Try one of these fantastic turkey day sides and desserts to make this year better than ever. Even the most veggie-resistant guest will fall in love with this humble root vegetable after tasting these. You can blend it into bread and biscuits, or pile it into cakes, casseroles, and pies. It pairs beautifully with other festive flavors too, like sharp cranberry and delicate warm spices. With these 23 Thanksgiving sweet potato recipes, you and your family are sure to have the best holiday season yet.
20+ Fantastic Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving
1. Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole is a classic, but this isn’t your granny’s version. Instead, this recipe takes things up a notch with a brown sugar and pecan topping. Smooth and creamy underneath, nutty and crunchy on top. It’s a feast of tastes and textures! This detailed recipe guides you through the entire process from prepping your potatoes to how to get it perfectly browned and bubbly. There’s also tips on how to sweeten things up further by replacing the pecans with a sinful marshmallow layer.
2. Candied Sweet Potatoes
These caramelized sweet potatoes are a welcome sight for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and any time you crave sweet veggies. It’s buttery, creamy, and dressed with hints of vanilla, warm spices, and maple syrup. So far, so familiar. But these are not your usual candied sweet potatoes! They’re deliciously different thanks to the addition of orange zest, fresh rosemary, and sea salt.
3. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Sometimes the best casseroles are the most simple, and this recipe is proof. It may look effortless (and it is), but it’s jam-packed with fall flavor. And you can make things even easier by using canned yams if you’re short on time. Simply spread mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish and top with toasted marshmallows and brown sugar streusel. The combination of creamy potatoes, melty marshmallows, and crunchy streusel will leave your Thanksgiving guests begging for more.
4. Cranberry Sweet Potatoes
Tart cranberries are the perfect partner for sweet potatoes, adding balance to their natural sweetness. Unusually, there are three different forms of fruit in this unique side – cranberry juice, dried cranberries, and cranberry sauce. The berries are sprinkled over sliced sweet potatoes while the juice and sauce are used to make a cranberry glaze. Cinnamon, cloves, and orange round out the flavorful syrup which is then drizzled over the casserole before baking.
5. Garlic Butter Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
If you like sweet potatoes savory, this herby recipe is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish for you. Flavored with aromatic garlic butter, the potatoes soak up lots of fragrant goodness as they bake. Blended with cream and parmesan cheese, this comforting casserole is gorgeously creamy and smooth. Your family will love this heavenly dish so much, it’s sure to become a Sunday dinner favorite even after the holidays are over.
6. Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Go back to basics this Thanksgiving with a classic baked potato recipe. Sweet potato fans know it doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles to be delicious. Sometimes all it takes is a drizzle of oil, a sprinkling of fresh herbs or spicy seasonings, and some time in the oven.
7. Sweet Potato Souffle
Got the inlaws coming for dinner, or some work colleagues you need to impress? Serve up these airy soufflés to win dessert. They’re light and gorgeously decadent. Served in individual ramekins, they also look really elegant and add a touch of sophistication to any holiday table. Flavored with a hint of pumpkin pie spice, they’re like pillowly, delicious clouds.
8. Southern Sweet Potato Cake
This beautiful layered cake is ideal for serving a big crowd. The ultra-soft sponge is made with sweet potato and cinnamon. The cake layers are sandwiched together with a honey cinnamon buttercream, which is also slathered on top for a thick and creamy frosting. If you’re an organized baker, you can make the cake ahead and freeze the two layers until needed. This actually helps give the finished dessert an extra dense and moist crumb.
9. Sweet Potato Marshmallow Bars
Sweet potato puree is layered onto a biscuit crumb and topped with marshmallows in these bite-sized treats. They’re basically sweet potato casserole in single-servings. Similar to cheesecake bars, these are best enjoyed chilled and with a dollop of whipped cream.
10. Texas Roadhouse Loaded Sweet Potato
Why eat regular sweet potatoes when you could be eating loaded sweet potatoes?! And these are definitely sweet. They’re piled high with honey cinnamon butter, caramel, and loads of gooey marshmallows. It’s more like a dessert than a side dish but hey, it’s the holidays – if you can’t eat dessert for dinner on Thanksgiving, when can you?!
11. Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole
In the rush of party planning, greeting relatives, hosting friends, and everything in between, you don’t always have time to micro-manage a huge feast. So dust off your slow cooker and put it to work! Pile in sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, spices, and marshmallows. Then set it and forget it. Open it up a few hours later and you’ll have a bubbly casserole all ready to eat. No fuss, no mess, just delicious Thanksgiving fun!
12. Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Creamy and thick, whipped sweet potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. And the best part about this Thanksgiving sweet potato recipe is that you only need seven ingredients. I bet you have them all in the kitchen already. Just assemble your ingredients, cook your sweet potatoes and then blend, mash, or whip them together with butter, cream, and seasonings. The real beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. You can switch up your seasonings to make it sweeter or add some savory notes if that’s what you prefer. You can even try different ways of mashing your potatoes to make them chunkier or smoother. You do you!
13. Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Take a little inspiration from the deep South this Holiday season with this simple-but-satisfying Southern sweet potato pie. Made with fresh sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, flour, and fall spices, it bakes up to a moist cake that goes with anything.
14. Sweet Potato Muffins
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you know that your duties don’t end with dinner. Your guests might want snacks, your family no doubt wants to know what’s for breakfast, and friends might stay for brunch. I’ve learned from painful experiences that it’s always good to have something snackable on hand just in case. And that’s why I’m making a big tray of these sweet potato muffins. They’re not just a great way to use up any leftover sweet potatoes, they’re crazy delicious.
15. Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Adding sweet potato to baked goods gives them a wonderfully moist texture and soft crumb. Just like bananas or applesauce does. This pound cake is no exception. There’s mashed sweet potato in the batter, along with flour, butter, vanilla, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Finally, it’s finished with a syrupy glaze made with sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.
16. Sweet Potato Bites
These cute sweet potato bites hit the sweet spot between adorable and appetizing. They’re deceptively simple too – just slice sweet potatoes into thick rounds and top with maple syrup and marshmallows. How easy is that?
17. Sweet Potato Cheesecake
This is a light-tasting cheesecake that totally melts in your mouth. Made with a soft sweet potato filling and a buttery gingersnap crust, it’s a party favorite. Enjoy it after dinner or, if you’re too full after a big turkey feast, save it for an afternoon snack or midnight treat (I won’t tell).
18. Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple Butter
I’m drooling at the thought of these caramelized potatoes. They’re roasted until tender and browned, then tossed in maple cinnamon butter. Sticky, sweet, and soft, these are the ultimate side for a decadent Thanksgiving feast.
19. Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
When you bake sweet potatoes twice, you get a chance to make them even more delicious. The filling becomes even more soft and fluffy while the skin gets even more crispy and chewy. This recipe flavors the potatoes with brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon, making an addictive alternative to the usual casserole or roasted potato sides.
20. Sweet Potato Soup
Thick and creamy, this sweet potato soup is a great way to kick off your Thanksgiving feast. Made with coconut milk, coriander, ginger, and paprika, it’s surprisingly complex and makes a wonderful change to the standard turkey day regulars. Smoky, sweet, and very filling, it’s an elegant dish that would be equally welcome as an appetizer, a light lunch, or a late-night supper.
21. Sweet Potato Bread
Sweet, spicy, and soft – I’m head over heels for this chunky sweet bread. Mouthwateringly moist, it’s a great way to sneak more vegetables into picky kids or dinner guests. A little like carrot cake, a bit like pumpkin bread, this is naturally sweetened with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
22. Sweet Potato Apple Butter Casserole
Fun and fruity, this casserole is the best kind of gooey goodness. It’s a very rich Thanksgiving day side dish made with apple butter, sweet potato puree, cream, honey, and brown sugar. Sprinkle with pecans just before serving and dive in!
23. Mini Sweet Potato Pies
Thanksgiving is a crazy time, especially if you’re playing host to a large crowd. That’s why these make-ahead pies are a great way to lighten your load amid the holiday whirl. Of course, there’s a little bit of prep and assembly involved but you can do it a few days ahead of time. And if you’re really prepared, you can even make the filling weeks ahead and freeze it until needed. Let’s talk about that filling. It’s a heavenly blend of sweet potato puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and evaporated milk. Click on a star to rate it!
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