43 Sweet Potato Recipes for Weeknights and Holidays
If this extensive list of our best sweet potato recipes doesn’t make it obvious, we’ll just say it: We love these sweet, starchy, colorful spuds, which thrive whether they’re mashed, baked, or fried.
Maybe you already know your way around this kitchen workhorse—you’ve been making simple roasted sweet potatoes and festive candied sweet potatoes for years. But you still need some fresh ideas, right? So we’ve collected all of our favorite ways to cook sweet potatoes below.
First things first: Make sure you know the difference between sweet potatoes and yams. In short, true yams are an entirely different vegetable. American yams, on the other hand, are merely mislabeled sweet potatoes thanks to a marketing gimmick from the 1930s. Other varieties, such as Japanese sweet potatoes, have distinct characteristics; while you can often substitute a regular sweet potato, it’s worth finding a specific variety when a recipe calls for it.
From there, follow your cravings. This collection includes the kind of cozy casseroles you’ll want to snuggle up with, a sweet potato pie you can make right now and freeze for Thanksgiving, actually crispy sweet potato wedges, and a wide variety of methods for transforming the tubers into hearty vegetarian dinners.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by JoJo Li1/43Sticky-Spicy Glazed Sweet Potatoes
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Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon4/43Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This simple recipe will get you tender sweet potatoes every time—and we’re confident in assuming that those times will be many. Add these roasted vegetables to a salad, serve with roasted chicken, or use them as a meatless taco filling.
Photograph by Jenny Huang, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Martha Bernabe6/43Sweet Potato Tian
Tian, a Provençal-style gratin of sliced vegetables served right from its baking vessel, gets a Chinese American twist here thanks to ginger, miso, dark soy sauce, and five-spice powder.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li7/43Sweet Potato Hummus
Like hummus, but with sweet potatoes instead of chickpeas. The rest is the same: garlic, olive oil, tahini, kosher salt, and a touch of tart citrus, blended until silky. Just add flatbread or crunchy vegetables for dipping.
Photograph by Andre Rucker, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht8/43Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Sesame-Soy Butter
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski9/43Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime10/43Sweet Potatoes With Maple Tahini
Photograph by Chris Simpson, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker11/43Sweet Potato and Onion Tempura With Chive Mayo
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness13/43Cornmeal-Crusted Sweet Potato Wedges
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski14/43Dinner Salad With Radicchio and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova15/43Obe Ata Stew With Chicken and Spinach
This recipe uses obe ata, a Nigerian sauce that incorporates floral habanero chiles and bell peppers, as the base for a warming weeknight-friendly chicken and sweet potato stew.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Anna Stockwell, prop styling by Emily Eisen16/43Sweet Potato Bowls With Spiced Lamb and Mushrooms
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski17/43Charred Sweet Potatoes With Hot Honey Butter and Lime
When hot sauce is mixed with butter, it becomes a spicy, creamy spread perfect for melting over burnished sweet potato halves. This never-boring holiday side can also jazz up any weeknight dinner.
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou21/43Green Curry Lentil Soup
Ginger, cilantro, spinach, and sweet potatoes—rich in vitamin C and potassium—can bolster us even in the coldest days of sweater season. Bonus: Total cooking time is just 30 minutes.
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams22/43Grilled Purple Sweet Potato Salad
To make the most of your vividly hued sweet potatoes, look no further than this crispy, charred purple potato salad. Loaded with mayo, lemon, and soy, this recipe is smoky, creamy, and designed to be the star of any potluck.
Photo by Emma Fishman23/43Farro-Vegetable Hash With Chermoula
Think of this as breakfast fried rice but with nutty, chewy farro instead. Well, that plus crispy brussels sprouts, bacon, roasted sweet potatoes, and fresh chermoula.
Photo by Oriana Koren, food styling by Lillian Kang, prop styling by Jillian Knox25/43Sweet Potato Grits
If you thought cheese grits were the ultimate breakfast porridge, we’d like to introduce you to a foolproof crowd-pleaser—one that also uses up last night’s leftover roasted sweet potatoes.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen26/43Ponzu Roasted Salmon for Two
Dressed with a tart-and-sweet blend of ginger, garlic, lime juice, tamari, honey, and sesame oil, this dinner for two feels fancy enough for a special occasion.
Photo by Alex Lau27/43Charred Sweet Potatoes With Toum
One of our favorite recipes for sweet potatoes comes with a smear of toum, a garlic sauce that’s a staple of Lebanese cuisine and others from the Levant.
Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli29/43Sweet Potatoes With Tahini Butter
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman30/43Spicy Kimchi–Sweet Potato Fritters
You don’t need much equipment to make this sweet potato recipe, but one thing is key: Wring out as much liquid as possible from the shreds if you want those super-crispy edges. These are a great way to kick off a Hanukkah, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve party.
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food Styling by Pearl Jones.31/43Pan-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh
The best part of this easy vegan dinner is the crispy, golden shallots. No, it’s the tempeh that tastes like bacon bits. No, it’s the velvety roasted sweet potatoes. No, no, no—it’s the smoky chipotle oil that flavors it all.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski32/43Shingled Sweet Potatoes With Harissa
If you often find sweet potato side dishes too sweet, try this elegant rendition of the classic casserole, which gets complex, earthy flavor and a touch of heat from harissa.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jillian Knox, prop styling Sophie Peoples33/43Grilled Sweet Potatoes With Charred Scallion Mayo
The heat of the grill concentrates the sweetness of these sweet potato slices; serve them with barbecue chicken and an ice cream cake for dessert.
Photograph by Aaron Barton, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon34/43Baked Sweet Potato Chaat
Forget regular baked potatoes—these tender, sweet taters loaded with chaat-inspired toppings make for a bright and flavorful vegetarian main with well-spiced depth from cumin and black pepper.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni35/43Almost-Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Toasted marshmallows, we can’t quit you. This vintage-inspired Thanksgiving side gets its crunch from a crispy cornflake streusel, so it’s safe for folks who can’t eat nuts.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Paola Andrea36/43Sweet Potato Pie With Marshmallow Whip
Photograph by Christopher Testani, Food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Alex Brannian37/43Sweet Potato Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate Ganache
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D’mytrek Brown38/43Seedy Sweet Potato Oatmeal
A steamed and then mashed sweet potato adds creaminess and extra nutrients to this cozy oatmeal, which can be easily customized to fit various dietary preferences—or moods.
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio39/43Sweet Potato Cake With Salted Cream Cheese Frosting
Simple in design and mostly traditional in flavor—salted cream cheese frosting is a little glow-up—this Southern-style layer cake is, dare we say it, the One.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Christina Allen40/43Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
This pumpkin pie filling comes together quickly in a food processor, but if you don’t have one, a potato masher will get the job done.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell41/43Harissa Sweet Potato Tarte Tatin
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Food Styling by Paige Hicks42/43Sweet Potato Pone
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li43/43Sweet Potato Tea Cake
Instead of icing, this recipe for sweet potato cake gets a blanket of fluffy vanilla meringue, which bakes up crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
