Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows are like personal sweet potato casseroles—the perfect Thanksgiving side dish!
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
These Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are the epitome of comfort and nostalgia, all bundled into a delightful package. The humble sweet potato is transformed into a vessel of autumnal bliss through baking, mashing, and re-baking. You don’t want to miss this whimsical and traditional Thanksgiving side! For more sweet potato side dishes, try this Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping, Mashed Sweet Potato Brulee, and Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows.
This easy twice baked sweet potato recipe is packed with flavor. The first bake softens the sweet potatoes, allowing their natural sugars to subtly caramelize and concentrate, bringing out a deeper, more intense taste. Once slightly cooled, they’re hollowed out, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato to maintain structure.
The scooped-out flesh is then mashed with maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon, spooned back into the skins, and topped with mini marshmallows and pecans. The sweet, fluffy marshmallows brown and puff in the oven. They’re delicious!
Why This Sweet Potato Recipe Works
- Easy Portions: Individual servings make for a more streamlined serving process during the meal, ensuring each guest gets an equal and sufficient portion without passing around a casserole dish.
- Seasonal Ingredients: Sweet potatoes are in season during the fall, making them a fresh and appropriate choice for the Thanksgiving table.
- Make Ahead: You can prep everything a day ahead, then add the marshmallows and pecans when ready to bake.
- Family-Friendly: Kids are often drawn to the marshmallow topping, making this dish an effective way to get younger family members excited about eating a vegetable-heavy side.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: Wash four large sweet potatoes.
- Milk: Use a third cup of fat-free milk.
- Maple Syrup for sweetening the potatoes
- Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon for the best warm, fall flavor
- Kosher Salt to balance the sweetness
- Pecans: Chop two tablespoons of pecans.
- Marshmallows: You’ll need three-quarters cup of mini marshmallows for the topping.
How to Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork, and bake them at 425°F for about an hour.
- Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving a quarter inch intact.
- Sweet Potato Filling: Transfer it to a large bowl, mash it with a fork or potato masher, and add the milk, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon.
- Assemble the Potatoes: Spoon the mixture back into the potato skins and top with marshmallows and pecans.
- Bake the sweet potatoes at 350°F for about 10 minutes until the marshmallows are golden.
Variations:
- Customize the Filling: Add ingredients, like a splash of bourbon instead of vanilla for more depth.
- Dairy-Free: Swap regular milk with any dairy-free alternative, like almond milk.
- Sweetener: Switch out maple with honey or brown sugar.
- Spices: Add nutmeg for more spice, or substitute pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon.
- Nuts: Sub walnuts for pecans.
What to Serve with Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
These healthy twice baked sweet potatoes would be excellent on your Thanksgiving Menu with all the classics.
- Dry Brine Turkey
- Sausage Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole
- Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce
- Scalloped Potato Gratin
How long and at what temperature do you reheat twice bake sweet potatoes?
You can prep these sweet potatoes a day early, and skip the topping and second baking. Then, add the marshmallows and pecans before reheating, and bake them at 350° for 10 to 20 minutes until warm.
Twice baked sweet potatoes will stay good in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat them in the microwave or oven until warm.
More Sweet Potato Recipes You’ll Love
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Parmesan Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Balsamic
- Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes, 8 ounces each, scrubbed clean
- 1/3 cup fat free milk, or milk alternative such as almond
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. On a baking sheet, (lined with foil for easy clean-up if you wish) prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork.
- Bake until tender, or until a fork inserted in the thickest part has no resistance, 55 to 65 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes so they are easier to handle. Meanwhile reduce oven to 350F.
- Cut sweet potatoes in half and carefully scoop out flesh with a metal spoon and transfer to a large bowl, leaving about ¼-inch of flesh intact.
- Mash with a fork or potato masher and add the milk, vanilla, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon.
- Spoon back in the potato skins leaving it fluffy, top with marshmallows and pecans and bake 8 to 10 more minutes, until the marshmallows are golden.
