Cinnamon Sweet Potato and Apple Bake

Nothing says fall quite like the smell of cinnamon, sweet potato, and apple roasting together in the oven when you make this Cinnamon Sweet Potato and Apple Bake! This good side brings all that lovely fresh fall produce together into one rich luscious bite.

We love going to u-pick orchards with our family in the fall but sometimes we don't know what to do with all that the apples we pick. We were tired of the standard recipes and wanted to make a fall side that would incorporate apples into a dish that's sweet but not sickeningly sweet, thus this recipe was born.

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

How To Make Cinnamon Sweet Potato and Apple Bake

Sweet Potato is typically not paired with apple but you can love the combination! Cinnamon gives them both an elevated fall taste and the fall fresh pecans give a crunchy texture to this rich bake.

Baked Apples and Sweet Potato Ingredients

To make this recipe, you'll need:

• Apples – We prefer to use honey crisp apples. They are readily available and already have a slightly sweet flavor.
• Sweet potatoes – sweet potatoes have a sweet taste when they are baked and are smooth in texture which makes them ideal for a bake. Do not substitute regular potatoes since you will not get the same flavor or texture result. See the tips and tricks section for substitutions.
• Oil – We prefer to use olive oil since it has a slightly bitter taste but is rich and adds necessary fat to the dish.
• Water – since the apples and sweet potatoes need to soften without crisping we add water to the casserole.
• Cinnamon – cinnamon gives the bake a woody flavor that pairs well with the maple syrup. It helps give this bake a natural sweet taste.
• Pecans – pecans have a naturally sweet and buttery flavor, you can substitute another type of nut if you prefer but pecans pair well with apple which is why we use them.
• Maple Syrup – maple syrup is our favorite liquid sweetener. It has a wonderful fall taste any time of year but it is the solid addition to this bake that can help draw the sweetness of the apple and sweet potato out. See the tip #1 below for alternatives.

Steps to Make Cinnamon Apple Sweet Potato Bake

Once you've gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method

Prep

Assemble the ingredients. Place the peeled and sliced sweet potato and sliced apples in a casserole dish.

Assemble

Put all the other ingredients, except the pecans and maple syrup, into the casserole and toss the apples and sweet potatoes to coat.

Bake

Cover the dish with aluminum foil so that the water will soften the potatoes and apples and bake for about 40 minutes. Take the foil off so that the water can escape. Add the maple syrup and stir to combine then sprinkle with pecans. You can mix the pecans in if you want or let them roast on the top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy

Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Kitchen notes

Use Maple Syrup Alternatives. If you don't want to use maple syrup you can substitute honey or agave in equal proportions. If you use granulated sugar make sure you distribute it evenly over the apple and sweet potato.

Slice thinner if pinched for time. If you don't have 50 minutes to bake this before you need to serve it try slicing all the apples and sweet potato thin and small. This will help the heat penetrate more quickly and you will be able to enjoy your cinnamon sweet potato apple bake sooner.

Serve it with

Baked sweet potatoes and apples are a solid light and not-too-sweet side dish – a great alternative to sugary yams, served alongside hearty dishes and holiday favorites like Ribeye RoastPrime RibSmoked TurkeySpatchcocked Turkeyor our good and perfectly moist Brown Bag Turkey!

We love serving this side alongside other Thanksgiving side dishes like green bean casseroleherb roasted acorn squashand Garlic Butter Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing!

For more of our side dishes, check our favorites below:

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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Apple Bake FAQs

Can we substitute something for sweet potato?

Only substitute sweet potato with something from the “squash family”, we recommend acorn squash that has been peeled and the seeds removed. Do not substitute with russet or new potatoes.

What's the best way to keep leftovers?

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Ingredients

• 2 medium apples, sliced (we used honeycrisp)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF
2. In a 9×13 inch casserole dish, combine the sweet potatoes, apple, olive oil, water, and cinnamon. Mix until the apple and potatoes are evenly coated.
3. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
4. Remove foil and add in the pecans and maple syrup, stir and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
5. Optional- drizzle with maple syrup and extra pecans
6. Let cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!