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Super quick and easy, these delicious Caramelized Sweet Potatoes are a healthy alternative to traditional, sticky, marshmallow recipes. Besides being a fabulous side, they can also be used on salads and in soups.
If you're looking for the easiest, prep-ahead side that everyone will rave about, this Caramelized Sweet Potato recipe is IT!
The only difficult thing about these delicious sweet potatoes was deciding on a name. I oscillated between Caramelized Sweet Potatoes and Candied Sweet Potatoes, but you can clearly see which was the winner.
Candied Sweet Potatoes seemed appropriate since they're like good candy - addictingly delicious and quite irresistible! The only problem was the image that the traditional Candied Sweet Potatoes brought to mind - overly sweet, sticky, gooey, loaded with brown sugar and/or marshmallows. Just try googling Candied Sweet Potatoes and you'll see exactly what I mean. This healthy, delicious side would be out of place on a page like that.
So I went with Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, and I'm quite certain you're going to love them. They can be prepped in advance, then finished in under 10 minutes, right before serving.
Short ingredient list
The ingredients list is simple: sweet potatoes, olive oil, butter, honey, ground coriander and salt. The preparation is even simpler: combine all the ingredients in a pan with a splash of water. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and cook for 3 minutes. The potatoes are steamed a bit at first and then the cover is removed, allowing the water to evaporate. That's when the beautiful caramelization process takes place as the sweet potatoes are glazed with the delicious honey/butter mixture.
See what I mean? Easy, super easy! At this point, you're done... except to note the happy smiles when the family (or friends) take the first bite.
Make Plenty!
Oh yes, just a warning: be sure to make plenty, as they'll disappear before you can say, "Caramelized Sweet Potatoes"! The recipe serves four, but you may see sad faces when the bowl's empty before everyone's had their fill.
Café Tips for making these Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
- This recipe calls for ground coriander. Coriander is the seed that cilantro is grown from. If you don't care for cilantro, don't worry, coriander is a totally different flavor. It's a bit citrusy, yet warm at the same time. Don't skip it as it adds a delicious layer of flavor!
- If I have them, I really enjoy using whole coriander seeds and crushing them just before adding them to a recipe for fresh, delicious flavor. For these Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, however, I recommend ground coriander, as it disappears into the delicious glaze.
- This recipe is super easy and comes together in less than 20 minutes. The only thing that is time-consuming at all is peeling and chopping the sweet potatoes. I've got a quick and easy solution for that though - I use my Vidalia chopper and I can have all of the sweet potatoes diced into perfect size pieces in less than a minute. I also use my chopper for onions, bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, apples, squash, cucumbers... It is truly a little kitchen workhorse for me!
- Feel free to swap out the honey in this recipe for maple syrup, also delish!
- These Caramelized Sweet Potatoes can be prepped an hour or two ahead. Just combine everything in a large skillet as instructed in the recipe. Cover and set aside for an hour or two. 10 minutes before dinner, proceed with the cooking part in step 2.
- Guess what? These delicious veggies are way more than a side dish. We've got a FABULOUS salad recipe that uses them too and another coming up. Be sure to put sweet potatoes on your shopping list and you'll be all set to go!
Super quick and easy, these Caramelized Sweet Potatoes are a healthy alternative to traditional, sticky, marshmallow recipes. And they taste like candy!
- 2 large sweet potatoes about 1¾-2 pounds total
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- fresh finely chopped parsley for garnish if desired.
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Peel sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch cubes*.
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Combine all ingredients in a large skillet with a lid. With cover off, bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir well. Reduce heat to a maintain a steady simmer, then cover and cook for 3 minutes.
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Remove cover, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are tender, golden and caramelized. This will take around 4-6 minutes. If liquid evaporates and potatoes are not tender, add a few tablespoons of water and continue cooking and stirring till tender. You want them tender, but not mushy.
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Garnish with fresh, chopped parsley, if desired.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
One tip I with using the Vidalia Chopper - I bring the top down until I feel it engage in the vegetable. Then I give it a good whack. If you do it in one stroke, it may be too much pressure for the chopper. I find I can chop the hardest, most dense vegetables using this technique.
Susie says
Made these ahead today as I am having a crowd on Thanksgiving. Wrapped them good and put them in the freezer. Was alittle concerned about coriander but wow, they are so yummy. Keep em coming Cris, I have liked everyone of yours that I made.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Susie!