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Sweet Potato Tagine With Dates and Almonds

Sweet potato tagine a recipe gets a supporting hand from almonds, dates, sumac, dried mint and harissa for a real vegan flavour sensation!

This Moroccan influenced tagine is incredibly easy to make, chop some veggies, mix a sauce, stick it all in the tagine and let it cook for 45 minutes!

Sweet potato tagine with dates and almonds served in a tagine pot.

Vegan Veggie Tagine

North African influenced dishes have become a regular feature on my weekly menu in recent years.

Dishes like duck tagine have obvious links to North African cuisine. But dishes beef hotpot and my roasted carrot soup both plunder North African and Persian flavours.

This Moroccan influenced sweet potato tagine is another dish to add to that list. It is also vegetarian and vegan option.

It is a dish that doubles down on the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and amplifies that with dates and slowly cooked onions.

A hint of spice is added thanks to some rose harissa and sumac offers sourness to the dish.

This means the whole dish rocks a hot, sweet and sour vibe. Something that features in a lot of my recipes!

If you want a dish that is altogether more savoury then check out my chicken tagine. If you want to stick with a vegetarian option how about my mixed vegetable tagine or chickpea tagine?

Overhead sweet potato tagine with dates and almonds served in a tagine pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use a tagine?

No, you can use a pan with a tight-fitting lid. You want something of a similar size, around 20-22cm (for two people) and not too deep. A small skillet with a lid would be ideal.

What is Zaatar?

Zaatar is correctly spelt as za’atar. It is both a herb and a spice blend, I refer to it here as the spice blend.

It contains toasted sesame seeds, dried thyme, oregano or marjoram and salt. On occasions, it will also contain sumac and other bits.

The herb is called hyssop in English and can also appear in the spice mix.

What is Sumac?

Sumac is a ground spice from the dried berry of a flowering plant. It has a glorious and unique sour flavour and beautiful red colour.

It can be used as both and ingredient and a “raw” seasoning.

Can I use regular harissa in place of rose harissa?

Yes! Harissa comes in many guises and all of them would work wonderfully well in this recipe.

Is all harissa vegan?

As with all store bought packaged ingredients contents are often contain things that you would not expect. As a result, you should defintiely read the jar!

I use Belazu rose harissa which is reportedly vegan.

Overhead sweet potato tagine with dates and almonds served with buttered couscous.

Serving Suggestions

I almost always serve this sweet potato tagine as either a vegan or vegetarian main course.

It is usually served with either buttered couscous or some simply cooked herby bulgur wheat.

If you are in bread making mood you could also serve it with m’smen a wonderful and little known Moroccan flatbread.

However, this recipe also rocks as a side dish. It is perfect with grilled or roasted meats particularly if it has a Persian for North African slant.

It is a wonderful compliment to dishes like harissa lamb chops, harissa pork chops or zaatar chicken legs.

Vegan sweet potato tagine with dates and almonds in a harissa sauce.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • 20-22cm 8-9″ tagine or a similarly sized skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Mine is made by Staub.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Vegetable peeler.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Vegan sweet potato tagine with dates and almonds in a harissa sauce.
Yield: 2 Servings

Sweet Potato Tagine Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

This stupidly simple sweet potato tagine gets a big hit of flavour from rose harissa and ticks both the vegan and vegetarian options and is just as good as a main course as it is as a side dish.

Ingredients

  • 150g (1 Cup) Onion
  • 300g (2-2½ Cups) Sweet Potato
  • 50g (⅓-½ Cup) Blanched Almonds
  • 50g (6-7) Pitted Dates
  • 1 Tbsp Rose Harissa
  • 125ml (½ Cup) Vegetable Stock
  • 1 Tsp Sumac
  • ½ Tsp Dried Mint
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • ½ Tsp Brown Sugar (Optional)
  • 1 Tsp Zaatar plus extra for serving

Instructions

  1. Top and tail, then peel and cut the onion into 8 wedges and break them into individual "petals".
  2. Bee the sweet potato and cut it into thick rounds about 25mm (1") thick, then cut each of these rounds into 6 or 8 wedges depending on the thickness of your sweet potato.
  3. Tear the pitted dates into strips.
  4. Combine the vegetable stock with the rose harissa, sumac, dried mint and salt.
  5. Place the onions in the base of the tagine (20-22cm 8-9") followed by the wedges of sweet potato and arrange them into a flat layer.
  6. Pour over the sauce that we made followed by the olive oil.
  7. Add the almonds and dates making sure they are evenly distributed.
  8. Sprinkle over the zaatar and brown sugar.
  9. Finally, add the tagine lid and makes sure it sits well, then turn the heat to low-medium and cook for 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked.

Notes

This recipe uses a 20-22cm 8-9" tagine pot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 548Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1102mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 12gSugar: 32gProtein: 11g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Diana Lemay

Friday 28th of April 2023

This was very tasty.I cooked it in a pan with the lid on. I added preserved lemon and green olives. We had it with couscous.It turned out great. Next time I might add chickpeas. Thanks for the recipe.

Brian Jones

Sunday 7th of May 2023

I have a confession, I can't get on with olives at all but love the addition of preserved lemons, they are glorious.

Thanks for taking the time to write to me and let me know that you enjoyed it, it always makes my day!

Jacqueline Debono

Thursday 22nd of March 2018

I'm like you, not a big cake or sweet eater but I love the combination of sweet and savoury, especially using dried and fresh fruit. This is just up my street!

Brian Jones

Saturday 24th of March 2018

All the best foodies feel that way Jacqueline ;)

Amy Nash

Thursday 22nd of March 2018

Wait, so I can make this without buying a tagine? Because I'm definitely sold on that idea! I also love North African and Arabic food but I almost never make it at home (unless you count baklava?). But the flavors are wonderful and I need to branch out.

Brian Jones

Saturday 24th of March 2018

Of course you can, a tagine adds a little more steam to the mix which alters the dish very slightly but I've not noticed a massive difference not cooking in a tagine since I broke my old one. Admitedly the joy of lifting the lid on a tagine at the table is magic but hey, I can live without it.

Dawn - Girl Heart Food

Thursday 22nd of March 2018

Looks delicious Brian! Love the sweet and savoury components of this dish and I just happen to have a bunch of sweet potatoes in the pantry just waiting to be used ;)

Brian Jones

Saturday 24th of March 2018

Enjoy Dawn, I love this recipe... Me and sweet potatoes don't really get on but this is one recipe using them that I really do love!

Brian Jones

Monday 9th of October 2017

Thanks Natalie... Fruit in savoury courses doe seem to divide people, I happen to love it and use it a lot. Those two dishes sound wonderful, particularly the Diane Henry one, will hunt it down and have a try.

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