This easy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes recipe is made with maple syrup and pecans. Simple to make for Thanksgiving dinner as an alternative to sweet potato casserole. It may look fancy, but it's a quick-to-prep Southern side dish.
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Maple syrup, finely chopped pecans, brown sugar and butter are delicious on their own, but when mixed together, they enhance the natural sweetness and flavor of sweet potatoes.
What does hasselback mean?
Hasselbacking is a cooking term that means slicing potatoes or other foods "to-but-not-through-the-other-side". It was originated in the restaurant, Hasselbacken, in Sweden in the 1940's.
Why you will love this sweet potato recipe
I may be a little biased, but I think this is the best hasselback sweet potato recipe. I researched many versions and tested this one four times, including an air fryer version.
The key to making these the best hasselback sweet potatoes was cooking them covered on the front end to make them tender on the inside. Then, uncovered at the end to crisp up the "jackets" and pecans.
I first made this easy sweet potato recipe at my Holiday Cooking Show as a Southern shortcut Thanksgiving side dish but it's also perfect for Christmas, Easter and every day you want to serve sweet potatoes.
Alternative to Sweet Potato Casserole
You might be thinking it's Southern heresy to not serve sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. This easy recipe actually takes basically the same ingredients and creates an artful, yet easy, version of a sweet potato casserole.
Instead of cooking, peeling and mashing the sweet potatoes, then blending them with butter, brown sugar and topping with pecans, you just partially slice the unpeeled potatoes and slather on a maple-pecan butter on them.
Shortcuts
- No need to peel the sweet potatoes. The peeling is actually good for you!
- Salted butter saves an ingredient.
- No waiting for cooked sweet potatoes to cool before mashing like sweet potato casserole.
- Entire recipe or just Maple Pecan Butter can be made ahead.
Ingredients
What you will need to make hasselback sweet potatoes
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Small sweet potatoes- Small, even-shaped sweet potatoes work best. Short and stubby, large potatoes take much longer to bake and do not slice as well.
- Butter- I used salted butter because, well, it already has salt in it. I don't typically recommend stick margarine for many recipes, but it would work in this one.
- Pecans- I LOVE using Whaley Pecan Company's fancy pecan meal for this recipe. It's somewhere between ground pecans and finely chopped pecans. You can also finely chop pecans with a chef knife or food processor.
- Brown sugar- Light or dark brown sugar Maple syrup- Real maple syrup is what I use but pancake syrup also works.
How to make hasselback sweet potatoes with maple syrup and pecans
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
How to cut hasselback sweet potatoes
Be sure to wash and scrub the sweet potatoes, first, since you will not be peeling them!
- Place a sweet potato on a cutting board. Put flat handled wooden spoons or chopsticks on either side of a sweet potato. This will prevent the knife from slicing all the way through the potato.
- Make ⅛-inch-thick slices in the potato. The wooden spoons will prevent the cut from going all the way through the potato. You may have to reposition the spoon handles occasionally.
- Place it in the baking dish. Repeat with other potatoes.
Tip: I tend to hold the potato and the spoons at the same time, but you can hold just the potato to secure it, then reposition the spoons occasionally as they move.
Make the maple pecan butter
- With a hand mixer or a spoon, combine butter, brown sugar, pecans and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Spread half of the butter mixture over the tops and sides of the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 45 minutes.
Tip: To quickly soften a half stick of butter, microwave on HIGH straight from the refrigerator for 7 seconds. Flip the half stick of butter over and microwave additional 7 seconds. For an 1100 watt microwave, this should perfectly soften a half stick of butter.
- Remove dish from the oven and carefully uncover. Spread the remaining half of butter mixture over the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender in the middle.
Tip: After baking the first 45 minutes, the potatoes will be soft enough to spread the butter between the slices for extra flavor.
- Drizzle melted butter mixture in bottom of the dish over potatoes before serving.
