Here's a Healthy Sweet Potato Tang Yuan 汤圆 recipe with a sweet and nutty black sesame filling. Mashed cooked white sweet potato adds a natural sweetness and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, but the added nutrients, vitamins, and fiber also make these tang yuan a nourishing and satisfying treat for any day!
Here's why I love this recipe
- no-bake, and so easy to prepare
- only 4 ingredients
- vegan and gluten-free
- high-fiber, so it keeps you fuller longer thanks to the sweet potatoes
- healthier and lower calories than most traditional tang yuan recipes
Ingredients Used to Make Sweet Potato Tang Yuan
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local Asian grocery store (or the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Glutinous Rice Flour - this goes by many names. You'll see Glutinous Rice Flour and Mochiko Flour (my favorite brand) in Asian grocery stores, and Sweet White Rice Flour in most other stores. ***Please note that regular white rice flour or brown rice flour is NOT the same thing as glutinous rice flour!!!
- Tapioca flour (flour but also called tapioca starch) - Arrowroot starch and Potato starch can also be used instead. I DO NOT recommend using cornstarch for this recipe.
- White or Asian Sweet Potatoes - you'll need mashed sweet potatoes in this recipe. The white sweet potato and Asian sweet potatoes have a light color that works best for this recipe. (here's a pic of a white sweet potato below!)
Note: While you can steam or bake the sweet potatoes, I used the microwave to cook the sweet potatoes in just about 10 minutes! Here's the shortcut microwave method.
Filling Ingredients
I use this Sweet Black Sesame Filling in this recipe. Here's how you can make it from scratch. You can also use pre-made red bean paste or lotus seed paste to save time 🙂
Step by Step Guide
How to Make Sweet Potato Tang Yuan
Prep the Filling
First, prepare the filling by dropping teaspoon portions of the black sesame paste onto a clean parchment paper. Keep the filling in the freezer until the filling hardens enough to handle.
STEP 1
Peel cooked sweet potatoes while still warm and mash with a fork until no chunks remain.
STEP 2
In a large bowl, knead all the dough ingredients (sweet potato, mochiko flour and tapioca flour) together until smooth and pliable, and no longer sticky.
STEP 3
TIP: 1-2 Tbsp more of the mashed potatoes may need to be added depending on the sweet potato, or the brand of glutinous rice flour you use. The goal is to get a soft and pliable dough that is easy to work with and doesn't crack when shaping. On the other hand, if the dough is too sticky, you can always add more glutinous rice flour to adjust the consistency.
STEP 4
Take a small portion of the dough and flatten it in the palm of your hand.
STEP 5
Place the prepared filling in the center of the dough and gently fold the edges of the dough over the filling, rolling it into a smooth ball.
STEP 6
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
STEP 7
Boil a quart or two of water in a large pot. Also, get a ice bath ready (such as a bowl of ice water)
Carefully drop the prepared balls into the boiling water. If using a smaller pot, work in batches. Once the glutinous rice balls are done cooking they'll float towards the top (takes about 5 minutes). Once done, use a sieve or tea strainer to pull them out of the water, and emerge in ice water until fully cooled.
STEP 8
Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Tang Yuan Filling Variations
There are many creative filling variations you can explore for tang yuan. Here are some ideas to try
- Sweet Red Bean Paste is a popular tang yuan filling. For convenience, you can use a ready-made red bean paste that you can find at your local Asian grocery store, but you can also make your own using a Food Processor method. The red bean paste is smooth and luscious, with a delightful sweetness that pairs perfectly with the chewy tang yuan casing.
- Lotus Seed Paste: Made from ground lotus seeds, this filling has a subtle and slightly floral flavor that pairs well with tang yuan. While it's not too difficult to make your own, I like to buy mine from a local Asian grocery store. You can also buy on Amazon, here
FAQ: Do You Need to Fill the Tang Yuan?
Nope, filling tang yuan is completely optional. Tang yuan can also be enjoyed as plain glutinous rice balls without any filling.
How to Store Sweet Potato Tang Yuan / Glutinous Rice Balls
- Unfortunately, tang yuan have the best texture and flavor when freshly made. But if you have leftovers or want to store them long term, here's what you cand do: arrange the fully cooled tang yuan on a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. When you're ready to eat them, boil them in water or steam them to reheat before serving.
Final Tips
- Proper dough consistency - More water may need to be added depending on the brand of glutinous rice flour you use. The goal is to get a soft and pliable dough that is easy to work with and doesn't crack when shaping. On the other hand, if the dough is too sticky, you can always add more glutinous rice flour to adjust the consistency.
- Preventing dough from drying out - While working with the dough, cover the tang yuan dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. This will make it easier to shape the tang yuan and keep the dough moist.
- Filling - Be mindful of the amount of filling you put in each tang yuan. Use about 1 teaspoon of filling to avoid overfilling, which could lead to difficulties sealing the dough or the filling leaking out during cooking.
Healthy Sweet Potato Tang Yuan with Black Sesame Filling
Ingredients
Tang Yuan Dough
- 240 g white or Asian sweet potato , fully cooked. 240g is a little less than 1 cup mashed
- 100 g mochiko flour, sweet rice or glutinous rice flour , about ⅔ cup
- 15 g tapioca, potato or arrowroot starch , 2 Tbsp
Filling Ingredients
- 14 tsp BLACK SESAME FILLING , click on link to go to the filling recipe. Read notes ** for alternative tang yuan filling ideas
Instructions
Prep the Filling
- First, prepare the filling by dropping teaspoon portions of the black sesame paste onto a clean parchment paper. Keep the filling in the freezer until the filling hardens enough to handle.
Make the Dough
- Peel cooked sweet potatoes while still warm and mash with a fork until no chunks remain.
- In a large bowl, knead all the dough ingredients (sweet potato, mochiko flour and tapioca flour) together until smooth and pliable, and no longer sticky. TIP: 1-2 Tbsp more of the mashed potatoes may need to be added depending on the sweet potato, or the brand of glutinous rice flour you use. The goal is to get a soft and pliable dough that is easy to work with and doesn't crack when shaping. On the other hand, if the dough is too sticky, you can always add more glutinous rice flour to adjust the consistency.
Assemble
- Take a small portion of the dough and flatten it in the palm of your hand.
- Place the prepared filling in the center of the dough and gently fold the edges of the dough over the filling, rolling it into a smooth ball.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Cook the Glutinous Rice Balls
- Boil a quart or two of water in a large pot. Also, get a ice bath ready (such as a bowl of ice water)
- Carefully drop the prepared balls into the boiling water. If using a smaller pot, work in batches.
- Once the glutinous rice balls are done cooking they'll float towards the top (takes about 5 minutes). Once done, use a sieve or tea strainer to pull them out of the water
- Let the glutinous rice balls cool fully in the ice water.
- Remove from the ice water and transfer to a sweet or savory broth of choice.
- Enjoy!
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