Healthy Sweet Potato Side Dish Recipes

These vegan mashed sweet potatoes are made with coconut milk instead of butter. With just a handful of ingredients, this simple side dish is loosely inspired by piele, a Hawaiian dish typically made with sweet potatoes or breadfruit and coconut milk, which gets wrapped in ti leaves and baked in an imu, an in-ground hot rock oven.

This lightened-up take on the classic Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole is spiked with crushed pineapple and toasted pecans. We top it with an airy, slightly sweet meringue. You can pipe the meringue to make it look fancy or simply spread it neatly with a rubber spatula.

Sweet potatoes glazed in a savory-sweet combination of soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil makes a delectable side dish. If you don't eat them all at the first sitting, reheat in a nonstick skillet--they are even more delicious the second time around. (Adapted from Local Flavors, copyright 2002 by Deborah Madison. Reprinted with permission from Broadway Books.)

This savory spin on sweet potatoes uses earthy herbs and aromatics to help cut through the sweetness of the spuds, creating a beautifully balanced dish. Leaving the skins on helps the sweet potatoes retain some texture after being roasted, but they work just as well peeled. Look for sweet potatoes that are similar in diameter, which will help them cook at the same rate, and try smoked paprika instead of sweet to give them even more of a savory edge.

This sweet potato and turnip mash is fragrant with fresh sage.

These easy sweet potato fritters have a crispy crust and a tender middle. The beans are flavored with smoked paprika, but sweet or hot would work well too. To give it a Mexican-inspired twist, use chili powder as the spice instead of the paprika.

We take all the classic toppings of a loaded potato—bacon, Cheddar and sour cream—and use them in this cheesy sweet potato casserole that everyone will love.

Dried cherries and nuts give this healthy sweet potato side dish recipe a traditional feel. The addition of some bacon for lushness and Aleppo pepper for a little bite really kicks things up.

Love steak fries? Try these sweet potato wedges with a honey mustard dipping sauce. They're pre-cooked in the microwave, then seasoned with salt and paprika and on your plate after less than 10 minutes under the broiler.

If you're looking for a twist on classic scalloped potatoes, this recipe using roasted sweet potatoes and melty Gruyère has all the creaminess of the original with a new flavor twist. The sweet potatoes and lightened sauce--made with flour and low-fat milk--keep it healthier than butter- and cream-laden versions. Don't cut your sweet potatoes too thin--they'll turn mushy under the sauce.

The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they're still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that's typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.

This multicolored galette is a fun twist on the classic dish made with white potatoes. Don't worry if you only have one type of sweet potato, the result will still be beautiful. The bottom bakes to a potato-chip crisp with a caramelly sweetness, while the interior becomes melt-in-your-mouth rich.

These fun baked sweet potato fries are made with spiralized sweet potatoes and topped with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese for a crunchy, savory snack that's healthy too. You can spiralize the sweet potatoes yourself or pick up a package of sweet potato "noodles" in the produce department of your supermarket to speed up the process even more. Since they're baked instead of fried, they're easier to make and lower in calories than deep-fried sweet potato fries. Serve them along with your favorite beef, turkey or veggie burgers or as a party appetizer that kids and adults will love.

Chili powder, cumin and ginger combine to create these spicy mashed sweet potatoes. A touch of maple syrup balances the spice for a twist on a traditional Thanksgiving side dish.

Boiling the sweet potatoes ahead of time speeds up the grilling process, meaning this crispy and delicious side dish will be on the table in under 30 minutes!

Use convenience ingredients, like cooked chicken (leftover or purchased) and store-bought curry sauce to whip up these easy loaded baked potatoes. We call for cauliflower in this recipe, but feel free to sub in whatever veggies you have on hand for a quick and easy dinner. You can also swap the sweet potatoes for russets.

This creamy sweet potato soufflé is complemented with a crunchy pecan-oat topping for a truly scrumptious side dish. The filling can be made up to five days ahead, so you just have to top it and bake it when it's time. Whip up this healthy sweet potato soufflé recipe for Thanksgiving or any other special occasion.

These hasselback sweet potatoes are like mini marshmallow-topped sweet potato casseroles drizzled with sage-infused butter. The hasselback technique, slicing the potato but leaving it whole, makes for a tender potato with a crispy top--the best of both worlds.

This healthy mashed sweet potato recipe has just 5 ingredients and is dinner-ready in 20 minutes. Using sweet potatoes for this classic side dish adds color to your plate along with a little sweetness and a boost of Vitamin A. With classic and simple flavors, it can easily be paired with any of your favorite dishes.

Grilled sweet potato slices are paired with a spicy, creamy sauce with a hint of smoke. Serve this easy grilled side dish alongside grilled chicken, steak or veggie burgers. (The sweet potato slices are also delicious without sauce or with store-bought condiments like chipotle mayo.)

Yes, you should grill sweet potatoes. And definitely serve these curried potato wedges with this coconut and peanut butter dip spiked with chili-garlic sauce.

Once you "melt" sweet potatoes, you won't want to make them any other way. These roasted sweet potatoes soak up broth to turn the interior into a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. A sage-brown butter sauce finishes these potatoes for a truly stunning side dish.

These candied sweet potatoes are super simple to make. The sweet potatoes are tender and buttery, while cinnamon and cardamom add warmth and flavor. The pecans add a great crunch.

If you love sweet potato casserole, but don't have a crowd to enjoy it with, try this stuffed sweet potato "casserole" for two. One sweet potato yields the perfect amount for two people while keeping true to the classic flavors you'd expect for Thanksgiving and other holidays.