Wondering what to make with sweet potatoes? These must-try sweet potato recipes are delicious ways to eat this orange superfood, including fries, chili, enchiladas, and more.
Got sweet potatoes? This vibrant orange tuber is one of the healthiest foods on the planet, rich in vitamins, potassium and fiber. In the US it’s popular to prepare them with marshmallows as a holiday treat; but this superfood is way more versatile than that! Here are 35 delicious ways to eat sweet potatoes: fries, baked and loaded, soups and stews, quesadillas, enchiladas, and even on sweet potato pizza. Here are our 35 best sweet potato recipes!
Sweet potato varieties
Before we start, a bit of info on sweet potato varieties. There are hundreds of types of sweet potatoes ranging from white and mild to deep red and super sweet. There are even some purple sweet potato varieties! The type of sweet potato we’ve used in all of the recipes below is a sweet potato with orange flesh. Though we enjoy white-fleshed sweet potatoes, we’ve found we like the color and flavor of those with orange flesh best.
Also: what’s the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? Yams are native to Africa and Asia. Compared to sweet potatoes, they’re starchier and drier and have very tough skin. They’re carried in more grocery stores these days, but you’d probably find them in the international and specialty markets. Sometimes grocery stories in the US mislabel sweet potatoes as yams. For the recipes below, you should be fine picking up a grocery labeled sweet potato, making sure that it’s an orange flesh sweet potato. And don’t forget about farmer’s markets: they’re a great place to get sweet potatoes as well!
And now: our 35 best sweet potato recipes!
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
At the top in our list of sweet potato recipes…fries! And baked, not fried. These crispy sweet potato fries require very little oil to brown in the oven. Baked sweet potato fries are notoriously soggy. Our secret? We use a little cornstarch to get a crunchy fry.
Sweet Potatoes with Thai Peanut Butter Sauce
One of our favorite sweet potato recipes to date, these sweet potatoes topped with a zesty slaw and creamy Thai-style peanut butter sauce are an irresistible plant based dinner recipe! You can use the Instant Pot method above for super moist sweet potatoes, or one of the baked versions below if you don’t have a pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
You can make Instant Pot sweet potatoes in roughly 35 minutes and are incredibly easy to make. Making sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker is the perfect no-fuss weeknight dinners!
Mexican Sweet Potatoes
This is one of the first sweet potato recipes we fell in love with: the sweet orange flesh of the potatoes is the perfect match to zesty Mexican-inspired flavors. You won’t believe the flavor in these Mexican sweet potatoes, topped with black bean pico de gallo and our creamy cilantro sauce!
Sweet Potato Hash Browns
For a brunch side dish, try sweet potato hash browns! With just 5 minutes of hands on time, they’re delicious, simple, and fit a variety of diets. Ours our roasted in the oven until they’re crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
All Star Sweet Potato Chili
This vegetarian sweet potato chili recipe is all star and a reader favorite! It’s a delicious healthy dinner recipe where you won’t miss the meat.
Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ready in just 30 minutes, these healthy mashed sweet potatoes are flavored with garlic and fresh chives. Perfect for Thanksgiving or any winter meal!
Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds
These Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds are one of our most “famous” sweet potato recipes with our family and friends, who always ask for them especially! They’re a delicious, crowd pleasing appetizer for entertaining — like bruschetta, but with a sweet potato base!
Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These broccoli cheese stuffed sweet potatoes are an easy, healthy-ish weeknight dinner your whole family will love. The cheese sauce is made healthier by using pureed white beans in addition to cheese, which bring a creamy texture without adding more dairy.
Loaded Sweet Potato Skins
Imagine: crispy sweet potato skins topped with a cheesy, gooey filling, chili-spiced pinto beans, and crunchy green onions. The perfect party appetizer!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
One of our fan favorite sweet potato recipes, these sweet potato black bean enchiladas are always a hit at the dinner table! We’ve had friends and family who swear by this recipe for years.
Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust
This cozy vegan pot pie is next level: it’s filled with hearty vegetables, a gooey sauce, and a flaky, sage crust. Sweet potato brings a contrast to the savory onions and mushrooms.
Moroccan Stew with Sweet Potatoes
Another time-tested favorite in our sweet potato recipes is this Moroccan stew with chickpeas and sweet potatoes. It’s an easy plant based dinner recipe that’s incredibly flavorful, featuring a blend of Moroccan spices.
