These twice baked sweet potatoes are a MUST MAKE this holiday season! They’re stuffed with a sweet maple & cinnamon filling and topped with the BEST crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel! Similar to sweet potato casserole, these personal-sized potatoes will be a sweet and tasty addition to your Thanksgiving dinner!
Sweet potatoes are a MUST when it comes to Thanksgiving side dishes, especially in my family. (My mom makes the BEST candied sweet potatoes and I can never get enough of them!) But we all agreed these twice baked potatoes definitely give them a run for their money.
They’re like a cross between sweet potato casserole and mashed sweet potatoes wrapped up in one with the most delicious sweetened pecan streusel! And they’re so easy too! The hardest part (but not really) is making the pecan streusel since we’re working cold butter into the mixture. Trust me though, it’s worth it! These twice baked sweet potatoes are rich, decadent, full of flavor and perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Sweet potatoes: Use sweet potatoes that are similar in size to help them cook evenly. (I’ll usually look for potatoes that have a more purplish-red skin. Some stores might label them as yams.)
Maple syrup: Used to sweeten the potato filling. Always use real maple syrup for the best results!
Butter: You’ll need room temperature butter for the filling (to help it melt easier) and cold butter to make the streusel.
Oil: A splash of olive oil or avocado oil is needed to rub over your potatoes before roasting.
Pecans: I roughly chop my pecans to have a good mix of big and small pieces. (I love the nutty flavor they add to the streusel.) Feel free to finely chop the pecans instead.
Brown sugar: Used to sweeten the streusel. I like to pack the brown sugar making the streusel slightly sweeter. (Coconut sugar can be used instead.)
Flour: This helps to bind the streusel together. You won’t need a lot though! This recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of flour.
Spices: Cinnamon and salt are all you need to spice up your potatoes and streusel!
How To Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
1. Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Then wash and scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt and pat them with a paper towel. Using a large fork, poke a few holes all over each potato and place them on the prepared pan. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and bake for 40-60 minutes or until they’re soft and tender in the center. (Your potatoes may need to cook longer depending on their size and how many you’re baking together at a time.)
2. Make the streusel. While the potatoes bake, mix the streusel ingredients together until crumbly. Once done, cover and place the streusel in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. (This helps to keep the streusel firm giving your potatoes a delicious crunchy topping.)
3. Make the sweet potato filling. Once the potatoes are done, cut them in half length-wise and arrange them on the same sheet pan (or use a different sheet pan if you prefer). Scoop out the insides leaving a thin layer in each potato and add the insides to a mixing bowl. Add the butter, warm maple syrup, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. (Taste and adjust the syrup if you want them sweeter.)
4. Fill and bake! Spoon the filling evenly into each potato half and sprinkle the pecan streusel over the top. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the streusel is crispy and the potatoes are warm.
5. Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!
We LOVE making these twice baked sweet potatoes for the holidays! Everyone loves how tasty they are and they’re the perfect individual-sized side dish!
Prep These Potatoes Ahead Of Time For Thanksgiving
The Day Before: Bake the sweet potatoes and leave them whole, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make the pecan streusel, place it in a plastic bag and “smoosh” it together. (This will give you larger chunks of streusel.) Seal and keep it stored in the refrigerator.
The Day Of: Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides. Warm the mashed sweet potatoes in the microwave. (I’ll usually place a wet paper towel over the potatoes to keep them from drying out.) Then add the butter, syrup, cinnamon and salt. (I’ll usually warm the maple syrup in the microwave too.) Follow the original directions for assembly and final baking.
Tips & Variations
- Use smaller potatoes if possible. They seemed to cook better from my experience.
- Make sure all your filling ingredients are warm for the best consistency. I would suggest warming the maple syrup in the microwave and letting your butter soften to room temperature before adding them to the potatoes.
- You’ll see in the directions it says to use a “heaping” amount of maple syrup and butter for the filling. This is a personal preference. I think it adds a little extra sweetness/flavor without overdoing it.
- Always use cold butter and cut it into the streusel. This is what makes your streusel extra crunchy!
- For a sweeter filling: Add another ½ tablespoon of maple syrup to the filling. (Taste and adjust)
- For more pecan flavor: Chop the pecans into bigger pieces when making the streusel. They might be a little harder to mix in and the streusel will be very crumbly but it still works!
- Switch out the nuts! Walnuts or almonds would be a delicious replacement.
Why you’ll love this twice baked sweet potato recipe!
- A fun alternative to sweet potato casserole! They’re a great way to get your sweet potato fix in for Thanksgiving without having to make a giant casserole!
- Personal-sized! Perfect if you only need a small amount of potatoes OR they can easily be doubled for a large crowd. (Besides everyone loves individual-sized things!😉)
- Lightened up! This recipe uses less butter and sugar than most sweet potato casseroles but still has a TON of flavor!
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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes:
- 2 small sweet potatoes
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup (heaping)
- 1 Tbsp butter, at room temperature (heaping)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt (or to taste)
- Olive oil, for roasting the potatoes
For the pecan streusel:
- ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar*
- 2 Tbsp flour
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp cold butter
Instructions
- Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.Wash and scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt and pat them with a paper towel. Using a large fork, poke a few holes all over and place them on the prepared pan. Rub the potatoes with olive oil.Bake for 40-60 minutes or until they're soft and tender in the center. (Your potatoes may need to cook longer depending on their size and how many you're baking together at a time.)
- Make the streusel. While the potatoes bake, add the chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon to a large bowl. Using a large fork, cut the butter into the streusel mixture until it's fully combined and crumbly. Once done, cover and place the streusel in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. (This keeps the streusel firm giving your potatoes a super crunchy topping.)
- Make the sweet potato filling. Once the potatoes are done, cut them in half length-wise and arrange them on the same sheet pan (or use a different sheet pan if you prefer). Scoop out the insides leaving a thin layer in each potato and add the insides to a mixing bowl. Add the butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. (I'll usually warm the maple syrup in the microwave first.)
- Fill and bake! Spoon the filling evenly into each potato half and sprinkle the chilled pecan streusel over the top.Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the streusel is crispy and the potatoes are warm.
- Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!
