Baked Vegan Sweet Potatoes. Maple. Cinnamon. Citrus.

I want to share my basic, beloved “Vegan Holiday Sweet Potatoes” recipe with you guys. Just in time for Thanksgiving..

This recipe is pretty simple and lets the flavor and texture of baked sweet potatoes shine through. Flavors of cinnamon, maple, vegan butter and fresh orange accent. Holiday-table approved..

Sweet Potato Lovers’ Unite. You love them too? I ADORE them. They have always been my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I even made an entire entree dish based around them too. Sweet Potato Pockets:

And Stuffed Sweet Potatoes continue to be one of my favorite comfort food dinners.

Veganize Your Yams! My recipe below (or your spin on it) is a must-have for any holiday feast. “Vegan” version sweet potatoes are easy. Just sub in vegan butter (Earth Balance) for traditional butter and make sure any sweeteners you use are vegan. Swap OUT any honey for vegan maple syrup or agave syrup. And use organic granulated sugars so you know they are vegan.

Citrus Maple-Spiced Baked Holiday Sweet Potatoes
vegan, serves 6+

4 large garnet yams, peeled
2-3 Tbsp vegan butter (about 5 skinny pats of butter – add more if you want)
1/3 cup maple syrup*
1 tsp cinnamon
other spices I like to add: 3/4 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, a few dashes cayenne
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice + 1/2 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp salt (or add after baking – to taste)

* I like grade B maple syrup best for its dark color + flavor. You could also substitute with agave syrup if necessary.

Additional Sugar/Spice topping:
2 Tbsp organic brown sugar
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Optional: Toss in a few golden raisins, chopped pecans, diced apples, chopped walnuts or cranberries into the baking dish. For the marshmallow-lovers out there, toss in a few Dandies vegan marshmallows too.

garnish: a few sprigs of green parsley are a nice touch.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash and dry your sweet potatoes well. I do not do an intense peel of the skin. I don’t mind if a few shreds of skin are left on the potatoes. You could either easily peel the leftover skin off once baked – or eat it! A bit of skin is actually a good thing since it is so high in fiber. Or if you prefer, peel clean to the flesh. Slice into thick 3/4″-1″ medallions. Add to a large mixing bowl

3. Toss the medallions with the orange juice and maple syrup. Add in the spices and zest – toll well.

4. File medallions into a large casserole dish. Pour the maple/juice liquid you just tossed the potatoes in over top. Add in the pats of vegan butter (Earth Balance) all around the dish – just lay on top of potatoes – the butter will melt and disperse and the potatoes cool.

5. Sprinkle the additional sugar/spice mix over top the potatoes (additional cinnamon is optional, I usually just add a pinch to this mix so to not brown the potatoes too much – keep their golden color). Add your pinches of salt (about 1/4 tsp).

6. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover potatoes and with a spoon. (if the potatoes appear too dry – gather some of the liquid from the pan and pour over top potatoes to hydrate them, optional). Reduce heat to 375 and bake for an additional 30 minutes – or until the potatoes are perfectly tender. I like to remove the foil and broil the potatoes for a final 3 minutes before serving. This caramelizes the top of the potatoes with the brown sugar.