Ditch the marshmallows and top your holiday twice baked sweet potatoes with a lightened-up pecan streusel topping that's sweetened with maple syrup.
These twice baked sweet potatoes with pecan streusel topping are holiday worthy! To be honest, I've never been a big fan of sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows and would opt for a casserole topped with sage breadcrumbs any day of the week.
Sweet potatoes used to be the holiday food that I would pass by every year, choosing indulge in an extra helping of stuffing instead. Years later, I'm still a sucker for stuffing with turkey gravy, but sweet potatoes always have a spot on my plate now, particularly if some kind of maple syrup streusel is involved.
WHAT YOU NEED FOR THESE TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATOES:
These are the main components need for this recipe (affiliate links included)…
- Sweet potatoes: Look for sweet potatoes on the smaller size - about 8 ounce each. Since the guests will be filling their plates with an array of holiday side dishes, you don't want to serve gargantuan sweet potatoes.
- Coconut oil: Melted coconut oil is a great vegan, dairy-free substitute for butter. I couldn't taste the coconut flavor at all in the finished product.
- Maple syrup: If you've been to my site before, you likely know that I feel strongly about using pure maple syrup rather than the fake corn syrup varieties. It truly does make a difference, both in taste and nutrition.
- Pecans: Start with raw pecans and chop them. Be sure that you're measuring them once chopped, not whole. Since raw pecans can be a little pricey, I often buy them at Costco or Trader Joe's.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg do the trick! You can either use ground nutmeg from the spice rack or you can grate whole nutmeg on a microplane (that's what I like to do).
Can twice baked sweet potatoes be made ahead of time?
Yes! If you'd like to cross one item off of your Thanksgiving day cooking list, do the first part of the baking the day ahead. Scoop out the potato flesh, then mash it and mix it with the coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon it back into the potato skins, allow the potatoes to cool, then wrap them each in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Before doing the second bake, bring the potatoes to room temperature (30 to 45 minutes should do the trick). Remove the plastic wrap, top the potatoes with the streusel and bake as directed. It may take a little longer than 15 minutes for the potatoes to heat completely. If the streusel is browning too much, loosely tent the potatoes with foil.
Other holiday side dishes:
Vegan Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Peppers & Caramelized Onions {Cookin' Canuck}
Cinnamon Roasted Brussels Sprouts {Cookin' Canuck}
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing {Everyday Maven}
Bacon Wrapped Green Beans {Green Healthy Cooking}
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 3 (8 oz. each) sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel topping:
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- â…“ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour (can substitute all-purpose flour)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- With a fork, pierce each potato 5 to 6 times in different places around the potato. Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let rest until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the flesh and transfer to a bowl, leaving a ¼-inch layer of potato. Return the potato skins to the baking sheet.
- Mash the sweet potato in the bowl until smooth. Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well to combine.
- Evenly divide the potato mixture between the shells and top with the streusel.
- Bake until the streusel is lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Serve.
The streusel topping:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add the maple syrup and melted coconut oil, and stir until the streusel is coated.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Ann
Hi Dara!
I made these twice baked sweet potatoes with a pecan streusel topping for my dinner guests over the weekend. I followed your recipe precisely, and this turned out amazing. Everyone said it was incredible. I’m so happy I had found this recipe. Highly recommend everyone to give it a try. Believe me, the taste is phenomenal.
Thank you for sharing this fab idea and all of your precious recommendations. They helped me A LOT. Look forward to your new awesome recipes. Your blog is wonderful.
p.s. I love the photos you take!
Best wishes,
Ann
alyssa | everydaymaven
I LOVE this topping! Need to add these to our list and thanks for including my stuffing recipe 🙂