This recipe for twice baked sweet potatoes is tender potatoes piled high with pecan brown sugar streusel, marshmallows and dried cranberries and baked to perfection . You can prepare them in advance and then pop them in the oven right before your holiday meal!

These sweet potatoes have all the great flavors of a traditional casserole, yet they’re elegant enough for a fancy dinner. When I want sweet potatoes I serve crock pot sweet potato casserole , candied sweet potatoes , mashed sweet potatoes or this fantastic dish.

A tray of twice baked sweet potatoes with a streusel topping, marshmallows and dried cranberries. - 1

There are so many different mashed sweet potato recipes out there – some are topped with marshmallows, some with pecans and some with streusel. I can never decide which version I like the best so I decided to combine them all and stuff them into a hand held form. Behold, twice baked sweet potatoes loaded with toppings, the perfect Thanksgiving recipe .

These twice baked potatoes are wonderful with holiday dishes like Cajun turkey , brussels sprouts salad , crock pot stuffing or honey roasted carrots .

  • Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
  • How Do You Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes?
  • Tips For The Perfect Sweet Potatoes
  • Quick Tip
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Flavor Variations
  • More Great Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Love This Recipe?
  • Loaded Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Ingredients

To make twice baked sweet potatoes you will need sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. For the streusel topping make sure to have flour, more brown sugar, chopped pecans, cubes of butter, mini marshmallows and dried cranberries. For amounts and details check out the recipe card below.

  • Sweet Potatoes: Pick any orange or red fleshed sweet potato for this recipe. You can use varieties like jewel or garnet sweet potatoes.
  • Pecans: You can chop the pecans for the topping yourself or buy a bag of chopped pecans to save a little time.
  • Mini-Marshmallows: These little marshmallows go great with sweet potatoes. Buy a bag from your local supermarket and if you have leftover marshmallows use them for slow cooker hot chocolate !
Cooked sweet spuds on a tray with melting marshmallows. - 2

How Do You Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes?

To make twice baked sweet potatoes, first poke your sweet potatoes with a fork and place them on a baking sheet. The sheet pan goes into the oven about 45 minutes until the potatoes finish roasting. Let the potatoes cool and then scoop out the sweet potato flesh.

Mash the scooped out sweet potato with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Put the mashed mixture back in the sweet potato skins. Mix up a streusel topping by combining flour, brown sugar, butter and pecans.

Sprinkle the topping on the potatoes and they go back in the oven. After 20 minutes take the potatoes out and add the marshmallows to the top. Put them back in the oven a few minutes then sprinkle dried cranberries over the top and serve this delicious side dish!

An overhead picture of loaded sweet potatoes showing off the toppings. - 3

Tips For The Perfect Sweet Potatoes

  • Try to pick sweet potatoes that are the same size and shap e. They will cook more evenly and the end result will look nicer if all your potatoes look similar.
  • I take the contents of 8 potatoes and stuff them into 6 potato shells . This makes each of the twice baked sweet potatoes look full with delicious mashed sweet potatoes.
  • Cook your sweet potatoes on a sheet pan so they don’t drip into your oven. If you use a sheet of aluminum foil your cleanup will be easier.
  • Make sure to prick your sweet potatoes with a fork before they go into the oven.
  • Feel free to double or triple this recipe for a crowd.

Quick Tip

I use a potato ricer for the smoothest end result but you can also use a standard potato masher or a mixer.

A fork lifting some of the mashed filling and toppings out of the cooked spuds. - 4

I prefer oven baked sweet potatoes over microwaved potatoes. The flesh of the potato is more uniformly tender when roasted in an oven.

The secret to preventing twice baked potatoes from falling apart is to carefully scoop out the roasted potatoes. You want to leave about a quarter inch of potato on the skin so that the skin stays intact. You also want to carefully put the mashed potato back in the potato skins. One trick is to pipe the mashed potato back in place with a piping bag.

You should poke holes in a sweet potato before baking with a fork or a skewer. This allows excess moisture to leave the sweet potato while cooking. It keeps helps keep the shape of the sweet potato which is especially important for twice baked sweet potatoes.

Follow Me

Several twice baked sweet potatoes with a fork and some of the mashed potato filling removed. - 5

Flavor Variations

These twice baked sweet potatoes are sweet and delicious as-is; however, you can change up the flavors if you want.

