Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Individual servings of twice baked sweet potato casserole make the perfect Thanksgiving side dish, no matter how many guests you’ll be hosting. Topped with cinnamon sugar and mini marshmallows for extra sweetness!

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One of the most delicious parts of Thanksgiving dinner is the sweet potato casserole, for three reasons. One, it’s creamy and flavorful and tastes like fall in a casserole dish. Two, it’s usually topped with cinnamon sugar and marshmallows, and who can resist eating that with dinner? And three, it’s only served once a year in my family, which makes it extra special. Although that’s always been a slight negative, too – because I always wished it was easier to make a small serving of sweet potato casserole that didn’t have to be for Thanksgiving only. That’s why we came up with this recipe for individual servings of twice baked sweet potato casserole!

A plate of twice baked sweet potato casserole topped with mini marshmallows and brown sugar cinnamon.

Twice baked sweet potato casserole served right in the potato skins means you can easily plan the right amount of food no matter how many guests will be at your table – even if it’s just a Thanksgiving (or regular weekday) dinner for two. Aside from how easy it’ll be to plan your holiday meals with this side dish, these mini sweet potato casseroles also look adorable and super festive on a serving tray. 

Plus, an individual serving of sweet potato casserole will please picky eaters who don’t like their food touching! They’ll love how self-contained this side dish is, versus the traditional method of slopping a pile of casserole onto their dinner plates.

Ingredients For Making Individual Sweet Potato Casserole 

Twice baked sweet potato casserole is basically a super easy sweet potato casserole recipe served right inside the potato skins and topped with marshmallows! As such, you’ll want to pick out the perfect sweet potatoes for the ideal proportions of marshmallow and cinnamon sugar topping to casserole filling. Here’s a full list of the ingredients you’ll need to make individual sweet potato casserole servings:

  • Sweet potatoes – You’ll want to select sweet potatoes that are fairly symmetrical, not too thick, and roughly the same diameter (if using multiple). Not only will this ensure they all cook at the same rate, but slightly thinner sweet potatoes also provide the best filling-to-topping ratio.
  • Vegetable oil, salt, and pepper – You’ll use these to season the potatoes before they bake the first time.
  • Butter – Let this sit on the counter while the potatoes bake so it’s soft enough that it melts easily when stirred into the sweet potato casserole filling.
  • Brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg – These ingredients give a delicious sugary spiced flavor to the casserole filling. You’ll also make a brown sugar and cinnamon topping to sprinkle on the sweet potatoes before the second round of baking.
  • Mini marshmallows – This sweet potato casserole is made with mini marshmallows, like any good sweet potato casserole should be!

Bonus: Our twice baked sweet potato casserole has no nuts, so you don’t have to worry about serving it to guests with food allergies. Just make sure to check the packaging on the brown sugar and mini marshmallows, since these ingredients are sometimes processed in a facility that handles nuts.

A plate of individual sweet potato casserole boats for Thanksgiving dinner

How To Make Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Making individual servings of sweet potato casserole right in the sweet potato skins is such an easy way to serve (and scale) this recipe for Thanksgiving! Here’s a breakdown of how you can make sweet potato casserole for one, two, 4, or even 10 guests this holiday season:

  1. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then gently poke a few holes in the skin with a fork (don’t do too many since you want to preserve the integrity of the skin). Rub the potatoes with vegetable oil and season lightly with salt and pepper, then place them face down on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  2. Bake the sweet potatoes at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes, until tender. Then, let them cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes until you can handle them.
  3. Next, you’ll make the sweet potato casserole filling. Carefully scoop the flesh out of the sweet potato skins and into a medium bowl, leaving a thin layer of the flesh inside the potato skin to help it keep its shape. Mash the potato in the bowl and then stir in softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  4. Spoon the sweet potato casserole back into the potato skins, gently compressing it with the back of your spoon to re-shape the potato skins. Smooth the tops out.
  5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly over the tops of the sweet potatoes. Finally, gently press mini marshmallows into the sweet potatoes. 
  6. Bake the sweet potato casserole at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, until the marshmallows are toasty.
A plate of three sweet potato casserole servings in potato skins topped with cinammon sugar and mini marshmallows

Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole Serving Suggestions

These individual sweet potato casserole boats are like mini versions of the classic Thanksgiving side dish, so they’re perfect for holiday feasts! You can easily plan to make a single serving (meaning one half of a potato) of this twice baked sweet potato casserole per person – it’s just the right amount to go with turkey, stuffing, and any other tasty Thanksgiving recipes you plan to cook.

