24 Delicious Sweet Potato Recipes to Make for Every Meal

With their bright-colored flesh and loads of nutrients, sweet potatoes are a powerhouse among produce. Though sweet potatoes are available year-round, they're at their sweetest in fall and winter. They are sometimes mislabeled as yams, which are actually not widely available in North America, but are equally delicious. From a healthy breakfast pudding to the Smashed Salt-and-Vinegar Sweet Potatoes that are pictured here, there are so many delicious ways to cook sweet potatoes for every meal.

When shopping for sweet potatoes, look out for two main varieties: The orange-fleshed sweet potato has a sweet, vibrant inside that takes on a creamy texture when cooked; the yellow-fleshed variety is mealier and less sweet than its orange counterpart. When choosing sweet potatoes, look for ones that are very firm, with no areas of softening, sprouting, or wrinkling, all of which are signs of age. To store sweet potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place for up to one month. They should never be kept in the refrigerator, as their natural sugars will convert to starch, making them less sweet.

Once you've purchased the best quality sweet potatoes possible, try experimenting with them in both sweet and savory recipes. Start your morning off with our Sweet-Potato Pudding, which can be partially prepared in advance. Blend together the flesh from one roasted sweet potato along with unsweetened almond milk, almond butter, and cinnamon, then serve for breakfast garnished with pomegranate arils, sliced almonds, and toasted unsweetened coconut flakes. Looking for a warm, comforting meal to serve your family for dinner? Try our Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew or our Taco Salad with Sweet-Potatoes; both are hearty, family-friendly meals that are packed with flavor and healthy ingredients.

Sweet-Potato Pudding

Wake up to this nourishing vegan pudding for breakfast. Roast a sweet potato the night before to shorten prep time in the morning. This recipe serves two but feels free to double or triple it in order to treat your entire family to a warming breakfast.

Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew

In under one hour, you can prepare this hearty vegan stew. Chopped sweet potatoes are cooked with a combination of whole and puréed black beans, quinoa, minced chipotle in adobo, and chopped poblano peppers.

Slow-Baked Sweet Potatoes

There's no way to rush when making this easy, healthy side dish—medium sweet potatoes are wrapped in parchment and foil and roasted for an hour and a half until they're super tender and their sweet flavor shines. The cook time might be lengthy, but very little of it is hands-on.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Here's a Thanksgiving classic: Mashed sweet potatoes are placed in a baking dish, topped with marshmallows, and baked until bubbling and golden brown. Who could resist this sweet side?

Brown-Butter Sweet-Potato Gnocchi with Seeds

Upgrade basic gnocchi by using sweet potatoes in place of the usual russet in this colorful, better-for-you pasta recipe. They're garnished with pepitas, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and a butter-sage sauce.

Taco Salad with Sweet-Potatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes are the base of this Southwestern-inspired salad bowl. They're topped with black beans, sliced radishes, crushed tortilla chips, and crumbled goat cheese (which you can leave off for a vegan meal).

Sweet-Potato Toast Four Ways

Instead of sandwich bread, substitute thin slices of roasted sweet potatoes as the base for a gluten-free breakfast or lunch toast. Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs and spinach; sliced avocado and cocktail tomatoes; nut butter and berries; or hummus, sliced cucumbers, and radishes.

Rutabaga-Sweet Potato Mash with Garlic and Sage

Take a break from the usual mashed potatoes and serve your family this innovative root vegetable side dish instead. Rutabaga and sweet potatoes are mashed with minced garlic, fresh sage, and heavy cream for a flavorful autumnal recipe.

Sweet-Potato Custard Pie

Yes, you can serve sweet potatoes for dessert! Roasted sweet potatoes are puréed in a food processor and mixed with eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then topped with mouthwateringly sweet large marshmallows.

Roasted Sea Bass with Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, and Salsa Rustica

Sheet-pan suppers are big on taste and short on cleanup. Sliced sweet potatoes roast alongside fresh spinach and sea bass fillets. This recipe comes together in under an hour and will surely be a hit with the whole family.

Vegan Sweet Potato Chili

This vegan chili recipe doesn't lack flavor—tomato paste, chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper add plenty of heat.

Sweet Potato Home Fries

Upgrade bacon and eggs with these breakfast potatoes. Diced sweet potatoes are roasted on a sheet pan, then tossed with chopped onion, green bell pepper, jalapeño peppers, and plenty of unsalted butter.

Sweet-Potato-and-Cauliflower Mash

Here's a totally creative way to make use of cauliflower: boil it with sweet potatoes and then mash with milk, butter, freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. It's a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving—or any night of the week.

Soba and Sweet Potatoes in Miso-Lime Broth

Nourishing, healthy, and hearty, this warm noodle bowl is packed with shiitake mushrooms, diced sweet potatoes, sliced baby bok choy, plus aromatics like scallions, garlic, sweet white miso, and fresh lime juice.

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

Loaded sweet potatoes get a healthy upgrade with this better-for-you recipe featuring trimmed broccoli rabe, cannellini beans for protein, and sliced pepperoncini.

West African Peanut Stew

This flavorful, family-friendly stew comes together in under one hour. It's loaded with collard greens and sweet potatoes, which float in a combination of chicken broth and creamy peanut butter.

Pork Tenderloin with Kale Salad

This simple dinner will transport you to Tuscany. Diced sweet potatoes are roasted with chopped kale for a colorful, plentiful salad that's topped with dried currants and lots of freshly grated pecorino. It's served alongside pork tenderloin and steamed quinoa.

Sweet Potato Parmesan Fries

A healthy take on French fries, we keep the skin on for these sweet potato fries. The potatoes are tossed with olive oil, coarse salt, and Parmesan cheese for a rich, sweet flavor and a slightly caramelized texture.

Sweet Potato-Sausage Soup

Twenty minutes of prep time yields a hearty pot of soup with Italian sausage aplenty, pasta shells, sweet potato, and nutritious winter greens.

Sweet Potatoes and Buttermilk

Simply roasted wedges of sweet potatoes take on an almost candied flavor. Pair them with an easy, tangy buttermilk-mayo for dipping.

Sweet Potato and Sage-Butter Casserole

Sage adds a savory note to sweet-potato casserole topped with crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. Best of all: It can be made two days ahead of time.

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Bourbon and brown sugar have a natural affinity for sweet potatoes. This simple side dish can be roasted in the oven along with the main dish such as turkey, ham, or pork loin.

Boneless Pork Chops and Roasted Yam Fries

Pork loin medallions are dredged in breadcrumbs that are with seasoned with oregano. The earthy, fatty flavors pair well with sweet yams tossed in dark brown sugar.