6-Ingredient Delicious Candied Korean Sweet Potatoes or Matang.

Crunchy.

Candied.

Sweet potatoes.

But these are not any old sweet potatoes. These are candied Korean sweet potatoes!

Korean sweet potatoes are so creamy and delicious on the inside and make the perfect candied side dish around the holidays.

Let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

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What Even Is Candied Korean Sweet Potatoes?

Candied Korean sweet potatoes, as the name suggests, are hunks of Korean sweet potatoes that are coated with caramelized sugar. The sugar then hardens to create this unworldly candy crunch. These are a street food classic in Korea–my parents ate these when they were kids.

These should NOT be confused with candied yams or the American version of candied sweet potatoes. Those are much softer and coated with more of a glaze than candied sugar. These candied Korean sweet potatoes are absolutely candied. Like, if you have fragile teeth, you’ll need to take extra care when eating these!

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Candied Korean Sweet Potatoes.

Korean Sweet Potatoes.

The first question you’re going to ask is “can I use Japanese sweet potatoes?” Yes, absolutely. As far as I can tell, they’re interchangeable. Many western style grocery stores will sell Japanese sweet potatoes and they are the same, for all intents and purposes (though, my parents will tell me they can tell the difference…!).

Korean sweet potatoes are purple on the outside but, when raw, white on the inside. When cooked, they turn a golden yellow. They are sweeter, denser, and much creamier than their more fibrous American counterparts. Can you use regular sweet potatoes? Sure–you just won’t achieve the same texture. You would probably be better off with yams, which are, like Korean sweet potatoes, more dense.

I love Korean sweet potatoes. My sister-in-law, YJ, used to pine for them right after she moved here from Korea (she definitely can tell when a sweet potato isn’t from Korea). You can roast them in an air fryer and have yourself the most delicious snack. If you’ve read my cookbook, then you’ll know what an important role sweet potatoes have played in my family, so every time I eat one, I feel rather nostalgic.

Ok, enough story time.

Vegetable Oil.

These candied Korean sweet potatoes call for a little vegetable oil to keep the pan nice and slick for creating your caramel. Otherwise, your sugar might stick to the pan and have a hard time caramelizing without also crystallizing (more on that later). Can you use extra virgin olive oil? Yes, but it will absolutely impact flavor. I prefer using a neutral oil, if possible.

Sugar.

You need sugar to make the candy coating for these candied Korean sweet potatoes. I use organic granulated white sugar for this recipe.

Miso.

I wanted to fancify this otherwise simple recipe for candied Korean sweet potatoes by adding just a hint of salty umami. Enter miso! Miso provides both saltiness and a mild sweetness that pair so well with the creamy sweetness of the Korean sweet potatoes. If you don’t have miso you can simply skip it. These will taste amazing with or without it!

Sea Salt.

I mean, sea salt and caramel is the best combination ever, am I right? I like to sprinkle just a little bit of sea salt on top of my candied Korean sweet potatoes. It really brings out the sweetness in this wonderful way.

Black Sesame Seeds.

Lots of recipes for matang or candied Korean sweet potatoes call for black sesame seeds. Black sesame seeds are nuttier and earthier than their golden counterparts, but impart a great bite to these candied Korean sweet potatoes. But if you don’t have them, you can always substitute with toasted yellow sesame seeds!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Candied Korean Sweet Potatoes.

Step 1.

Add your frying oil to a Dutch oven or cast iron pan over high heat and bring to 350° F (when a tiny piece of potato dropped in comes right to the surface). Fry your potatoes in batches and let them cool on a wire rack. If you’d rather bake your sweet potatoes, simply coat them with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet (do not overcrowd). Then place them in the oven preheated to 450° F until they are golden brown, around 35-45 minutes.

Left is baked and right is fried

Step 2.

To a large pan over low heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Use a brush to make sure the oil evenly coats the pan. Then, add your sugar. Allow the sugar to melt without touching it. If you touch your sugar, it will crystalize and harden into a big old mess in your pan and you will have to start over. So do not disturb the sugar!!

When the sugar starts to dissolve, lift your pan off the heat and swivel to move the melting sugar around without touching it. Then place it back on the heat. Continue doing this for about 10 minutes, until your sugar has turned into a rich brown, caramel-y color.

Step 3.

Drop your miso paste into the sugar and using a spoon, dissolve it into the caramel. Remove your mixture from heat. Add the fried sweet potatoes and stir with a spoon until they are evenly coated.

Step 4.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and separate before the cool (if you want—I just transferred them onto a plate and pulled them apart as I ate them). Once cooled (about 5 minutes), place on your serving plate. Garnish with sea salt and black sesame seeds.

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