Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 37 Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving and Beyond By Zoe Denenberg Updated on May 9, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Although you're probably most familiar with the classic sweet potato dishes you see on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, this sweet and savory spud offers a lot more than just a touch of holiday nostalgia. This versatile tuber can transition between sweet and savory in a flash. It brings earthiness and warmth to our favorite holiday desserts, like sweet potato pie, and subtle, natural sweetness to entrées and sides. Higher in fiber and lower in calories than a russet or a Yukon gold, the sweet potato is a great healthier alternative to starchy spuds too. While it's a must on most holiday menus (is it even Thanksgiving without a sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows?), this simple side is worthy of working its way into your daily supper plans too. A humble baked sweet potato topped with a pat of butter and a dash of cinnamon is absolutely irresistible any day. Whether you want to mix it up on a weeknight or impress the in-laws at your next holiday gathering, here are some of our favorite sweet potato recipes to get you started. 01 of 37 Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes You'll need just a few ingredients and your Instant Pot to turn sweet potatoes into a buttery and creamy side dish. 02 of 37 Sweet Potato Stacks Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Sweet Potato Stacks All of the taste of sweet potato casserole in an elevated stack, this recipe is a fantastically unique twist on your traditional holiday side. 03 of 37 Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato Salad Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato Salad We skip the mayonnaise and replace the traditional potatoes with sweet potatoes in this lightened-up version of potato salad. 04 of 37 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole Give your overstuffed holiday oven a little breathing room, and let your slow cooker lend a hand. 05 of 37 Sweet Potato Rolls Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sweet Potato Rolls Add a little bit of color and sweetness to homemade rolls with the addition of a sweet potato. 06 of 37 Melting Sweet Potatoes Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Melting Sweet Potatoes Meet your new signature sweet potato side. 07 of 37 Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Recipe: Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes There's nothing boring about these oven-baked spuds, especially when you can let your imagination run wild with personalized toppings. 08 of 37 Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Recipe: Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup An immersion blender helps turn root vegetables into a rich and creamy soup. 09 of 37 Sweet Potato Brownies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Sweet Potato Brownies Natural syrupy sugars from roasted sweet potatoes are just the addition your next batch of homemade brownies needs. 10 of 37 Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Photography, and Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries With less mess and fewer calories than its traditionally fried cousin, this recipe may be our new air fryer favorite. 11 of 37 Spicy Sweet Potato Crostini Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Spicy Sweet Potato Crostini Sweet potatoes aren't just for side dishes. Here they serve as the base for a flavorful appetizer. 12 of 37 Perini Ranch Steakhouse Southern Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Pecans Robbie Caponetto; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Perini Ranch Steakhouse Southern Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Pecans This recipe comes from Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas. We love the rustic touch of cooking it in a cast-iron skillet. 13 of 37 Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Brown butter adds a rich nuttiness to the classic Sweet Potato Pie in this new favorite recipe. 14 of 37 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Emily Laurae/Southern Living Recipe: Classic Sweet Potato Casserole You'll be surprised how versatile this classic casserole is. The sweet potato filling is finished with a crunchy topping of cornflakes, pecans, and brown sugar, balanced out with the gooey favorite—marshmallows. 15 of 37 Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Not only is this casserole visually stunning, but the pre-sliced potatoes make it easy to portion out. 16 of 37 Sweet Potato Cobbler Antonis Achilleos, Food Styling: Gordon Sawyer and Tina Stamos, Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Sweet Potato Cobbler We all know and love sweet potato pie, but we may have just found a new favorite sweet potato dessert. Topped with buttermilk biscuit drops and streusel crumbles, this cobbler expertly walks the line between sweet and savory. 17 of 37 Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon Never underestimate the power of a warm, hearty soup. Feel free to leave out the bacon to make this recipe vegetarian-friendly. 18 of 37 Two-Potato Gratin Hector Sanchez Recipe: Two-Potato Gratin Layered with thinly sliced Yukon golds and sweet potatoes, this Two-Potato Gratin has the best of both worlds. 19 of 37 Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Trade the marshmallows for breadcrumbs and the cinnamon for sage and you've got a hearty, savory take on the classic holiday side. 20 of 37 Bourbon Sweet Potatoes Southern Living Recipe: Bourbon Sweet Potatoes This sweet potato mash has a secret ingredient. Serve with thick slices of Thanksgiving turkey and an Old Fashioned. 21 of 37 Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust Jennifer Davick Recipe: Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust This gorgeous potato cake may just outshine the Thanksgiving turkey. 22 of 37 Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread with Whipped Sweet Potato Butter Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread with Whipped Sweet Potato Butter You'll want to save this sweet potato butter and spread it on just about everything, from toast to sandwiches. 23 of 37 Shepherd's Pie with Potato Crust Greg Dupree Recipe: Shepherd's Pie with Potato Crust With a two-tone scalloped potato crust, this Shepherd's Pie is anything but ordinary. 24 of 37 Grilled Sweet Potato Fries Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Grilled Sweet Potato Fries Fire up the grill and enjoy sweet potatoes year-round with these simple, thick-cut Grilled Sweet Potato Fries. 25 of 37 Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Corn Slow-Cooker Chowder Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Corn Slow-Cooker Chowder Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it go low and slow all day long. 26 of 37 Sweet Potato Muffins Micah A. Leal Recipe: Sweet Potato Muffins Serve these muffins warm with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of spices for a real sweet breakfast treat. 27 of 37 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Alison Miksch Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Orange juice gives this dish a little sweetness, while pieces of crumbled bacon will give you something to savor, and rosemary will give it an aroma all its own. 28 of 37 Oven-Fried Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Oven-Fried Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans Sometimes, you just need a simple sheet pan dinner. With protein, starch, and veggies, this recipe has everything you need for a well-rounded meal. 29 of 37 Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Bites Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Bites These portable sausage bites are the perfect addition to any gameday spread. 30 of 37 Sweet Potato Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Sliced Sweet Potato Pie with Molasses Whipped Cream This inventive recipe calls for the sweet potatoes sliced, not pureed, to add layered texture to the pie. 31 of 37 Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Victor Protasio Recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole We'll be having sweet potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the help of this easy, big-batch breakfast casserole. 32 of 37 Sweet Potato Soufflé Micah Leal Recipe: Sweet Potato Soufflé This soufflé's stunning orange color earns it the title of an impressive dinner party dessert. 33 of 37 Sweet Potato Soup Greg DuPree Recipes: Sweet Potato Soup Dress this simple soup up with a few chopped pecans and a drizzle of yogurt on top. 34 of 37 Sweet Potato Mash Southern Living Recipe: Sweet Potato Mash Trade sweet potatoes for baking potatoes in this warm, savory side. 35 of 37 Grated Sweet Potato Pudding Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Grated Sweet Potato Pudding Enhance the autumn flavor of this popular holiday side with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. 36 of 37 Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe: Sweet Potato Cornbread Add a touch of sweetness to cornbread by adding two cups of mashed sweet potatoes. 37 of 37 Sweet Potato Pound Cake Jennifer Davick; Styling: Allison R. Banks Recipe: Sweet Potato Pound Cake Serve up sweet potatoes on the dessert table with this pound cake recipe. Frequently Asked Questions Are sweet potatoes healthy? Sweet potatoes contain many nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese. These nutrients support gut health and your immune system. Are sweet potatoes the same as yams? No. Sweet potatoes and yams have different textures, flesh, and culinary uses, as sweet potatoes are softer and sweet when cooked, unlike a yam's dry and starchy flesh. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit