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Baked sweet potato halves are a fun, unique way to have your Thanksgiving sweet potatoes. They have a brown sugar coconut pecan crust and are topped with a cinnamon marshmallow cream!
Featured with this Recipe
- Ingredients in Baked Sweet Potato Halves
- How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Halves
- Tips for Making Easy Baked Sweet Potato Halves
- What to Serve with Baked Sweet Potato Halves
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing and Reheating Baked Sweet Potato Halves
- So Many Ways To Use Sweet Potatoes
- How To Make Baked Sweet Potato Halves
- Baked Sweet Potato Halves Recipe
These baked sweet potatoes are cut in half and baked until tender then topped with a sweet cream! Take your baked sweet potatoes to the next level with this sweet and savory combination. Not only are these baked sweet potato halves delicious and full of flavor, but they are also high in nutrients. The flesh of the baked sweet potato is the inside that is orange or yellow in color.
Bake your sweet potatoes in the oven until they are fork-tender. Get a taste of natural sweetness from the sweet potato inside then add on the toppings for a sweet potato recipe that is out of this world. You will have family and friends raving about this side dish for all other get-togethers. The secret to making these sweet potatoes over-the-top delicious is the cinnamon marshmallow cream topping! It is the perfect combination!
Ingredients in Baked Sweet Potato Halves
These ingredients are easy to have on hand and make an easy and delicious side dish! This is a popular dish that is easy to make. Your tastebuds will be thanking you after enjoying one of these amazingly delicious sweet potato halves.
- Sweet potatoes – Scrub and clean the outside of the sweet potatoes. Then slice them in half lengthwise. You can use yam too!
- Butter – Use unsalted butter to melt into the inside flesh of the potato halves.
- Pecans – Crushed pecans give these potato halves a crunchy texture on top.
- Coconut – Sweetened coconut flakes have that sweet texture with a slight nutty taste.
- Brown sugar – Added for sweetness and melts right into the sweet potato halves.
- Marshmallow fluff – This is a thick and creamy texture that gives the marshmallow cream topping its depth.
- Cream cheese – Makes the topping extra creamy with added flavor to the marshmallow fluff.
- Cinnamon – Sprinkled on top for a sweet and savory flavor!
How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Halves
These sweet potato halves are baked a little differently giving them the utmost flavor! Each cut side of the sweet potato will lay flat on top of the ingredients. Bake until tender and soft! It will be the perfect baked sweet potato!
- Prepareing – Melt butter, pour onto a prepared baking sheet, and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle coconut, pecans, and brown sugar all over the butter. Place sweet potato halves face down on the butter and toppings.
- Bake – Place in a preheated oven and bake. The topping should look nice and toasted. Flip the sweet potatoes over and generously spoon the topping on top of the sweet potatoes. Bake 15 to 20 more minutes, until sweet potatoes are nice and soft.
- Cinnamon marshmallow topping – Blend all ingredients together well with a hand mixer. Refrigerate until serving. Spoon onto baked sweet potato halves just before eating.
Tips for Making Easy Baked Sweet Potato Halves
These tips and variations are great additions to this baked sweet potato halves recipe. Learn which sweet potato is good, preparing them, and making sure they are all the same size are a few tips to help when at the grocery store. Take these tips and make the best baked sweet potatoes yet!
- Sweet potato skin – This is a preference if you like the skin or want to leave it off when eating. You can mash the middle and enjoy the inside of the sweet potato. If you love the skin and the extra nutrients slice the skin and flesh with a knife together for a delicious side dish. Either way is great!
- Choosing the best sweet potato – Picking your sweet potatoes is an easy task. Look for sweet potatoes that are firm with smooth skins and no blemishes. These will bake the best!
- Clean – Prepare your sweet potatoes by cleaning them and washing the dirt or any debris on their skin. We use a potato brush.
- Sizing matters – Make sure that your potatoes are as close to size for even baking.
- Parchment paper – Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil before adding ingredients. This will make cleanup a breeze!
- Different seasonings – If you are looking for more savory roasted sweet potatoes try using smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper with cinnamon.
- Toppings – We love the cinnamon marshmallow cream topping but you can go as simple as butter, honey, drizzle maple syrup, a dollop of sour cream, or Greek yogurt.
“This is the BEST way to make sweet potatoes! We loved them! They are so flavorful!”
