Sweet Potato Bites are thin rounds of sweet potato tossed in melted butter, maple syrup and cinnamon, baked until soft with lightly crisped edges, then topped with a gooey toasted marshmallow and a crunchy pecan half. All the comforting flavors of sweet potato casserole land in one small bite you can pick up with your fingers. Make them for a fall appetizer tray or the Thanksgiving table. The recipe makes 24 bites and is ready in 30 minutes.
How to make it: Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch rounds, toss them in the maple cinnamon butter and bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes. Top each round with half a marshmallow, broil for 1 to 2 minutes, then press a pecan on top.
Why You’ll Love It
- Quick for a holiday dish: 10 minutes of prep and about 20 minutes in the oven, plus a short broil at the end.
- Six ingredients: sweet potatoes, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, marshmallows and pecans. No eggs, no flour, no mixer.
- Casserole flavor, finger-food size: soft sweet potato, toasted marshmallow and pecan in one bite, with no baking dish to scoop from.
- Every piece gets its share: each round carries its own glaze, marshmallow and pecan, so you can eat them with a fork or with your fingers.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet potatoes: Two medium sweet potatoes of about the same size and width. Medium ones keep each round bite-sized. Peel them before you slice.
Butter, maple syrup and cinnamon: These three melt together into the glaze. Use real maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup.
Marshmallows: Twelve large marshmallows, cut in half. Kitchen shears work well for this.
Pecans: Twenty-four pecan halves, one for each bite. Candied pecan halves work too.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 12 large marshmallows, halved
- 24 pecan halves, or candied pecan halves
How to Make Sweet Potato Bites
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt the glaze. Put the butter, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds, until the butter melts, then stir to combine.
3. Coat the rounds. Put the sweet potato rounds in a large bowl, drizzle the butter mixture over them and toss until evenly coated.
4. Spread them out. Lay the rounds flat on the prepared pan in a single layer, evenly spaced.
5. Bake. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a fork slides in easily but the rounds are not mushy.
6. Add the marshmallows. Take the pan out of the oven and set the oven to broil. Top each round with a marshmallow half.
7. Broil. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the marshmallows are puffed and lightly toasted. Watch them the whole time so they do not burn.
8. Add the pecans and serve. As soon as the pan comes out, gently press a pecan half into the top of each marshmallow. Serve right away.
How to Toast the Marshmallows Without Burning Them
The marshmallow top is where these bites go wrong, and it happens fast. A few habits keep the tops puffed and golden instead of black.
Cut them in half. Large marshmallows puff up quite large under the broiler. A half on each round is enough.
Stay at the oven. Marshmallows brown quickly and burn just as quickly, so do not walk away during the 1 to 2 minutes under the broiler. Pull the pan as soon as the tops are puffed and lightly toasted.
Pecans go on after the broiler. Press a pecan half onto each bite the moment the pan comes out. Raw or toasted pecans both work. If you want them toasted, toast them separately ahead of time; under the broiler with the marshmallows, they would burn.
Press gently. A light press is all you need. Push too hard and the melted marshmallow spills over the side of the round.
Get them off the pan while hot. Move the bites to a serving platter while they are still hot so they do not stick to the pan.
Tips for Success
Why are some rounds soft and others still firm?
The slices were different sizes. Pick sweet potatoes of the same size and width and cut every round 1/4 inch thick, so the pieces bake evenly. You can also flip the rounds halfway through baking.
How many marshmallows and pecans will I need?
That depends on how many rounds your potatoes give you, since sweet potatoes vary in size. Lay the slices out on the baking sheet before you toss them in the butter mixture to see how many fit. Then plan one marshmallow half and one pecan half for each round, so the topping matches the potato.
Variations
- Brown sugar instead of marshmallows: Leave off the marshmallows and use brown sugar instead. It caramelizes and leaves the potato glazed and golden.
- Pecan praline topping: Slice 2 sweet potatoes into about 10 rounds each, 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Melt 1/2 cup butter and stir in 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup cane sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Spoon it over the raw rounds and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, until they are soft when pressed with a fork. Serve them warm or cold.
- Whipped cream and candied pecans: Glaze the rounds with 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, turn them, glaze the tops again and bake 15 minutes more. Finish with a pinch of salt, a dollop of whipped cream, a candied pecan and a little cinnamon.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Add a pinch to the butter mixture for a fall flavor.
- Bacon: Tuck a small piece of cooked bacon under each marshmallow before broiling, or sprinkle cooked bacon pieces over the melted marshmallows.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat until they reach 165°F: about 30 seconds in the microwave, or about 5 minutes on a cookie sheet in a 350°F oven. Do not reheat them in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
These bites fit right into a holiday spread. Set them next to slow cooker turkey breast for dinner, or put them on an appetizer table with a cranberry pecan cheese ball and some savory sausage crescent bites. If you would rather serve a whole dish of sweet potatoes, make sweet potatoes with marshmallows or a sweet potato casserole with a pecan crust. For dessert, pecan pie dump cake keeps the pecans going.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make good sweet potato bites?
Start at the store: choose smooth, firm sweet potatoes with no cuts or cracks, red or orange in color. Keep the rounds even, bake them just until tender, and add the toppings at the very end. They are best eaten right out of the oven.
Why should you soak sweet potatoes before cooking?
For these bites, soaking is a make-ahead step. If you slice ahead, keep the cut rounds in cold water in the fridge so they do not turn brown, then dry them very well before baking so they crisp instead of steam.
Can I make sweet potato bites ahead for a party?
Yes. Slice the potatoes ahead and keep them in cold water as above. To keep baked rounds warm, hold them on a sheet pan in the oven on low and add the toppings just before serving. USDA FSIS says hot food should stay at 140°F or warmer.
What nuts can I use instead of pecans?
Walnuts or almonds both work, and so do candied almonds. You can also leave the nuts off.
Final Notes
Set the marshmallow halves and pecans next to the oven before the rounds finish baking, so the last two steps go quickly. If you make these, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
Sweet Potato Bites
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Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes medium, about the same size; peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup real maple syrup, not pancake syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 12 large marshmallows halved (kitchen shears work well)
- 24 pecan halves or candied pecan halves
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Put the butter, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds, until the butter melts, then stir to combine.
- Put the sweet potato rounds in a large bowl, drizzle the butter mixture over them and toss until evenly coated.
- Lay the rounds flat on the prepared pan in a single layer, evenly spaced.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until a fork slides in easily but the rounds are not mushy.
- Take the pan out of the oven and set the oven to broil. Top each round with a marshmallow half.
- Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the marshmallows are puffed and lightly toasted. Watch them the whole time so they do not burn.
- As soon as the pan comes out, gently press a pecan half into the top of each marshmallow. Serve right away.
