Sweet potatoes: they're the tubers (well, really the morning glory) that never fail you. They go to bat in recipes both savory and sweet, transitioning seamlessly from airy soufflés to stick-to-your-rib chilis to toasty waffles (seriously, give them a go). Hearty, versatile, and colorful, sweet potatoes never fail to bring cheer and are just what you need to get through the wintry slush.
You probably have one or two in your pantry right now, lingering, ever hopeful, and ready to be your next dinner. Or dessert. Or breakfast! If you don't, now's the time to stock up, because we've got 38 recipes to keep in your back pocket—sweet, savory, and in-between—all winter long.
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Our Best Sweet PotatoRecipes
1. Sweet Potato Nachos
It’s game day baby, so we’re serving these epic vegetarian nachos that are hearty enough to be the main course. Oh, and did we mention there are actually no tortilla chips needed? Instead, thinly sliced sweet potatoes serve as the bed for black beans, shredded cheese, salsa, and avocados.
2. Baked Sweet Potatoes With Maple Crème Fraîche From Nik Sharma
This is no ordinary baked potato recipe to pair with a Sunday roast. Bake them until the skin is crispy and the flesh is fluffy, then dress them with sweetened crème fraîché, scallions, roasted peanuts, and red chile flakes.
3. Sweet Potato Yogurt
You only need two ingredients—store-bought Greek yogurt and roasted sweet potatoes—for this sweet and creamy purée that is so much tastier than the overly sweet yogurts you find at the grocery store.
4. Sweet Potato Cake With Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
Think of this as a fun twist on sweet potato casserole—because that’s exactly what it is! Similar to carrot cake in flavor and appearance, but with sweet potato purée folded into the batter and a cloudlike marshmallow topping.
5. Goguma Mattang (Candied Sweet Potatoes)
“Goguma mattang is one of my favorite sweet Korean snacks. Deep-fried then shellacked in a syrup, sweet potato chunks take on impossibly crispy shells that shatter to reveal a soft, fluffy interior,” writes recipe developer Catherine Yoo. We know you’ll love them too.
6. Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes (for Dessert!)
You may think of sweet potatoes as a good dessert when they’re in the form of a pie or cake, but just on their own? Hear me out. If you roast them with maple syrup, then lay over a swipe of coconut yogurt, and a sprinkle of orange zest, it tastes just as sweet-tooth-satisfying as marshmallow-topped dessert.
7. Sweet Potato Fries
You didn’t think I’d go through a whole roundup of sweet potato recipes without including one for homemade fries, did you? These tender, crispy fries are deep-fried and sprinkled with flaky sea salt. I like them best along with a pulled pork sandwich, but that’s just me.
8. Sweet Potato Tart With a Coconut Pecan Crust
Coconut oil and coconut milk are deployed in this dairy-free, gluten-free sweet potato recipe. The crust is made with pecan halves, shredded coconut, coconut sugar, dried dates, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
9. Sweet Potato Rum Cookies
Anything that Chrissy Teigen creates, I want to get my hands on. For these cookies, Teigen uses canned sweet potatoes rather than fresh ones because they’re packed with a delicious syrup that adds a little extra sweetness.
10. Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls With Browned Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
Wake up to these orangey cinnamon rolls, which are perfect for fall. There’s roasted sweet potato purée in the dough and a crunchy pepita-cinnamon filling. Now that’s a reason to get out of bed.
11.
A rosti is essentially a giant potato pancake. Pretty epic, right? Instead of the usual latke suspects (russets, onions, and garlic), this autumnal version is made with sweet potatoes and apples, plus fresh dill and kale.
12.
It’s cold outside, you’re hungry, and you feel like saving money so you’re skipping the takeout. You peek in your pantry and find that you have all the ingredients for this hearty vegan stew (I promise, you do!). And the best part is it comes together in just 30 minutes. Win-win!
13. Sweet Potato Hummingbird Cake
This sweet southern staple is made with the usual combination of bananas and pineapple, but has a few new additions such as black currants, green peanuts, and grated sweet potatoes. I’ll be hard-pressed to ever go back to the original recipe.
14.
Missing the flavor of peak summer veggies and not quite ready to embrace cold-weather comfort food just yet? This sweet potato recipe balances the very best of both seasons, thanks to bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and hearty greens.
15.
This family-friendly celebratory stew is made with boneless chicken thighs and sweet potatoes, with an incredible blend of herbs and spices like fresh and dried ginger, turmeric, coriander, dried chile, shallots, and garlic.
16. Deborah Madison's Sweet Potato Flan
Maple syrup brings the sweetness and a lovely touch of fall flavor to this sweet potato dessert recipe. Garnish each ramekin with a dollop of maple-infused yogurt and caramelized pecans.
