How I make sweet potatoes for my picky eater
Sweet potatoes are a super food, meaning that they are packed with nutrients. If you can get your kid to like them, you’ll have an easy veggie to turn to when times are tough — like when you can’t think of anything to make besides pasta.
There’s a lot you can do with sweet potatoes, but since my kids were toddlers, we’ve served them in cubes. Here’s a little video to show you my method.
Would your kid eat this?
Other blog posts about sweet potatoes from talented bloggers:
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos from This Week for Dinner
Truffle Sweet Potato Frites from Savory Sweet Life
Sweet Potato & Chicken Sausage Stew from Chefdruck
Honey Sweet Potato Biscuits from Food for My Family
Sweet Potato Burgers from Cutie Booty Cakes
What’s Gaby Cooking and Sweet Potato Day
The Mission List and Sweet Potato Day
World Moms Blog and Sweet Potato Day
Go Graham Go and Sweet Potato Day
Cranberry Sweet Potato Crumb Cake from Barbara Bakes
Bourbon and Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes from Boston Mamas
Documama and Sweet Potato Day
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding from Eat the Love
Lamb Shanks with Sweet Potatoes and Sausage from Kitchen Gadget Girl
Sweet Potato Love To Help End World Hunger from Love That Max
Celebrating Sweet Potato Day with Mom Trends
Sweet Potato Chili from Righteous Bacon
Sweet Potatoes and Global Health from Third Eye Mom
Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Kielbasa ONE Skillet Bake from Tickled Red
Sweet, Dude, Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash from Helen Jane
Sweet Potato Fries from When You Wake Up a Mother (also found on Million Moms Challenge)
My 11 month old LOVES sweet potato fries. I cut the raw potato into strips, toss them with a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of cinnamon and then bake them in the oven for 30 mins at 400 degrees. They’re an awesome finger food for a kiddo just learning to self feed.
I like your method for how quick it is!
@Sarah, We do not-so-homemade sweet potato fries from Alexis (I think) and my new self-feeder LOVES them.
I asked for a potato cutter for Xmas so I could make homemade sweet potato fries. I’ve used it once and it was a complete disaster, super hard to get the sweet potato through the lattice cutting thing and when I did get it through, the fries flew everywhere – countertop, floor, behind things on the counter. I’m back to just cutting them up in cubes and roasting them with olive oil, salt/pepper and some seasoning salt. Then I only have to wash a knife!
I don’t know, but I’m going to try that cinnamon sugar bit!
I always bake the heck out of my sweet potatoes at 400 degrees or so for more than an hour until they’re soft and gooey and oozing their natural sugars. It takes a while, but it is darn easy if you remember to do it early enough in the afternoon.
Sweet potatoes (just roasted and mashed plain) were one of Brooklyn’s first foods, so that’s probably why they are still a hit today in any form — roasted plain, roasted with a sprinkle of brown sugar, sweet potato fries, the sweet potato gnocchi from Trader Joe’s, maple sweet potatoes…I think I may need to go eat some sweet potatoes, because now I’m hungry!:)
um, whitney. could you be any more adorable yourself!??
my son used to like sweet potato fries when he was 2 and under, but he’s hit 3 and suddenly he dislikes mostly everything. i shall certainly try these chunks, with cinnamon and sugar!
thanks!!
@Maghda, thank you! I’m not even sure why my son will eat these since they’re “wet”, but you never know until you try.
You are super cute
My middle kid LOVED sweet potatoes as an early eater. I used to make sweet potato fries all the time for him. But in between winters, he totally lost his taste for them. 🙁 Now he says they are yucky. I love them and still cook them regularly, hoping he will want to try them again. In the meantime, my 7 month old is just starting solids and he is loving sweet potatoes too! I steam them, mash it up and smear it on a Coco-Pop (kinda like a rice cake but thinner) so he can eat it himself. I like to roast the sweet potatoes with salt/pepper/olive oil for 45-50 minutes for myself.
You are totally cute in the video! I am going to try the cinnamon sugar and see if it will bring my son back on board with them. You never know. My daughter…she’s hopeless. 🙂 She never liked them.
Thank you for posting this! Sweet potatoes are LITERALLY the only thing I can’t get my family to eat. I am the only person in the entire house who will eat them. Hopefully at least one of these recipes will work their magic. I mean, they eat cow tongue for Pete’s sake!
@Elizabeth, I wonder if its genetic or something. I would eat sweet potatoes at every meal if it was okay to do so.
Love this recipe from the #ONEMoms blog hop for the little ones! And, lovely vlog!
Jen 🙂
@Heather I don’t know. My kids could have inherited their dislike from their dad. Same place they got their sweet tooth 😉 I’m on your side.
Microwaving takes the nutrients out of the food. It’s just as easy to boil them on the stove. Takes 7 minutes in tiny cubes. 10 minutes in larger cubes.
Thanks Whitney. This video is super helpful for this rookie of all rookie moms. The only sweet potatoes my son has eaten are from a pouch:(. I’ve been looking at this intimidating sweet potato for a few days and now I feel ready to cook it. Thanks again!
My two year old loves them. And he loves Japanese purple potatoes even more. Thanks for the tips.