Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes are a delicious alternative to sweet potato casserole, without using any marshmallows! This dish is made in just 1 pot, and is naturally sweetened for a healthier holiday side dish.
Do you Have to Peel Sweet Potatoes?
No, you don’t have to peel sweet potatoes! There tends to be antioxidants in the skin, so you’ll get more nutrients when you leave the skin on.
For holiday meals, I tend to peel the sweet potatoes so they will be appealing to as many people as possible, but only you know your audience best, so you get to choose.
Can Sweet Potatoes be Prepared in Advance?
You can cut the sweet potatoes up to 2 days in advance to save yourself some time, but keep them submerged in water when you store them, so they won’t dry out in the fridge.
Glazed Sweet Potato Ingredients
This recipe couldn’t be much easier to prepare. All you need is 5 ingredients to get started!
- Sweet potatoes
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil (or butter)
- Cinnamon
- Salt
I highly recommend stirring in some crunchy pecans and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end of the cooking cycle, but that’s totally optional. The lemon takes the flavor to the next level!
The optional pecans add a nice crunch to the dish, so it’s almost like you’re eating a sweet potato pecan pie. I hope you’ll try it!
Why You’ll Love It
This side dish is a unique one to bring to a Thanksgiving meal, and I love that you only have 1 dish to clean later!
These glazed sweet potatoes are:
- super easy to prepare
- dairy-free
- gluten-free
- vegan & Paleo friendly
- refined sugar-free
- made in 1 pan
- and taste unbelievably good!
I hope you’ll love them as much as my family does. Let me know if you give them a try!
Glazed Sweet Potatoes (in 1 pan!)
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium potatoes; 7 cups cubed)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F, and peel the sweet potatoes, if desired. Cut them into 1-inch pieces, so they will cook evenly.
- Place the potato pieces in a 9-inch x 13-inch casserole dish, or something similar in size. Add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt, and toss well to coat the potatoes. Place them in the oven to bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, take the potatoes out of the oven and give them a stir. Return them to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, repeat the process, stirring every 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender and the maple syrup is no longer very liquidy looking. (It will disappear even more as the potatoes cool.) This should take about 1 hour total, but yours might be done in 50-55 minutes total, so keep an eye on them towards the end of the cooking cycle.
- If you'd like to add the pecans, stir them in as soon as the potatoes come out of the oven. Add a squeeze of lemon juice over the top, and stir again, to brighten up the flavor and cut some of the sweetness. (Highly recommend the lemon juice-- not orange juice, which I also tried.)
- Serve warm, as a side dish with your favorite holiday main course. Leftover sweet potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was original posted in November 2013 and has been updated in November 2020, to be more clear, and with an easier ingredient list and method.
Here’s the original if you need it:
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of cloves
- pinch of salt
If you try this Glazed Sweet Potato recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to serve sweet potatoes over the holidays?
These sound so decadent using coconut oil! I’m making a list of Thanksgiving recipes for my wife and dinner guests, this may very well make the list. Thanks 🙂
This is such a great sweet potato side! I esp. love the inclusion of coconut milk! Thanks! I’m looking forward to making this – maybe even before Thanksgiving :0)! I hope you & your family have a wonderful holiday!
Do you peel the sweet potatoes?
Nope, I left the peel on! But, you’re welcome to remove it if you prefer.
Re: the maple glazed sweet potato recipe, what does the coconut milk bring to the recipe? Can I make it without coconut or any type of milk ?
If you peel like it lol get it!
I make something similar to this but toss in some raisins during the last few minutes. I love the flavor contrast they add. Our family has never been a sweet potato marshmallow casserole group either. I look forward to trying this version!
Hi
I am a new reader and I love every one of your posts. I have made several
Things from you and can’t wait to try this. Love the coconut milk idea
sweet potatoes = <3
I’m trying to watch my sugar intake so I’m thinking of omitting the maple syrup and I also don’t have access to the pure kind. I don’t mind comprising the flavor a little, and I find sweet potatoes to taste delicious by themselves. Do you think it’ll still taste good without the maple flavor?
you might get good flavor by adding a bit of maple extract and some other sweetener if you want that extra sweetness (stevia, xylitol, etc…) in place of the maple syrup.
