Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole + VIDEO

Published on Nov 19, 2018
Updated on Dec 6, 2018

Close up shot of sliced sweet potatoes alternating with sliced apples topped with chopped toasted pecans in a glass bowl

This Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole is the ULTIMATE way to feast on Sweet Potatoes this Holiday Season – or any season for that matter! This recipe contains no refined sugar, and instead uses apples and honey to achieve the perfect sweetness.Close up of sliced baked sweet potatoes alternating with apple slices topped with chopped toasted pecansI have become a huge sweet potato fan over the last year. In fact, we don’t hardly ever buy white potatoes anymore. My favorite sweet potato recipes include my Oven Baked Crispy Sweet Potato Fries (because who doesn’t love fries?), Healthy Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, and Sweet Potato & Sausage Breakfast Hash!

What do I love about them? Their nutritional content is awesome. They are high in vitamins and fiber, and can be prepared in a number of different ways. This Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole is SURE to please a crowd!

It’s different than your typical mashed sweet potato casserole drowning in brown sugar and pecans. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a fantastic way to enjoy your sweet potatoes. But. They aren’t super awesome for you.

Two cups of sugar? The me of today would NEVER make a recipe with that much sugar in it. YIKES! Not to say these are entirely “healthy“. They still have some honey and butter to make them fabulous, but not an insane amount. Just enough to sweeten it up just a bit.

What’s the difference between a sweet potato & a yam?

You’ve probably wandered through the produce section and seen both sweet potatoes and yams. I’ll bet you’ve even wondered what the difference is. I came across this explanation from Kitchn: What’s the Difference Between Yams & Sweet Potatoes that is a fantastic explanation.

I found this nugget of information quite interesting “Sweet potatoes are not a type of yam, and yams are not a type of sweet potato. They are both tuberous root vegetables that come from a flowering plant, but they are not related and actually don’t even have a lot in common.”

What it comes down to is per common U.S. grocery store labeling, a yam is a soft sweet potato with a copper skin and deep orange flesh. And a sweet potato is a firm sweet potato with golden skin and lighter flesh. But really, that’s technically not correct… I recommend jumping over to Kitchn for all the specific details! 

What are the best apples to buy for this casserole?

Just about any apple will work well. I used Gala apples, which are “mildly sweet and vanilla-like, with a floral aroma”. Perfect for this casserole! Because this recipe lacks refined sugar I prefer apples that are more on the sweet side and less on the tart side.

If you have a variety that you’re curious would work well in this recipe I found the chart on The Yummy Life to be incredibly helpful: Comparing Apples to Apples – the best for eating and cooking.

How To Make Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole (step-by-step)

1. Gather the ingredients. You’ll need sweet potatoes, apples, honey, butter, cinnamon, vanilla & pecans. You’ll want to bake your sweet potatoes right away. This will take around 45 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes). Once slightly soft with a light squeeze remove from oven & cool.

Three sweet potatoes, a bowl with butter, two gala apples, a pinch bowl of vanilla, roughly chopped pecans on a wooden cutting board & a small bowl of honey on a counter top

2. Wash, peel, slice & core your apples. Most fruits and veggies have a waxy film on them. I like to wash with this Fit Organic Veggie Wash. It’s available at most grocery stores or you can snag it on Amazon!

Sliced apples in a bowl with apple peel & extra slices on the counter to the right of the bowl and an apple core directly above

3. Set apples aside. Depending how long the rest of the process will take you, I recommend drizzling with a little bit of lemon juice to keep them from going brown.

4. Peel cooled sweet potatoes and cut crosswise until 1/2 inch thick slices.

5. Alternating with the apple slices and sweet potatoes, arrange in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.

6. In a small saucepan melt together honey, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Remove from heat.

7. Chop pecans roughly & place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Toast on broil until fragrant, approx. 5 minutes.

8. Pour honey mixture over top of apple & sweet potato slices. Sprinkle with chopped toasted pecans. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until heated throughout.

9. Serve immediately & enjoy!

Collage of images showing step-by-step instruction of making sweet potato & apple casserole

Important tips for making Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole

  • Plan ahead! Since the sweet potatoes require baking before the recipe can be assembled, make sure you plan at least an hour before you really want to get going.
  • The size of your potatoes will determine how much time will be needed in the oven. The smaller the potatoes the less baking time, as such, the larger the potatoes the longer the baking time.
  • Do not over bake your potatoes! You want them to be only slightly soft to a light squeeze. Over baked potatoes will result in mashed potatoes. They will be impossible to slice into discs to achieve the layering this recipe calls for.
  • Prepare and measure your ingredients while the potatoes are baking – but wait to slice your apples until your sweet potatoes have cooled and are either sliced or ready to be sliced. This will prevent them from browning.
  • If you would rather have your apples sliced and ready to go while your sweet potatoes are cooling I recommend drizzling with a small amount (a teaspoon or so) of lemon juice and tossing apples to coat. This will prevent browning.
  • One of my favorite kitchen tools for this recipe is my Johnny Apple Peeler – it peels, cores and slices within seconds! I snagged mine on Amazon several years ago and love using it for recipes like these.
  • Honey can be such a sticky mess to measure. I like to spray my measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring. By doing this, when you turn out the honey into the saucepan it will fall right out!
  • While toasting the pecans isn’t a requirement, I highly suggest it. Not only is it super easy to do, it enhances the flavor of the nuts and adds a special touch to this casserole. Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper makes for easy cleanup.
  • Do not turn your back on the oven while your pecans are toasting. They can go from toasted to burnt in a matter of seconds. It only takes a handful of minutes, so be patient and keep an eye one them!

Close up image of sliced baked sweet potatoes alternating with apple slices topped with chopped toasted pecans in a baking dish

Want more delicious sweet potato recipes?

If you make this recipe I’d love to hear your thoughts. Be sure to leave a comment below and/or rate the recipe; or if you take a photo & share to social, tag @triedandtasty so that I can check it out! Also, be sure to follow Tried and Tasty along on FacebookInstagramPinterest & Twitter to keep up with all the latest recipes!

Honey Glazed Sweet Potato & Apple Casserole

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple & sweet potato casserole, sweet potato casserole, Thanksgiving side dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories: 200 kcal
Author: Yvonne

This Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole is the ULTIMATE way to feast on Sweet Potatoes this Holiday Season - or any season for that matter! This recipe contains no refined sugar, and instead uses apples and honey to achieve the perfect sweetness.

Print

Ingredients

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 2 apples
  • 1/3 c. honey
  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • garnish chopped toasted pecans optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

  2. Place un-pierced potatoes on a baking sheet and bake 40-45 minutes (depending on size). As soon as potatoes are soft with a light squeeze they are ready. Let cool.

  3. Peel, slice & core your apples.

  4. Set apples aside. Depending how long the rest of the process will take you, I recommend drizzling with a little bit of lemon juice to keep them from going brown.

  5. Remove the peel from the sweet potatoes and cut crosswise into 1/2-in-thick slices. Alternating with the apple slices and sweet potato slices, arrange in 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.

  6. In a small sauce pan melt together honey, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Remove from heat.

  7. Chop pecans roughly & place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Toast on broil until fragrant, approx. 5 minutes.

  8. Pour honey mixture over top. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes until heated throughout.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Plan ahead! Since the sweet potatoes require baking before the recipe can be assembled make sure you plan at least an hour before you really want to get going.
  • The size of your potatoes will determine how much time will be needed in the oven. The smaller the potatoes the less baking time, as such, the larger the potatoes the longer the baking time.
  • Do not over bake your potatoes! You want them to be only slightly soft to a light squeeze. Over baked potatoes will result in mashed potatoes. They will be impossible to slice into discs to achieve the layering this recipe achieves.
  • Prepare and measure your ingredients while the potatoes are baking - but wait to slice your apples until your sweet potatoes have cooled and are either sliced or ready to be sliced. This will prevent them from browning.
  • If you would rather have your apples sliced and ready to go while your sweet potatoes are cooling I recommend drizzling with a small amount (teaspoon or so) and tossing to coat. This will prevent browning.
  • One of my favorite kitchen tools for this recipe is my Johnny Apple Peeler - it peels, cores and slices within seconds! I snagged mine on Amazon several years ago and love using it for recipes like these.
  • Honey can be such a sticky mess to measure. I like to spray my measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring. By doing this, when you turn out the honey into the saucepan it will fall right out!
  • While toasting the pecans isn't a requirement I highly suggest it. Not only is it super easy to do, it enhances the flavor of the nuts and adds a special touch to this casserole. Lining your baking sheet with makes for easy cleanup.
  • Do not turn your back on the oven while your pecans are toasting. They can go from toasted to burnt in a matter of seconds. It only takes a handful of minutes, so be patient!

