DessertsMedium

Puebla-Style Sweet Potatoes

Name: Puebla-Style Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 100 ml Water; 500 g Sugar; 1 kg Purple or white sweet potato; 5 gotas Pink vegetable food colouring; 1 tsp Strawberry essence; 2 tbsp Lemon juice

70 min (20 prep + 50 cook) Medium 15 servings Puebla

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 4 Feb 2026 · Updated: 10 Mar 2026

Traditional Puebla sweet made from sweet potato and fruit essences.

About this recipe

Camotes poblanos are an iconic sweet from Puebla, made by cooking sweet potato with sugar, lemon juice and fruit essences until a thick, moldable paste forms. Shaped into little bars and wrapped in waxed paper, they come in flavours such as strawberry, pineapple, lemon and orange. A cornerstone of Puebla's celebrated confectionery tradition.

History & Origin

Camotes poblanos are one of the most emblematic sweets of the city of Puebla, where they have been made since the colonial era in the convents where nuns perfected the technique of cooking sweet potato with sugar and fruit essences. Legend has it that the nuns of the Convento de Santa Clara were the original creators of these sweets in the seventeenth century, alongside other celebrated Puebla confections such as borrachitos and tortitas de Santa Clara. They are moulded into elongated bar shapes wrapped in waxed paper and come in flavours such as strawberry, pineapple, lemon, orange and guava, each with its own distinctive colour. They are the quintessential souvenir from Puebla, and the Calle de los Dulces (Calle 6 Oriente) in the historic centre is packed with shops that have been selling them as a tradition for over a century.

Estimated cost

£6.79

Total cost

£0.46

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

386

Calories

Protein

58g

Carbohydrates

15g

Fat

Fibre

265mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Wash the sweet potatoes well and boil them whole with their skins on for 30-40 minutes, or until completely tender when pierced with a knife.
💡 You can also roast them wrapped in foil at 200°C for 45 minutes for a more concentrated flavour.
2
Peel the hot sweet potatoes and mash with a fork or pass through a potato ricer until you have a smooth, lump-free puree.
3
In a heavy-bottomed pan (traditionally a copper pot), place the sweet potato puree, sugar, lemon juice and water. Mix well.
4
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden paddle for 25-35 minutes. The paste will gradually thicken and pull away from the sides of the pan.
💡 Do not stop stirring; sweet potato sticks to the bottom easily and can burn.
5
When the mixture comes away cleanly from the pan and you can see the bottom when you draw the paddle through, remove from the heat. Add the strawberry essence and food colouring. Mix well to distribute the colour evenly.
6
Tip the paste onto a lightly greased surface or onto greaseproof paper. Leave to cool until you can handle it.
7
With lightly greased hands, take portions and shape into small bars about 8 cm long and 2 cm thick. Wrap each one in waxed paper, twisting the ends like a sweet wrapper.
💡 For different flavours, divide the paste before adding the essence and colouring, and use different essences (orange, lemon, pineapple) with their corresponding colourings.
8
Leave the bars to air-dry for a few hours until the surface is firm. They keep wrapped for up to 2 weeks in a cool place.