Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (2024)

Sweet potatoes are a Thanksgiving staple, but that doesn't mean you have to stick to the classic marshmallow-topped bake. We love turning the vegetable into a savory soup, warming side, or even a cream pie for dessert. Here are Thanksgiving recipes for sweet potatoes from rustic Coal-Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Maple-Chile Butter, to potluck-friendly ​​Roasted Hot Honey Sweet Potato Salad, to this elegant Sweet Potato Soufflé with Molasses Sauce. Read on for sweet potato sides and desserts for your Thanksgiving spread.

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Coal-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Chile Butter

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (1)

Take your sweet potatoes up a notch by roasting them whole directly on hot coals, giving them a lightly smoked and deeply roasted flavor. A whipped compound butter made of sherry vinegar, parsley, and maple syrup add acidic, earthy, and savory notes. Top the sweet potatoes with toasted pecans to bring in some needed crunch. It’s a great side dish for any occasion.

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02of 25

​​Roasted Hot Honey Sweet Potato Salad

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (2)

This sweet potato salad makes a colorful, satisfying side dish. Seasoning the potatoes with smoked paprika creates a sweet and savory balance while the hot honey dressing adds a touch of tangy heat. Homemade pickled red onions, crunchy toasted pecans, and fresh parsley round the dish out.

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03of 25

Tempered Curry-Ginger Sweet Potatoes

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (3)

Sam Fore's side dish is hearty, filling, and packed with the flavors of his mother’s Sri Lankan cooking — onion, ginger, and chile flakes.

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04of 25

Owamni Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Chile Crisp

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (4)

Maple sugar lends complex sweetness to chef Sean Sherman's mouthwatering chile crisp, which he drizzles over roasted sweet potatoes.

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05of 25

Savory Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Sesame Seeds

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (5)

With brown sugar, vinegar, and liquid aminos, these sweet potatoes are the best balance of savory and sweet.

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06of 25

Sweet Potato Pie

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (6)

The sweet potato pie is seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, and freshly grated nutmeg, but it's the bourbon-pecan praline topping poured on top that gives this pie a New Orleans accent and sets it apart. The pie shell, sweet potatoes, and praline sauce can be made in advance, making this pie work for holiday baking when time is tight.

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07of 25

Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (7)

Ajowan seeds offer an herbal bite reminiscent of thyme and cumin in these dinner rolls for 30.

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08of 25

Sweet Potato Pie with Honeycrisp-Kabocha Salad

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (8)

With more eggs than a traditional pumpkin pie, this pie-version is much richer and matches the creamy texture of the accompanying licorice ice cream.

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09of 25

Candied Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (9)

Sweet potatoes are baked in a sweet, buttery sauce with hints of maple syrup and warm autumn spices in this satisfying side. The syrup thickens and becomes sticky as it rests; sprinkling on grated orange zest at the end balances the sweetness of the dish. These candied sweet potatoes are perfect for Thanksgiving, and also pair well with roast pork loin, ham, or chicken. For a more uniform dish, try finding sweet potatoes that are similarly shaped and sized.

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10of 25

Sweet Potato Pavé

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (10)

The key to this crispy dish is super thin layers of sweet potato, easiest achieved by (carefully!) using a mandoline.

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11of 25

Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (11)

Dark beer, honey, and spices including turmeric, ginger, and cardamom give this pie rich, complex flavors. Cookbook author Nik Sharma loves sweet potatoes, especially in this pie. He suggests roasting sweet potatoes, reducing the beer, and preparing the pie crust, the day before you serve it. The next day, blind bake the pie crust, prepare the sweet potato custard, and bake the pie.

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12of 25

Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo Butter

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (12)

Smoky and spicy, cured Spanish chorizo infuses melted butter with its rich color and flavor, balancing the natural sweetness of these tender roasted sweet potatoes.

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Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Coconut and Five-Spice

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (13)

This purple sweet potato pie by Baltimore baker Krystal Mack is seasoned with five-spice seasoning and topped with toasted oats, pecans, and coconut for a vivid presentation and deep flavors that make it a showstopper on any holiday table.

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14of 25

Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (14)

These spiced sweet potatoes are the perfect stand-in for candied yams with toasted marshmallows. For an elegant effect, add Justin Chapple's toasted meringue topping.

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15of 25

Sweet Potato–Coconut Soup with Thai Curry

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (15)

A trio of coconut — coconut oil, coconut milk, and toasted coconut flakes — makes its way into this fragrant and lovely take on a classic Thanksgiving soup from cookbook author Melissa Clark.

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16of 25

Sweet Potato Sticky Buns with Toasted Marshmallow

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (16)

These show-stopping sticky buns from of L.A.'s All Day Baby are filled with ginger-studded sweet potato and spiced with cardamom and vanilla. Rolled into a buttery dough that bakes up light and pillowy, like giant cinnamon rolls, there is a little bit of sweet potato filling in every bite. Glazed with butterscotch and crowned with toasted marshmallow, these buns make a show-stopping addition to any brunch. Serve freshly baked and topped for best results.

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17of 25

Sweet Potato Casserole

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (17)

Sweet potatoes grow in abundance in Alabama, where sculptor Sandi Stevens' family eats them year-round. This casserole is a Stevens favorite: silky pureed sweet potatoes topped with a sweet and crunchy pecan-cornflake topping. If you don't have pecans or cornflakes on hand, Stevens says the topping can be made with whatever nut or cereal is in the cupboard.

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18of 25

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmallows

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (18)

In this clever version of candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows, Grace Parisi mashes sweet potatoes with deeply flavorful grade B maple syrup and butter before stuffing them back into their skins and baking them a second time.

