Thanksgiving

Our 62 Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving

Would it really be Thanksgiving without the sweet potatoes? Get inspired by these recipes, including great traditional casseroles and crispy (and spicy) alternatives.

By The Epicurious Editors

November 1, 2019

Our 62 Best Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving | Epicurious

If you're looking for the best sweet potato recipes for Thanksgiving, you've come to the right place. These tasty recipes all have one thing: delicious, colorful sweet potatoes are the main ingredient. Sure, there are classics, like sweet potato casseroles and pies, but we've also got updated alternatives including sweet potato breads and hearty fall salads. Below, 62 mouthwatering options to serve this holiday.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege
1/62
Sweet Potato Sonker With Milk Dip
This North Carolinian cobbler-like dessert, with both a bottom crust and lattice top, is glazed with a sweetened milk “dip” after baking for a time and then returned to the oven so that the dip forms a rich gloss.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
2/62
Sweet Potato Casserole With Easy Candied Pecans
Crunchy, creamy, savory, sweet—this classic sweet potato side dish has it all. Boil the sweet potatoes until tender, and then purée them in a food processor before adding in vanilla and maple syrup, then top with buttery pecans.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
3/62
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sometimes simple is best. This tried-and-true sweet potato preparation will be right at home on any Thanksgiving dinner menu. After roasting the spuds, slice them in half and drizzle with olive oil and top with crunchy nuts, herbs, or whatever you desire.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Sean Dooley
4/62
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Six ingredients (including salt and pepper) stand between you and what may just be the world’s most perfect side dish.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog
5/62
Roasted Sweet Potato and Delicata Squash With Cranberry Agrodolce
Sure, sweet potatoes and squash already have some sweetness. But they're even better dressed up with a few dollops of sweet and sour cranberry sauce in this holiday-ready side.
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Photo by Alex Lau
6/62
Charred Sweet Potatoes With Toum
This recipe is nice twice. The roasting and honey-glazing method is a great way to make sweet potatoes, and you also get an eggless garlic sauce that you’ll use again and again.
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Photo by Tara Donne, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell
7/62
Spiced Sweet Potato and Parsnip Tian
With apple cider, Aleppo pepper, parsnips, and fresh thyme, this pretty dish offers a lighter (and prettier) take on your usual Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini. Salad Bowl Courtesy of Heath Ceramics.
8/62
Torn Potatoes of Many Colors With Chile-Lime Butter
Sure, you could use just one kind of potato for this pomegranate-topped side dish, but we love to combine a few. Try orange and purple sweet potatoes plus Yukon Golds.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege
9/62
Spicy Cornbread Stuffing With Chorizo and Sweet Potatoes
This flavor-packed holiday side feeds a crowd of 20 and takes care of both the stuffing and the sweet potatoes. If you'd rather tone down the spice, omit (or reduce) the fresh chiles.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
10/62
Thanksgiving Dinner for One
All the elements of a classic Thanksgiving feast, conveniently portioned just for one, including your own mini sweet potato casserole. Because dining alone shouldn't mean you miss out on all the holiday favorites.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
11/62
3-Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole With Maple Pecans
Maple syrup pumps up the flavor of puréed sweet potatoes and provides a sweet glaze for extra-peppery candied pecans in this surprisingly sophisticated Thanksgiving side.
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Photo by Johnny Miller
12/62
Farro Salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Red Onion, and Goat Cheese
Skip the sweet potato casserole and instead use your sweet potatoes to make this hearty salad with crisp radishes, caramelized onions, and zingy dressing.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
13/62
Sweet Potato Casserole With Graham Cracker Streusel
Embrace the sweetness with this maple-kissed casserole, topped with a playful pecan-graham crumble and toasty marshmallows. It's so ridiculously good it could double as dessert.
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Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
14/62
Shingled Sweet Potatoes With Harissa
Some of the best sweet potato recipes for Thanksgiving are anything but ordinary. Here, harissa lends both a spiciness and an earthiness to this savory dish topped with pistachios.
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15/62
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chile Yogurt and Mint
This twice-roasted method allows for the sweet potatoes in this recipe to get super-creamy on the inside while their skins become the perfect amount of crispy.
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Photo by Alex Lau
16/62
Twice-Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Hot Honey
This recipe embraces the incredible natural sweetness of sweet potatoes, but gives it a spicy edge with thinly sliced chiles prepared with honey and butter.
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Photo by Alex Lau
17/62
Charred Sweet Potatoes With Honey and Olive Oil
Sure, they're not totally traditional for Thanksgiving, but Japanese sweet potatoes have a delicate chestnut flavor that's a great addition to the holiday meal.
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Gentl & Hyers
18/62
Root Vegetable Tarte Tatin
We love the color and texture you get from using a combination of fall vegetables, but any single root vegetable can be used here, too.
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Photo by Gentl & Hyers
19/62
Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprout Okonomiyaki
This nontraditional Japanese pancake would be a great Thanksgiving first course—but it'd be even better the next day, topped with shredded turkey and all the other suggested toppings.
