Twice Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes
Try a winter classic in a new way: sweet potatoes sweetened with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then twice baked in potato halves.
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Table of Contents
About Twice Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes
I didn’t start to give sweet potatoes the respect they deserve until I was well into my twenties, but I’ve been doing my part make up for lost time. I’m always down for trying a new sweet potato recipe, and I especially love new twists on classic favorites.
And, you guys, these twice baked candied sweet potatoes are exactly that.
They take everything that’s good about candied sweet potatoes (the sugar, the spices, the marshmallows) and serve it in the built-in bowl that is a halved sweet potato.
Plus, these twice baked sweet potatoes make great individual-sized side dishes. No need to worry about serving; everyone can just grab a half!
Can you make twice baked sweet potatoes ahead of time?
Yes, these sweet potatoes can be made in advance!
Follow the recipe instructions like normal, but stop just before baking the potatoes a second time. Store the potatoes in a sealed container for up to two to three days.
When ready to bake, pick up from where you left off in the recipe instructions, but increase cook time by about five minutes.
Can twice baked sweet potatoes be frozen?
Yes, they totally can! Potatoes are great for freezing and these candied sweet potatoes are no exception.
Follow the recipe instructions like normal, but stop just before baking the potatoes a second time. Place the prepared potatoes on a baking tray and freeze for about two hours. Once frozen, individually wrap the potatoes (use whatever you like most – foil, plastic wrap, or just plastic bags) and store in the freezer. Frozen sweet potatoes can last for up to 12 months.
When ready to bake, place the frozen sweet potato halves on a baking sheet. Pick up where you left off in the recipe instructions, but increase the bake time from 10 minutes to 20-30 minutes. Then set the oven to broil and toast the marshmallows as instructed.
Notes & tips for baked candied sweet potatoes
- For this recipe, I used orange-flesh sweet potatoes, which are sometimes labeled “yams” in American grocery stores. However, you can use any variety of sweet potato or yam that you’d like or prefer for this recipe. If you’re curious about the different types and labels for these veggies, check out this article: What’s the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
More great side dishes

Twice Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat sweet potatoes in olive oil and pierce skins numerous times with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Allow sweet potatoes to cool for 10 minutes.
- Cut sweet potatoes in half. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, remove the inside of the sweet potatoes, being careful to leave a 1/4 to 1/2 inch ring around the sides so that the potatoes keep their shape. Place sweet potato pulp in a large mixing large bowl. Set the halved and emptied sweet potatoes back on the baking sheet.
- Add brown sugar, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in the bowl with the sweet potato pulp. Using a hand mixer, blend ingredients together and smooth.
- Spoon blended sweet potato mix back into the sweet potato halves, filling each a little past full.
- Place potato skins back in the oven and heat for 10-15 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Set oven to broil.
- Stick marshmallows in the soft sweet potato mix, completely covering it.
- Place filled sweet potatoes back in the oven on the top rack until marshmallows melt and lightly brown, about 1-2 minutes. Since each oven is different, keep a close eye on the marshmallows so they don't burn. If they do burn, you can use two spoons to remove the marshmallows (they should come right up in a solid piece) then repeat the steps of placing the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes and lightly browning them in the oven.
- Serve twice baked sweet potatoes immediately.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I'm not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.