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19of 25

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (19)

These mashed sweet potatoes are topped with Gruyere then baked so that the cheese forms a nutty-flavored crust.

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20of 25

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (20)

You only need four ingredients for this recipe—sweet potatoes, unsalted butter, apple butter, and salt.

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21of 25

Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (21)

Everyone at your holiday table will fall for this combination of creamy pureed potato and fragrant vanilla.

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22of 25

Sweet Potato Soufflé with Molasses Sauce

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (22)

This dish is a French take on an American classic. You can serve it without the molasses sauce for a lighter and less sweet version.

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23of 25

Sweet Potato Gratin with Chile-Spiced Pecans

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (23)

Jose Garces says this dish best exemplifies his Thanksgiving menu: traditional at its core but with unexpected Latin accents. The gratin is silky and sweet, topped with gooey marshmallows and delightfully crunchy pecans flavored with chile powder.

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Sweet-Potato Meringue Pie

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (24)

This dish looks like a pumpkin pie, but the filling is actually made with sweet potato.

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25of 25

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Gratin

Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (25)

Goat cheese fans will love the tang that the cheese adds to this sweet and luscious gratin, with its crispy topping.

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Our Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak sweet potatoes before baking? ›

The cold water bath helps rinse the starch off the sweet potatoes so they're a bit more crispy. That said, if you do not have the time, you can still get crispy baked sweet potato fries by using high heat and a little drizzle of olive oil.

How does Ina Garten bake sweet potatoes? ›

directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425*F.
  2. Cut sweet potatoes in wedges or like french fries.
  3. Place wedges on large baking pan or cookie sheet. ...
  4. Now sprinkle over brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. ...
  5. Spread out in a single layer. ...
  6. Place back in oven and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

How many sweet potatoes per person for Thanksgiving? ›

Potatoes or sweet potatoes: 5 to 6 ounces per person, which equals about 1 large Yukon Gold or white potato, or half of a large sweet potato.

How do you make Ina Garten mashed sweet potatoes? ›

Place the sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and add the orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix together until combined but not smooth and transfer to a baking dish. Bake the potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through.

Should you soak whole sweet potatoes before baking? ›

No, there is no need to soak sweet potatoes before roasting. What temperature should I bake my sweet potatoes? Bake sweet potatoes at a high temperature. We find that anything between 400°F and 450°F works well.

Is it better to wrap sweet potatoes in foil when baking? ›

Wrapping sweet potatoes in foil helps in a few ways. It prevents the exterior of the tuber from drying out and overheating too quickly, which would minimize enzymatic activity; it also results in a more evenly cooked texture.

How to bake sweet potato in oven Martha Stewart? ›

Directions. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center position. Scrub and pat potatoes dry. Pierce potatoes all over with the tines of a fork and bake in oven, directly on rack, until soft and caramelizing, 1 1/2 hours.

How do you make Patti Labelle sweet potatoes? ›

Boil the sweet potatoes in a large stockpot until soft, about 25 minutes; drain. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, add the butter, cream, agave, cinnamon and salt, and mash until smooth. Sprinkle with the orange zest.

Is it too early to buy sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving? ›

Root vegetables are designed by nature to hold their shape and consistency, so three weeks out is the perfect time to stock up on onions, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and parsnips. Store them in a cool, dry place.

How to dress up sweet potatoes? ›

Salt, Pepper, and Butter – the OG classic way of serving your sweet potatoes. Greek Yogurt and Green Onion – one of my personal favorites! you can do sour cream instead of Greek Yogurt if you prefer. Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, and Butter – ok, I'm a big fan of savory but this combo is also a favorite!

What side dishes can I make ahead for Thanksgiving? ›

Dishes you should definitely make in advance
  • Thanksgiving stuffing. "We always make my mom's sweet potato stuffing ahead of time. ...
  • Casserole. "Pretty much anything with 'casserole' in the name is built for being made in advance." — ...
  • Mise en place. ...
  • Gravy. ...
  • Turkey and chicken stock. ...
  • Most desserts. ...
  • Brussels sprouts. ...
  • Dinner rolls.
Nov 14, 2023

Is it better to boil sweet potatoes or bake sweet potatoes? ›

Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them! The exception is deep frying, which can lead to the formation of acrylamide, a potential human carcinogen.

Should I peel sweet potatoes before boiling? ›

There is not much difference between boiling sweet potatoes with the skins on versus peeling them, but you will get a boost of fiber and potassium if you keep the skin on. The skin also adds a subtle texture to each bite. If you're looking for a smoother mash, peel the potatoes first before boiling.

Should you soak potatoes in salt or sugar water? ›

Why use salt water for soaking potatoes? There's moisture naturally found in potatoes, and moisture is drawn to higher concentrations of salt. (This is a process called osmosis.) So, if you put the potatoes in a salt water bath, that will help draw out some of their moisture, resulting in crispier fries.

Why do chefs soak potatoes? ›

The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.

How do you soak sweet potatoes to remove starch? ›

To remove excess starch, place cut sweet potatoes into cold water making sure the cut surfaces are submerged. This step is especially recommended for "kinton" (Japanese-style mashed sweet potato) and other lightly seasoned dishes where a delectable color is desired. Soaking time of about 5 minutes is sufficient.

Does soaking potatoes make them taste better? ›

Simply soaking your potatoes in a tangy salt pickling vinegar brine before roasting or frying them can make quite a difference. Marinating your potatoes is the best way to infuse them with flavor, deep into their center, instead of just sprinkling a spice mix on top or dipping them into a sauce.

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