Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potato Slices

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Brown sugar baked sweet potato slices are a lightened-up take on classic candied yams. Spiced with cinnamon and ginger, these sweet potato rounds are oven-roasted until soft and creamy on the inside, then finished under the broiler to get those perfectly crispy outsides. This recipe is loved on Pinterest and a reader favorite for the Thanksgiving table, but with only six ingredients, it’s simple enough for busy weeknights too.

Baked sweet potato slices on a slate serving board next to a silver spoon.

An Easy Sweet Potato Side Dish

Baked sweet potato slices are my favorite way to enjoy a sweet potato side dish without all the sugar you typically find in candied yams or a marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole. Don’t get me wrong, I love those kinds of sweet potatoes too, but I much prefer them for dessert.

This dish allows the nutty, earthy flavors of the sweet potato to shine while also bringing out their natural sweetness. Pillowy soft on the inside, like the inside of a baked sweet potato, but with golden crispy outsides.

These baked sweet potato rounds are impressive enough for your holiday table but easy enough for a random Tuesday night meal. Originally introduced on the blog as oven-roasted sweet potatoes, they are still a reader favorite to this day.

What You’ll Need

This tasty sweet potato recipe calls for just six ingredients: sweet potatoes, butter, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt. When shopping for sweet potatoes, look for the longer, skinny ones with bright orange flesh. The skinny ones are easier to slice into uniform slices, which will allow them to all bake for the same amount of time without burning.

Ingredients for baked sweet potato slices on a marble background with black labels.

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How to Make Baked Sweet Potato Slices

One of the best things about these baked sweet potato slices is how easy they are to make. First, I’ll walk you through it with my tips and tricks; then, you can check out the step-by-step video. Don’t forget to adjust the baking rake to the top position before you turn on the oven.

Baked Sweet Potato Slices Video

Kitchen Skill: Baking PLUS Broiling

Instead of oven-roasting, these sweet potato slices are baked and then broiled. The difference between the three methods is mainly the cooking temperatures. Baking is lower temps. Roasting is done in a hot oven. Broiling requires intense heat from an overhead source.

Typically when I make oven-roasted vegetables, I roast them at 425º so that the inside of the veggies just soften while the outside gets crispy. For these baked sweet potato slices, we want the inside to have a super soft creamy texture, like a baked potato, on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Starting with a cooler oven allows the insides to cook through without the outside burning, and then we switch to using the broiler.

Caution: Food under a broiler can burn quickly. Do not place anything under the broiler and walk out of the room. Keep an eye on it. Use your oven light if possible. Until you are familiar with how quickly your broiler cooks, check after the first minute, then again every 45 – 60 seconds until it’s done.

Because of the brown sugar on these sweet potatoes, I recommend a low broiler setting. If your broiler doesn’t have a high/low option, leave the oven door slightly open to reduce the heat.

The potatoes are done baking when they can be easily pierced with a fork, and they are done broiling when the edges start to brown and the sugar on top caramelizes.

Overhead image of baked sweet potato slices.

Tips for Baked Sweet Potatoes

Even with an easy recipe like this one, there are a few tips that can help you be successful the first time and every time.

  • Don’t slice the sweet potatoes too thin – the recommended 1/4″ thickness of the slices is needed to get a soft interior and crispy exterior.
  • Skip the aluminum foil or parchment paper liner – It’s my personal preference, but lining your pan tends to make it require longer cooking times and leaves you with more single-use waste heading to the landfills.
  • For quick clean upfill the pan with soapy water and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes, which is enough to melt the residual sugars and make clean up easy.

Serving Suggestions

Baked sweet potato slices are a delicious addition to your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner table. Crispy on the outside with buttery soft insides, these sweet potatoes embrace the natural flavor of the sweet potato without a lot of added sugar. Once you try them, you’ll be enjoying them all year long.

Serve with buttermilk brined turkey, balsamic brussels sprouts, cranberry apple stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, and brioche rolls for a holiday meal that they won’t soon forget.

Baked sweet potato slices on a slate board.

How to Store and Reheat

These sweet potatoes are best served hot and fresh from the oven. They can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container for 3 – 5 days, but I prefer to freeze them if you don’t plan to eat them in a day or two. To bring back the crispy texture, reheat these just like you would leftover french fries: in a 375º oven or air fryer for about 6 – 10 minutes until they are sizzling hot.

If you want to get adventurous, take the leftovers, mash them together and then press them into a hot waffle iron. It’s not a perfect sweet potato waffle, but it gets a great crispy texture and takes away the blahs of eating leftovers. 

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Baked sweet potato slices on a slate serving board next to a silver spoon.

Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potato Slices

Brown sugar baked sweet potato slices are a lightened-up take on classic candied yams. Spiced with cinnamon and ginger, these sweet potato rounds are oven roasted until soft and creamy on the inside, then finished under the broiler to get those perfectly crispy outsides. This recipe is loved on Pinterest and a reader favorite for the Thanksgiving table, but with only six ingredients, it's simple enough for busy weeknights too.
4.8 stars (106 ratings)
prep: 10 minutes
cook: 24 minutes
total: 34 minutes
servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Move the oven rack to the top slot and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4" thick rounds.
  • Place the sweet potatoes on a small baking sheet, touching but not overlapping.
  • In a small bowl or ramekin mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
  • In separate bowl or ramekin melt the butter.
  • Using a pastry brush, brush the tops each sweet potato with half of the butter then sprinkle with half of the spice mixture. Flip the potatoes over and repeat the steps, brushing them with the remaining butter and sprinkling them with the remaining spice mixture.
  • Place the pan on the top rack of your preheated oven, roast for 10 minutes, flip, and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Turn the broiler on low** and continue to roast an additional 1-3 minutes on each side.
  • Serve hot from the oven.

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Notes

*If your oven doesn't have a high/low option on the broiler, prop the oven door open and make sure to check the potatoes for burning after 1 minute. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 110mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.

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23 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These were a wonderful, hearty side for our Canadian Thanksgiving last month. My family enjoys sweet/salty so we added an extra pinch or two of salt.

    1. Ohh! I bet they would be great with a bit of flaky sea salt on top after they bake! So glad you enjoyed them.

  2. 5 stars
    They were so easy to make and everyone loved them. The sweet potatoes were cooked perfectly – they were soft and creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The brown sugar and spices gave them a delicious flavor. I will definitely be making these again!

  3. I love roasted sweet potatoes, but I’ve never thought to add ginger to them. I bet they smell amazing while they are roasting!!

  4. 5 stars
    We love sweet potatoes this time of year. We like them mashed and in a casserole or fried in a skillet. I bet this roasted recipe is a time saver. Can’t wait to roast it in the oven in no time along with chicken!

    1. I don’t know if I’ve ever had sweet potatoes fried in a skillet. You try them my way and I’ll try them yours – I’m sure we will both be happy!

  5. 5 stars
    I’m so with you – roasting vegetables brings out incredible flavor, and there’s nothing we love more in my house than roasted sweet potato! I love the idea of adding ginger – can’t wait to try that!

  6. 5 stars
    It has not occurred to me to add cinnamon and ginger to sweet potatoes. I can imagine how these flavors should work out well. I am feeling hungry just at the thought.

    1. In my kitchen, ginger and cinnamon often go hand in hand and once I tried them on sweet potatoes I just fell in love! I hope you do too!

  7. I love the color you get when cooking with sweet potatoes. These look great and they have my name all over them.

4.76 from 106 votes (99 ratings without comment)

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