7 Sweet Potato Recipes to Make This Fall Besides Pie

Sweet potatoes have a lot more potential than a holiday pie or casserole. Their natural sweetness works surprisingly well with spicy beans, creamy sauces, savory eggs, and even homemade pasta. These recipes take the familiar fall vegetable in different directions, from a quick weeknight taco dinner to a cozy skillet breakfast. Whether you have a few sweet potatoes waiting in the pantry or simply want a new way to serve them, these recipes are worth adding to your rotation.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

These sweet potato tacos are a flavorful way to turn a familiar fall ingredient into a meatless dinner. The recipe combines roasted sweet potatoes with seasoned black beans and an avocado-pepita dip, then finishes the tacos with toppings such as feta, pepitas, and pickled jalapeños. The contrast between the caramelized sweet potatoes, spicy beans, creamy avocado, and crunchy toppings keeps these from tasting like an ordinary vegetable taco. Cookie and Kate’s recipe makes 8 to 10 hearty tacos and can easily be made vegan by leaving off the feta.

Get the recipe: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Pepita Dip

Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter and Sage

If you have ever made regular potato gnocchi, sweet potatoes are a delicious way to change things up. The naturally sweet potato gives these soft dumplings a beautiful color and subtle sweetness that pairs especially well with nutty brown butter and earthy sage. Homemade gnocchi does take more time than opening a package of pasta, but it makes a particularly cozy weekend dinner or special-occasion meal. This version from Food Network also adds crispy pancetta for a salty contrast, with Parmesan as an optional finishing touch.

Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter, Crispy Pancetta and Sage

Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry

Sweet potatoes work surprisingly well in a warmly spiced curry, where their natural sweetness balances the savory spices and creamy coconut milk. This plant-based version combines tender sweet potatoes and chickpeas in a coconut-based sauce and adds spinach toward the end for another layer of flavor and texture. It is the kind of one-pot meal that works especially well on a chilly evening and makes good leftovers for lunch the next day. Serve it over rice, quinoa, or another grain to make the meal more substantial.

Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry

Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

Sweet potatoes don’t have to wait until dinner to make an appearance. This skillet hash combines diced sweet potatoes with bacon, onion, bell pepper, and kale, then cooks eggs right into the mixture for a hearty breakfast. The recipe comes together in about 35 minutes and is flexible enough to make a smaller batch or prepare the hash ingredients ahead of time. It is also substantial enough to serve for brunch or even a simple breakfast-for-dinner meal.

Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries With Dipping Sauces

Sweet potato fries are one of the easiest ways to turn this fall favorite into a snack or side dish, but getting them crisp can be tricky. This baked version uses cornstarch to help create a crisp exterior and recommends giving the fries plenty of room on the baking sheet rather than crowding them together. Once they’re out of the oven, you can switch up the dipping sauce depending on what you’re serving, from chipotle sauce and honey mustard to garlic yogurt sauce. They work alongside burgers, sandwiches, or simply as a snack on their own.

Get the recipe: Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato & Spinach Quesadillas

Mashed sweet potato might not be the first filling that comes to mind for a quesadilla, but its creamy texture makes it a natural fit with melted cheese and savory vegetables. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics version pairs mashed sweet potatoes with sautéed bell peppers and onions before folding everything into whole-wheat tortillas with pepper jack or cheddar cheese. The result is a meatless meal that feels familiar while still being a little different from the usual cheese quesadilla. Serve with salsa or sour cream for an easy lunch or dinner.

Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Quesadillas from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins

Sweet potatoes can do more than make savory dishes better—they can also add moisture and natural sweetness to baked goods. These muffins combine mashed sweet potato with cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and a handful of mini chocolate chips for a lightly spiced treat. The recipe from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs makes 12 muffins and uses maple syrup rather than relying entirely on refined sugar for sweetness. They’re a good option for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a simple fall bake when you want something other than pie.

Get the recipe: Sweet Potato-Chocolate Chip Muffins from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

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