Sweet Potato Bites

November 22, 2022

Sweet potato bites are a fun twist on the classic sweet potato casserole. The comforting flavors of sweet potatoes, fluffy marshmallows, and pecans transform into a cute and delicious hand-held bite.

Everyone will love these sweet potato bites and they will be the best appetizer on the table! So make sure to bring a lot, because they are INCREDIBLE! I love when I find an easy and delicious appetizer to be a crowd-pleaser. Some of my other favorite appetizers to bring to parties are air-fried egg rolls, jalapeño poppers, or this simple little smokies recipe.

Close up view of sweet potato bites on a large platter with melted marshmallows and a pecan on top.

What Are Sweet Potato Bites?

Sweet potato casserole often times make an appearance at Thanksgiving dinner. The unique combination of fork-tender sweet potatoes, melted marshmallows, and pecans on top may sound questionable until you try it! These darling sweet potato bites are a delicious version of the casserole and taste identical. Every single comforting flavor is in one small bite!

Some sweet potato casseroles have marshmallows, and some use brown sugar or maple syrup. The sweetness compliments the potatoes any way you choose to make them. Here is my popular sweet potato casserole using brown sugar, it really is the best! Another great classic recipe is this sweet potato pie or this easy 3 ingredient candied sweet potatoes recipe.

Ingredients For The Best Appetizer or Side Dish

This sweet potato bites recipe is easy and fast and only takes 6 ingredients to make! You will LOVE how small and perfectly they fit your hand. This will be the best appetizer or side dish recipe during the holiday season. I can’t wait for you to make them because everyone will ask for the recipe. It’s a total winner!

Sweet Potatoes: Choose sweet potatoes that are the same size and width. This helps the rounds cook evenly.
Butter: Melt the butter to help coat the sweet potatoes.
Maple Syrup: A little added sweetness is delicious!
Ground Cinnamon: I love cinnamon on sweet potatoes.
Marshmallows: Cut each marshmallow in half because they will puff up quite large under the broiler.
Pecan Halves: Pecan halves make the best finishing touch, but candied pecans would be yummy too!

How To Make Sweet Potato Bites

This sweet potato bites recipe is easy to make and takes less than 30 minutes. Simply toss your sweet potatoes in the maple cinnamon butter, then let your oven do all the work! All that’s left is the quick broil of the marshmallow, then a pecan on top to finish the yummy goodness. And there you have it…the best appetizer or side dish at the party. Let’s get cooking!

Preheat Oven/Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a baking sheet pan with butter or nonstick spray.
Melt Butter, Maple Syrup, and Cinnamon: In a small microwavable bowl, add the butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Microwave until melted for about 30 seconds then stir to combine.
Toss Butter Mixture With Sweet Potato Rounds: Add sweet potato rounds to a large bowl. Then drizzle the melted butter mixture over the potatoes. Toss until evenly coated.
Arrange On Prepared Pan: Place the sweet potato rounds onto the prepared pan and evenly space them.
Bake Potatoes: Bake sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
Remove Sweet Potatoes and Set Oven to Broil: Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set the oven to broil.
Add Marshmallows: Top each sweet potato round with a marshmallow half.
Broil Marshmallows: Broil marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes for 1-2 minutes. The marshmallow will be lightly toasted and melted. Be sure not to burn them.
Remove Sweet Potatoes and Add Pecans: As soon as the sweet potatoes come out of the oven, press a pecan half into the top of the marshmallow. These bites are best served immediately.

First photo of potato slices in a large bowl tossed with the butter mixture. Second photo of the potato slices on the prepared baking sheet pan. Third photo of the marshmallows broiling on top of the potato slices. Fourth photo of finished sweet potato bites on the baking sheet pan.

Variations

Feel free to adjust this sweet potato bite recipe to your liking! You can also add additional flavors or switch out the nuts! It would be fun to make them into savory bites as well. Here are a few tips and tricks to make these bites just the way you want them! They really are the best!

Add Different Nuts: If you’re not a fan of pecans, swap them out for other nuts. You can also omit them entirely. Walnuts or almonds are always a great choice! I also love making this recipe with cinnamon sugar candied almonds.
Adding Brown Sugar: If you don’t love marshmallows, use brown sugar instead. It caramelizes perfectly, leaving the potato glazed and golden. The sweetness of these bites reminds me of a sweet potato pie!
Change Up the Spices: Add a pinch of pumpkin pie spice to the butter mixture. It gives it a flavor fit for fall.
Add Some Bacon: Bacon is the best addition to an appetizer! Salty bacon pieces would be delicious on the sweet bites. Place a small piece of cooked bacon under the marshmallow before broiling. Or sprinkle cooked bacon pieces on top of the melted marshmallows.

Top view of sweet potato bites on a large platter with melted marshmallows and a pecan on top. Pecans are scatted on the counter next to the platter.

How to Pick Sweet Potatoes

For this recipe to be a success, you need to know how to start with the best ingredients! The perfect sweet potatoes will help make this sweet potato bites recipe the best! In case you haven’t picked out sweet potatoes before, here are some helpful hints! Sweet potatoes are so versatile. So, once you know how to pick them, you can use them for many recipes. Here are my easy tips!

Texture: Look for a sweet potato that is smooth and firm. You don’t want it to have any cuts or cracks in it!
Color: A sweet potato with classic delicious taste is going to be red or orange in color.
Size: For this recipe, choose medium-sized potatoes. They can’t be too large because they are meant to be bite-sized. Also, pick sweet potatoes that are uniform in size. This helps the bites be the same size.

Storing Leftovers

I can promise, there will not be many left overs for you to snack on the following day! They are the first appetizer to go and are best right out of the oven. But if there are leftovers, just store them for later. Here are my easy tips!

In the Refrigerator: Once cooled, place leftover sweet potato bites in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Reheat: Reheat leftovers in the microwave for about 30 seconds and enjoy! You can also reheat them in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Simply place them on a cookie sheet. Bake until warmed through for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Close up view of a hand holding a sweet potato bite with the platter in the background.

More Delicious Holiday Appetizers

Holiday appetizers just might be my favorite part of any party! They can be sweet or savory and I have a lot of them for you to choose from! My sweet potato bites are amazing, but I have a lot of great holiday appetizer recipes. I have gone through and picked some of my tired and true favorites! Try them all or pick one for your next gathering. You will love these!

Appetizers

Raspberry Baked Brie

Appetizers

Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites

Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

Amazing Cranberry Relish

Appetizers

Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Ball