Scalloped Sweet Potatoes are Easy to Make

This is an old-fashioned dish that’s fantastic for a holiday meal but still simple enough to make for Sunday dinner. Scalloped sweet potatoes, with the sweetness of the potatoes and brown sugar, combined with the cinnamon and nutmeg, is absolutely delightful!

My goal with this site is to show how you can make palm oil free foods at home. Because of this, I recommend using real butter instead of vegan butter substitutes which typically contain palm oil. However, if you can find a plant-based butter without it, please feel free to substitute it.

Scalloped sweet potatoes are a delicious alternative to candied sweet potatoes. This dish is really versatile too. There’s plenty of room for your own creativity. 

Leftovers, if there are any, are great stirred into oatmeal. Or toss in some stewed apples and serve over a light pastry. This is a savory sweet potato recipe. 

Making Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

It’s easy to prep in just 15 minutes and takes 30 minutes in the oven. With simple ingredients and pantry staples, you can make homemade scalloped sweet potatoes any night of the week. 

Vietnamese cinnamon is wonderfully mellow and mildly sweet. I highly recommend using it. Using regular ground cinnamon instead will make it delicious as well.

Follow my step-by-step guide down below. The recipe is for a 9×13 (3 quart) casserole dish but if you have a larger one, you’ll just need 2 – 3 more sweet potatoes.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes Ingredients

• 3 – 4 sweet potatoes 
• 1 stick of butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 orange, juiced and zested

While organic sweet potatoes can be expensive, if you can fit it into your budget, choose organic. If you don’t have cinnamon or nutmeg, you can use pumpkin pie spice as well.

How to Make Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread a little olive oil on the bottom and sides of a deep baking dish.
3. Peel sweet potatoes. Cut thinly. If you have time, peel them. If you parboil them first, it makes peeling and cutting much easier. 
4. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of sweet potato slices.
5. Place 3 or 4 pats of butter on the slices and sprinkle some of the brown sugar over the top, along with some of the cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle a little of the orange zest and some of the juice from the orange.
6. Cover with more sweet potato slices and the other ingredients. Continue creating layers until the dish is filled and you have used all the sweet potatoes, butter, orange juice, and brown sugar.
7. Cover lightly with aluminum foil. Put in the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove foil the last 10 minutes. If you don’t use foil, take the scalloped sweet potatoes out after 15 minutes and stir the sweet potatoes so the ones on the bottom — which will be covered in the butter and seasonings — are on the top.
8. Remove from oven after 30 – 35 minutes. Check for doneness with a fork. Serve from the bottom with the sauce and mix it with the top layers.

Tips for Making

I find it easiest to measure out the brown sugar and set it aside. As you complete each layer, sprinkle on nutmeg and cinnamon from the shaker rather than worrying about using exact amounts. The same for the orange juice and zest. Squeeze the orange juice as you prep each layer. When you reach the top, it’s fine to add all the extra butter, brown sugar, and as much orange juice as you can squeeze out. 

Notes

It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Put it away when cooled and cover it with a sealed lid. You can reheat in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in an oven-safe dish in the oven. Freeze for up to three months. 

I cut the sweet potatoes in circle slices until it becomes difficult to safely cut. Then I turn the potato over and cut thin slices any way I can. 

Uses for Leftover Scalloped Yams

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, enjoy them for breakfast or lunch the next day. While they stand delicious on their own, you can also get creative by adding them to oatmeal or quinoa. Toss in some nuts for some crunch.

You can serve this sweet and savory recipe as a side. It pairs nicely with roasted vegetable soup for an easy lunch or salmon with cream sauce for dinner. Sweet potato recipes with brown sugar make for sweet desserts as well. Start kids eating them early for a healthy-ish dessert.

FAQs

Do I need to peel sweet potatoes before cooking?

No, you don’t have to peel them. You should slice the sweet potatoes smaller so they won’t take as long to cook.

For this recipe, I suggest peeling them so they are overall more tender. However, to save time, you can keep the peel on.

Can you freeze scalloped sweet potatoes?

You can freeze scalloped yams by putting them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

How do you store scalloped sweet potatoes?

Store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to five days. 

About Butter…

Many vegans choose plant-based butter and vegan butter. I don’t recommend vegan butter (and won’t be able to recommend it on this site) because it typically contains palm oil. Margarine contains palm oil also. Many dairy-free butter alternatives do as well.

I use real butter. For this recipe, it doesn’t matter if it’s salted or unsalted. Sometimes I buy organic butter if I can find it at Costco. It’s less expensive there than at my local grocery store. 

I once bought some organic maple butter when we went apple picking. That would have worked well in this recipe.

Scalloped Sweet Potato Casserole

Scalloped yams are a nice alternative to preparing scalloped potatoes. Sweet potatoes are sweet — of course! — but they have the advantage of not turning brown like white and yellow potatoes do.

I also like that it doesn’t use marshmallows AND brown sugar like many sweet potato recipes do. Also, you can use this dish in place of an after-dinner dessert. Kids won’t know it’s not traditional to do so!

Through the years, I’ve learned lots of recipes to keep meals interesting. My son gets sick from palm oil and palm oil derivatives. We consider him to have a palm oil allergy or palm oil intolerance. Because of this, I cook most all of our foods from scratch. The benefit is we all eat much cleaner and healthier because of it.

In addition to cooking palm oil free, I am gluten free. I like that sweet potato recipes are gluten free usually. Add this dish to your palm oil free Thanksgiving feast.

If you try this savory scalloped sweet potatoes recipe, please let me know how it was in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.