Our Fans Dig These Sweet Potato Dessert Recipes—And We Bet You Will, Too (2024)

Sweet Potato Brownies

With cocoa powder and chopped chocolate disguising the flavor and orange hue, if you didn’t mention these brownies included sweet potatoes, no one will likely guess! And get this: This is one sweet potato dessert that’s actually best made ahead. With ¾ cup of mashed sweet potato, almond butter, and honey in the chocolate batter, an overnight rest allows those moisture-boosting ingredients to set up and slice beautifully. “The edges are soft and chewy, while the center is soft, moist, and fudgy,” one BHG fan says of these unique brownies.

Candied Sweet Potato Pie

One of our most epic mash-up recipes has arrived so you need not choose between sweet potato casserole, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie. We’ve combined the best elements of all of the above in this deceptively-easy holiday pie idea. Pecans are not only studding the top of the nutmeg-spiced sweet potato filling; they’re also infused into the easy piecrust.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Say goodbye to the “snooze” button. You’ll actually be excited to wake up when you have these delightfully tender sweet potato waffles waiting for you in the morning. (They freeze and reheat beautifully, by the way.) A generous pour of maple syrup and a splash of vanilla makes these taste more like a sweet potato dessert than a breakfast, but the vitamin-rich sweet potato and protein-rich Greek yogurt make them nutritious enough to kick off the day.

Test Kitchen Tip: To truly make this a sweet potato dessert recipe, top a waffle or two with a scoop of ice cream instead of Greek yogurt. Finish with a drizzle of maple syrup and a handful of Bourbon-Brown Sugar Nuts, if desired.

Spiral-Topped Sweet Potato Pie

This sweet potato dessert recipe also gives a nod to one of our favorite breakfasts: cinnamon rolls! But the just-sweet-enough custard lands firmly in final course territory. That custard includes a whopping 1 ¼ pounds of sweet potatoes—plus cinnamon, nutmeg, bourbon, and brown sugar— for major fall flavor. And we promise the crust is much easier than it looks. Simply allow store-bought refrigerated pastry to come to room temp, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Roll this into a log, then slice into coins and stack on top of the sweet potato blend.

Candied Bacon-Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Candied bacon (aka bacon roasted with a cinnamon-sugar coating) and sweet potatoes might get naming rights, but there’s a bonus ingredient in the luscious icing that makes this sweet potato dessert recipe really stand out. Bourbon! Thanks to 2 cups of mashed sweet potato, “the cupcakes are so moist and delicious, they don't even need frosting,” one five-star reviewer raves. “That said, the [bourbon-cream cheese] frosting is DELICIOUS and really complements the cake.”

Meringue-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole

Your search for a scene-stealing Thanksgiving side dish or dessert stops here. Whether it falls into the side space or ends up on the dessert menu is up to you. The foundation tastes like candied sweet potatoes (hey, orange juice and zest!) and sweet potato casserole (welcome to the party, pecans) had a baby, while the toasted meringue helps this sweet potato casserole definitely deliver on that “sweet” promise.

Sweet Potato Rose Tartlets

Will you accept this rose? We definitely did after the first bite—and after seeing how easy this sweet potato dessert recipe was to execute! Its spiral pattern makes this showy enough for holidays, but the ingredient list (frozen puff pastry, sweet potatoes, caramel-flavor ice cream topping) and 20-minute prep time make these tartlets doable enough for any day of the year.

Sweet Potato-Chocolate Pound Cake

Calling all beginning bakers: this is a safe place to dip your toe into the cake-baking world. Pound cake batter tends to be very forgiving and simple to stir together. This one looks and tastes like you labored over it all day, however, due to the sour cream, sweet potato, and (5!) eggs that add moisture and density to the batter. The chocolate ganache and flaky sea salt topping certainly don’t hurt, either.

Mallow-Praline Sweet Potato Pie

If a big, warm food hug is what you’re craving this holiday, turn to this sweet potato dessert. The filling is scented with crystallized or ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. In other words, the cozy fall spice girls are all here. To give a nod to sweet potato casserole, add pecans, mini marshmallows, and a buttery brown sugar-maple sauce to the top for the final 15 minutes of bake time.

Related: The 28 Best Fall Dessert Recipes for Cool Weather Baking

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Recognized by fans as being everything from “my granddaughter’s favorite” to a bake sale winner, this sweet potato dessert recipe earns bonus points for being ultra-easy. The secret for the cinnamon-spiked cupcake batter can be found in the baking or canned food aisle: unsweetened canned and cut sweet potatoes. That way, you don’t even need to boil or roast the spuds; simply mix them into the batter alongside the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Test Kitchen Tip: If you're sharing this sweet potato dessert with those who imbibe, loosen up the cream cheese frosting with 2 tablespoons of bourbon instead of milk.

Sweet Potato Pie

Depending on where you live, this pie recipe might be more closely linked to Thanksgiving than sweet potato pie. If that’s the case—or if you’re new to the sweet potato pie-scape—this easy, classic recipe is a brilliant place to score a taste of Southern goodness. Beyond the potatoes, you’ll just need an egg, lemon, sugar, butter, nutmeg, and evaporated milk (or one of these evaporated milk substitutes).

Ginger-Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Butter

Purée and package the best flavors of fall to share as a homemade food gift…or gift to your future self. This spreadable spud butter actually contains no butter at all. Similar to apple and fig butter, it’s just a dense, slather-ready blend of warmly-spiced mashed produce, brown sugar, and fruit juice. Enjoy or gift it now, or freeze for up to 6 months to make any toast, biscuit, pound cake, waffle, or pancake taste like a sweet potato dessert.

Mini Sweet Potato Pies

Keep the peace around your holiday table. This sweet potato dessert recipe is designed to leave you with 12 individually-portioned graham cracker-crusted pies. That means no one will need to battle over the largest slice. Since the maple- and vanilla-infused sweet potato custard is so silky and luxurious, you’ll want to savor every last crumb you can get.

Test Kitchen Tip: If you prefer a traditional 9-inch pie, follow our variation for how to make a single sweet potato dessert from this same recipe.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Cookies

When our editors are lucky enough to have leftover mashed sweet potatoes in our kitchens, it’s a fairly safe bet they’ll end up in this cookie recipe. It’s been a staff- and fan-favorite since 2013 since the texture is reminiscent of a scone, the flavor reminds us of cozy sweater weather, and the frosting is a dreamy combination of cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla.