Easy Honey-Glazed Sweet Potato Recipe

Name: Easy Honey-Glazed Sweet Potato Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Amercian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter; 3/4 cup honey; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

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Honey-glazed sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish for a busy weekday or holiday dinner. It only takes four ingredients to make this one-pot stovetop dish. The sweet potatoes are cooked in a mixture of honey, butter, and water yielding delicious syrup-glazed sweet potato slices.

Glazed sweet potato slices garnished with parsley in a white bowl

These Honey Glazed Sweet Potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables to make in the fall. I love the honey butter glaze that forms on the potato slices during cooking. There is just a hint of sweetness, and the glaze does not overpower the potatoes. It's the perfect pairing with sweet potatoes.

Every Thanksgiving, my grandmother served this delicious side dish, and I fell in love with it as a young child. It is one of the traditional side dishes we serve annually for our Thanksgiving Feast.

I am not a fan of marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole because I don't think they go together. It also comes from the fact that I think this recipe is much better.

Now, if you like sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows, there is nothing wrong with that. However, give this recipe a try. It might just win you over.

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Why I Love this Recipe
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Variety to Use
How to Make this Recipe
Don't Miss These Tips.
Common questions about this recipe
Make Ahead
Storage Tips
Substitutions/Recipe Variations
Leftovers Ideas
What to Serve with Glazed Sweet Potatoes
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Why I Love this Recipe

It is easy to make. Easy recipes are essential to me! I prefer simple and easy!
Only 4 ingredients are needed to make this side dish.
This recipe for sweet potatoes is delicious.

Ingredients

Sliced Sweet Potatoes, Honey in a bowl, butter in a bowl and salt in a bowl.

Sweet Potatoes-Be sure to use sweet potatoes with orange flesh. (See more below.)
Honey-Any type of honey is acceptable to use in this recipe. I would not recommend substituting agave syrup or corn syrup. You could substitute maple syrup if you wish. Honey and maple syrup provide the best flavor, whereas agave or corn syrup do not.
Butter- This recipe calls for unsalted butter. However, you can use salted butter use less salt.
Salt-I recommend using Kosher salt. If you use fine ground table salt, cut the salt in half.

Sweet Potato Variety to Use

Three varieties of sweet potatoes on a cutting board, 1 with white flesh and two with orange flesh

These are some of the varieties of sweet potatoes you will find in your grocery store or local farmer's market. You want to use the ones with orange flesh.

Three varieties of sweet potato with one slice cut from each

Above, you can see the interior of the three varieties of sweet potatoes. The orange ones often called garnet or jewel sweet potatoes, work best in this recipe.

How to Make this Recipe

Slicing sweet potato on a cutting board with a chefs knife into rounds

Peel and slice sweet potatoes into ½-inch slices (rounds).

Sweet potato rounds cooking in a cast-iron pan with butter, honey and water

Combine honey, butter, and 1 cup water in a 10-inch heavy bottom skillet. Once the butter is melted, add sliced sweet potatoes.

paring knife inserted into a sweet potato round

Simmer for 10 minutes, flip them and cook for 10 additional minutes until the tip of a paring knife can easily be inserted into the potato slice.

sweet potato rounds cooking in a cast-iron pan

The sauce should be thick and syrupy.

sweet potatoes rounds in a white bowl with parsley garnish

Enjoy!

Don't Miss These Tips.

Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the potatoes into slices.

Make sure that the mixture simmers and does not boil. Otherwise, all the water will evaporate, and the potatoes will burn.

If the glaze is too thick, add additional water. If the glaze is too thin, simmer it for a few minutes until it is syrupy.

Common questions about this recipe

What is the difference between orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and white ones?

Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes have more moisture and are very sweet. The white sweet potatoes are dryer and have a slightly nutty flavor.

Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing?

True yams are rarely seen in the United States. They are tubers, however, from a different plant family than sweet potatoes. Their skin looks like tree bark, and they have starchy flesh. Yams are grown in Africa and commonly used in African and West Caribbean cooking.

Can I use a sweet potato labeled a yam?

You will often see sweet potatoes labeled as yams in the United States. You can use the yams if they look like the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as

Can margarine be substituted for butter?

Technically you could substitute margarine, but you won't get the same delicious flavor you would get if you use butter.

Do the sweet potatoes need to be peeled?

For this recipe, the potatoes need to be peeled.

Make Ahead

This dish is perfect for making ahead of time. Prepare the potatoes, store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days.

Warm them in the microwave until they reach 165°F and are warmed through.

Storage Tips

This dish is perfect for making ahead of time. Prepare the potatoes, store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw the sweet potatoes in the refrigerator overnight and reheat them in the microwave until they are heated through.

Substitutions/Recipe Variations

Substitute real maple syrup (not imitation pancake syrup) in place of the honey. The flavor is different but delicious.

Leftovers Ideas

Dice leftover sweet potatoes (do not heat them) and add them to a fall salad such as this Apple Cranberry Salad on Baby Greens.

Another option is to dice the sweet potato slices, warm them in the microwave and add them to these Roasted Potatoes. The roasted potatoes are a delicious side dish served with Roasted Chicken.

What to Serve with Glazed Sweet Potatoes

My favorite time to serve these sweet potatoes is at our annual Thanksgiving dinner. They are delicious, with both roasted turkey and ham.

Another great way to serve them is with steak or meatloaf. I love the flavor combination of sweet potatoes and beef.

If you love pork chops, these sweet potatoes would be a dynamite side dish with pork chops.

Glazed sweet potatoes pair nicely with just about any type of meat! Serve them with your favorite meat entree.

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I hope you try this recipe! Please rate it and comment below. I love hearing from you!

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