Twice-baked sweet potatoes are incredibly delicious and creamy. This easy recipe has only six ingredients and no junky toppings!
When I think about comfort food, one of the dishes that come to mind is this one. There’s something incredible about the creamy, buttery mixture, baked twice to enhance the flavors and textures even more.
I love sweet potatoes in general – I often make microwave sweet potato and enjoy it with just a sprinkle of salt. But this recipe is especially good and truly brings the potatoes to a whole new level.
The ingredients needed for this recipe
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Sweet potato: I use one large sweet potato in this recipe. It should weigh about 12 oz when raw. Try to pick a fresh one with smooth, blemish-free skin.
Unsalted butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great. The butter should be unsalted, or you can use salted butter and omit the salt.
Maple syrup: Just one tablespoon. There’s truly no need for more and there’s also no need for marshmallows or any other processed junk. The potatoes are incredibly creamy and delicious just as they are.
To season the dish: Sea salt, ground cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. The cayenne doesn’t make the dish spicy – it merely adds an additional layer of flavor. And if you use coarse salt such as kosher salt, you can probably add a little more if it.
How to make twice-baked sweet potatoes
It’s easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. The basic steps are simple:
1. Your first step is to bake the potatoes in a 375°F oven. This should take about an hour.
2. Next, halve them, scoop out their flesh (do it carefully so that the skins remain intact) and mix it with butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper.
3. Add the tasty mixture back to the empty skins, sprinkle with a little cinnamon, and bake until golden brown, about 15 more minutes.
What to serve with twice-baked sweet potatoes?
This is a very versatile side dish that goes with many main dishes. But since I make it in a 375°F oven, I like to serve it with a main dish that I can bake in the same oven. So I often serve this side dish with a boneless pork roast or with a roasted leg of lamb.
What to do with the leftovers?
Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, in the microwave on 50% power.
This is actually one of those dishes were leftovers are just as good as the freshly cooked recipe! And they last all the way to the fourth day.
A low-carb alternative
If you’re looking for a lower-carb alternative to twice-baked sweet potatoes, how about this cheesy, tasty twice-baked spaghetti squash? It has a different flavor profile – savory rather than sweet – but it’s excellent too.
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Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large sweet potato, 12 oz, scrubbed clean
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch cayenne
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Place it on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until soft, 60-70 minutes.
- After placing the sweet potato in the oven, place the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and leave at room temperature.
- Remove the baked sweet potato from the oven and let stand a few minutes, until cool enough to handle.
- Using a sharp knife, split the sweet potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, carefully remove most of the warm flesh to the bowl with the remaining ingredients, leaving the skin intact.
- Mix the sweet potato flesh with the remaining ingredients until smooth.
- Add the filling back to the sweet potato skins. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon. Place back on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.