Easy Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes (The Best Side Dish!)
If you are currently staring at a bag of sweet potatoes wondering how to elevate them beyond a mediocre, microwaved weeknight side, I’ve got your answer my gorgeous friend! These Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes (or as I like to call them in my house, brown butter candied sweet potatoes) are about to put a whole new spin on things!
We are taking humble, earthy tubers, roasting them until melt-in-your-mouth tender, and drowning them in a nutty brown butter, maple, and warm spice glaze that becomes delightfully sticky in the oven.
Go get your peeler!
🌟 Ingredient Notes
- ✅Sweet Potatoes – You can use classic orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (garnet or jewel) for maximum moisture and sweetness, or yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes if you prefer a starchier, firmer bite. Cut them into uniform 1/2-inch slices so they cook evenly.
- ✅ Butter – Browning the butter releases a rich, nutty aroma that takes standard candied sweet potatoes straight to gourmet territory. Salted butter also works here if that’s what you have on hand.
- ✅ Light Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup – This dual-sweetener team creates those yummy deep caramel flavors
- ✅ Warm Spices – A fragrant blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger gives that classic warm, cozy bakery vibe.
- ✅ Salt & Water – Just a splash of water to dissolve the sugar initial melt, and a teaspoon of salt to balance the rich sweetness.
How to Make Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes
1. Preheat oven and grease a large baking dish. Peel sweet potatoes, cut and toss them right in the dish with salt.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling regularly until milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty.
3.Stir in maple syrup, brown sugar, water, and spices. Bring to a boil for 90 seconds without stirring, remove from heat, and pour over the potatoes.
4. Bake uncovered stirring every 15 minutes to recoat slices in glaze. Cool a bit so the sauce thickens up into a sticky syrup, then serve hot
✨ Serving Tips & Variations
- Use a broad baking dish. The larger and wider your dish, the more surface area moisture can evaporate from. That means a stickier, more concentrated syrup coating every slice!
- If you love glaze on veggies, these brown butter candied sweet potatoes use a very similar sweet-and-savory idea as my popular buttery brown sugar honey glazed carrots. You can even roast both in separate pans for the ultimate holiday spread!
- If sweet-on-sweet isn’t your thing and you prefer a savory, fiery vibe instead, check out my roasted spicy sweet potatoes for a bold dinner swap.
- Sprinkle toasted pecans or walnuts over the top during the last 5 minutes of baking for an instant texture upgrade!
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Sweet potatoes release a ton of moisture as they bake, which thins out the glaze during cooking. It’s all good because as the pan rests for a few minutes after baking, the starches and cooling sugar will turn that pan juice into a glossy, sticky syrup.
Please don’t! Canned sweet potatoes are already cooked and packed in syrup; they will turn into pure baby food mush in the oven for an hour. Stick to fresh, raw potatoes here.
Absolutely! Just keep the cubes around 3/4-inch thick so they don’t disintegrate when you toss them every 15 minutes.
🍽️ The Full Meal
Ready to build an unforgettable holiday feast or a legendary Sunday family dinner around these rich brown butter candied sweet potatoes? Here is how to complete your plate!
For the main event, nothing pairs better with sweet roasted potatoes than an easy brown sugar pineapple spiral ham. The salty, savory pork and bright pineapple glaze harmonize instantly with the cinnamon-spiced brown sugar glaze on your potatoes, giving you that classic holiday dinner perfection.
Before the heavy main course lands on the table, kick things off with a fresh appetizer like the best easy tomato bruschetta recipe with balsamic. The cold, juicy tomatoes and tangy balsamic glaze offer a bright, acidic bite that wakes up your taste buds and balances the rich butter coming up next.
Round out your vegetable game with a side of roasted hot honey brussels sprouts with pomegranate. The slight bitterness of charred brussels sprouts paired with spicy hot honey and tart pomegranate seeds creates a stunning color and flavor contrast next to soft, sweet potato slices!
❄️ Storage and Freezing
- In the Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven or air fryer to warm through and re-glaze the potatoes.
- Can I Freeze It? Cooked sweet potatoes can be frozen in a sealed container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm in the oven, giving them a gentle stir to re-emulsify the butter sauce.
You don’t need a holiday excuse to pull out the butter and brown sugar. Life is short, eat the sticky candied potatoes on a weeknight! Give this browned butter twist a try, and leave a comment below to let me know if you used orange or yellow sweet potatoes!
~Joanne
Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes
These Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes (also known as brown butter candied sweet potatoes) are sliced, tossed in a nutty brown butter, maple, and warm spice glaze, and baked until tender and sticky!
Ingredients
- 3 ½ – 4 lbs Sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices)
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted butter
- ¼ cup Maple syrup
- ¾ cup Light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp Ground allspice
- ½ tsp Ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a large, broad baking dish.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch thick slices of similar dimensions for even cooking. Toss the potato slices in the prepared baking dish with salt.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling regularly, until milk solids begin to brown and smell deliciously nutty.
- Add maple syrup, light brown sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger to the saucepan. Stir gently until sugar dissolves.
- Bring glaze to a boil and cook without stirring for 90 seconds. Remove from heat and pour directly over the sweet potatoes in the dish.
- Toss potato slices to coat thoroughly. Bake, uncovered, for 45–60 minutes, stirring and recoating potato slices in sauce every 15 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes and stir once more before serving as the glaze thickens.
Notes
- Squeeze 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or orange juice into the brown butter sauce right as you remove it from heat. A tiny hit of citrus cuts through heavy butter and highlights the sweet potatoes' natural earthy flavor!
- If you are running short on time, microwave your sliced raw sweet potatoes with a splash of water in a covered bowl for 4 minutes before tossing with salt and glaze. This cuts your oven roasting time almost in half!
- Stacking potato slices 4-layers deep will steam them instead of roasting them. Spread them out in a wide 9x13-inch or larger baking dish so the glaze boils down into a glossy, caramelized coating!
- BROWN BUTTER TIP: Don't walk away from that butter as it's doing it's thing on the stove! Butter can go from "brown butter" to "burnt butter" super duper quick. Also, it will continue to brown for a minute or two, so if this is the first time you're making brown butter, maybe remove it from the stove just a smidge before it's the deep amber color. Better to be safe than sorry!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 271Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 298mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 2gSugar: 31gProtein: 1g
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
