Ultimate Baked Sweet Potatoes with Savory Maple Butter

Crispy Salted Skins, Fluffy Centers, and a Sweet and Savory Compound Butter

These Ultimate Baked Sweet Potatoes with Savory Maple Butter are a simple side dish that feels special enough for Thanksgiving and Christmas but is easy enough to serve with a weeknight dinner. The sweet potatoes are baked whole with olive oil and kosher salt until the skins have some texture and the centers are soft and fluffy.

What really makes these different is the butter. Instead of going completely sweet with cinnamon, sugar, and marshmallows, I made a sweet and savory compound butter with real maple syrup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, and a few simple seasonings.

You get the sweetness you expect with a baked sweet potato, but the savory ingredients balance everything out. Add some toasted pecans, flaky salt, and finely minced chives at the end and you have a side dish that works just as well next to a steak or pork chop as it does next to the Thanksgiving turkey.

Another reason I love these for the holidays is that you can bake the sweet potatoes the day before and reheat them when you’re ready to serve. I included my make-ahead method below so you aren’t trying to squeeze another side dish into an already crowded holiday oven.

Before You Jump to the Recipe

I know it is tempting to head straight to the recipe card, but there are a few things worth knowing before you make these. Sweet potatoes are easy to bake, but a couple of small details make a big difference in the final texture.

Don’t wrap the potatoes in foil. Baking them uncovered gives the skins much better texture instead of trapping steam around the potatoes.

Make sure the potatoes are completely dry before oiling them. This helps the outside roast rather than steam.

Size matters more than the clock. Sweet potatoes vary tremendously in size, so I included the signs to look for to tell when they’re done instead of relying solely on baking time.

The Dijon and Worcestershire are intentional. Neither makes your sweet potato taste like mustard or Worcestershire sauce. They balance the maple and brown sugar and are what make this butter savory as well as sweet.

There’s a trick to opening the potatoes. I’ll show you how to get that fluffy, steakhouse-style center instead of simply slicing the potato in half.

Making these for Thanksgiving? Keep reading for my make-ahead method. You can bake the potatoes the day before, refrigerate them whole, and reheat them without sacrificing that fluffy interior. I also have an option for keeping them warm in a slow cooker if your oven is packed.

A Better Baked Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes sometimes get stuck in that holiday category where we think we have to cover them with marshmallows or turn them into a casserole.

There is absolutely a time and place for that, but sweet potatoes are already naturally sweet. They don’t need much help.

For this recipe, I wanted the sweet potato itself to be the star.

I bake the potatoes whole and leave them unwrapped so the skins have a chance to develop some texture. Before baking, they get rubbed with olive oil and kosher salt. Not only does this help the outside of the potato, but it makes the skin something you may actually want to eat.

The real treat comes after you split them open.

A Fun Alternative to Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving

I love a classic sweet potato casserole, but sometimes Thanksgiving already has enough casseroles on the table. These baked sweet potatoes are a nice alternative because everyone gets their own potato and can dress it exactly how they like it.

Set out the Savory Maple Butter along with toasted pecans, flaky salt, and chives and let everyone add as much or as little as they want.

This is also helpful when you’re feeding people with different tastes. Someone can keep theirs simple with butter and salt while someone else can load theirs up with all the toppings.

You still get that sweet potato side dish everyone expects at Thanksgiving, but it feels a little fresher and makes a beautiful presentation on the holiday table.

The Savory Maple Butter Is What Makes These Special

This butter was designed specifically for people who love that sweet and savory combination.

It starts with salted butter, brown sugar, and real maple syrup. Then I add Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, onion powder, a tiny bit of garlic powder, and black pepper.

Don’t let the Dijon or Worcestershire make you think this is going to taste like mustard or steak sauce.

Neither one takes over.

Instead, they add a deeper savory flavor that cuts through the sweetness of the maple and brown sugar.

That little bit of savory flavor is also what makes these sweet potatoes work so well alongside turkey, ham, pork, chicken, or steak.

Don’t Wrap Your Sweet Potatoes in Foil

One of the easiest things you can do to make a better baked sweet potato is skip the foil.

Foil traps steam around the potato. It will certainly cook it, but you end up with a very soft, damp skin.

For these potatoes, I want the outside to have some texture.

Scrub the potatoes really well and then make sure you dry them thoroughly. Rub the outsides with olive oil and season generously with kosher salt.

Prick each potato a few times with a fork and bake them uncovered.

As the sweet potatoes cook, the insides become soft while their natural sugars begin to caramelize.

Don’t panic if you see some sticky liquid escaping from a potato and caramelizing on the baking sheet. That’s normal with sweet potatoes and usually means something delicious is happening inside

How to Know When a Sweet Potato Is Done

Sweet potatoes can vary quite a bit in size, so I don’t like relying exclusively on a timer.

At 425°F, larger sweet potatoes will generally take about 50 to 70 minutes.

You are looking for a potato that gives when you gently squeeze it using an oven mitt or clean kitchen towel.

A knife or fork inserted into the thickest portion should slide in very easily, and the skin should look slightly wrinkled.

For this recipe, I would rather have a sweet potato go a few minutes longer than pull it out too early. You want that interior really soft and fluffy.