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Photo by Gregory Waldo, food styling by Katherine Sacks
20/62
Ash-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Bonfire at Thanksgiving? If you're the sort go ahead and roast potatoes in the embers, then toast marshmallows the old fashioned way and assemble at will.
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Photo by Alexandra Shytsman
21/62
Sweet Potato–Tahini Dip With Za'atar
This year, serve the sweet potatoes before the main event. This tasty dip is a mixture of sweet potatoes, creamy tahini, lemon juice, and homemade za'atar.
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Photo by Peter Frank Edwards
22/62
Sweet Potato Casserole With Sorghum
Instead of the standard marshmallow topping, the recipe uses sorghum syrup for a rich, deep sweetness, and chopped roasted peanuts for a pleasing crunchy contrast.
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Photo by Jerrelle Guy
23/62
Sweet Potato Rice Crispies
All the best flavors of sweet potato casserole combined with a childhood favorite treat. All you have to do is blend puréed sweet potato into your cereal and marshmallow mixture.
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Photo by Peden + Munk
24/62
Roasted and Marinated Root Vegetables
Any root vegetable works for this preparation, but sweet potatoes are especially nice. Crisp the vegetables in the oven after they've had a chance to soak up the marinade—or don't, they’re delicious at room temperature, or even served cold.
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Lisa Hubbard
25/62
Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue
This classic Thanksgiving pie is a southern alternative to equally orange pumpkin. The secret to the delicious (and easy) meringue? Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme. Trust us.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
26/62
Pannelet Cookies With Sweet Potato and Coconut
Set a plate of these gluten-free cookies on the dessert table and watch how quickly they get gobbled up before the pies are even cut.
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Photo by Katie Newburn
27/62
Sweet Potato Julius
A great, healthful way to use up plain roasted sweet potatoes—but add a splash of dark rum and this drink could be a clever dessert cocktail.
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Jonathon Kambouris
28/62
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Step aside, pies. These sweet potato cupcakes are topped with a cream cheese and cinnamon frosting, and then garnished with dried cranberries, making for the perfect Thanksgiving treat.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
29/62
Thanksgiving Skillet Pizza
Transform the last of your Thanksgiving leftovers into this irresistible pizza, with mashed sweet potatoes taking the place of tomato sauce. Best of all, it's ready in 22 minutes.
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Peden & Munk
30/62
Seared Sweet Potatoes with Sausage and Radicchio
Sweet potato is bitter radicchio's best friend—they balance one another perfectly, even if you opt out of adding salty, rich sausage to this stellar side.
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Jeremy Liebman
31/62
Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon and Maple
The complex, bittersweet syrup for these roasted sweet potatoes is inspired by Southern redeye gravy, and is made with coffee, dark brown sugar, espresso powder, and maple syrup.
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Romulo Yanes
32/62
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Bacon-Sesame Brittle
Serve these sweet and savory potatoes as a side dish for Thanksgiving, or as a main course with a salad and roasted veg on the side.
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Photo by Nicole Franzen
33/62
Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Kale
This is a healthy alternative to the usual sugar-laden sweet potato sides at Thanksgiving. What it is lacking in sugar, however, it makes up for in the flavor department.
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Elinor Carucci
34/62
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Ham, Mustard, and Honey
Sure, these classic sweet potato biscuits packed with ham are great on the Thanksgiving dinner menu, but they taste even better as a midnight snack.
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35/62
Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This slightly spicy, tender side dish is both deeply satisfying and nutritious. This Thanksgiving sweet potato recipe comes alive with red pepper flakes, thyme, garlic, and salt.
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Photo by Chris Court and William Meppem
36/62
Quinoa and Sweet Potato Bakes
These sweet potatoes are baked in muffin tins with quinoa and plenty of creamy ricotta. A goat cheese and fresh thyme topping makes them even more flavorful.
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Hirsheimer & Hamilton
37/62
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Speck and Chimichurri
Adding speck, an Italian cured ham, and chimichurri sauce to roasted sweet potatoes makes for an unexpected and totally flavor-packed side that's one of the best sweet potato recipes for Thanksgiving.
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38/62
Sweet Potato and Sage Pancakes
These wheat-free pancakes are made with shredded sweet potatoes and sweetened with nothing but homemade, sugar-free applesauce. But go ahead and drizzle maple syrup if you feel like it.
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Photo by Linda Pugliese, Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer
39/62
Sweet Potato Bread with Caramel and Aleppo-Spiced Pecans
You can't go wrong with this delicious sweet potato bread. Gently spiced pecans and a salty caramel topping give this Thanksgiving morning treat a savory dimension.
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40/62
Sweet Potato Macaroni and Cheese
Mix up your Thanksgiving mac and cheese with the vibrant color (and luscious fall flavors) of sweet potatoes. This one's a Nigella recipe, and don't worry: There's plenty of cheese in it, too.
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Lisa Hubbard
41/62
Sweet Potato Flan
Sweet potatoes add mellow and rich sweetness to this creamy and comforting Spanish custard that's sure to be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving dessert menu.