17. Whole Grain Sweet Potato Muffins
These nutrient-packed muffins are made with whole-wheat flour, mashed roasted sweet potatoes, and a perfect trio of warming spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice).
18. Sweet Potato Chana Masala
When you want a nourishing meal that will keep you full for hours, whip up this 15-minute one-pot sweet potato recipe for lunch or dinner.
19. School-Party Sheet Cake
A zucchini cake and sweet potato frosting may sound like a weird combination, but it’s really, really, really good—and also extremely chocolatey. The zucchini keeps the cocoa cake super moist and sweet potato purée creates the creamiest-ever frosting.
20.
“This is essentially a ‘clean out the fridge and pantry’ soup,” writes recipe developer Burnt Offerings. If you need further convincing to try this sweet potato recipe, it was voted our readers’ favorite autumn soup.
21.
Our best one-pan dinner recipe ever (it’s true! Our readers said so!) is quite frankly delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
22. Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies
Sweet potatoes can easily be turned into a cake, sweet soufflé, or pie, so unsurprisingly they’re a great addition to brownie batter. The purée makes these brownies extra-fudgy and adds a secret dose of nutrients—and who’s mad about that?
23. Sweet Potato Maple Hash Browns
Accompany a bacon, egg, and cheese or three-egg cheesy omelet with these sweet (and a little spicy!) sweet potato hash browns.
24. Sweet Potato Waffles, Sweet or Savory
Sweet potato waffles don’t actually need to be overly sweet or overly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. These subdued waffles can be dressed up savory with plenty of fixins’, like eggs, sliced turkey, and avocado; or slant sweet with a drizzle of maple syrup, a pat of butter, and not much else.
25. Sweet Potatoes Anna With Prunes
You only need four ingredients—sweet potatoes, butter, port wine, and pitted prunes—to make this very chic side dish.
26.
Recipe developer Gena Hamshaw recommends making this sweet potato recipe the day after Thanksgiving (or any other major holiday) when you have lots of leftovers that you want to use up. Don’t have to tell me twice!
27.
When fall produce is at its peak, I try to make use of as much as possible, which is why I love this recipe. Recipe developer Kukla says ideally you’d make this soufflé with sweet potatoes, but it also works with butternut squash or pumpkins, which is right up my alley.
28.
Fall means football season which, in turn, means platters of beefy nachos, pulled pork sliders, and pigs in a blanket. But vegetarians and vegans, I didn’t forget about you! This chili recipe gets its heartiness from black beans, sweet potatoes, and diced tomatoes.
29.
“This vegan lentil soup is a comforting bowl of goodness, perfect for the cooler seasons. With sweet potatoes and kale, it's quite the nourishing meal and can keep you full for hours—super easy to make and only requires one pot,” writes recipe developer Shanika Graham-White.
30.
This is the prettiest, most flavorful grain bowl ever created. Sounds dramatic, but it’s the dang truth!
31.
Meyer lemons are more fragrant, less acidic, and all-around more pleasant than Eureka lemons (aka the kind you usually grab at the grocery store). A colorful combination of leafy greens, root vegetables, and citrus are all elegantly arranged in a whole-wheat lemon crust.
32. "Ottolenghi-fied" Sweet Potatoes
Ottolenghi is a person (specifically, one of our favorite chefs!), but it’s also a verb. In this case, to “Ottolenghi-fy” something like roasted vegetables means to balance sweet and spicy flavors with crispy and creamy textures. Recipe developer and food editor Emma Laperruque nailed it.
33. Sweet Potato Bake
Not quite a gratin, but more interesting than a mash or roast, this layered sweet potato side dish only needs a little bit of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange segments.
34.
This crowd-friendly hearty salad is perfect for fall and winter dinners. In addition to the taters, chickpeas, and kale, it also features slices of red onion, sliced almonds, crumbled cheddar cheese (yes, please!), and sliced apple.
35. Brown Butter-Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Arugula and Bacon
Bacon and brown sugar and sweet potatoes are a trio that I’d like to eat 24/7, please and thank you. For now, I’ll start with this nutty side dish.
36.
To make this sweet potato casserole worthy of a holiday feast, mix the mashed spuds with light brown sugar, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, and eggs, then cover the mixture with a crumbly pecan and brown sugar topping.
37.
Nduja is a super intense, savory pork product that, when paired with nutty brown butter, instantly transforms sweet potatoes into something new and exciting.
38. Sweet Potatoes Roasted in Coconut Oil
Just two tablespoons of coconut oil goes a long way to enhancing the sweetness and nuttiness of roasted sweet potatoes. It’s a spectacular, simple side dish for everyday and extra-special meals.
