This easy Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes recipe is one of the absolute best cozy comfort foods on my family’s holiday menu! Tender sweet potatoes are scooped out and mashed until silky-smooth with Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and warm pumpkin pie spice, then loaded back into their skins and baked with a buttery maple nut topping.
A sweet potato dish that’s easy, individually portioned (and yes, you can make it ahead!)
Hands down, a holiday table isn’t complete without some form of sweet potatoes – and excuse the 5 year old within me, but I live for marshmallow topped sweet potato casserole.
But let’s be real here – traditional sweet potato casseroles can sometimes feel like you’re just eating straight-up dessert before the turkey even clears the kitchen counter. 😅 And some years you may have a smaller celebration that doesn’t warrant an entire casserole. Which is when these twice baked sweet potatoes come in handy! They are easy to make and taste absolutely delicious. Each is like a marshmallow-free mini sweet potato casserole.
We start by roasting our sweet potatoes until they’re perfectly tender, then we slice them open and scoop out the insides to create our little potato boats. The potato gets mashed with a quick mix of Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and warm spices before going right back into the skins. Then we just pile on that irresistible, buttery brown sugar nut topping and bake it all until it’s golden and bubbling!
I decided to make these with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, because that’s what I usually have on hand and I wanted to keep this recipe on the sweeter side. If you prefer sour cream, feel free to swap that in.
I initially shared this recipe years ago when I was knee-deep in the toddler phase, but even now years later with all my kids in school, it’s still a hit with everyone. Plus, if you are traveling to a potluck or hosting a crowd, it has a built-in shortcut that will save your sanity!
Ingredients I like to use, plus notes
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient Notes:
- Sweet Potatoes: Try to find smaller sweet potatoes, so that half a potato will be just right for one serving. It’s easier to cut them in half lengthwise if they’re somewhat evenly shaped.
- Whole milk Greek yogurt: Like I menitoned in the introduction, you can use sour cream in place of the yogurt for more savory and a little more decadent sweet potatoes.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Don’t worry if you have strong feelings against pumpkin spice! You can absolutely swap it out for standard ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg, and it will taste just as cozy.
- Maple syrup: Real pure maple syrup gives the best depth, but you can easily substitute pancake syrup, honey, or a splash of brown sugar in a pinch.
- Brown sugar: I would go with 3-4 tablespoons first, and then adjust from there to taste (just taste-test the filling and add more sugar if you feel it needs to be sweeter).
- Nuts: Chopped walnuts or pecans are our favorites for that classic crunch. I used to make it with walnuts all the time, but over the years I’ve come to prefer pecans. Both are delicious though. However, if you are cooking for a school function or a nut-free household, several of my readers have successfully used rolled oats instead to get that crisp, streusel-like top.
- Butter: Real butter works best here. If you need to use margarine for any kind of reason, please use stick margarine intended for baking and NOT a soft margarine spread.
How to make twice baked sweet potatoes
Let’s walk through the recipe steps and kitchen tips!
First, we bake, scoop and mash the sweet potatoes, to assemble the filled sweet potato skins:
Then, we make the topping and bake our stuffed sweet potato skins until the topping is golden-crisp!
You can drizzle some extra syrup over them to serve, if you like. The sweet potato skins taste best hot! Check further below for make ahead instructions if you need to prepare these ahead.
Recipe walk-through/kitchen tips
- Baking the potatoes the first time: Don’t overbake them; you want them soft, not charred, to prevent bitter flavors and paper-thin, tear-prone skins. Not ideal for filling them later on!
- Scooping the flesh: Let the potatoes cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Trying to scoop a piping hot potato will cause the skin to buckle and shred instantly.
- Leaving a border: It’s important to leave about a ⅛-inch border of flesh inside the skin. This provides essential structural support so your potato boats don’t collapse when you load them up.
- Sweetening the mash: Since I’m cooking for growing kids, I try to keep things reasonably balanced. Give the filling a quick taste-test before putting it back into the skins – if you want a really sweet, traditional casserole-style dish, just add a few more tablespoons of brown sugar right into the mash!
- Getting a crunchy topping: Make sure your butter is melted but not boiling hot when you mix it with the sugar and nuts. Spread the topping evenly across the potatoes rather than dumping it all in one heavy clump so it crisps up well.
How to keep the skins from ripping?
Like I said before, don’t overbake the sweet potatoes – this is absolutely essential. Overbaking them yields paper-thin, dried out skins that easily rip.
Also, do allow them 10-15 minutes of cooling time before cutting them in half. This allows the potatoes to firm back up a bit, and it makes the skin less likely to tear.
Avoid using a sharp metal spoon; the edges can slice right through the skin. Instead, use a dull spoon, a plastic spoon or a small cookie scoop. Work gently in circular motions from the inside out, always leaving that protective ⅛-inch border of potato flesh attached to the skin!
Make ahead/leftovers
Make-ahead party hack:
If you need to bring these to a party or lessen your stress as a holiday host, fully assemble the loaded skins with their pecan topping a day early, skip the second bake, and cover tightly in the fridge. Just pop them in the oven right before serving!
