One of my best strategies for combating the downing effects of winter involves food. Specifically, making food that reminds me of summer, but still uses seasonally-appropriate ingredients. This BBQ pulled sweet potato makes me feel like I’m at a backyard summer barbecue party. The kind where it’s really convenient to be outdoors because the food is all so messy-delicious :).
Last year, one of my winter food strategies was buying frozen tropical fruit. And having been written the day after a race, that old blog post reminds me – I’m running an ultramarathon in less than two days. Yikes. To say that I’m nervous is an understatement. Not least of all because of the projected 30F temperature, the trail conditions created by the 9 inches of snow we got this past weekend (plus more falling while I’m writing this), and the several deep stream crossings on the race course. But I’m even more excited than nervous, especially knowing that all 31 miles will be fueled totally by plants :D. I can’t wait to write about the race afterward and share my experience!
I will, of course, be continuing my tradition of rehydrating afterward with plenty of beer. As for my other tradition of ordering vegan Thai food, I’m not so sure. Thai food was the last thing I ate before I got the flu in January and I still can’t take the thought of eating it. But post-race cravings can be amazing things. So we’ll see!
Though we enjoyed this BBQ pulled sweet potato a couple of weeks ago, I have a feeling it would also be great post-race fuel. I served it up on toasted whole wheat buns with a nice crunchy cabbage slaw, and a generous spread of cultured cashew cream cheese. Finger-licking good comfort food. I absolutely love jackfruit and have nothing against the classic vegan pulled jackfruit – but I’m also super happy to have an alternative version that’s made from a simple produce item found at any grocery store.
This idea was inspired by Vegan Richa’s Pulled Butternut Squash Tacos. I fed those tacos to a group of hungry meat-eaters and everyone LOVED them. The concept, flavor and texture of the butternut squash were all wonderful. It made me realize that a similar thing with sweet potato would work really well and be even easier to make (since you can just shred right through the sweet potato without having to peel or seed anything). In that recipe, the squash is cooked in a Mexican-inspired chipotle pepper seasoning; I chose to go full-on barbecue with these and use up some of my sriracha and roasted garlic BBQ sauce.
I hope you give this simple pulled sweet potato a try, and if you do, please let me know how you like it!
BBQ Pulled Sweet Potato Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups shredded sweet potato (about 1 large or 2 medium potatoes)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce scant
- 4 sprouted grain sandwich buns or other sandwich rolls of choice
- other toppings of choice
Instructions
- Shred the sweet potato (feel free to leave on the peel) using a cheese grater. I shredded mine straight into a measuring pitcher and it came out to 2.5 cups. If you have much more or less, just adjust the amount of BBQ sauce a little bit.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet. When hot, add the shredded sweet potato and quickly stir to distribute the oil. Sprinkle with salt.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring and flipping the sweet potato several times, until lightly browned.
- Once the sweet potato is starting to dry out and is browned in several places, add the BBQ sauce and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sweet potato is cooked to your preference. I like mine just a little bit al dente.
- Serve a big scoop of the BBQ pulled sweet potato on a toasted bun with toppings of choice. We had ours with a generous spread of cultured cashew cream cheese sprinkled with black pepper, and simple coleslaw.
Kristen says
I made this for dinner last night. A little nervous on how it would turn out!
My fiance (big meat eater) says “give it 10 stars or however it works for pinterest” 😂
It was delicious! I used sweet baby rays bbq sauce. Both my 5 year old and 2 year old loved it too!
Already planning to make it again. Ain’t no shame!
Larry says
Shannon, wonderful recipe! I loved it.
I used Bull’s Eye bbq sauce, instaed of one of the sweeter bbq sauces, of course.
Impressed about the ultramarathon! Far out! The best i’ve done was 1/2 marathon. Don’t think my knees could take a full. i spend more time doing yoga these days than running.
Lisa Silver says
This is AWESOME! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I like more tang so I added some vinegar, but I would have never thought of this recipe before. I used to love BBQ, eastern NC, vinegar based BBQ. I will be making this again!
L says
I kept forgetting to comment on this amazing recipe. I’ve probably made it 15+ times. The only thing I add is caramelized onions! Thanks for such a great creative recipe that gives a vegetarian/vegan option!
Emily says
I just made these for my husband and I (he’s a big meat eater), we both really loved them! Just a tip for future cooks, I made a BBQ sauce to go with these that had several table spoons of maple syrup in it and while the sauce was delicious on its own, it was a bit too sweet when combined with the sweet potatoes. Just a tip for when you are selecting your sauce!
Hope your run went well!
Chantel says
Where can I find the recipe for the crunchy cabbage slaw?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Chantel, I don’t have a recipe for what’s pictured here, it’s just something I whipped up that day. Usually I make my cabbage slaws with a big splash of vinegar or lime juice, salt and pepper, and not much more. 🙂
Melinda Amato says
Would this freeze well? The recipe looks amazing!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Melinda, the pulled sweet potato scales up or down pretty easily so I haven’t gotten around to trying freezing it yet, and I’m honestly not sure how it would go! Can you let me know if you try? I’ll give it a shot next time I make this again, too..
Melinda Amato says
Will do – thank you!
JANET says
I made this last night, it was delicious. My carnivore husband loved it and said it was like eating a sloppy joe.