The Steakhouse Trick for Opening a Baked Sweet Potato

There is a little trick to getting that beautiful steakhouse-style baked potato instead of simply cutting your sweet potato into two flat halves.

Cut a slit lengthwise across the top without cutting all the way through.

Then gently push the two ends of the potato toward the center.

The potato will pop open and expose the fluffy center.

Use a fork to fluff up the inside.

Here’s one more trick: add a small pat of plain salted butter first.

Work that butter into the hot flesh with your fork before adding the flavored butter. Now the potato itself is buttery all the way through instead of having all the good stuff sitting on top.

Then add a generous scoop or slice of Savory Maple Butter and let it melt down into all those little fluffy crevices.

Don’t Skip the Flaky Salt

This may seem like a small detail, but don’t skip that final little sprinkle of flaky salt.

Salt does something really wonderful with sweet potatoes and maple. It doesn’t simply make them salty. It makes the sweetness taste more complex and keeps the whole thing from becoming cloying.

I also like adding toasted chopped pecans for crunch and a little finely minced chive for freshness and color.

The pecans are especially good if you’re serving these for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Make These Baked Sweet Potatoes Ahead for Thanksgiving

One of the best things about serving whole baked sweet potatoes for a holiday is that you don’t have to bake them from start to finish while you’re trying to manage the turkey, stuffing, and everything else that needs the oven.

You can bake the sweet potatoes one day ahead of time.

For the make-ahead version, bake them at 400°F until they are tender but not quite to the point where they’re collapsing, approximately 45 to 60 minutes depending on their size.

Leave the potatoes whole and do not split or fluff them yet.

Let them cool completely, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

You can also prepare the Savory Maple Butter the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator. If you want to make it look especially nice, shape the butter into a log before refrigerating and slice it into rounds for serving.

How to Reheat the Sweet Potatoes

On Thanksgiving or whatever holiday you’re serving them, take the potatoes out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before reheating.

Lightly brush the skins with melted butter or olive oil and add another little sprinkle of kosher salt.

Place them on a baking sheet and reheat uncovered at 375°F for approximately 25 to 35 minutes, or until they’re hot all the way through.

Then split, fluff, and dress the potatoes immediately before serving.

What If Your Holiday Oven Is Already Full?

Thanksgiving oven space is valuable real estate, so don’t worry if your oven isn’t conveniently sitting at 375°F.

If the turkey or ham is already cooking at 325°F or 350°F, put the sweet potatoes in alongside it.

At the lower temperature, give them approximately 35 to 45 minutes to heat through.

If you want to refresh the skins, you can give them about 5 minutes at 425°F after the turkey comes out of the oven to rest.

Sweet potatoes are forgiving, and sometimes on Thanksgiving getting everything hot and onto the table at the same time is more important than following an exact temperature.

Can You Keep Baked Sweet Potatoes Warm in a Slow Cooker?

You can use your slow cooker to hold the reheated sweet potatoes if you need to free up oven space, but there is a tradeoff.

The trapped steam inside the slow cooker will soften those nicely salted skins.

If keeping them hot is more important than maintaining a crisp skin, wrap each already-hot sweet potato individually in foil and place them in the slow cooker on the WARM setting.

I would use this as a short-term holding method rather than trying to reheat refrigerator-cold potatoes in the slow cooker.

For the best texture, my first choice is still reheating the potatoes uncovered in the oven and serving them fairly soon afterward.

What to Serve With Savory Baked Sweet Potatoes

These definitely aren’t limited to Thanksgiving.

The sweet and savory butter makes them a great side dish for:

• Roast turkey
• Baked ham
• Pork chops
• Pork tenderloin
• Roast chicken
• Grilled chicken
• Steak
• Meatloaf

They’re also substantial enough that I would happily eat one with a salad and call it dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Have to Use Real Maple Syrup?

I recommend real maple syrup because you only need a small amount and its flavor works especially well in the compound butter.

Why Is There Dijon Mustard in Sweet Potato Butter?

The Dijon balances the maple syrup and brown sugar. The finished butter shouldn’t taste strongly of mustard. It adds subtle tang and a savory element that keeps the topping from becoming overly sweet.

Can I Leave Out the Worcestershire Sauce?

You can, but that small amount adds a surprising amount of savory depth. It’s one of the ingredients that makes this taste like a sweet and savory butter rather than a traditional cinnamon-sugar sweet potato topping.

Can I Make the Savory Maple Butter Ahead?

Absolutely.

Make the butter, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it.

For a prettier holiday presentation, you can also spoon the butter onto parchment or plastic wrap, shape it into a log, and refrigerate it. Slice the chilled butter into rounds and put one on each hot potato before serving.

Should I Wrap Sweet Potatoes in Foil Before Baking?

Not for this recipe.

Baking them uncovered gives you a much better skin. Foil holds in steam and creates a softer exterior.

The exception is if you’re using foil to temporarily hold already-cooked potatoes warm in the slow cooker for a holiday meal.

Can Baked Sweet Potatoes Be Made the Day Before?

Yes.

Bake them whole, cool them completely, and refrigerate them without splitting them open. Reheat the whole potatoes the following day and split and fluff them immediately before serving.

Can I Leave Off the Pecans?

Absolutely. They’re completely optional.

If you’re serving someone with a nut allergy, simply leave them off.