-Jennifer
What to Serve with Baked Sweet Potato Halves
Make this a complete meal with a juicy turkey and mashed potatoes as a side. You can even have chili and cornbread with it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Just cut your sweet potato in half and save the other half in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for later. You will want to only make a fraction of the topping, or mix up all the topping and just add it to one sweet potato half at a time.
Yes! You need a pan that fits in the air fryer for it to work. Then, cook at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
No, not at all! You will want the skin to stay on the sweet potato for it to cook in this manner. You can even poke holes in the back of the skin to help with heating the potato quicker.
Storing and Reheating Baked Sweet Potato Halves
Allow the baked sweet potato halves to cool to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container. Hot food can soften and create condensation inside containers while sitting. When heating or warming up, the potato halves will be gooey and soft rather than firm.
READ NEXT: the BEST Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
- Storing – Place your leftover sweet potato halves in an airtight container for three to five days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat – Warm up your baked sweet potato halves in the microwave or oven until they are warmed through.
- Making ahead – You can make the marshmallow cream topping ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for 24 hours in an airtight container.
So Many Ways To Use Sweet Potatoes
Sure, sweet potatoes make a prominent appearance at the Thanksgiving Day table, all dressed up with marshmallow or brown sugar topping, but sweet potatoes don’t have to be reserved just for the big Turkey Day. There are a lot of ways to incorporate cooked sweet potatoes into your meal plan. They’re as versatile as their cousin, the potato.
How To Make Baked Sweet Potato Halves
Baked Sweet Potato Halves
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
Ingredients
- 6 sweet potatoes or yams, scrubbed and cut in half
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
For the Cinnamon Marshmallow Cream Topping:
- 8 ounces marshmallow fluff
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter, pour onto a cookie sheet, and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle coconut, pecans, and brown sugar all over the butter. Place sweet potato halves face down on the butter and toppings.
- Place in a preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, the topping should look nice and toasted. Flip the sweet potatoes over and generously spoon the topping on top of the sweet potatoes. Bake 15 to 20 more minutes, until sweet potatoes are nice and soft.
For the Cinnamon Marshmallow Cream Topping:
- Blend all ingredients together well with a hand mixer. Refrigerate until serving. Spoon onto baked sweet potato halves just before eating.
Notes
- Don’t like pecans? Swap them out for almonds or walnuts.
- To prep ahead, mix together the pecans, coconut, and brown sugar ahead of time. Wash and cut the sweet potatoes and keep them in an airtight bag or container in the fridge until ready to cook.
- To store, keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to one month.
I want to make this recipe but I don’t want to flip them during cooking. Instead, I’d cook them the whole time face down on the topping, essentially treating them like their cousins, the parmesan potato. Any reason you see why that wouldn’t work?
You could try it, but keep a very close eye on it because I am worried the sugar might burn under the potatoes.
These really looked good but the topping BURNED! I think may change it to roast the toppings separately, Loved the cream cheese marshmallow topping,
Oh no – I’m so sorry the topping burned! Thank you for letting us know. We will test and make adjustments as needed.
This is the BEST way to make sweet potatoes! We loved them! They are so flavorful!
My hubby and I love this recipe!definitely will be making this recipe again! So delicious and so good!
These are so good! I absolutely ADORE the marshmallow topping! I had to leave off the coconut because it doesn’t agree with me (even though I love it) but it still tasted amazing. I imagine that with the coconut it would taste even better! Thanks for this great idea for a fun, different, but delicious side!
can the pecans be sub for something else.some in family can’t eat peanuts?
You could leave them off, or substitute mini marshmallows or a crunchy cereal.
Sounds good except for the coconut, can this be omitted?
Sure!
Made these last night I put 6-8 miniature marshmallows on top the last 5 mins. or until brown. Mmmmm just like Thanksgiving dinner.
It is just like Thanksgiving dinner – so yummy and comforting! Thank you!
Made the coconut pecan sweet potatoes and they were amazing! My husband also liked. However, his favorite is the Parmesan crusted potatoes; I made them twice this weekend. He went to the store yesterday and bought a bag of golden potatoes coz he thought they would be even better! Two great recipes!
Golden potatoes ARE better! Soo buttery and yummy.
These sound delicious !! Ummm just not sure what is marshmallow fluff?
It is sold in stores in US, basically the fluff of melted marshmallows. Usually on the baking aisle. If you do not have it, you could just melt some marshmallows slightly in a microwave until they are the texture of store bought frosting.
Oh my gosh girls!!!!! This sounds so incredibly divine. I love the idea of adding cream cheese. Definitely making this one.