How to Perfectly Bake a Korean Sweet Potato

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Have you ever tried cooking with Korean sweet potatoes? If not, you are missing out! Not only is a Korean sweet potato jam-packed full of healthy nutrients, but it also tastes extremely delicious. This recipe is incredibly simple and basic. So, besides teaching you how to bake these potatoes, we wanted to share facts and recommendations on how people in Korea cook with them! 

What Is a Korean Sweet Potato (Goguma)?

The word goguma (고구마) refers to a sweet potato. In South Korea, there are four popular types of sweet potato: 

• Purple Sweet Potatoes (Jeok-Goguma 적고구마): The purple sweet potato is often used in sweet desserts. The purple flesh of the potatoes makes the desserts a beautiful purple pastel. 
• Chestnut Sweet Potatoes (Bam-Goguma 밤고구마): These sweet potatoes have a yellow interior and taste similar to chestnuts. These sweet potatoes are denser and drier in texture, similar to chestnuts!
• Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes (Hobak-Goguma 호박고구마): These sweet potatoes have orange flesh. Unlike the chestnut sweet potato, these have a juicier texture. 
• Honey Sweet Potatoes (Kkul- Goguma 꿀고구마): This type of sweet potato has a deep yellow interior. They taste extremely sweet and have a moist texture. 

All of these sweet potatoes taste extremely delicious! The most famous type of Korean sweet potato outside of South Korea is probably the chestnut variety. 

Korean Sweet Potato (Korean Goguma) Facts: 

In South Korea, people love to roast and bake these different potatoes. Below are some interesting facts about sweet potatoes in Korea.

• During the winter months, roasted sweet potatoes are a popular street snack! Often, street vendors roast the potatoes over an open flame or in a special drum canister made especially to cook them! You will come across these vendors at different street corners around Seoul and other major cities.
• Sweet potatoes are often considered ‘diet food’ in South Korea. Not only will they fill you up, but have lots of nutrition. If you like Korean pop culture, you will know that sweet potato diets are popular among actors and idols.
• Sweet potatoes are often used as an ingredient in Korean skincare products. So, if you enjoy Korean beauty products, you can eat your sweet potato and put sweet potato lotion on your skin as well! 
• When baking or roasting sweet potatoes at home, people in Korea often eat them with kimchi or with some salt and pepper! I also enjoy eating these with some butter as well. But personally, I find these potatoes are the best plain–they are creamy, sweet, and nutty enough on their own.  

Korean Sweet Potato Frequently Asked Questions:

Below, we listed some questions you may have about Korean sweet potatoes. If we do not answer your question below, feel free to leave a comment or email us at [email protected]!

Korean Sweet Potato vs Japanese Sweet Potato: Are They Different? 

Japanese sweet potatoes have a purple exterior and a creamy yellow interior. They are sweet and have a chestnut-like flavor. 

In Korea, they have the same type of sweet potato, known as the Bam-Goguma 밤고구마. Actually, this type of potato is so popular in Korea that they often just refer to it as sweet potato (goguma). 

So, when you buy a Japanese sweet potato in the grocery store, you are also buying a Korean sweet potato! 

What Can I Make With Korean Sweet Potatoes?

In South Korea, there is an abundance of recipes that use sweet potatoes. Below, we listed a few recipes you can try! 

• Candied Korean Sweet Potatoes: Goguma Mattang (고구마 맛탕) is a delicious side dish made by first frying and then candying Korean sweet potatoes. The resulting dish is a bit crunchy on the exterior and soft on the interior. It is a delicious sweet snack, side dish, or dessert! I recommend checking out Sue’s recipe from her blog My Korean Kitchen.
• Korean Sweet Potato Pizza: In South Korea, you can buy pizza with sweet potato in the crust. It is called goguma pizza (고구마피자). I know, it sounds crazy, right? But, it tastes delicious! For a healthy, homemade option, I recommend looking at the Youtube channel W Table for a recipe!
• Dried Korean Sweet Potatoes: Goguma mallaengi (고구마 말랭이) is a dehydrated and dried sweet potato snack. Back in the day, goguma mallaengi was a popular snack. Nowadays they are more retro. In the end, they are delicious! I personally think they taste great as an anju (the Korean word for a snack you eat when drinking alcohol). In the end, I recommend checking out Hyosun’s recipe from her blog Korean Bapsang.
• Sweet Potato Bread: Sweet potato bread (goguma bbang 고구마빵) is a common trend in Korean cafes. To make the bread, you use the potato to make the filling for bread. Then, the bread is designed to look like a real sweet potato! I recommend looking at the Youtube channel W Table for a recipe.

Don’t these all sound delicious? Of course, the most popular way to eat sweet potatoes in South Korea is baked in the oven or roasted over a fire! 

What Are Some Pre-Made Korean Goguma Products?

Finally, you can always buy pre-made Korean sweet potato snacks and ingredients! Below, I listed some snack and ingredient options on my Amazon picks! For example, sweet potato noodles are listed. If you love Korean food, try making japchae with sweet potato noodles!

How Should I Store Leftover Baked Sweet Potatoes?

If you bake too many sweet potatoes, it is easy to store them in the refrigerator! To store them, place the sweet potatoes in an airtight container and eat them within a few days. Typically, I peel the potatoes before placing them in the refrigerator. But, if you do not want to, you can just place them into the fridge without peeling them. 

What Should I Do With the Leftover Sweet Potatoes?

Typically, I just reheat the potatoes in the microwave. But, if you want some recipe ideas, I recommend making twice-baked potatoes or sweet potato waffles! There are a lot of delicious recommendations online for leftover sweet potato recipes! 

We Hope You Enjoy This Baked Korean Sweet Potatoes Recipe!

In the end, we hope you enjoy making this baked Korean sweet potatoes recipe. If so, let us know in the comment section below. Also, we would love to hear about your favorite Korean sweet potato recipes as well!

If you would like to read more about cooking, you can find further recipes on our blog. We listed some of our favorite Korean Carving A Journey recipes below! For reference, many recipes are influenced by our blended Korean and Southern heritage. 

Carving A Journey Food and Drink Recipes:

• Bibimmyeon (Spicy Korean Cold Noodles) 
• Soju Caipirinha (A Korean Take on Brazil’s National Drink)
• Andong Jjimdak (Korean Braised Chicken) 
• Korean Strawberry Milk Recipe
• Brown Sugar Iced Latte (Korean Burnt Sugar Latte); And
• Korean Banana Flavored Milk

If you have any questions or comments, you can also email us at [email protected].

And, finally, we would love to hear from you through our social media as well! You can follow us at @carvingajourney on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Or, if you would like more articles like these, you can subscribe to our blog by joining our mailing list. We hope you enjoy baking these Korean sweet potatoes! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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