YUM! Love that you threw coconut milk in the mix 🙂
When I lived in Japan, I used to eat honey-glazed sweet potatoes with sesame seeds (daigaku imo)every fall (YUM). This looks like another fun way to eat them up now that I’m back in the States!
What kind of coconut milk do you use – the kind that is sold in the dairy case or the full fat kind in cans? Thanks!
In the oven now & my whole house smells AMAZING!!!!
Hi Megan,
I’m a little bit confused. Do you bake the sweet potatoes first before combining the ingredients on the stove? Thanks for another great recipe. 🙂
Hi, I was wondering whether anyone has tried making this ahead, freezing it and then reheating? Thanks!
I made these for Thanksgiving and was told that they were the most delicious sweet potatoes EVER! Thanks!
I made these last night and they were delicious! I used full fat canned coconut milk and omitted the ginger.
Thank you for a simple , wholesome, delicious recipe!
June
OMGGGGG!
I’m literary having this for my lunch as I type here!
I don’t think I can leave any for others to try! I know it’s quite a lot for one person, but I cannot stop this! So delish!
I am going to try this spiralized… Sounds so good…
Thank you so much for the recipe! Easy to make & is currently in my oven making the house smell so wonderfully!!
Omg! Just made these to make sure they will be ok to make on Thanksgiving! So delicious!! I didn’t peel my sweet potatoes, but will next time! I will probably triple the recipe!Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Can you make these ahead of time and keep in a croc pot?
Yes, I think that would be fine!
I doubled this for a gathering of local farmers tonight, and the dish was quickly emptied. It is fabulous! Followed the recipe as is, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Used this recipe to make sweet potato casserole.Used 5lbs of potatoes & multiplied all ingredients according. Everyone loved them! Next time think I’ll try coarsely ground pecans on top too.Yum.
Did you peel the potatoes?
I don’t usually, but you can if you want to!
I am obsessed with ginger & drink it in water almost daily, but I wasn’t a fan of ginger in this recipe. I’ll definitely make them again but omit the ginger or zest just a smidge in. The coconut milk & maple syrup are a winning combo 🙌🏼
Hello, I used this recipe today for TG and it was perfect!
Have a awesome holiday!
AceKitchenLA
Did you change this recipe? This was a thanksgiving favorite, but I recall there being ginger in them. If so, can you link me to the other recipe? Thanks!
The original recipe is still at the bottom of this post! I had too many readers complain about the ginger, so I left it out of the printable version, but you can always add it in. I think the updated method is easier with better results, and you don’t have to open a can of coconut milk to get only 1/4 cup out.
I made these on Christmas Eve. They were so good, my husband and I ate the entire pan like an entrée! Because they are quite sweet, next time I probably will serve/eat them as a side as intended and add the recommended pecans.
Made this recipe for our first vegan thanksgiving this year and it was so good that i requested it for my birthday too!
So easy and so delicious! Our crew couldn’t get enough of these sweet potatoes! Thank you!
Dee-licous! Started in the microwave, finished in the oven (had limited time), added the optional pecans. Had this with Gardein tenders, green beans, and major green salad.
Absolutely delicious! Made them for our church’s Thanksgiving dinner, and they were all eaten… except for a single serving, which is all mine. I love sweet potato anyway, but this recipe made them taste like dessert.
I made this for Thanksgiving and my family really enjoyed it. The coconut oil gives it a different twist, very flavorful. I’ll make it again for our Christmas meal.
We added this to our Thanksgiving menu at the last minute and it was so delicious! A healthy, lightly sweet contrast to the other savory flavors, and so easy to prepare. Thanks!
This recipe was delicious and so quick and easy! Just like all of hers 😊 everyone in my family loved them & asked for the recipe.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS AHEAD AND RE-HEAT ON THANKSGIVING DAY?
Yes, that should be fine! I’d just wait to add the pecans until you reheat so they stay crunchy.