Recipe Adapted from Food Network Magazine Volume 5 No, 9

Nutrition Facts
Honey Glazed Sweet Potato & Apple Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 200 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 21mg7%
Sodium 107mg5%
Potassium 290mg8%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 9500IU190%
Vitamin C 4.4mg5%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*This recipe was originally published 11/21/13. Most recent update 11/19/18.

*This post may contain affiliate links. I include these links to help you find either specific {or my favorite} products that are used in my recipes. If you purchase an item from the link on Tried an Tasty, I will receive a small commission helping keep my recipes free for you. Thank you for your support!

Tried and Tasty, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

46 comments about “Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole + VIDEO

  1. Michele

    About how many cups would the sweet potatoes and apples be each? They come in so many sizes. I am looking forward to trying it.

  2. Lisa B.

    You can speed things up a bit by microwaving the sweet potatoes (pierced and wrapped individually in plastic wrap.or a damp paper towel) for about 3 minutes. Cool then slice. Also, if you’re concerned about the glycemic index, you can use agave nectar instead. I added a bit of orange zest and it turned out great. Served it with pork chops.

  3. mindy harris

    Hi I am in the middle of making this recipe, are the apples supposed to be really cooked, like baked apples when done? I am experimenting tonight with the recipe to bring to family for thanksgiving. It seems like it should be awesome.
    I am just wondering about, how the finally results are supposed to be. Do you expect it to have a firmer texture than the usual sweet potato casserole?

    1. Yvonne

      Hi Mindy! I find that the apples usually end up quite cooked, like baked apples. The finished texture of the sweet potatoes is usually ever so slightly firm – not crisp by any means, but a very slight amount of bite when you sink your teeth into it. Hope that helps and I hope that you enjoyed the recipe! :)

  4. Loren Ericksen

    Very pleased with how this recipe turned out. I didn’t have nuts, so added raisins instead. A great replacement dish for marshmallow yams!

    1. Yvonne

      Hi Loren, I’m so happy to hear that you’re pleased with how the recipe turned out! Raisins sound like a great substitute for the nuts!

      1. Yvonne

        Hi Muriel, as it is written the recipe serves about 6 people – so if you’d like to feed 15 people I would suggest doubling, or even tripling the recipe (or making it two or three different times). Hope that helps!

  5. Bonnie

    I will be bringing this dish to a thanksgiving dinner, if it needs to be heated up before eating, could it get warmed up in microwave?
    Also could I substitute walnuts for pecans?

    1. Yvonne

      You can warm it up in the microwave (I wouldn’t know the exact reheating times), although I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. I think it’s best reheated in the oven or toaster oven on 350F for 15-20 min.

    1. Yvonne

      Hi Jenn! I don’t see why not! You may have to adjust the cook times a bit since the crockpot will cook differently than the oven, but if you don’t mind keeping your eye on it, I would think it would work just fine. Keep in mind that you’ll need to cook the sweet potatoes in the crockpot until they are slightly tender to the touch, before you add the apples – since the apples need a lot less cook time than the sweet potatoes. Let me know how it turns out if you decide to try it!

    1. Yvonne

      You know I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t guess so. You could try with a little portion – but if I had to guess I would say no.

    1. Yvonne

      That makes me so happy! I’m so glad. We always have sweet potatoes, but usually in a much more unhealthy format. This is a better option. Too bad you didn’t get to try it!

  6. Aimee Berrett

    Mmm, Ive never been a huge sweet potato for thanksgiving fan. But after tasting these you might have converted me! With the yummy apples and the sweet honey. Oh so good!

  7. Debra

    I have a confession to make, I had sweet potatoes for the first time this week. I need to make them for myself. They are delicious! This looks amazing.

    1. Yvonne

      You’ve got to at least taste it, at least once! I love it! The apples are a really nice touch and add just the perfect sweetness!

    1. Yvonne

      Sweet potatoes are great – the more you try them, the more you’ll love them – this dish is a great place to start ;)

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