Vegan Sweet Potato Soup with Harissa
Sweet potatoes, peanut butter and spices form the base of this vegan sweet potato soup, and it’s topped with bright red harissa. It’s hearty and full of zesty flavor!
Sweet Potato Dinner Skillet
This sweet potato dinner skillet features crispy shredded sweet potatoes, leafy greens, eggs and feta cheese, served up as a simple vegetarian dinner.
Hearty Sweet Potato & Kale Soup
This tasty sweet potato and kale soup features black beans and is flavored with cumin and lime; it’s vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Loaded Veggie Quesadillas
This loaded veggie quesadilla recipe is one the tastiest around—and it’s packed with veggies! Roasted sweet potato, cumin-scented black beans, and spinach are nestled in a bright green spinach tortilla.
Thai-Style Easy Baked Sweet Potato
Smothered in a zesty ginger tahini sauce, this Thai-style easy baked sweet potato recipe is a simple plant-based dinner that’s full of flavor.
Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese & Lentils
Another favorite showstopper in our sweet potato recipes, our sweet potatoes with goat cheese are over the top delicious! The recipe stars roasted sweet potato, gooey goat cheese, and black lentils, mixed with fresh herbs and twice baked in the oven.
Veggie Burrito Bowls
This low carb burrito bowl with cauliflower rice is a delicious way to eat more vegetables! It’s Whole 30 vegetarian and customizable for all diets. It features grated sweet potato, which comes out with a crispy and tender texture. It’s a perfect foil for the chorizo eggs, which have become a fan favorite!
Kale, Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew
Kale and chickpeas make for a hearty sweet potato stew, while the coconut milk adds just the right amount of smoothness to this cozy and delicious recipe.
Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs
This healthier sweet potato hash with eggs is perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. Ready in 25 minutes, it’s also an easy weeknight meal!
Sweet Potato Pizza with Brie
One of our more unique sweet potato recipes is sweet potato pizza! A simple sweet & savory combination, this sweet potato pizza combines roasted sweet potatoes, creamy brie cheese, and peppery fresh arugula.
Homemade Kale & Sweet Potato Baby Food
Even babies and toddlers need sweet potato recipes, right? This homemade kale and sweet potato baby food is perfect for toddlers on the go! It’s full of veggies but tastes so delicious it’s gone in a flash.
Loaded Mexican Sweet Potato Fries
These Mexican fries are insanely delicious: they’re sweet potato wedges loaded with black beans, salsa, cumin lime crema, and feta cheese. Omit the feta and it’s a vegan recipe too.
Brussels Sprout and Sweet Potato Salad
A perfect balance of textures and flavors, this sweet potato salad features shaved Brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, pecans, and Gouda cheese.
Savory Sweet Potato Galette with Feta
A little outside of our ordinary sweet potato recipes is this savory sweet potato pie! It’s a mouthwatering savory galette that makes for a special dinner. The filling features sweet potato, onion, and feta.
Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry
This tomato coconut cauliflower curry is delicious, nutrient packed, and ready in just over 30 minutes! It’s a crowd pleasing plant-based dinner recipe that features lots of vegetables, including tender sweet potatoes.
Roasted Fall Vegetable Grain Bowl
Roasting this orange vegetable is one of our favorite ways to eat it. This grain bowl with roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower is a hearty vegetarian dinner or lunch, featuring Moroccan spices and a tangy lemon drizzle.
Superfood Salad
Another in our roasted sweet potato recipes is this superfood salad. It’s full of delicious superfoods: greens, beets, sweet potato, avocado, and wild rice. It’s a perfect healthy reset!
Perfect Vegan Black Bean Burger
This easy vegan black bean burger is bursting with flavor and features mashed sweet potato as the binder that keeps it all together! The patties are also gluten free and topped with spicy mayo & sprouts.
Buddha Bowl with Tahini Sauce
This vegan Buddha bowl features a variety of fresh and roasted vegetables, including–of course–sweet potatoes! And the best feature: a tangy lemon tahini sauce.
Healthy Potato Salad with Harboiled Egg
This main dish healthy potato salad features roasted sweet potatoes and red potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and a tasty honey mustard vinaigrette.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
This homemade sweet potato gnocchi is the perfect dish to make with loved ones over the weekend. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s effort well spent. Serve simply with a side salad and a glass of wine!
Southwest Salad
And finally, to round out our list of sweet potato recipes: this Southwest Salad! It’s a main dish salad recipe featuring a mix of sweet potatoes, veggies, and rice drizzled with a green chile vinaigrette.
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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