These amazing Vegan Sweet Potatoes are cooked in plenty of vegan butter and stock so they suck up all of that lovely flavor before roasting themselves to golden, sticky, melty perfection. They are a fantastic side dish to serve with your holiday feast or Sunday roast!
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"I made these as a side dish for the family Christmas lunch and OMG! It was so delicious. The whole family raved about them and kept getting more helpings of the sweet potatoes. Thanks so much!" - Chris ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
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And here we are with one of my favorite sweet potato recipes! Golden, caramelized and sticky, these amazing vegan sweet potatoes are a fantastic side dish to serve with your holiday feast or Sunday roast. They make a great alternative to the usual vegan sweet potato casserole.
We're talking soft, sweet and savoury with melting insides, sticky, caramelized outsides and a tumble of crunchy, nutty, smoky pecans all working their magic together to make these the best vegan sweet potatoes. The taste amazing!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll be needing to make these irresistible and naturally gluten-free vegan sweet potatoes:
And a few ingredient notes:
- Sweet potatoes - There are so many varieties of sweet potato. For this recipe though you should use orange-fleshed ones like the Beauregard, Garnet or Jewel varieties. Yams will work well too.
- Vegan Butter - Yes ... we're smearing vegan butter ALL over the sweet potatoes and I'm not sorry! There is no sub in this recipe. They just wouldn't be the same without.
- Pecan nuts - Walnuts would work well too. Pecans kind of feel more holiday-like though, don't you think?
- Smoked paprika - Just a touch is needed on the nuts. That smoky flavor though is EVERYTHING. Chipotle powder will work as a stand-in.
- Brown sugar - Dark or light. You can use coconut sugar instead.
- Maple syrup - This must be the real stuff and not pancake syrup.
How To Make Vegan Sweet Potatoes
Here's the rundown on how to make these AMAZING Vegan Sweet Potatoes:
- It all starts with sweet potatoes cut into rounds then schmeared all over with vegan butter, cinnamon and thyme. Use a baking sheet that has a rim.
- Then things get roasty.
- Once roasted, we pour a cup of stock all over.
- Then we cook them some more. Don't rush them. The best results come from letting them get really sticky and caramelized!
And as if that's not enough, then comes a tumble of smoky stovetop candied pecans!
- Add the pecan ingredients to a pan.
- Then cook in the pan for 5 minutes before letting them cool and crisp up.
And just like that ... BOOM ... You are in best ever vegan sweet potatoes territory! Serve the melting sweet potatoes scattered with the crunchy, smoky sweet pecans.
Serving Suggestions
These vegan sweet potatoes are great as a side with most meals but come into their own in a holiday dinner situation like Thanksgiving or Christmas. I love them with my Vegan Roast and gravy(as pictured below)!
They are also wonderful served with any of these:
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, place in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 15 minutes or until hot. It's probably wise to pick the pecan nuts off before you put them in the oven so they don't burn then add them back after.
Recipe FAQs
If your super organized self wants to prepare these sweet potatoes in advance, just follow the recipe up until the end of the roasting part and stop before you add the stock. Let the potatoes cool in the pan. Don't move them or they might break up. Cover the entire pan and store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Then when you want to finish it all off, remove the potatoes from the fridge, pour over the stock and place the potatoes back in the oven at the same temperature and continue as if you never stopped. Simply cook until the liquid has gone as per the instructions, then serve with the nuts sprinkled over the top.
The nuts can be made up to a week before, left to cool, then stored in a jar in a cool place until you need them.
Recipe
Best Vegan Sweet Potatoes
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 2lb (907 grams) orange fleshed sweet potatoes , or yams
- ¼ cup (60 grams) vegan butter
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable stock
For the candied pecans
- 1 cup (100 grams) raw pecan nuts , shelled
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar , or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup , real maple syrup not pancake syrup
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika , or chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 475 °F (246 C).
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into rounds about 1 inch thick.
- Using clean hands, rub the butter generously all over each potato and lay them in a single layer on a rimmed metal baking tray. It must be a metal tray and not glass or ceramic and it needs to have a rim because you will be pouring some liquid on later.
- Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the thyme, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon and a little salt, then flip the potatoes and do the same to the other sides with the remaining thyme, cinnamon, pepper and salt.
