24 Simple Sweet Potato Recipes

Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes
Photo: Victor Protasio

Sweet potatoes are one of the most delicious, comforting, and easy-to-use fall and winter ingredients — sweet and savory, they're versatile, to boot. Sometimes, there's nothing cozier than a simple baked sweet potato, piping hot out of the oven. For an easy weeknight dinner side dish, it's hard to beat the savory-sweet creaminess of mashed sweet potatoes. Looking to include more sweet potatoes in your cooking repertoire this year? Here are 24 of our favorite sweet potato recipes for inspiration — try a sweet potato gratin, sweet potato-coconut soup, and our best sweet potato pies to start.

01 of 24

Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie

Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas

The different components of this pie can be prepared on different days. Here's a suggested order of steps you might find useful. Day 1: Roast sweet potatoes, reduce the beer, and prepare the pie crust, but don't blind (partially) bake yet. Day 2: Blind bake the pie crust, prepare the sweet potato custard, and bake the pie.

02 of 24

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

Sweet potato spoon bread
© Quentin Bacon

Spoon bread, a cross between corn bread and soufflé, is a Southern classic. Chef Robert Stehling likes to add cooked spinach or fresh corn and chopped, sautéed bacon or ham to his plain sweet potato version.

03 of 24

Sweet Potato and Feta Bourekas

Sweet Potato and Feta Bourekas
Greg DuPree

Bourekas are crisp, savory little parcels filled with anything from vegetables and cheese to ground meat. Inspired by his grandmother's recipe, chef Michael Solomonov's version is stuffed with sweet potato, Bulgarian feta, dill, and olives.

04 of 24

Oxtail and White Sweet Potato Stew

Oxtail and White Sweet Potato Stew
Johnny Miller

A red wine braise, complete with other mulling ingredients like fresh orange and whole spices, makes the oxtails in this stew fall-apart tender and flavorful.

05 of 24

Sheet-Pan Tofu with Broccolini, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potatoes

Sheet-Pan Tofu with Broccolini, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potatoes
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

A citrus-soy marinade adds zing to crisp roasted tofu in this easy sheet-pan dinner. Spreading the tofu and vegetables across two baking sheets ensures that they roast, rather than steam, in the oven. For the crispiest tofu and tender vegetables, space the ingredients evenly so hot air can circulate among them.

06 of 24

Sweet Potato Gratin with Chile-Spiced Pecans

Sweet Potato Gratin with Chile-Spiced Pecans
© Petrina Tinslay

Chef 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.

07 of 24

Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes

Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes
Victor Protasio

Inspired by camotes enmielados — a sweet and syrupy Mexican dessert often served in honor of Día de los Muertos — these spiced sweet potatoes are the perfect stand-in for candied yams with toasted marshmallows.

08 of 24

Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo Butter

Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo Butter
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee

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. Scoring baked sweet potatoes and then broiling them gives them a hint of smoke and lets the chorizo butter soak into every bite.

09 of 24

Sweet Potato–Coconut Soup with Thai Curry

Sweet Potato–Coconut Soup with Thai Curry
© John Kernick

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

10 of 24

Curried Shrimp and Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

Curried shrimp and sweet potato stir-fry
© Phoebe Lapine

This easy shrimp stir-fry garnished with peanuts and herbs comes together in less than 20 minutes and tastes delicious over simple jasmine rice.

11 of 24

Sweet Potato, Balsamic Onion, and Soppressata Pizza

Sweet Potato, Balsamic Onion and Soppressata Pizza
DAVID MALOSH

Soppressata tops this clever prebaked-crust pizza, along with mashed sweet potatoes, caramelized onion, and mozzarella cheese. Enjoy it with a juicy, medium-bodied Pinot Noir.

12 of 24

Roasted Hot Honey Sweet Potato Salad

Toasted Hot Honey Pecan Sweet Potato Salad
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

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.

