Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

5 from 26 votes

Twice baked sweet potato recipe made by cutting a sweet potato in half, baking, mashing, and stuffing back in the sweet potato with a pecan oat topping.

Jump to Recipe โ–ผPin
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Comments
5

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Twice baked sweet potatoes halves on a narrow platter with serving fork and small dish of chopped pecans.
Save this recipe!
Type your email & I’ll send it to you!

Try my twice baked sweet potatoes

When I first met my husband, he didn’t like sweet potatoes. These Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are what changed his mind. Maybe it was the hints of cinnamon and ginger, the brown sugar, or the crunch from the pecans. I’ll never know, but I love everything about this Twice Baked Sweet Potato recipe. It’s also a hit with my kids, thanks to how naturally sweet the potatoes are!

These sweet potatoes with pecans are a great holiday side dish! Even if you’re having mashed potatoes too, I’d still make these! I’d even have them for dessert!

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Ingredients

Ingredients for recipe: pecans, oats, brown sugar, butter, seasonings, and sweet potatoes.
  • Sweet potatoes: Look for medium-sized, oblong sweet potatoes!
  • Butter: I use unsalted butter because I add salt elsewhere! You can also swap the butter for olive oil or coconut oil to make vegan sweet potatoes.
  • Brown sugar: I like to use light brown sugar, but dark brown works too, it will just have a stronger molasses flavor.
  • Seasonings: You’ll need cinnamon, ginger, and salt for these stuffed sweet potatoes.
  • Nuts: I use pecans, but you could try walnuts!
  • Oats: Make sure to use quick oats, not instant oats, which cook faster!

How to Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes pierced with a fork on a parchment lined baking sheet before baking.
Step 1: Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until tender.
Potatoes after baking and split in half.
Step 2: Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise.
Potato flesh in a bowl with butter, brown sugar, and spices added before mixing.
Step 3: Carefully scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving a thin layer inside each skin. Add the butter, brown sugar, some of the cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
Mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl.
Step 4: Mash together with a fork until well combined.
A sweet potato half filled with creamy mixture.
Step 5: Spoon the sweet potato mixture back inside the potato skins.
Pecans, oats and cinnamon in a bowl before mixing.
Step 6: In a small bowl, combine the pecans, oats, and remaining cinnamon.
Sweet potato halves on a baking sheet filled with sweet potato mixture and topped with the pecan oat mixture.
Step 7: Top the healthy stuffed sweet potatoes with the pecan mixture.
Recipe after baking.
Step 8: Return to the oven and bake until the oats and pecans are toasted.
Twice baked potato recipe.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad
5 from 26 votes
This twice baked sweet potato recipe is made by cutting a sweet potato in half, baking, scooping out the middle, mashing, and stuffing back in the sweet potato, and finishing with a pecan oat topping.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Servings8 servings

Video

Email This Recipe
Enter your email and I’ll send this directly to you. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

Ingredients
  

  • 4 medium sweet potatoes scrubbed clean
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon divided
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup quick oats

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until tender, 50–60 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving a thin layer inside each skin.
  • Place the scooped out sweet potato flesh in a bowl and add the butter, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mash together with a fork until well combined.
  • In a small bowl, combine the pecans, oats, and remaining ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
  • Spoon the sweet potato mixture back inside the potato skins. Top with pecan mixture and return to the oven for 10 more minutes, until the oats and pecans are toasted. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.

Notes

  1. Dry the sweet potatoes well after you wash them. You should give the potatoes a quick scrub to remove any dirt, but be sure to dry them well afterward! If they’re wet, the moisture can make the potatoes’ skin soggy.
  2. Leave some sweet potato inside the skin when you scoop out the flesh. If you remove too much, they can collapse, and the skin can break!
Storage: Let your twice-baked sweet potatoes cool to room temperature, place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in aluminum foil, and pop them in the fridge up to 3-4 days. To reheat, place the sweet potatoes in a preheated, 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re cooking from frozen, add an extra 10 minutes!
Freezing: If you’re looking to prep these in advance, you can freeze the sweet potatoes before the second bake. Once you’ve filled the potato skins, instead of baking again, let them cool completely. Then, transfer them into freezer bags or airtight containers, and place them in the freezer. They will last for up to 3 months.
Make ahead: You can bake and stuff the sweet potatoes up to a day ahead of time, keep covered in the fridge.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
  • Instead of butter, you can use coconut oil or olive oil.
  • Instead of brown sugar, you can use cane sugar, maple syrup, honey or skip the sweetener.
  • Instead of pecans, you can use any other nuts of choice.
Recipe updated in September 2025 to add oats into pecan topping.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5sweet potato, Calories: 209kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 209mg, Potassium: 428mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 16167IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Recipe Variations

  • Make them nut-free. If I’m cooking for people with nut allergies, I’ll swap the pecans for granola or toasted coconut flakes for a similar crunch.
  • Add spice. For those who like heat (me!), a dash of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika works well with the sweet ingredients in these.
  • Add dried fruit. I think this stuffed baked sweet potato is sweet enough, but you could add ¼ cup of dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped dates to the topping!

Recipe Tips

  1. Dry the sweet potatoes well after you wash them. You should give the potatoes a quick scrub to remove any dirt, but be sure to dry them well afterward! If they’re wet, the moisture can make the potatoes’ skin soggy.
  2. Toast the pecans first. You can dry toast them in the oven or on a skillet to release their oils. This will make them more flavorful!
  3. Don’t over mix. When mixing the sweet potato flesh with the other ingredients, mix until just incorporated. Over mixing can make your filling gluey. Also, use a fork or potato masher to mash the sweet potato filling, not a food processor or blender!
  4. Leave some sweet potato inside the skin when you scoop out the flesh. If you remove too much they can collapse and the skin can break!

Serving Ideas

Serving of twice baked sweet potato on thanksgiving plate.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

5 from 26 votes (23 ratings without comment)

Rate and comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Neha says:

    We loved it, even my 2 year old loved it. Thankyou you are awesome. ๐Ÿ˜Š

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Aww, that’s the best! Thank you!

  2. Leah Hainey says:

    I made your twice baked sweet potatoes with dinner last night and my family LOVED them! And they were so so easy!

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      So glad to hear it! Thank you!

    2. Allie says:

      The toasted pecans really took these to the next level! A great alternative to the traditional sweet potato casserole.