Sliced Sweet Potato Casserole
In this Sliced Sweet Potato Casserole, sweet potato slices are baked in a spiced orange maple glaze and sprinkled with juicy pomegranate arils. You don’t have to boil the sweet potatoes before baking, and you can assemble the casserole in just 10 minutes before baking!
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My Family’s Favorite Way to Eat Sweet Potatoes on Thanksgiving
I first made this sliced sweet potato casserole recipe in 2015 for my first Thanksgiving as a single mom, and I can never bite into it without looking back on that challenging time of my life.
My life looks so different now, but I still bust out this sliced sweet potato casserole each year, and my kids absolutely gobble it up.
Here’s why these sweet potatoes have made the cut each year:
✔ No Par-Boiling Required: Unlike traditional candied sweet potato recipes, this easy casserole version requires zero boiling. You simply slice the sweet potatoes and arrange them in the baking dish. Easy!
✔ Spiced Sweet Potato Flavor: There are no marshmallows or gobs of butter in this casserole, just sliced sweet potatoes, warming spices, and some citrus juice to bring things together.
✔ Make-Ahead Option: I suggest waiting until you’re ready to serve to bake off the casserole, but the sauce and sweet potatoes can be prepared individually and stored in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-Katie
The 9 Main Ingredients
This simple recipe calls for just a handful of ingredients. A full ingredients list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview.
- Sweet Potatoes — Cut the sweet potatoes to an even thickness so that they bake at the same rate. I recommend using a mandoline slicer for best results.
- Butter — Just a couple tablespoons are all you need to give the sauce some richness.
- Orange — Orange juice and zest liven up the casserole without overpowering the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
- Pomegranate Juice — Look for freshly bottled juice, if possible. Otherwise buy a high-quality juice that doesn’t contain added sugars (i.e. do not buy “pomegranate cocktail.”)
- Maple Syrup — You’ll need to use pure maple syrup for this recipe, not pancake syrup.
- Vanilla Extract — I keep a bottle of homemade bourbon vanilla extract on hand for recipes like this.
- Spices — A little salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves add warmth to this casserole.
- Cornstarch — Thickens the sauce and gives it a glossy finish.
- Pomegranate Arils — Are the perfect finishing touch! You could also try topping your Thanksgiving sweet potatoes with candied pecans, glazed walnuts, or even sugared cranberries. (Add any nuts or cranberries after baking, not before!)
How to Make Sliced Sweet Potato Casserole
- Peel and slice the sweet potatoes. A mandoline makes quick work of this.
- Arrange in a casserole dish. I like to line them up rather than laying them horizontally because the glaze coats each slice better and it makes for a pretty presentation when served.
- Make the spiced orange glaze. Just combine the orange juice, pomegranate juice, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and cornstarch in a measuring cup and whisk to combine.
- Assemble and bake. Pour the glaze over the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with pomegranate arils, and bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce is thick.
The above is simply a quick summary of these Thanksgiving sweet potatoes. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Make Ahead Tips
Most of the time, I prefer baking recipes like these baked sweet potato slices the day I plan to serve them, but you can absolutely prepare elements of the recipe in advance to make your Thanksgiving Day much simpler.
Here is what I recommend:
- Peel and slice the sweet potatoes up to 2 days ahead. Make sure to dry them well and store them in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the glaze ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
- If you can find the already seeded pomegranate arils, I definitely recommend using those because it just makes the whole process a little bit easier, otherwise, remove the pomegranate arils from the whole fruit and store them in a Tupperware in the fridge. Ideally, no more than 2 days in advance.
And then, for the most part, this recipe for sliced sweet potato casserole will just be assembled and baked on Thanksgiving Day.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few Thanksgiving mains and sides to serve alongside the sweet potato casserole:
More Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Sides to Try
Be sure to check out the whole Thanksgiving Recipes Archive or the Thanksgiving Menu Planner if you need help building the rest of your menu.
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Sliced Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Sweet potato slices are baked in a spiced orange maple glaze and sprinkled with juicy, bright pomegranate arils. It's a gorgeous, colorful Thanksgiving side dish!
Ingredients
- 4 large Sweet Potatoes
- 1 ½ tablespoons Melted Butter, divided
- ½ cup Orange Juice, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Pomegranate Juice, room temperature
- zest of 1 Orange
- 6 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Cloves
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an oval casserole dish with half of the butter, reserving the rest for the next step.
- Wash, dry, and peel the sweet potatoes. Then, slice into ¼ inch thick rounds using a mandoline slicer. Set aside.
- In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, combine the remaining tablespoon butter, orange juice, pomegranate juice, orange zest, maple syrup, vanilla extract, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cornstarch. Whisk until mixture is combined and completely smooth without any lumps. Then, set aside.
- Arrange a stack of sweet potatoes upright at an angle along the top of the baking dish. Then, repeat with another portion of the sweet potatoes forming a second row. Repeat, continuing to layer and creating new rows until all of the sweet potatoes are used.
- Pour the prepared orange juice mixture over top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400ºF.
- Remove from the oven and carefully discard the foil. Continue baking for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle the pomegranate arils on top. Then, let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
This recipe can be prepped up to the baking step the day before if needed.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 186mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 1g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Serve These Sweet Potatoes at Thanksgiving!
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This recipe was originally published November 15, 2017. It has been updated from the archives with new photos and additional information.
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