugar simple syrup or make your own caramel. It will take 10-20 minutes. Simple syrup is a great replacement for a proper caramel sauce. To balance out the sweetness of sweet potato and milk, add a pinch of salt to either your syrup or latte before adding steamed and frothed milk.
Which milk should I use?
The best milk for making any latte is a whole dairy milk with over 3% of fat or creamier barista milk alternatives that will froth well. Choose more neutral flavours such as cashew milk or dairy-free milk alternatives that taste like real milk.
Sweet Potato Latte Recipe
Equipment
- Steaming basket
- Saucepan + lid
- Blender
- Kettle
Ingredients
- 170 ml of boiling water - for tea
- 100 ml of whole milk
- 50 grams of sugar
- 35 ml of water - for syrup
- A pinch of salt
- 1-2 heaped teaspoon of sweet potato puree
- 2 teaspoons of black Assam tea
Instructions
- Wash, peel and cut the sweet potato into smaller, equally sized cubes.
- Add about 1 inch of water into a saucepan and then place a steaming basket in the saucepan. Water should not touch the bottom of the steaming basket.
- Add sweet potato cubes and cover with a lid. Turn on the heat and steam it for around 20 minutes or until soft.
- Take out the steaming basket from the saucepan, drain the water, put steamed potatoes back into the saucepan and use a potato masher to mash it into a puree.
- In a kettle, bring fresh water to a boil. Steep 2 teaspoons of black tea leaves in 150-170 ml of water at 100 degrees Celsius for about 5 minutes. Strain into a blender.
- Add sweet potato puree to the blender and blend for a couple of seconds. If you used a blender instead of a potato masher, this step is optional. However, it will give a much nicer texture to your latte.
- Pour the tea into a serving cup.
- Add brown sugar and water into a heavy-bottom saucepan. Let the sugar dissolve completely in a very low heat. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Turn off the heat. Optionally, add a spoon of condensed milk or whipping cream, a pinch of salt and stir.
- Add 1/2-1 tablespoon of caramel syrup into the tea.
- Top it up with steamed and frothed milk.