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This loaded sweet potato recipe features a zesty slaw and creamy Thai peanut butter sauce. This colorful, plant-based dinner comes together in just 35 minutes for a nutritious weeknight meal the whole family will love!
I was once a major skeptic when it came to sweet potatoes. Growing up, they only appeared at Thanksgiving, drowning in marshmallows and brown sugar. But everything changed when I discovered how they can be! This loaded sweet potato recipe combines the potatoes natural sweetness with a tangy slaw and rich peanut sauce that creates magic on your plate.
I still have people who come up to me and say, “I love that loaded sweet potato recipe with the peanut butter sauce!” You’ll fall in love with one for so many reasons: it’s pretty simple to put together and the combination of flavors is incredible, with the fresh zingy slaw and a creamy peanut sauce that brings everything together. Our neighbors couldn’t believe how flavorful it was when I first served it at a dinner party! It’s also gluten-free and vegan, making it perfect for feeding a crowd with different dietary needs.
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“Fed this to my meat-eating family. There were no leftovers!” -Katherine
How to cook the sweet potatoes
There are several methods for cooking sweet potatoes for this recipe:
- Quick baked method: Cut the sweet potatoes in half to reduce cooking time! Bake them at 400°F for just 25-30 minutes. Go to Quick Baked Sweet Potato.
- Instant Pot method: Place sweet potatoes in the pot, cook on high pressure for 16 minutes, and natural release for 10 minutes. Total time: about 35 minutes including preheat. Go to Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
- Steamed method: For a similar moisture level to the Instant Pot result, use this Steamed Sweet Potatoes recipe.
- Microwave method: We recommend this only for a single sweet potato. Go to Microwave Sweet Potato.
PS My favorite sweet potatoes recipe for a side dish is these roasted sweet potatoes!
Quick prep tip
You can make both the slaw and Thai peanut butter sauce in the time it takes to cook the sweet potatoes, making this an efficient weeknight meal option.
Options for adding protein
- Chickpeas: For a complete plant-based protein option, add canned chickpeas seasoned with the same spices used in the recipe.
- Lentils: Another option is seasoned brown lentils.
- Chicken: If you’re not vegan, pan seared chicken or grilled chicken makes an excellent addition to these loaded sweet potatoes.
- Tofu: Make baked tofu or crispy tofu another plant-based protein alternative.
Dietary notes
This loaded sweet potato recipe is vegan, plant based, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free and Mediterranean diet-friendly.
Loaded Sweet Potatoes (Easy Meal!)
This loaded sweet potato recipe features a zesty slaw and creamy Thai peanut butter sauce. This colorful, plant-based dinner comes together in just 35 minutes for a nutritious weeknight meal the whole family will love!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes and slaw
- 4 medium to large sweet potatoes (10 to 12 ounces each)
- 1/4 red cabbage (3 cups shredded)
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper
- 1 green onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 lime)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Crushed peanuts, for the garnish
For the Thai peanut butter sauce
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (1 lime)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
Protein adders: Serve with canned chickpeas, crispy tofu, brown lentils, pan seared chicken, or sauteed shrimp
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potatoes: Go to Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Sweet Potatoes, or Quick Baked Sweet Potatoes.
- Make the slaw: Thinly slice the red cabbage, enough for 3 cups. Thinly slice the peppers. Thinly slice the green onion. Chop the cilantro. In a large bowl, mix together the cabbage, peppers, green onion and cilantro with the lime juice and kosher salt.
- Make the Thai peanut butter sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, and water. Taste and add a bit of kosher salt if desired (this depends on the salt content of the peanut butter).
- Serve: Slice the sweet potatoes in half and top them with the slaw. Drizzle with the Thai peanut butter sauce and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. (If desired, serve with one of the protein adders listed above!)
More sweet potato recipes you might enjoy
Here are a few other healthy sweet potato recipes from A Couple Cooks:
I microwave my sweet potatoes for 5 minutes. They turn out perfect – soft, moist, and hot. It’s fast and doesn’t require yet another appliance.
This was delicious…I added garlic and some lime zest to the peanut sauce and it really expanded the flavor profile in the sauce! will definitely make again!
This sounds good but I didn’t think we could have maple syrup or any kind of sweetener like honey, sugar , sub sugar nothing like that. This calls for maple syrup?
Hi! A teaspoon of sugar would work fine.