Air Fryer Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
How to make Hasselback sweet potatoes: air fryer method. Loosely wrap each potato (or all in one big foil packet) in aluminum foil before spreading pecan butter mixture over them the first time. Air fry at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
Carefully uncover and spread remaining pecan butter mixture over the potatoes. Air fry an additional 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender in the middle. Drizzle with butter mixture in the bottom before serving.
I tested many recipes on the internet air frying hasselback sweet potatoes uncovered. It never worked. The potatoes were always dry on top and firm inside. The key was covering the potatoes to retain the natural moisture in the potatoes since they are sliced open already.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this Thanksgiving side dish recipe.
- Savory Hasselback Sweet Potatoes - Instead of maple syrup and pecan butter, slather on an herbed garlic butter. Maybe sprinkle fresh thyme or rosemary on top.
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows - Sprinkle about 1 cup mini marshmallows on the sweet potatoes after baking. Place the pan under the broiler for 1 minute to toast them.
Helpful Information
Be sure to choose fresh sweet potatoes. Older potatoes will be slightly dry and not as tender when baked.
The sweet potato is the state of Alabama's official vegetable.
The outer skins of baked potatoes, Irish or sweet potatoes, are often called "jackets" by the British, mostly. It refers to the baked skins that wrap around the potato and hold in the heat of the potato like a jacket holds warmth for us humans.
What to serve with hasselback maple pecan sweet potatoes
- Instant Pot Bone-In Pepper Jelly Ham
- Instant Pot Bone-In Turkey Breast
- Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa
- Spatchcocked Grilled Turkey
Make Ahead
This hasselback sweet potato recipe can be made ahead up to 3 days. Simply reheat in a 350F degree oven, uncovered for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
How to store
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered or in an air tight container. If making entire recipe ahead of time, store in the refrigerator, covered, up to 3 days.
Freezer: This recipe can be made up to 2 months ahead of time and frozen, tightly covered. Thaw in refrigerator 2 days ahead of time or bake frozen, covered, at 350F 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Want more Thanksgiving side dish recipes?
Alabama pecan and sweet potato farmers
I actually met an Alabama pecan farmer and sweet potato farmer this year! Since I like grow my own fruits and vegetables, I enjoy meeting local farmers to learn more about how they grow them on a large scale. I'm grateful for their hard work.
Mr. Talbot (left) gave me a tour of his Talbot Farms pecan orchard in Brundidge, Alabama. He even shook a tree for us with his tractor. It was like watching it rain pecans! So fun! I'm grateful to Ty Boatner with Whaley Pecan Company for introducing us.
Mr. Sirmon (right) let me experience placing sweet potato slips in the automatic transplanting machine. (Not sure if that's the correct term.) His farms are in the Daphne, Alabama area and they are some of the best sweet potatoes I've ever eaten!
Thank you to Sweet Grown Alabama for connecting us with Mr. Sirmon. Scott and I enjoyed touring Sirmon Farms and warehouse.
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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes (Maple Syrup and Pecans)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small sweet potatoes (about 6 ounces each)
- ¼ cup softened salted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Wash and scrub sweet potatoes since you will not be peeling them!
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Grease bottom of 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Line the dish with aluminum foil, first, for easy cleanup.
- Place a sweet potato on a cutting board. Place wooden spoons or chopsticks on either side of a sweet potato. I prefer flat-handled wooden spoons. This will prevent the knife from slicing all the way through the potato.
- Make ⅛-inch-thick slices in the potato. You may have to reposition the spoon handles occasionally, as they might move a little. Place it in the baking dish. Repeat with other potatoes.
- Combine butter, brown sugar, pecans and maple syrup. I used a hand mixer, but if the butter is soft enough, a spoon will work fine.
- Spread half of the butter mixture over the tops and sides of the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and carefully uncover. Spread the remaining half of butter mixture over the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender in the middle. Drizzle melted butter mixture in bottom of thedish over potatoes before serving.A serving can be an entire potato or cut in half to serve eight.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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