21 Sweet Potato Side Dishes For Thanksgiving
We love sweet potatoes at any time. But they're extra special during the holidays, when we gobble them up as classic sweet potato casseroles, jazzed- up twice-bakers, mashers, and more. Check out some of our favorite classic sweet potato side dishes for Thanksgiving along with a few exciting change-of-pace sweet potato dishes we're loving.
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Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
This is a great compromise recipe between the sweet and the savory. Smoky bacon and caramelized onions tilt this sweet potato side dish toward the savory, while pure maple syrup adds a sweet element that balances it all out wonderfully. "These are fabulous," says Rae. "I loved the salty smokey flavor of the bacon and the onions were a great addition."
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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta Cheese
Here's one for team savory! These sweet potato boats feature ricotta cheese, shallots, ground ginger, fresh sage, brown sugar, and grated Parmesan cheese. "An excellent recipe," raves ALINDNIC. "I was surprised by the richness of flavor and silky texture that the ricotta lent to the potatoes without the addition of butter or oil." If you like, top them with extra ricotta and chopped sage.
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Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mix Neufchatel cheese into mashed sweet potatoes for a rich and creamy side. "I love that these potatoes aren't overly sweet," says JenFL. "They're super creamy and were easy to make."
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Sweet Potato Casserole Dessert
Here's a classic Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole with a crunchy pecan streusel topping. "This recipe made me a sweet potato lover," says GinaS. "It is awesome! To be honest, I was not crazy about sweet potatoes in the past. My whole family raved over it! It was the most popular dish at our Thanksgiving table."
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Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
Did you save room for one more classic sweet potato casserole? It's a sweet sensation with the classic marshmallow topping, along with brown and white sugar and cinnamon. Adjust the amount of cinnamon and sugar to your liking. "Easy recipe, fun to make, and totally delicious!" says iloveladiesman217.
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Sweet Potatoes with Brandy and Raisins
Brandy-soaked raisins are the star of the show here. "This is a simple and perfect sweet potato dish," says mauigirl. "The brandy complements the potatoes beautifully and the raisins add a nice touch. Love the fact that they are NOT overly sweet. I will try this with dried cranberries for the holidays. This dish will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table."
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Grilled Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
Here's a great sweet potato recipe to partner with deep-fried turkey or grilled turkey. "Salty, sweet, spicy, all in one bite!" says France C. "These are delicious! Such an interesting blend of flavors." Adjust the spicy seasonings as you like.
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Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Now for another tasty break from tradition. Here's a great suggestion for making the little dumplings: "Try putting the dough in a floured pastry bag (or a Ziploc with a corner cut out) and squeezing it out like toothpaste," says Rachel D. "Then slice off bits with a sharp knife to make dumplings. You can squeeze them right into the pot of boiling water!" You can make these with butternut squash, too.
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Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
Another time-honored take on sweet potatoes, Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes cook till tender in a sauce of butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.Â
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Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash
If you're scaling down your Thanksgiving menu, take note. You can replace your go-to sweet potato casserole and cheesy potato dish with this one decadent side.Â
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Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Browned Butter and Toasted Marshmallows
"The brown butter flavor complements the sweet potato and adds richness to the dish. Not too sweet. I'd make or eat these in a heartbeat. Such a good idea for Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving." — voraciousgirl
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Sweet Potato Souffles
Chef John will walk you through transforming simple ingredients like eggs, butter, and milk into cloud-like Sweet Potato Souffles.Â
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Aunt Margie's Sweet Potato Pone
"Instead of the 'traditional' sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, this is what our Southern family has had on the table for at least three generations," recipe submitter Christina Kennedy says. It's a staple for other Southern families, too. Here, grated sweet potatoes bake with butter, egg, sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, orange zest, and orange juice.Â
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Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Don't forget, you can always roast sweet potatoes. Easy enough for a weeknight, our garlicky Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes would seem right at home on a Thanksgiving plate.Â
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Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
Light, pureed sweet potato soup is a savvy way to incorporate this autumnal flavor into a Thanksgiving menu that already includes a few filling sides. "The earthiness of the sweet potato is balanced with tart apples, spicy ginger, and a touch of zesty lime. If desired, garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped cilantro, and a few sweet, spicy nuts," recipe creator Julie Julie says, adding that even kids consider it "a Thanksgiving favorite."
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Sweet Potato Balls
Made with marshmallows, corn flake cereal, butter, and brown sugar, these Sweet Potato Balls taste like a traditional Thanksgiving side but look much more fun. Reviewers share their tips on getting the sweet potato mixture to stick together, including adding the cereal to it and chilling it.
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Sweet Potato Oranges
"Marvelous! I cut the oranges in half to make it easier to scoop out the flesh then the bottoms in foil while baking. This way the orange skin cooks in its own juice, and you can eat the shell with the sweet potato filling." — LynnInHK
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Gingered Sweet Potatoes with Orange Juice
Sweet potato cubes are soaked in an incredibly flavorful mixture of ginger, orange juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Then, the dish is baked until warm and tender.
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Root Veggie Bake
Red onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and rutabagas are seasoned with warming spices like cumin, curry powder, and turmeric.Â
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Onions
Here's a hearty Thanksgiving side dish that's as delicious as it is nutritious. Amaretto liqueur deepens the flavor.Â
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Lemon-Pepper Sweet Potato Crisp
"This is my new favorite sweet potato side dish," says Chef John. "It's got incredible texture and amazing flavor with an irresistible bread crumb topping. You can serve it hot, but I think it might be better warm or at room temperature, which makes it a nice choice for Thanksgiving when it's hard to have everything ready at the same time. Great for a special holiday dinner or a random weeknight supper."Â
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More Inspiration
Try one of Our Best Veggie Side Dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner. Plus, explore our entire collections of Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Sweet Potato Recipes.Â