Lisa says
My boyfriend (meat-eater) and I (vegetarian) tried this recipe tonight and we were both equally amazed by this recipe. It was easy to follow and was incredibly delicious. Will definitely cook this more often!
Jayce L. says
This recipe is insane!!! I cannot believe how delicious this is. Years ago, when I was a meat eater, I never understood pulled pork sandwiches, now I understand the appeal! The key absolutely is to cook this to al dente; a little crunch just makes this. We at this on a toasted bun with Just Mayo and pickles…topped with vegan coleslaw. Sides were vegan Mac and cheese, greens, and corn on the cob. Husband and I woke up the next day planning when we were going to make this again. Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Sounds like a fantastic meal!! Thrilled that you enjoyed it 🙂
Spasija says
This recipe is so easy and has so much flavor!!! Came together very fast. Thank you!
Shannon Fisher says
THIS WAS SO INCREDIBLE !!
Kazuri says
There orange sweet potatoe. Never seen a orange Yam. But Sweet potatoe are some time called yams
Lori P. says
My hubby and I absolutely loved this!! It will definitely become a regular in our meal rotation! We ate it on soft bulky rolls with a creamy lime broccoli slaw, and we used the Stubb’s sauce (which is also really yummy!). I could happily eat it without the bread as well. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kerstin says
Awesome! Made this for the first time tonight and both the SO and his mum were amazed. I was told it was better than actual BBQ pulled pork (which I took to be a compliment, I’ve never had any) and the only change I would make for the next time is to provide a softer roll for MIL who has dentures.
I served it with sweet potato fries, so a bit Vit A overkill, but delicious nonetheless and so easy to make.
Thanks!
Kat says
wow! I would have never thought of this.. it looks so very good! I will have to put a gluten free twist on it and try them out!
Linda @ Veganosity says
I love using vegetables to mimic meat dishes. I have a BBQ “pulled” carrots recipe on my blog that my readers love. I bet sweet potato tastes great like this too.
Morgan says
I’ve been wondering how this would taste with other veggies, especially carrots! Will be giving that a go asap.
Moon says
Wow!! These are so good! I didn’t have shredder so I just used my potatoe peeler and it worked out fine? I really couldn’t believe how very good these were!
Thank you
jon says
Wife and I are trying to go vegan, damn that was delicious. Tasted better or as good as pulled pork. The secret in my opinion is cooking the shredded sweet potatoe to the point right before it goes mushy, that gives it a mildly crisp texture. WOW. Good job on the recipe.
Shannon says
I am a vegetarian and haven’t had BBQ in ages! Shredding the yam was a pain but man was it ever worth it! I sautéed a little onion and garlic and then when the yams were sticking to the bottom of the pan a little I just deglazed with some wine before adding the BBQ sauce. I did my sandwich with lettuce mix and tomatoes,Shredded cheddar and a little horseradish mustard. This was to die for!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Aryn says
Um, you’re a genius! I’ve been vegan for years and never found a BBQ sandwich I wanted to make until now. Thank you!
Sandy says
YUM! I used extra spicy BBQ sauce (from Austin, Texas) and topped with red onion and sliced fresh Jalapenos. I really enjoyed this and think my husband will, too. I’m always looking for was of making things that use “normal” veggies as a main dish. Tofu and mock meats are a hard sell in my house.
Thanks a million! Love it and so simple!
Sandy
Nimisha says
I’m going to add tofu strips to this to add protein – can’t wait – having them for dinner tonight! (BTW, it’s the most re-pinned recipe I’ve posted on Pinterest!) 🙂
Bruce says
I just made this and it was wonderful. I added some sliced vidallia onions to it and used an all natural store bought BBQ sauce. Made my own coleslaw too. I hope to post this on my facebook page.
Ashlee says
These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them on Sunday!
Dee says
Made this quickly for a few meat-eater friends. BIG HIT! (They loved the flavor, but this isn’t a dish that resembles meat.)
I added some sautéed onions for a little texture, and a few dashes of a mild hot sauce in addition to the chilli powder.
Debra says
I made these and my sweet potatoes got mushy abd look behind like the picture
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Debra,
I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you! 🙁 Would you mind giving some more details so that I can try to troubleshoot? What kind of BBQ sauce did you use? Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Marah says
jon says
January 25, 2016 at 11:27
Wife and I are trying to go vegan, damn that was delicious. Tasted better or as good as pulled pork. The secret in my opinion is cooking the shredded sweet potatoe to the point right before it goes mushy, that gives it a mildly crisp texture. WOW. Good job on the recipe.
Maybe you cooked too long is why it was mushy?
Anissa says
I made this today for my husband who grew up on cattle farm. Delicious! He loved it! This is a great recipe. Looking forward to trying more.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Wow, that is awesome to hear! Thanks for your comment! Glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Chef Corey says
i realize a lot of people interchange these, but did you use real sweet potato or yams? I consider them different as sweet potatoes are white and yams are orange.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Chef Corey, that’s actually a myth – for some reason in the USA, orange sweet potatoes are often labeled as yams in the grocery store, but they’re still sweet potatoes. Here’s an article that explains it further: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-yams-and-sweet-potatoes-word-of-mouth-211176
I used orange sweet potatoes for this recipe.
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
Good luck for the run! I can’t wait to hear about it 🙂 I think a few of these before and after could be just the thing!