With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I’m sharing these simple, quintessential candied bourbon pecan sweet potatoes! Roasted, slightly crisp sweet potatoes tossed in a sweet, syrupy glaze. It’s one of those side dishes that comes together effortlessly, yet everyone will rave about it. Definitely one to add to your holiday menu!
Thanksgiving was the holiday that really got me into the kitchen. Years back, it was the first big meal that I got really excited about cooking for my family (with a little help, of course). I loved everything about it – from looking up recipes to menu planning, waking up early to get all the prep going, having multiple dishes cooking at once with lots to keep track of and LOTS to taste, and then finally plating everything up and seeing my family enjoy a beautiful holiday meal.
To this day, while I think I like our family’s traditional “Christmas food” better, Thanksgiving dinner is still my favorite holiday meal to cook. We usually have a balance of family classics (like my mom’s famous broccoli casserole) mixed with some unique takes on traditional foods, like my manchego & brown butter whipped potatoes or roasted apple salad with caramelized shallot vinaigrette.
A recipe that never fails to make it onto our table is some version of these candied bourbon pecan sweet potatoes.
candied bourbon pecan sweet potatoes – the details
My mom and I LOVE sweet & savory dishes. So every Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes are our go-to ingredient for adding lots of sweet and decadent flavor to the meal. We’ve really never followed a recipe, but for a few years now I’ve been dicing the sweet potatoes into small cubes, roasting them until crisp, and tossing them with some sort of sweet and buttery glaze.
I figured it was definitely time to lock down a recipe that can be made over and over again. And the glaze is really what makes this special – brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, cinnamon for warmth, a little cayenne for a touch of heat, and chopped pecans to add the perfect crunch.
The glaze comes together in just minutes, with the only thing left to do is toss the roasted sweet potatoes right on in. It’s easy, it’s a complete crowd-pleaser, and it’s the perfect recipe to make this Thanksgiving’s meal extra special. Enjoy!
PrintCandied Bourbon Pecan Sweet Potatoes
the simplest and most quintessential thanksgiving side dish: candied bourbon pecan sweet potatoes
servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, ends trimmed + diced ½”
- olive oil
- 6 tbsp salted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 oz (about 1 cup) chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the diced sweet potatoes onto a sheet pan and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Toss well to coat. Spread the potatoes into one, even layer. Season with a pinch of salt. Place the pan on the bottom rack in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender and slightly crisp.
- When the sweet potatoes have about 5 minutes left of roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and let melt. Whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the glaze cook until thickened and syrupy. Stir in the pecans. If the glaze gets too thick and looks like it won’t easily coat the sweet potatoes, add a splash of water to loosen.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes to the skillet and gently toss with the glaze. Serve on a large platter with any extra glaze in the skillet spooned over top.
shop the dish: candied bourbon pecan sweet potatoes
This dish is screaming “fix me!!!” Its looks so beautiful and delicious. I’ll def be sharing this with my family!