These amazing Vegan Sweet Potatoes are cooked in plenty of vegan butter and stock so they suck up all of that lovely flavour before roasting themselves to golden, sticky perfection. They are a fantastic side dish to serve with your holiday feast or Sunday roast!
Golden, caramelized and sticky, these amazing vegan sweet potatoes are a fantastic side dish to serve with your holiday feast or Sunday roast.
This is my favourite way to eat sweet potatoes! 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. Everything we love about sweet potatoes but made better! Don't neglect my vegan mashed sweet potatoes though because they are also super delicious. I like some of both on my plate!
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Ingredient & equipment notes
Let's take it from the very beginning ...
Here's what you'll be needing to make these irresistible vegan sweet potatoes:
- Sweet potatoes - Orange-fleshed ones. Yams work too. Don't use the white/pale yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes. Save those for my Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese.
- Vegan Butter - Yes ... we're schmearing that vegan butter ALL over and I'm not sorry!
- Cinnamon - Warm, woodsy and sweet potato's best friend
- Thyme - My favourite herb. It just works here so well with the cinnamon and the sweet potato flavours
- Vegetable stock - To braise those roasted sweet potatoes and let them soak up all the flavours
- Pecan nuts - That crunchy nuttiness against the meltyness .... OMG. Walnuts would work well too though.
- Smoked paprika - My favourite spice. Just a touch is needed on the nuts. That smoky flavour though is EVERYTHING. Chipotle powder will qork as a stand-in.
- Coconut sugar & maple syrup - To candy the nuts and give them the very best flavour possible.
- Salt and pepper - Of course!
How to make vegan sweet potatoes
It all starts with sweet potatoes cut into rounds then schmeared all over with vegan butter, cinnamon and thyme. Then things get roasty as one might expect, but what's different about them is once they are roasted, we pour a cup of stock all over and cook them some more. And as if that's not enough, then comes a tumble of smoky candied pecans.
Step 1- Peel and slice the potatoes into thick rounds. Schmear with butter and sprinkle with thyme and cinnamon.
Step 2 - Bake until golden then pour over the stock.
Step 3 - Roast again until the liquid has been absorbed.
Step 4 - Candy the pecans ....sounds scary but is so easy and takes literally 5 minutes. Then let them cool and crisp up on baking parchment.
And just like that ... BOOM ... You are in best ever vegan sweet potatoes territory!
Success Tips
- Use orange-fleshed sweet potatoes or yams.
- Don't skip the butter.
- Use a tasty stock. It all gets absorbed and your potatoes are depending on it. I like to use Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base to make the stock. It gives the potatoes a really lovely savoury flavour.
- Don't rush them in the oven. Let them get all sticky and caramelized.
How to prepare in advance
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.
How to store & reheat
Store leftover cooked potatoes in a covered container in the fridge for 4 to 5 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.
How to serve vegan sweet potatoes
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.
Try serving them with:
- Vegan Roast
- Vegan Meatloaf
- Mushroom Lentil Loaf with Cranberries
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
- Vegan Red Wine Gravy
Hungry for more?
If you love sweet potatoes you might also enjoy:
- Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Smoothie
- Vegan Mashed Sweet Potato
- Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Bread
- Cauliflower Rice Bowls
📖 Recipe
Best Vegan Sweet Potatoes
Author:
Ingredients
- 2lb / 907 g orange fleshed sweet potatoes , or yams
- ¼ cup / 60 g vegan butter
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
For the candied pecans
- 1 cup / 100 g pecan nuts halves
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup , real maple syrup not pancake syrup
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika , or chipotle powder
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 side of each 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 coconut sugar, maple syrup and smoked paprika and 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 crunchy as they cool down.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with the nuts and serve. A sprinkle of fresh thyme is nice if you have some.
NOTES
- Use orange-fleshed sweet potatoes or yams.
- Don't skip the butter.
- Use tasty stock. It all gets absorbed and your potatoes are depending on it. I like to use Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base to make the stock. It gives the potatoes a really lovely flavour.
- Don't rush them in the oven. Let them get all sticky and caramelized.
How to store and reheat Store leftover cooked potatoes in a covered container in the fridge for 4 to 5 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.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
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!
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 ;)
gloria says
Sounds lovely, but the Lantic brand coconut sugar costs $25.95 for 15.9 ounces!
I can't find a place to buy the stevia/sugar combination online, and the link in the company website doesn't work.
Melanie McDonald says
You don't have to buy Lantic sugar.The link in this recipe is actually for Wholesome sweeteners coconut sugar, but it's just a link to show people an example of what they need to buy. I always include one to products I commonly get questions about. You can buy/use any coconut sugar you want. All grocery stores carry it these days and it's reasonably priced. A stevia sugar blend definitely won't work for this recipe. Stevia won't candy the pecans.
Hope that helps!