- Put the potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove. Flip each one over and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven again and pour over the vegetable stock. Return to the oven and cook until the liquid has just disappeared. It should take around 20 to 25 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, put the pecan nuts in a small non stick pan. Add the sugar, maple syrup, smoked paprika, cinnamon and salt then stir to coat them. Put the pan over a medium heat, and let the nuts cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until bubbly and sticky. Keep them moving frequently. Don't leave them unattended as they burn easily.
- Turn off the heat and carefully spoon the nuts onto a parchment paper or silicone mat lined plate. Spread them out in a single layer with a spoon and leave to cool. They will get hard and crunchy as they cool down.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with the nuts and serve. Some fresh thyme is nice if you have some too.
NOTES
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NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on October 27th 2019. I've updated the post and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Lalo says
In all fairness, I did not eat this recipe. I opened the front door to my Mom's house and immediately went into fight-or-flight. I thought she somehow accidentally cooked a diaper or that a squirrel was stuck in the chimney. The stench lingered for hours and was nauseating. She is a proficient chef and was excited to try this recipe. I am excited to get the stink out of the house.
Melanie McDonald says
Well the only thing I can say is that they are stinking delicious! If they ended up smelling like a soiled diaper or a squirrel stuck up a chimney then your Mom obviously isn't the proficient chef you claim her to be. Have a good day!
Karen Moore says
wow. You weren't kidding when you said best sweet potatoes. They are so buttery and yummy. These will be a regular in our house now, holidays or not!
Brigitte says
It’s a good concept , the potatoes and nuts were tasty but too dry , way too dry ..
Melanie McDonald says
They can't possibly be dry when cooked in all of that butter and stock, unless you way overcooked them.
Suzanne says
Ok, just made this recipe and it's a triple wow! The roasted pecan nuts by themselves miam! and the roasted sweet potatoes another miam! and the mix of the sweet potatoes and the pecan amazing. First time but not last. Can't wait to be aloud to have guests over to show off this yummy side dish ☺.
Suzanne says
Oups! Lol scuse not aloud but allowed lol Hi! Hi! I'm French speaking and after posting the aloud didn't seam right oups!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed them, Suzanne. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It's much appreciated!
Chris says
I made these as a side dish for the family Christmas lunch and OMG! it was so delicious. The whole family raved about them and kept getting more helpings of the sweet potatoes. Thanks so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Chris. I'm really pleased you all enjoyed them!
Karen says
Just made this for Thanksgiving today. So good. I added just a little maple syrup to the broth for a little extra sweetness and it was great. Will definitely make this again.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed them Karen. Happy Thanksgiving!
Holly says
Just made this to practice for thanksgiving (one guest has nut allergy, made with pepitas). YUM!!! It's officially made the cut. I'm not into mushy sweet potatoes, these are perfect.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's really good to hear. Thank you. I hope they go down well at Thanksgiving!
beth says
I'm embarrassed to say that I'm a sweet potato virgin. How do I know when I go to the store to buy sweet potatoes (I've only seen sweet potatoes, or at least what is labeled as sweet potatoes and not yams) that they are the orange fleshed kind?????
Also, since I have a nut allergy could I just add the smoked paprika with the thyme and cinnamon that go on the sweet potatoes? I love smoked paprika!
A Virtual Vegan says
You can totally leave the pecan nuts out if you have a nut allergy. You could follow the recipe and use pumpkin or sunflower seeds if you wanted to though. They will candy in the same way. But it will still be more than good without.
And OMG a sweet potato virgin. You don't know what you're missing!
So, I can't post pictures here which isn't very helpful but go to this page https://www.saveur.com/gallery/16-Shades-of-Sweet/ and you are wanting sweet potatoes that ideally look like the Jewel variety. They tend to be most common anyway so I'm sure you'll find them easily.
Failing that ones that look like the Garnet, Beauregard, Covington or Amish bush porto rico. They are unlikely to be labelled as those names in the store, but any that have a darkish, pinky skin and look similar should be fine. Steer clear of the ones that look like the Hannah potato as they are really white fleshed and nowhere near as sweet and melting in this recipe.
Hope that helps and enjoy!
beth says
Mel, thank you for the link, the Jewel variety looks like what I see at the store. Perhaps soon I won't be a sweet potato virgin ;)
Gary says
The most fandabbydozy potatoes I have ever eaten. Amazing. Thank you Mel!