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Elinor Carucci
42/62
Sweet Potato and Poblano Salad with Honey and Rosemary
Do you feel like traditional Thanksgiving sweet potato recipes are lacking spice? Well, this one's not. This is the spicy twist your dinner menu needs.
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Photo by Gentl & Hyers
43/62
Sweet Potato Wedges with Lime Mayo
If you're not a fan of the usual casserole, slicing your sweet potatoes into wedges and simply roasting them makes a great crunchy, dippable side.
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Stephen Sullivan; food and prop styling: Roscoe Betsill
44/62
Wildflower Honey- and Whisky-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
A touch of fragrant honey in this dish complements the potatoes' inherent sweetness. Don't be afraid to roast them to a dark golden brown—the chewy caramelized edges will add flavor.
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Catherine McCord
45/62
Sweet Potato Pancake Stack
If you're not making sweet potato pancakes the morning after Thanksgiving, then what even are you doing? Keep the feast going the next day with this flavorful recipe.
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Photo by Matt Duckor
46/62
Patti LaBelle-Style Sweet Potato Pie
Patti Labelle's version of the creamy, dreamy Southern dessert will stun everyone at your table this year. You can bake this sweet potato pie a day ahead if you're crunched for time on Thanksgiving day.
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47/62
Sweet-Potato Latkes
Time-consuming? Without a doubt. Game-changing? Most definitely. Warning: Once you add these to your Thanksgiving repertoire, your family will never let you take them off the menu.
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Elinor Carucci
48/62
Garnet Yam Puree
The garnet yam, named for its dark reddish-brown skin, is the variety you're most likely to find in the produce section of the supermarket. It's actually a sweet potato, and it's so flavorful that it requires only a little cream and butter—and a little tart lime juice certainly doesn't hurt.
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Photo by Romulo Yanes
49/62
Sweet Potato Fritters
Listen, no one is going to complain about the lack of a sweet-potato casserole when there are crispy, crunchy fritters in front of them instead.
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Photo by Stephen Hamilton
50/62
Roasted Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup
There are some flavors that beg to be paired, and sweet potatoes and ginger are in that category. This smooth, puréed soup is rich and comforting, ideal for an elegant first course on Thanksgiving.
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Ditte Isager
51/62
Sweet Potato-Pork Belly Hash
Ever felt like your sweet potatoes could use more pork? This hash does it right. Braising the pork belly yields crisp-tender nuggets ready to mingle with caramelized sweet potatoes. It's an unexpected—but nonetheless mouthwatering—Thanksgiving side.
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José Picayo
52/62
Sweet Potato Biscuits
What's Turkey Day without biscuits? This tender gluten-free biscuit, made with gluten-free flour, cornmeal, sweet potato, and buttermilk, is a great alternative to the classic rolls you serve at Thanksgiving.
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John Kernick
53/62
Roasted Sweet-Potato Rounds with Garlic Oil and Fried Sage
This simple side is an elegant way to serve sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. Sage leaves—too potent and fuzzy to eat fresh but mellow when fried—serve as a lovely garnish for this autumnal side dish.
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Stephen Sullivan; food and prop styling: Roscoe Betsill
54/62
Sweet Potato Purée with Streusel Topping
A crumbly flour-based streusel takes center stage in this crowd-pleasing casserole. If you can't imagine sweet potato casserole without marshmallows, however, just swap out the streusel for the mini marshmallows.
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Photo by Steph Gaudreau
55/62
Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls
Here's a great way to start off Thanksgiving morning when you have a big day of cooking ahead of you. These bowls are hearty and loaded with fiber.
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Photo by Floortje Van Essen-Ingen Housz
56/62
Baked Sweet Potato with Olives, Feta, and Chile
Baking intensifies the sweetness of sweet potatoes and gives the bright orange flesh a kind of fluffiness that leaves the dish light and soft at the same time.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
57/62
Cheesy Loaded Sweet Potatoes
You can steam these sweet potatoes up to five days in advance, then fancy them up, taco-bar style, with lots of great fixings.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
58/62
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
These dumplings have a light texture, thanks to the addition of fresh ricotta cheese. Drain the ricotta in a sieve for two hours before starting the recipe.
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Lisa Hubbard
59/62
Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup
This hearty soup gets rich flavor from linguiça, a delicious pork sausage from Portugal that's seasoned with garlic, paprika, and other spices. If you can't find linguiça, you can also use chorizo.
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Tim Morris
60/62
Scalloped Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin with Fresh Herbs
Two kinds of potatoes are thinly sliced and combined with cream, butter, cheese, and a mixture of herbs to create this classic Thanksgiving side dish.
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Jonathan Lovekin
61/62
Sweet Potatoes With Orange Bitters
This recipe is a rhapsody of sweet, bitter, and salty flavors. The roasted sweet potatoes come alive when tossed with chiles, thyme, sage, and garlic.
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Jonathan Lovekin
62/62
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Fresh Figs
It's Thanksgiving sweet potatoes like you've never experienced them: Wedges of sweet potatoes meet their match in the form of ripe figs, green onions, and a mouthwatering balsamic reduction.
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