Storage & reheating:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 350°F for 10–15 minutes until the center is hot and the nutty top gets its crunch back.
Serving ideas
Personally, I think these little sweet potato boats are the ultimate chameleons of the holiday table! They look fancy enough to sit next to a formal prime rib, but they are simple enough that my kids will happily eat them on a random Tuesday night between soccer practices.
Here is a list of the main dishes and sides my family loves to pair with these sweet potatoes:
- Holiday mains: Perfect next to a turkey breast, honey glazed ham, or a juicy pork tenderloin.
- Cozy weeknight dinners: Pair them with baked chicken breasts or baked pork chops to instantly make a regular dinner feel a bit more special.
- Green sides: A crisp leafy green salad with a sharp lemon vinaigrette or some garlic roasted broccoli or sautéed green beans balance out the rich sweetness beautifully.
- The “Extra” Topping: If you really want to lean into the cozy factor, hit them with a drizzle of extra maple syrup right before they hit the table!
My kids also discovered that if there are any rare leftovers, they make an amazing breakfast the next morning alongside some crispy air fryer bacon. It’s basically one huge win!
And honestly, if you still manage to rip your sweet potato skins after all my tips, just smash it all together in a dish, cover it with extra topping, and pretend you did it on purpose – be a goldfish, move on, and nobody will ever know 😉
Maple Walnut Twice Baked Sweet Potato Skins
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes:
- 4 small sweet potatoes
- ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt (OR sour cream)
- 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (OR ground cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar (or more to taste; can also be left out for a less sweet dish)
- pinch of salt
Topping:
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts (OR pecans)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
Instructions
- Bake potatoes for the first time:Preheat your oven to 400°F. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, place in a large baking pan and bake until soft (time will vary depending on the size of your sweet potatoes, anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes).4 small sweet potatoes
- Scoop out potatoes: Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the baked insides, leaving an ⅛-inch border. Try to keep the skins whole as much as possible!
- Make filling:Place the potato skins back in the baking pan. Mash the baked potato flesh in a bowl until smooth. Mix in the Greek yogurt, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup (and brown sugar, if using) and salt. Scoop this filling into the sweet potato skins (I get 6 skins out of 4 baked potatoes).½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt, 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar, pinch of salt
- Make Topping:In a separate bowl, mix all topping ingredient. Sprinkle over the filled sweet potato skins. Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes.⅔ cup chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- Finish:Drizzle with extra syrup to serve, if you like, and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions:
If you need to bring them to a party (instead of serving them to guests in your own home), I suggest assembling them fully, but skipping the second bake. Refrigerate them covered with plastic wrap for up to a day. Just bring the filled skins and the topping to wherever you’re going and then put them in the oven right before serving.More sweet potato recipes
More easy holiday side dishes
These are perfect for any celebration during the fall and winter months – like Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, but they also work great as a football snack for a cozy game day.
Jody Campbell says
Miss Nora, I was always taught to wrap my potatoes in tin foil for baking but you have no mention of this. So. Foil or no foil?
Nora says
Jody, I don’t use foil for these. Feel free to wrap your potatoes in foil if that’s what you’ve always done!
Becac says
Nora,This recipe looks absolutely amazing! When researching some healthier options for this Thanksgiving we came across your recipe and would like to feature it in our blog, with your permission of course. We would share the recipe by linking it directly to your site , while utilizing your photos if you are okay with that.
We are looking forward to working with you!
xoxo,
Becca and Alicia
Nora says
Hi Becca and Alicia, of course! That is perfectly fine. Thanks for reaching out.
Sarah says
Would these turn out if I made them a day in advanced?
Nora says
Hi Sarah, I don’t think I would fully assemble them a day ahead. You can definitely bake them and make the filling a day ahead. I would keep everything refrigerated, then fill and bake for the second time right before serving.
Melissa Griffiths says
These look amazing! And I love your utensils in the photos – so cute!
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says
I love that you used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in these! They look delicious – definitely need to try them!
Izzy @ She Likes Food says
I love these, Nora!! For how many sweet potatoes I eat, I rarely eat them in a sweet way and now I’m thinking I should! These looks awesome 🙂
Nora says
I definitely do not eat them in a sweet way nearly enough! But it’s such a great fit!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
You ladies totally made my day <3 Wish I could taste these in person. Thanks so much, Nora!
Nora says
It was a joy to do it for you! <3
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
These literally have all my favorite ingredients in them. And they are so cute, too (and hello, when you get to eat the bowl = less dishes). I’m all for ’em! Seems like you’re pretty good at making party appetizers to me! 🙂
marcie says
These are such a great recipe for Game Day or any fall themed party or dinner! I love sweet potatoes and I haven’t tried twice baking them yet which is CRAZY! These look amazing Nora, and thank you again for creating the adorable graphic for this shower!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
Ugh, I want to eat these all day every day this fall, Nora! I’m in LOVE with that maple walnut topping! So perfect for the shower. 🙂