  • Maple: Try adding a tablespoon of maple syrup to the mashed potatoes.
  • Savory: For a savory version of this dish, omit the brown sugar and cinnamon from the mashed sweet potatoes and omit the sweet toppings. Instead, add a dash of black pepper and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning to the mashed potatoes. Top the dish with bits of cooked bacon. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, feel free to mix in some thyme, parsley, oregano, basil and garlic powder. For a little spice, try adding cayenne pepper.
  • Apple: Instead of cranberries and marshmallows, top the dish with slices of peeled apple that you sauté until tender in 3 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar.
  • Pie Spices: You can make your sweet potatoes more like a sweet potato pie. Just stir into your mashed sweet potatoes 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • Fluff: Feel free to top your sweet potatoes with a little marshmallow fluff (marshmallow creme).

This is such a fun way to serve sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving and it’s so convenient to make them ahead of time. The important thing is to not skimp on the toppings. Because come on, we all know that’s the best part!

More Great Thanksgiving Recipes

Southern Cornbread Dressing - 6

Southern Cornbread Dressing

1 hr 15 mins

This recipe for a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is mashed spiced sweet potatoes, topped with both a pecan streusel topping and plenty of mini marshmallows. A holiday classic that's a family favorite! - 7

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

1 hr 50 mins

Slow cooker mac and cheese topped with parsley, with a serving spoon in it. - 8

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

2 hrs 5 mins

A row of green bean bundles on a pan. - 9

Bacon Green Bean Bundles

25 mins

Raspberry gelatin is combined with cranberry sauce, pineapple and orange zest for a delicious side dish or dessert that's perfect for the holidays. - 10

Cranberry Jello Salad

6 hrs 10 mins

Love This Recipe?

Ingredients1x2x3x

For the mashed potatoes

  • ▢ 8 medium sweet potatoes similar size and shape
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the streusel

  • ▢ 2 tablespoons of flour
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pecans
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons of cold butter cut into small cubes
  • ▢ 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
  • ▢ 1/4 cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
  • ▢ cooking spray

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place the potatoes on the pan and prick each one a few times with a fork.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until tender.
  • When the potatoes are cool enough to handle gently slice the tops off and scoop out the insides, leaving a 1/4 inch thick border.
  • Combine the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste). Mash the potatoes with a mixer, potato masher or ricer.
  • Spoon the potato mixture back into only 6 of the shells; discard the remaining 2 shells. Alternatively you can use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe the potatoes into the shells in a decorative fashion.
  • At this point you can store the potatoes in the fridge for up to one day or proceed to baking.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a bowl combine the flour and brown sugar. Using a fork, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the pecans.
  • Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the potatoes and lightly pat it down with your fingers so it sticks.
  • Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If the potatoes are coming from the fridge you’ll need to add 15 minutes to the bake time.
  • Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently press the marshmallows into the tops. Bake for another 3 minutes or until marshmallows have melted.
  • Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle the dried cranberries over the top. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Try to pick sweet potatoes that are the same size and shape. They will cook more evenly and the end result will look nicer if all your potatoes look similar.
  2. I use a potato ricer for the smoothest end result but you can also use a standard potato masher or a mixer.
  3. Choose any orange or red fleshed sweet potato for this recipe. You can use varieties like jewel or garnet sweet potatoes.

Nutrition

Several twice baked sweet potatoes on a sheet pan with streusel topping and marshmallows. - 11 These loaded twice baked sweet potatoes are piled high with pecan brown sugar streusel, marshmallows and dried cranberries. You can prepare them in advance and then pop them in the oven right before your holiday meal! - 12

Loaded Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes

  • 8 medium sweet potatoes similar size and shape
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the streusel

  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons of cold butter cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place the potatoes on the pan and prick each one a few times with a fork.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until tender.
  • When the potatoes are cool enough to handle gently slice the tops off and scoop out the insides, leaving a 1/4 inch thick border.
  • Combine the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste). Mash the potatoes with a mixer, potato masher or ricer.
  • Spoon the potato mixture back into only 6 of the shells; discard the remaining 2 shells. Alternatively you can use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe the potatoes into the shells in a decorative fashion.
  • At this point you can store the potatoes in the fridge for up to one day or proceed to baking.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a bowl combine the flour and brown sugar. Using a fork, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the pecans.
  • Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the potatoes and lightly pat it down with your fingers so it sticks.
  • Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If the potatoes are coming from the fridge you’ll need to add 15 minutes to the bake time.
  • Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently press the marshmallows into the tops. Bake for another 3 minutes or until marshmallows have melted.
  • Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle the dried cranberries over the top. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Try to pick sweet potatoes that are the same size and shape. They will cook more evenly and the end result will look nicer if all your potatoes look similar.
  2. I use a potato ricer for the smoothest end result but you can also use a standard potato masher or a mixer.
  3. Choose any orange or red fleshed sweet potato for this recipe. You can use varieties like jewel or garnet sweet potatoes.

Nutrition