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  • Creamy vegan sweet potato risotto with dried tomatoes, arugula and sage served in a bowl
  • Sweet potato risotto with arugula and dried tomatoes – photo 2
  • Sweet potato risotto with arugula and dried tomatoes – photo 3
  • Sweet potato risotto with rocket and sun-dried tomatoes, served
  • Sweet potato risotto with rocket and tomatoes, plated from above
  • Sweet potato risotto with sage and a fork, close-up

11 MARCH 2018

Sweet potato risotto with arugula and dried tomatoes

By Verena Frei

This post is also available in: deutsch

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Last updated 5 July 2026

Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Servings
4 servings

Hello lovelies, I really hope you can also feel a bit of spring coming! I’m very much looking forward to it and I’m already enjoying that daylight stays a little longer every day – especially because it provides better light for taking pictures. Since I take all my pictures with natural light, it is sometimes quite difficult in the darker winter months, because the time frame is extremely limited.

But I don’t only want to talk about photography today but rather share a new recipe with you. It’s inspired by upcoming spring, because I’m looking forward to a lot of fresh products and salads that will be more and more available. Along with pasta in all different varieties, we Frei ladies especially love risotto. Therefore I’m always looking for new combinations to spice up the classic version of risotto. One of my favorite meals is a risotto with green asparagus – I just can’t get enough of it. Unfortunately I still have to wait a little longer for it, as it isn’t quite the asparagus season yet.

There are very many delicious versions of risotto and so I’m delighted to share my recipe for sweet potato risotto with dried tomatoes and arugula with you today. I diced the sweet potatoes and roasted them with fresh sage, which we still have in the garden. What I love most about sweet potatoes is their roasting flavor that adds a little more excitement to the risotto than ‘just’ steaming them.

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Sweet potato risotto with rocket and sun-dried tomatoes, served

The risotto turned out very creamy and the intense dried tomato flavor harmonized perfectly with the sweet potatoes and the nutty and slightly spicy arugula. Looking at the picture now I could also imagine roasted pine nuts to go along with it perfectly. But it was delicious the way it was.

Sweet potato risotto with rocket and tomatoes, plated from above

I added some vegan parmesan cheese to the risotto, which can easily be homemade out of cashews, yeast flakes and spices and we simply love it. If this catches your interest I can write a detailed recipe down for it if you like.

Sweet potato risotto with sage and a fork, close-up

And now the question of all questions: pasta or risotto…if you could only eat one of the two for the rest of your life, which one would you choose? I certainly don’t have to ask my kids, they love risotto and especially this version, but they would still choose pasta. If I really had to choose, I would go for risotto :-). But luckily no one has to choose, you only have to try this recipe soon.

If you love risotto as much as we do, be sure to try my fennel risotto with pears too – its gentle sweetness makes it a real autumn and winter favorite. If you want to keep celebrating sweet potato, my creamy sweet potato curry with chili naan is just the thing. And for a quick, Mediterranean meal, my Mediterranean pasta with asparagus and tomatoes is a wonderful springtime dish.

Yours, Verena

TIPS

Verena's notes

Tip from my kitchen: add the hot vegetable broth a ladle at a time and keep stirring – that is what makes the risotto lovely and creamy, no cream needed. You can roast the sweet potato ahead and set it aside. To skip the wine, deglaze with a little more broth and finish with a few squeezes of lemon. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 2–3 days and turn silky again when reheated with a splash of broth.

Creamy vegan sweet potato risotto with dried tomatoes, arugula and sage served in a bowl

Sweet potato risotto with arugula and dried tomatoes

Creamy vegan sweet potato risotto with dried tomatoes and arugula – a cozy, dairy-free dinner ready in about 40 minutes. A family-favorite twist on the classic.

  • Course:Main dish, Side dish
  • Prep:10 min
  • Cook:30 min
  • Servings:4 servings
Vegan

INGREDIENTS

sweet potatoes:

Risotto:

INSTRUCTIONS

Sweet potatoes

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392 °F)
  2. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes (approx. 2 x 2 cm)
  3. Mix them with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika and place them on a baking paper
  4. Sprinkle some fresh sage onto the sweet potatoes and bake for 20-25 minutes

Risotto

  1. Chop the onion and roast it in a pan with olive oil, then add the rice to it and steam it until translucent
  2. Deglaze it with white wine and let it simmer for a little while
  3. Add the vegetable broth little by little at medium heat while stirring until the rice is soft
  4. Chop the dried tomatoes and add them to the rice as well as half the roasted sweet potatoes (I added the second half as a topping but of course you can also add all of it to the rice)
  5. Season the risotto with salt, pepper and fresh sage
  6. Chop the arugula and mix it into the bowl as a finish up
  7. Serve with vegan parmesan cheese and fresh pepper
Calories
540 kcal
proteinContent
10 g
GOOD TO KNOW

Frequently asked questions

  • The creaminess comes from the starch in the risotto rice, released as you stir in the hot broth a ladle at a time. Adding the broth gradually while stirring is key. The roasted sweet potato cubes folded through the rice make it extra velvety – no butter or cream needed.

  • Use a true risotto rice such as Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano. These short-grain varieties release plenty of starch while staying pleasantly al dente. Regular long-grain rice will not work because it lacks that creamy binding.

  • Yes, simply leave out the wine and deglaze with an extra splash of vegetable broth instead. For the gentle acidity the wine would add, finish with a few squeezes of lemon juice. The risotto still turns out rounded and full of flavor.

  • Roasting is my favorite step because the caramelized flavor gives the risotto real depth and the cubes hold their shape. If you are in a hurry you can simmer the sweet potato right along with the rice – it will turn softer and melt more into the grains. Roasted, though, it tastes far more exciting.

  • Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for 2–3 days. To reheat, add a splash of broth or water so the risotto turns creamy again. It is best fresh, but still delicious the next day.

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