These twice baked sweet potato casserole servings topped with cinnamon sugar and mini marshmallows look super cute laid out on a serving tray. Bring them right to the dinner table or serve them buffet-style! Just make sure to use a large spatula for serving, since the sweet potato skins are fragile and can be difficult to pick up with tongs.

Finally, who says sweet potato casserole is just for Thanksgiving dinner? This recipe is hands-down the best way to enjoy sweet potato casserole any time of the year, since you can easily make a single serving if you wish. Whip one up for a “healthier” dessert or serve as a holiday side dish for two.

Tips For Making Mini Sweet Potato Casseroles As A Thanksgiving Side Dish

Cooking a whole Thanksgiving meal can be difficult (and sometimes hectic), so we have a few tips for making this sweet potato casserole side dish as easy as possible:

  • Roast the sweet potatoes on the earlier side, since they cook at a relatively high temperature and can sit out at room temperature after baking for a little bit.
  • Let the butter sit on the counter all day so it’s soft by the time you need it. 
  • If you’re making a large batch of these mini sweet potato casseroles, roughly mash the sweet potato with a masher first – then take a hand mixer to it! This will help speed things up and ensure a smooth texture.
  • Assemble the twice baked sweet potatoes when you have a few minutes of time to spare. They can sit on the counter until it’s time to carve the turkey, since they’ll only need about 10 minutes to warm back up. Then they’ll be piping hot for dinnertime!
Halves of a sweet potato made into Thanksgiving casserole with mini marshmallows

No matter how many guests you’ll be hosting, you can be assured you’ll prepare the right number of servings with this individual sweet potato casserole recipe. So if you’re planning out your Thanksgiving feast, try making this twiced baked sweet potato casserole for an easy side dish recipe! We’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments – let us know how it turns out 🙂

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Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Individual servings of twice baked sweet potato casserole make the perfect Thanksgiving side dish, no matter how many guests you'll be hosting. Topped with cinnamon sugar and mini marshmallows for extra sweetness!
Servings 4 servings
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 med sweet potatoes relatively thin and symmetrical
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 2 tbsp butter softened
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar tightly packed
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • tsp nutmeg

Sweet Potato Casserole Topping

  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar tightly packed
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with foil.
  • Wash and dry the potatoes, then cut them in half lengthwise. Place them face down on the baking sheet and gently poke a few holes in the back of each one with a fork. Next, rub the potatoes with vegetable oil and sprinkle the cut sides with salt and pepper.
  • Place the potatoes face down on the baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully flip the potatoes using tongs and let them cool at room temperature until they can be handled, about 20 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the meantime, carefully scoop out the sweet potato flesh into a medium bowl. Leave a thin layer of flesh along the inside of the potato skins to help maintain their shape.
  • Mash the sweet potato with a fork or potato masher. If you're making a large batch, you can use a hand mixer to help mash them more easily. Once the consistency is smooth, stir in softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until fully incorporated. Next, spoon the mixture back into the potato skins, gently compressing it with the back of the spoon to re-shape the skins.
  • Smooth out the tops of the refilled sweet potatoes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar topping. Sprinkle evenly over the potatoes. Finally, gently press mini marshmallows into the tops of each potato.
  • Bake the sweet potatoes at 350 until warmed through and the marshmallows are toasted, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

Sweet potatoes: The best sweet potatoes for this recipe are relatively thin and symmetric. These ones will provide the ideal topping-to-filling ratio in every bite! You’ll also want to choose potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
Scaling this recipe: You can easily make mini sweet potato casserole servings for one, two, or even 10 people – that’s the beauty of this recipe! Plan about one serving (half a potato) per person if making these as a side dish.
Timing this as a side dish for Thanksgiving: Cooking a whole dinner for Thanksgiving can be stressful, so we’ve included some tips in our blog post above for timing this recipe perfectly.
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Author: Nicole
Calories: 244kcal
Course: Dessert, Side Dish, Sides
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brown sugar, butter, christmas, cinnamon, dessert, holiday, mini marshmallows, nutmeg, side dish, sweet potato, thanksgiving, twice baked

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 16208IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

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