Easy Make-Ahead Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe

These Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are the perfect mix of sweet, buttery, and downright comforting. Each one is filled with light and fluffy sweet potato filling, crunchy pecans, then topped with golden, gooey marshmallows. A must-have for holidays or any night you want something extra special.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

What’s not to love about sweet potatoes?

They’re naturally sweet, pair well with everything, and when mixed with butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows they transform into the perfect side dish.

These twice-baked sweet potatoes take the flavor of sweet potato casserole and turn it into individual servings. They’re great for a Holiday dinner or to step up a regular old Sunday night. 

With a toasted marshmallow topping and brown sugar buttery filling, the best part about the sweet potatoes is that they can be half-prepped in advance to make busy meals a bit easier.

Always a hit, these twice-baked sweet potatoes will have everyone grabbing second helpings in record time.

Why You’ll Love Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

• They’re sweet, buttery, and full of rich Southern flavor.
• The creamy texture and crispy top make every bite pure comfort.
• The mix of brown sugar pecans and mini marshmallows hits a perfect balance of sweet and nutty.
• They look beautiful on a holiday table or at any special occasion.

Ingredients for Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

• Sweet Potatoes: Try to get large sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly.
• Butter: Unsalted butter works best as you want a sweeter flavor to the dish.
• Brown sugar: Both brown sugar and maple syrup will work here to bring out a rich, indulgent flavor.
• Pecans: Make sure to chop the pecans (or purchase chopped) so that they disperse evenly and there’s a bit of crunch in every bite.
• Mini marshmallows: Whatever you have in the cupboard will work. Fresh marshmallows will melt better on top of the potatoes.

How to Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Bake the Whole Sweet Potatoes: The first step is to preheat your oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife or fork, poke a few holes in your sweet potatoes to let the steam escape. Wrap each one in aluminum foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the sweet potato skins feel tender when you squeeze them gently.

Scoop Out the Flesh: Once baked, let the sweet potatoes cool until they’re comfortable to handle. Carefully remove the foil and slice them down the center. Gently scoop out the sweet potato flesh, leaving the sweet potato shells sturdy enough to hold the filling later.

Make the Pecan Topping: In a skillet over medium heat, melt a couple tablespoons of butter. Add roughly 2 ounces of chopped pecans for every 4 potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often until they start to toast and smell heavenly.

Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of brown sugar and stir for 2 more minutes until the nuts are coated and glossy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Stuff with Mini Marshmallows and Pecans: Place your sweet potato shells back on the sheet pan in a single layer. Fill each one halfway with mini marshmallows, really pressing them in. Spoon the warm brown sugar pecans on top, then finish with another layer of marshmallows. These stuffed sweet potatoes are now ready for their second bake!

Second Bake to Golden Brown: Slide your twice-baked sweet potatoes back into the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the marshmallows are beautifully golden brown and slightly melted. This second time in the oven gives them that gooey, crispy top that everyone loves.

Serve and Enjoy: Let your twice baked sweet potatoes cool to room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

The Sweet Potatoes

There’s no need to peel the potatoes as you want to keep them in their skin to turn the skin into a crispy shell. On the initial bake, poke holes in the potatoes to let the steam out, this is what helps keep the flesh so fluffy.

Batching

This recipe is easy to adjust for a large crowd. Make as many sweet potatoes as you need and then just keep adding to the topping to fill them up.

The Second Bake

After topping the baked sweet potatoes with the brown butter and marshmallow mixture, you’ll be baking the potatoes again. In the last few minutes keep a close eye on the oven. You want a golden brown look on the marshmallows but it can turn black very quickly. Remove from the oven as they start to brown. Do not broil.

Making Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Ahead Of Time

• To save yourself time in the kitchen, you can meal prep these sweet potatoes in advance by baking the sweet potatoes early.
• Wrap the potatoes in foil, bake them until cooked, and let them cool fully.
• Keep them in their foil wrapping as you store them in the fridge until you need them (ideally only 1-2 days later).
• When you need them, remove them from the fridge and let them come to room temperature as you make the buttery pecan topping. 
• Top the sweet potatoes with the pecans and then marshmallows and bake until cooked through and golden brown.

Ways to Serve

• Drizzle with warm maple syrup for an extra touch of sweetness.
• Serve alongside herb roasted turkey or honey baked ham for a nice holiday meal.
• Pair with grilled chicken or pork chops for an easy main dish.
• Add to your Thanksgiving table as a perfect side dish everyone will love.

How to Store Leftovers

It’s rare you’ll have leftovers of these twice-baked sweet potatoes as they tend to get eaten up quickly. However, if you do, let them cool fully before storing.

Place the sweet potatoes into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat them, pop them back into the oven on a lower heat (300F) until heated through. Reheating these twice-baked sweet potatoes in the microwave can be tricky as the marshmallows heat up far faster than the filling.

Do not freeze the sweet potatoes with the marshmallow topping as it doesn’t thaw well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking?

Yes. Regardless of whether you’re cooking the sweet potatoes in the microwave or oven, you want to use a fork and poke multiple holes into the potato. This helps the steam that builds up inside escape and maintains a fluffy texture within the potato flesh.

Do sweet potatoes take longer to bake than white potatoes?

More often than not it’s the size of the potatoes that will determine how long they take to bake. Larger potatoes will take longer and vice versa. You want your potatoes to be tender when you remove them from the oven. If you bake them too long, they’ll become hard.

Is it better to wrap sweet potatoes in foil when baking?

When making twice-baked potatoes, you want to wrap your sweet potatoes in foil for the initial bake. This helps create a bit more moisture and results in a really creamy filling. On the second bake, however, you want crispier skin, so you leave the foil off. This allows some of the moisture to be reduced.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• Sweet Potato Praline Casserole with Marshmallows
• Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Old-Fashioned Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe