Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes

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These Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes are something you’ll make over and over! With only 3 ingredients, these fork-tender potato halves are a win!

Three Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes on a square white plate with a fork full of sweet potatoes

Baked Sweet Potato Halves

There are a ton of sweet potato recipes out there, but these easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes are among the easiest. If you like your sweet potatoes baked with brown sugar and butter – and you like easy recipes – this is the one for you! 

This is the kind of great side dish recipe that you can pull out any time of year when you see sweet potatoes on sale. I know that we tend to think of sweet potato side dishes as something one makes during autumn and Thanksgiving, but they are healthy and delicious all year round! 

Full of healthy fat and beta carotene, and high in dietary fiber and natural sugars, it’s hard not to be a sweet potato fan. Sweet potatoes were the only vegetables that I knew my little ones would each consistently eat. 

These Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes are soft and sweet with the delicious rawness of the brown sugar and the saltiness of the butter. What’s more, there is very little prep involved and there are only a few basic steps for getting them baked and ready. 

The convenience of these sweet potatoes is that you don’t have to cut them while you’re eating them and get your hand burned by hot potato steam. You have already halved each of these and baked them so that they are served as fork-tender potatoes. 

A much healthier alternative to regular white potatoes, this sweet potato recipe will take you less time working in the kitchen so that you have time to finish the rest of your meal. Easy dinners don’t have to be tasteless, so let this be one of the great additions to your favorite recipes. 

Recipe Notes:

  • For each whole sweet potato, you will be cutting off the ends and then slicing the middle in half widthwise. 
  • When you have a perfectly baked sweet potato, the sweet potato flesh will be fork-tender and the skin will be separating slightly. 
  • This recipe is always vegetarian, gluten-free, and nut-free. If you want to make it dairy-free and vegan, omit the butter or substitute it with a vegan alternative. 

Three Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes on a rectangular white plate with the muffin tin in the background

How To Make Sweet Potato In Muffin Tins Recipe

Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes Ingredients:

6 large sweet potatoes (long and thin are better than round)
1 cup light brown sugar
4 oz stick butter, salted

Supplies Needed:

Large stock pot
Muffin tin
Nonstick spray
Cutting board
Sharp knife

A wooden bowl full of three sweet potatoes on a wooden table next to another sweet potato for Easy Muffin Tin Baked Sweet Potatoes

Directions:

Step 1: Set a large stock pot of water on the stove and place your whole sweet potatoes inside. You do not need to poke holes in them.

Make sure that you have excess water that covers all of the potatoes in the large pot. Heat the water to boiling and continue to boil for 35-40 minutes. 

An empty muffin tin next to a blue cutting board with a sweet potato on it next to a stock pot full of cooked sweet potatoes for Easy Muffin Tin Baked Sweet PotatoesStep 2: Once done, remove the pot from the heat and drain the water in the sink. Allow the potatoes to cool under cold running water for about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take out a muffin tin and spray each muffin cup with nonstick cooking spray. If you don’t have any handy, line each cup with aluminum foil.

A sweet potato cut in half with the ends cut off on a blue cutting board for Easy Muffin Tin Baked Sweet PotatoesStep 4: Cut the ends off of each of the sweet potatoes and then cut each one in half.

You want each of the sweet potato slices to be across the short side of each potato. Make sure that you aren’t cutting off too much so that the size of your sweet potatoes doesn’t change drastically.  

A muffin tin with nine visible sweet potato halves with holes poked in the middle of each for Easy Muffin Tin Baked Sweet PotatoesStep 5: Place each of the sweet potato rounds into one cup of your muffin tray. It does not matter which cut side goes on the top or bottom of the cup. 

Step 6: Wash your hands and with your index finger, poke a hole into the center of each of the sweet potato halves.

If you aren’t comfortable doing that, use the handle end of a fork to poke a slit and try to carve a bit of a hole in each one. 

Nine visible sweet potato halves in a muffin tin with brown sugar and a butter pat on top of each one for Easy Muffin Tin Baked Sweet PotatoesStep 7: Take approximately 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar and place it on top of each sweet potato.

A muffin tin with nine visible easy muffin tin sweet potatoes baked insideStep 8: Place a slice of butter on top of the brown sugar on each sweet potato.

Step 9: Set the prepared potatoes in the oven and bake on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes.

Step 10: Take the baked sweet potato halves out of the muffin tin, plate them, and serve immediately for the best results. 

Two easy muffin tin sweet potatoes on a rectangular white plate in front of a muffin tin with other sweet potato halves in it

How To Store Leftover Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap for up to 4 days. 

Plus, if you want ideas for what to pair with them, here is what to serve with sweet potatoes

Can I Use Anything Other Than A Muffin Pan?

Yes! A 12-cup muffin tin should be your first choice, but if you don’t have one handy, you can use a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Add a light layer of olive oil to the top of your lining. While the muffin wells will keep the cooked sweet potatoes upright, the baking tray won’t.

In this case, I would put the larger side of the cut sweet potatoes down on the prepared baking sheet so that you have a good base that won’t fall over.

The melted butter will spill around the sides, but the lining should still make for easy cleanup. 

A white rectangular plate with two easy muffin tin sweet potatoes, one of which is being cut with a fork

Can I Add Anything To These Delicious Sweet Potatoes?

Yes! The original recipe is all you need for an amazing family dinner side, but there are different ways to take this delicious side dish to the next level.

If you’re serving them for Christmas dinner, a Thanksgiving meal, or another fancy occasion, consider adding your favorite toppings.

Crushed pecans, sea salt and black pepper, fresh rosemary, goat cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, and dried cranberries would work very well on a sweet potato bar for the table. Give everyone their option of toppings and everyone can choose their favorite way. 

Are Yams And Sweet Potatoes The Same Thing?

In the United States, the answer would be yes. We look at the root vegetables with the natural sweetness and vibrant orange flesh and call them both sweet potatoes and yams interchangeably.

True yams are dry and starchy with a bark-like skin – very different than how we see them in this country. 

Are You Looking For More Autumn Recipe Ideas? Here Are Some Of My Favorites:

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Yield: 6 servings

Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes

A white rectangular plate with two easy muffin tin sweet potatoes, one of which is being cut with a fork

These Easy Muffin Tin Sweet Potatoes are something you'll make over and over! With only 3 ingredients, these fork-tender potatoes are a win!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 sweet potatoes 
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 oz stick butter, salted

Instructions

  1. Set a large stock pot of water on the stove and place your sweet potatoes inside. Make sure that the water covers all of the potatoes. Heat the water to boiling and continue to boil for 35-40 minutes. 
  2. Once done, remove the pot from the heat and drain the water in the sink. Allow the potatoes to cool under cold running water for about 5 minutes.
  3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take out a muffin tin and spray each cup with non-stick cooking spray. 
  4. Cut the ends off of each of the sweet potatoes and then cut each one in half.
  5. Place each half of the sweet potato into one cup of your muffin tray.
  6. Wash your hands and with your index finger, poke a hole into the center of each of the sweet potato halves. If you aren't comfortable doing that, use the handle end of a fork to poke a slit and try to carve a bit of a hole in each one. 
  7. Take approximately 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar and place it on top of each sweet potato.
  8. Place a slice of butter on top of the brown sugar on each sweet potato.
  9. Set your muffin tin in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
  10. Serve immediately for best results. 

Notes

Long and thin sweet potatoes work better than those that are round and squat. If yours are round and squat, boil them for 45 minutes before continuing your steps.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

2

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 4gSugar: 37gProtein: 2g

This calculation is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor or dietitian. This calculator is a guide, but makes no guarantee of being exact or fully accurate.

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