What’s better than a healthy, roasted sweet potato for the ultimate side dish? A twice-baked sweet potato packed with even more delicious, sweet flavor, reminiscent of an individual sweet potato pie. These twice-baked sweet potatoes are flavored with maple syrup, butter, cream cheese, and spices to kick the flavor profile up a notch. This flavorful mixture is then stuffed back into the sweet potato halves and baked again for the most delicious and healthy side dish.

What is a twice baked potato?

This is going to sound crazy, but I still remember eating my first twice baked potato. It was at my cousin’s wedding, and I was probably 12 years old at the time. I took one bite and thought “what is this deliciousness?” Why I remember this exact moment, I couldn’t tell you… but I do. I guess you could say I take my potatoes seriously! Anyway, a twice baked potato is just that: it’s a potato that has been baked, but to kick it up a notch, the inside of the potato is scooped out, mixed with other ingredients to create a super delicious filling, and then stuffed back into the potato skin and baked again to create a crispy top. In my opinion, twice baked potatoes are seriously underutilized and underappreciated! I decided to play around with this idea and do a sweet potato version, and it reminds me of eating individual sweet potato casseroles! I love this recipe and I hope you will, too.

What are the benefits of eating sweet potatoes?

There are some myths out there that potatoes are “bad” for you, especially sweet potatoes because of the extra sweetness they pack in their flavor profiles. But in this corner of the internet, we don’t believe in “good” or “bad” food. And, when it comes to health benefits, sweet potatoes are jam-packed with them. They are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. So not only are they delicious, but I feel really good about incorporating them into my diet to really round out my meals. This dish is the perfect companion to any lunch or dinner. It’s also a great way to kick up an otherwise plain meal (i.e. grilled or roasted proteins). These potatoes are also great to serve around the holidays.

What does this recipe taste like?

This recipe has all of the flavors of a classic sweet potato pie: delicious, naturally sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and all of the fall-spices like coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg. When combined together with butter and cream cheese, the sweet potatoes take on a deliciously sweet and savory, creamy texture and taste. It truly tastes like the inside of a sweet potato pie, except served in individual, portion-controlled servings. You can also add mini marshmallows on top of these sweet potatoes for even more sweetness and flavor. The choice is yours!

What will I need to make twice baked sweet potatoes?

To make this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

raw sweet potatoes
light butter
- I use Land ‘o Lakes light butter with canola oil for most of my recipes.
reduced fat cream cheese
- I like using reduced fat cream cheese to save some calories; I truly do not taste the difference between reduced fat and full fat cream cheese, but you can use whichever you prefer.
maple syrup
- I recommend using real maple syrup here. The one I use comes from Costco (the Kirkland brand) but any brand will do. I do not recommend using sugar-free because it will not offer the same taste as the real maple syrup does.
paprika
cinnamon
kosher salt
nutmeg
coriander
cayenne pepper

How to make twice baked sweet potatoes

To make this recipe, the potatoes are, indeed, baked twice. For the first round of baking, preheat the oven to 400 and place the unpeeled sweet potatoes right into the oven, on the oven racks. You don’t even need to put them in a baking dish or foil. Bake the potatoes until they are tender, about 45-50 minutes.

Remove the pre-cooked sweet potatoes from the oven, and slice them in half to create eight halves. Scoop the insides of the potato halves into a bowl, and then add the butter, cream cheese, syrup, and spices. Mash the mixture together with a fork. Spoon the mixture back into the sweet potato halves, and arrange them in a baking dish. Return the potatoes to the oven and bake them for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and slightly crisp.