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    Home » Holidays » Thanksgiving

    14 Sweet and Savory Sweet Potato Recipes

    Modified: Nov 17, 2024 · Published: Nov 17, 2022 by Sharon Rigsby · 7 Comments

    This collection of 14 Sweet and Savory Sweet Potato Recipes features simple, homemade, no-fuss sweet potato recipes that are perfect whether you are serving them for a quick weeknight meal or for a special occasion.

    Although crowd-pleasing sweet potato side dishes reign supreme at Thanksgiving and the holidays, they are also perfect to serve any time of the year. Whether you are looking for a sweet potato side dish, main dish, salad, soup, or even dessert, I’ve got you covered.

    A collage of four sweet potato recipes including pie, soup and casserole.

    From my personal favorite, Sweet Potato Bread with Pecans, to breakfast and brunch staple, Sweet Potato Hash, and dessert superstar, Sweet Potato Pie, there is something for everyone. All are easy, hearty, delicious, and satisfying recipes that include sweet potatoes, which are classified as a superfood!

    Southern Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

    Sweet potato casserole in a white baking dish with a serving spoon.

    Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Bourbon and Pecans is a delightful combination of flavors that is sure to draw rave reviews from everyone. This is a lighter version of the classic recipe for sweet potato casserole with pecans most folks expect to see on Thanksgiving. But it has a fun twist, a touch of bourbon, the quintessential southern liquor.

    Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

    Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes

    Baked Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes ready to serve

    Old-fashioned Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes with pecans is a dazzling holiday side dish with a rich combination of flavors and textures. This recipe features thinly sliced tender sweet potatoes perfectly seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves and blanketed in caramelized brown sugar, sweet, creamy butter, and candied pecans.

    Candied Sweet Potatoes

    Easy Southern Sweet Potato Bread with Pecans

    A loaf of sweet potato bread with slices cut.

    Easy Southern Sweet Potato Bread with Pecans is the ultimate quick bread! It’s moist, flavorful, and loaded with sweet potatoes and crunchy pecans. Tasty sweet potato bread is the height of quick bread perfection, and trying to resist a slice is futile!

    Sweet Potato Bread

    Roasted Turkey Breast with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

    Roasted turkey breast in a skillet over sweet potatoes and cranberries.

    Flavorful Roasted Turkey Breast with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries is the perfect Thanksgiving dinner recipe for a small gathering. Not only does this amazing dish make a beautiful presentation and feed four, but it is made in one skillet and cooks in under an hour.

    Turkey with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

    Baked Sweet Potato Slices

    Healthy Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks hot out of the oven and ready to serve

    Baked Sweet Potato Slices are the stuff sweet potato dreams are made of, full of nutritious and flavorful sweet potatoes, scallions, roasted pecans, and maple syrup!

    Baked Sweet Potato Slices

    Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk

    A slice of sweet potato pie topped with whipped cream on a plate.

    My, oh my, Sweet Potato Pie! Southern Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk tastes like a cool crisp fall day; warm, pungent spices and Thanksgiving all wrapped up in one delicious and decadent bite.

    Sweet Potato Pie

    Easy Sweet Potato Hash

    Easy Southern Sweet Potato Hash with eggs in a cast iron skillet.

    Easy Southern Sweet Potato Hash is full of healthy sweet potatoes, crisp Granny Smith apples, tart cranberries, and bacon cooked with eggs in a cast-iron skillet! Versatile, sweet, and savory Easy Southern Sweet Potato Hash is the “breakfast of champions” and a great way to start the day!

    Sweet Potato Hash

    Roasted Sweet Potato Salad 

     Sweet Potato Salad in a white bowl topped with sunflower seeds.

    Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is a unique, colorful, healthy, and, best of all, delicious choice for your Thanksgiving dinner.

    Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

    Terry’s Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

    A large baking dish full of sweet potato casserole topped with pecans and brown sugar.

    Are you looking for the most delicious Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole that you have ever eaten? One that is decadent beyond description and will have your family clamoring for more?

    Well, you are in the right place because Terry’s Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Casserole is all that and more!

    Sweet Potato Casserole

    Easy Creamy Southern Sweet Potato Carrot Soup

    Easy Creamy Southern Sweet Potato Soup in a white pan with muffins in background

    Easy Creamy Southern Sweet Potato Carrot Soup is as smooth as velvet, a little spicy, and pure creamy deliciousness. Sweet and savory with carrots and sweet potatoes, this homemade soup is quick to make and even quicker to disappear. 

    Topped with candied pecans, this easy soup recipe is 100% delicious.

    Sweet Potato Carrot Soup

    Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

    Fall Harvest Salad in a large white bowl with an apple in the background.

    This irresistibly delicious Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potatoes is as pretty as a picture and tastes as good as it looks! Full of roasted sweet potatoes, juicy sliced apples, and crunchy roasted pecans, this healthy salad will remind you of a cool crisp Fall day. 

    Fall Harvest Salad

    Smoked Sweet Potatoes

    Smoked sweet potato topped with butter with pecans and chives.

    Sinfully delicious, Smoked Sweet Potatoes topped with Maple Bourbon Butter will rock your world with their sweet and savory smoked potato goodness. The light smoky flavor goes beautifully with the delicate sweetness of the potato, and this incredible side dish is super easy to make. 

    Smoked Sweet Potatoes

    Southern Sweet Potato Biscuits with Buttermilk

    A basket of sweet potato biscuits made with buttermilk.

    Make the best Southern-Style Sweet Potato Biscuits with Buttermilk! Tender, flaky, moist, and homemade, this quick and easy recipe is a must-try for any meal. Perfect comfort food!

    Sweet Potato Biscuits

    Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

    Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup in two bowls.

    What better way to celebrate cooler weather than with the warm, cozy deliciousness of a steaming bowl of smooth, velvety Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup?

    Creamy roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup is a perfect first or starter course for Thanksgiving, or it’s an easy, healthy, light lunch or dinner. And, the best part, kids love it!

    Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

    Sweet potato FAQs:

    What is the most popular Thanksgiving side dish?

    This depends on where you live. Although mashed potatoes are the number one side dish across the country, in the South, sweet potato casseroles such as Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole and Terry’s Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole are unabashedly the star of the side dish lineup and are a must on any southern Thanksgiving dinner table.

    What is the most popular topping for a sweet potato casserole?

    There are two camps on what kind of topping should be on sweet potato casseroles. One insists on marshmallows, and the other is adamant that you can’t have a sweet potato casserole without a pecan brown sugar topping or a pecan streusel topping.

    Ours is a house divided, so I often put marshmallows on one side and pecans and brown sugar on the opposite side.

    What is the healthiest way to cook sweet potatoes?

    Baking or roasting sweet potatoes in the oven is the healthiest way to cook sweet potatoes. On their own, sweet potatoes are considered a superfood and are loaded with vitamins and minerals; it’s when you add copious amounts of butter, sugar, and other “fixin’s” that you can get into trouble.

    What dishes can be made from sweet potatoes?

    As you can see from this collection, sweet potatoes can be used in all sorts of dishes, from sides to mains. These versatile, flavorful, and colorful potatoes can also be substituted for regular white potatoes in most recipes.

    What’s the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

    While many folks use the terms interchangeably, and while both are tuber-shaped, sweet potatoes and yams are two very different food items.
    Most of the time, when folks think they are eating yams or when they see candied yams in the grocery store, they are actually sweet potatoes.

    Sweet potatoes are grown in the South, while yams are grown in West Africa.

    More Thanksgiving recipes:

    • A collage of four turkey recipes, including smoked, roulade, and spatchcocked.
      42 Easy, No-Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes for a Stress-Free Feast
    • Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing images.
      27 Thanksgiving Dressing and Stuffing Recipes for 2024
    • A collage of 4 Thanksgiving side dishes including mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and green bean casserole.
      38 Ultimate Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes – 2024

    No Thanksgiving meal would be complete without dessert, and these two recipe collections are full of ideas for ending everything on a sweet note:

    40 Best Desserts for Thanksgiving 2022 and 40 Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Desserts.

    And, because Christmas isn’t far behind, I thought you might be interested in these Christmas recipe collections: 

    • 29 Best Christmas Dessert Recipes
    • 25 Best Christmas Breakfast/Brunch Recipes
    • 30 Easy and Elegant Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas
    • 31 Easy Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts
    • 37 Fun & Festive Holiday-Party Appetizers

    ★★★★★ If you make any of these recipes, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

    Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones! I hope you come back soon!

    More Thanksgiving Recipes

    • A slice of old-fashioned pear pie on a plate with a fork.
      Old Fashioned Pear Pie Recipe (Just Like Grandma Used to Make!)
    • Cornmeal biscuits split on a plate, topped with a scoop of orange butter.
      Easy Cornmeal Biscuits with Orange Butter
    • Oreo fudge cut into squares on a piece of parchment paper.
      Oreo Fudge Recipe (Easy 3-Ingredient Fudge)
    • A slice of cottage cheese egg bake on a serving spatula over the baked casserole.
      Cottage Cheese Egg Bake (Make-Ahead)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. April

      November 07, 2016 at 7:55 am

      What a great list of sweet potato recipes! So much inspiration! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    2. Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy

      November 06, 2016 at 9:36 am

      What a great collection of recipes. Sweet potatoes can be used so many delicious ways for sure.

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        November 06, 2016 at 11:54 am

        Thanks so much Gloria!

        Reply
    3. Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen

      November 04, 2016 at 9:11 pm

      This is a lovely list of sweet potato inspired recipes and such a large variety of ways to prepare them. Definitely, goes above and beyond the traditional baked sweet potato! Love this post.

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        November 04, 2016 at 9:45 pm

        Thanks so much Kimberly!

        Reply
    4. Amy

      November 04, 2016 at 4:25 pm

      So much goodness here! How do you decide?! Although that scalloped sweet potato dish might be calling my name…

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        November 04, 2016 at 4:46 pm

        I’m with you! My husband wants me to make the Scalloped Sweet Potato dish for his office Thanksgiving party! It does look yummy!

        Reply

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    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, content creator, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and I like nothing better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

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