13 of 24

Sweet Potato, Chipotle, and Apple Soup

Sweet potato, chipotle, and apple soup
© Earl Carter

This silky soup gets its smoky sweetness from pureed chipotle peppers, a Mexican staple, and the surprising addition of apples. It's served in shallow bowls and garnished with fried tortilla strips for crunch.

14 of 24

Candied Sweet Potato Pancakes

Candied Sweet Potato Pancakes
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This quick-fix recipe is the ideal breakfast for the morning after Thanksgiving — or any time you have leftover candied sweet potatoes on hand. The addition of mashed sweet potatoes gives the pancakes a beautiful color and keeps them extra moist and tender. Since the potatoes are already sweetened, 2020 F&W Best New Chef Douglass Williams cuts back the amount of brown sugar in the batter and plays up the warming cinnamon and clove.

15 of 24

Sweet Potato Hummus

Sweet potato hummus
© Kristen Stevens

Roasted sweet potato adds just a hint of sweetness to regular hummus. For a touch of heat and flavor complexity, blend in the optional cayenne pepper. This hummus keeps in the fridge for up to a month, so it's easy to keep on hand for all your dipping and spreading needs.

16 of 24

Maple-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Maple-baked sweet potatoes
© Frances Janisch

Parboiling the sweet potatoes shortens the baking time and keeps them moist. Once tender, they can be broiled briefly to achieve a browned top.

17 of 24

Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Rice Casserole

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Rice Casserole
© Ian Knauer

The rice in this hearty casserole filling is cooked until it starts to fall apart, thickening the liquid. A generous amount of cheddar cheese and panko breadcrumbs make for a gloriously browned top.

18 of 24

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter
© Lucy Schaeffer

Pro tip: Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher until creamy, then mash in the butter and apple butter. Season with a dash of salt and serve.

19 of 24

Lamb, Sweet Potato, and Coconut Mafé Curry

Lamb, Sweet Potato, and Coconut Mafé Curry
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Perfectly tender lamb shoulder and creamy sweet potatoes balanced by floral coriander, warming turmeric and cumin, and piquant ginger and ground mustard make this West African curry a cozy delight. Fonio is a tiny grain that packs a nutritional punch and provides the perfect base for soaking up the flavorful curry sauce.

20 of 24

Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Hand Pies

Brussels sprouts and Sweet potato hand pies
Gerard + Belevender

Made with baker Lisa Ludwinski's Sister Pie All-Butter Pie Dough, the golden, crispy pastry encasing these savory hand pies shatters almost like a croissant. Lightly mashed sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, tangy sour cream, and aged cheddar make up the creamy, cheesy filling.

21 of 24

Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

Sweet potato meringue pie
© TINA RUPP

This dessert from 2000 F&W Best New Chef Andrew Carmellini looks like a pumpkin pie, but the filling is actually made with sweet potato. It sits on a spiced graham cracker-pecan crust and is topped with billowy meringue instead of the typical whipped cream.

22 of 24

Curry Chicken and Sweet Potato Galette

Curry Chicken and Sweet Potato Galette
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Chef Alexander Hardy infuses flavor into each layer of this golden galette. The crust, seasoned with turmeric and garlic, surrounds a savory blend of green seasoning–spiked chicken thighs, roasted sweet potatoes, and sweet mixed bell peppers. Choose jarred sofrito for a shortcut, or make the piquant, herbal green seasoning from scratch.

23 of 24

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Empanadas

Sweet potato cheesecake empanadas at Boricua Soul
Lauren Vied Allen

Puerto Rico and the American South intersect deliciously in this unique dessert empanada from Boricua Soul in Durham, North Carolina, which combines the flavors of marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole with spiced pumpkin cheesecake, encasing it all in caramel-drizzled, crisp pastry.

24 of 24

Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes
© Frances Janisch

The late New York chef Gerry Hayden created this flavorful side dish, a combination of creamy pureed sweet potatoes and fragrant vanilla.

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