Sweet Potato Starch: How to make sweet potato flour at Home

sweet potato starch or sweet potato flourSweet potato flour can easily be made at home with a blender and it is commonly used for making noodles; in cooking as a thickener, and in baking as a substitute for cornflour (cornstarch), wheat flour, or Irish potato starch substitute.
Sweet potato starch can be used as a coating for frying fish or meat such as when making Popcorn chicken. It has a chewy texture just as tapioca starch when cooked and can add its natural flavor and sweetness to food.

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Sweet Potato Starch Nutrition

It is healthy and provides energy to the body. Some nutrients in sweet potato flour in β-carotene, thiamine, iron, and calcium. 1 cup of Sweet Potato Starch provides 365 calories with 90.2 grams of carbs and 0.22 grams of fat and 0.11 grams of protein.

How to make Sweet Potato Starch at Home

  • Peel your fresh organic sweet potatoes and cut them into small cubes for easy blending. Make sure you place them in water immediately when you peel because they can easily change color once peeled. Placing them (totally covered) in water prevents the color change of sweet potatoes.
  • Wash them clean and rinse with cold water
  • Put them into the blender and process into a smooth paste
  • Use cheesecloth and strain the blended sweet potatoes puree
  • You can add water and rinse the chaff or remaining paste the second time to make sure there is no more starch in it.
  • The paste or chaff can be discarded after rinsing with water
  • Allow the strained liquid to settle to allow the starch sediment to the bottom of the container. It can take about 2 to 4 hours depending on the quantity you have. You might see the color of the water become dark, don’t be scared, it will not change the color of your potato starch.

Turning the starch into flour

  • After 2 hours, gently decant or pour out the dark-colored water from the bowl. Sometimes, there is a thin layer of brown-colored water left; you can gently pour clean cold water and rinse just the top of the potato starch and gently pour it out. Another way of purifying the sweet potato starch is to mix it again with clean cold water and allow it to settle again, after which you pour out the water; this should make it white.
  • Scoop the thick, starchy, and flaky sweet potatoes starch into a drying tray and dry it under the sun, in the oven on low heat or in your dehydrator.
  • Once dried, blend into a smooth powder and sieve with a fine strainer
  • Your sweet potatoes flour is ready and can be used for baking, thickening of soups, sauces, and also for coating meat or fish for frying.

How long can it last?

When completely dried and stored in an airtight container, it should last for up to 6 months or more.