CrockPot Sweet Potatoes
Make these delicious and perfectly seasoned CrockPot Sweet Potatoes for a holiday meal, and you’ll have room in the oven for other dishes! Use any large oval slow cooker for this recipe if you don’t have the Casserole Crock-Pot!
PIN CrockPot Sweet Potatoes to try them later!
I made these delicious CrockPot Sweet Potatoes with my niece Kara, and we used the large slow cooker that’s shaped like a casserole dish, which was perfect for making a sweet potato side dish for a crowd. These sweet potatoes have the same amazing seasoning as my Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Air Fryer Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, and sweet potato fries are one of the recipes that turned me into a sweet potato fan.
This shape of slow cooker worked beautifully for this sweet potato side dish recipe (and the casserole crock can go in the oven, so we browned the sweet potatoes a little bit when they were done) and did we ever love this recipe! I used plenty of butter since it’s a Thanksgiving recipe, and Kara and I both devoured it when we tasted the results.
Give this a test run before Thanksgiving and see if you can save oven space by making slow cooker sweet potatoes for the big day. And if your family loves sweet potatoes, I bet they will like it!
What ingredients do you need?
- orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, often called yams or sweet yams in U.S. stores)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- non-stick spray for crockpot
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste (I used a sea salt grinder)
- butter
- ground coriander (affiliate link)
- ground fennel (affiliate link)
- Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
- Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link). or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper
- Kosher Salt (affiliate link)
What’s the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
These orange sweet potatoes are not yams, even though that might be what your grocery store is calling them! Many people in the U.S. are confused about the differences between sweet potatoes and yams. Unless you’ve lived in the tropics, the orange-fleshed “yams” you’ve eaten are really sweet potatoes, but the confusion started when they were purposely labeled yams to distinguish them from the white fleshed type. True yams are grown in Africa and Asia, and are drier and starchier than sweet potatoes.
What Slow Cooker can you use for CrockPot Sweet Potatoes?
This is a perfect recipe to make for a crowd in the large Crock-Pot Casserole Crock Slow Cooker (affiliate link). But if you don’t have that type of slow cooker you can definitely make it in a large oval slow cooker.
Want more slow cooker sweet potato recipes?
Check Sweet Potato Recipes for more ideas for sweet potatoes! And if you’re really a sweet potato fan, there’s a whole collection of Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.
More Tasty Sweet Potatoes:
Check out Favorite Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes to see all my favorite recipes that use sweet potatoes!
How to make CrockPot Sweet Potatoes:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- Peel about 4 pounds of orange sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces 1-2 inches square.
- Mix ground coriander (affiliate link), ground fennel, dried oregano, Aleppo Pepper (or a smaller amount of cayenne pepper) and kosher salt to make the seasoning mix.
- Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and the spice mixture.
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray and spread the sweet potatoes out, dotting with a little butter if desired.
- Cook on high until the sweet potatoes are soft (about 3 hours) then mash slightly.
- You can brown them for 15-20 minutes in a 450F/220C oven if desired, but that’s optional. (Be sure your slow cooker insert can go in the oven.)
More Holiday-Worthy Recipes for Sweet Potatoes:
- Sweet Potato Gratin
- Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms
- Sweet Potato Appetizers with Feta
- Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
CrockPot Sweet Potatoes
Make these delicious and perfectly-seasoned CrockPot Sweet Potatoes for a holiday meal, and you'll have more room in the oven!
Ingredients
- 4 lb. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (4 large or 5 medium sweet potatoes, often called yams or sweet yams in U.S. stores)
- 2-3 T olive oil, divided
- non-stick spray for crockpot
- 1 T sweet potato spice mix, divided (see below)
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste (I used a sea salt grinder)
- 2-3 T butter to add to the top of the sweet potatoes (optional, use more or less to taste)
Sweet Potato Spice Mix:
- 2 T ground coriander
- 1 T ground fennel
- 1 T dried oregano
- 1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
- 2 T kosher salt
Instructions
- Grind the herbs together with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, then mix in the salt.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut into pieces about 1-2 inch square.
- Mix ground coriander, ground fennel, dried oregano, Aleppo Pepper (or a smaller amount of cayenne pepper) and kosher salt to make the seasoning mix.
- Put sweet potatoes into a large bowl and toss with 1 T olive oil and 1 tsp. spice mix. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and another teaspoon of spice mix and toss again.
- Then one more time, add a tablespoon (or less) of olive oil and another teaspoon of spice mix and toss again. (Please don't get lazy and add the olive oil and spice mix all at once or the sweet potatoes won't get evenly coated with the mixture.
- Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick spray or olive oil.
- Put sweet potatoes in crockpot, spreading them out in a single layer as much as you can, and dotting with a little butter if desired.
- Cook on high, stirring a couple of times and pouring off any water that accumulates under the lid.
- Sweet potatoes are done when they're completely softened and fragrant, about 3 hours.
- Mash slightly if desired, and season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and sea salt.
- At this point you can brown the sweet potatoes a little in a pre-heated 450F/220C oven for 15-20 minutes. We did think that gave good results, but it's totally optional. (Make sure your slow cooker insert can go in the oven.)
- Serve hot, dotted with a little more butter if desired.
- Make Ahead Tips: Sweet potatoes can be cut and mixed with olive oil and seasoning earlier in the day. Cooked sweet potatoes could be kept in the crockpot on low or warm for a few hours if needed.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 1900mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 7gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Crockpot Sweet Potatoes like this are not low in carbs, so this recipe would be a holiday splurge for low-carb dieters. Sweet Potatoes would be a great option for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet (with approved butter substitute if you’re following the letter of the law), and sweet potatoes are considered to be a good-carb for many types of carb-conscious eating plans.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Sweet Potato Recipes to find more recipes like this one.Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2008. It was updated in 2015 to use the Casserole Crock-Pot and was last updated with more information in 2022.
42 Comments on “CrockPot Sweet Potatoes”
Pingback: The Top Ten Recipes for Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes (plus Honorable Mentions) - Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Such a fun idea! Love it!
Thanks Lisa; glad you like it!
Love the idea of using this new casserole crock pot to save oven time over the holidays!
Lydia, these sweet potatoes were so, so good! It's giving me all kinds of new ideas for the CrockPot Casserole Crock Slow Cooker.
Thanks Kalyn, you are so great about replying to people on your blog. thank you!
Marcia, I can't really say for sure because I haven't cooked butternut squash in a CrockPot like this and this particular spice mix was made specifically for sweet potatoes. But I would guess that it would work. There are also a lot of great recipes for Roasted Butternut squash in the Thanksgiving Recipes if you want a tested recipe for Butternut Squash that I can guarantee will be easy and tasty.
Hey Kalyn, love-love-loving your website, thank you so much for sharing these great recipes. Question: Do you think you could use butternut squash with this recipe? I can buy that pre-cut at my grocery store (shhhh cheaters Thanksgiving). 🙂
It sounds like a good idea to me!
Anyone try chopped Vidalia or another type of sweet onion in these?
Debra, thanks for featuring the recipe. So glad you liked it.
A great recipe. Hope you don't mind that I added it to my list on my blog post for Thanksgiving side dishes.
Hee, that wasn't bad as all 🙂
http://i30.tinypic.com/2w4fj0x.jpg
considering this was the first time ever I cooked sweet potatoes… so I didn't use a crockpot, but blanched stuff before a quick stir-fry with my chicken
Aleppo pepper does have some heat, but I think it’s MUCH milder than cayenne. I’d probably use only about 1/2 the amount if you’re substituting Cayenne, or even 1/3 as much.
sounds wonderful. I have an old crockpot that I never use; guess I will have to dig it out to try this on T-day. One question…since I have no aleppo pepper, how much cayenne do you recommend… half? more? unsure about this, and it could make a big difference. Thanks.
THANK YOU about sweet potatoes vs yams. i too have gotten into “arguments” regarding this. i even recall reading something that said it’s against USDA (or maybe FDA?) regulations to call sweet potatoes yams.
this recipe looks AMAZING. i love sweet potatoes, especially a sweet-spicy mix. thanks for sharing!
kristen
Try this recipe with NapaStyle’s Toasted Spice Rub: Toasted Spice Rub (4.2 oz.) – Fennel, coriander, peppercorns, cinnamon, pepper flakes, and chili powder.
You’ll find you’ll use this pre-made rub on so much more. Especially roasted chicken!
They sound so yummy! I love sweet potatoes. I normally make them with a pecan-brown sugar topping. This looks like something I should try this year for the holidays!
Cora, thanks so much for letting me know you liked them!
I made these today for my cooking class to sample. I didn’t think I would care for them that much, but I like the idea of a “sweet” potato alternative. WOW! They are delicious! I wanted to sit down and eat the whole bowl, but I’ll save them for the tasting tonight. Outstanding!
I never would have thought of cooking sweet potatoes in a crockpot but after reading this recipe I sold! What a great way to free up the Thanksgiving day oven. Thanks Kalyn.
Lauren, definitely this could be doubled, but it might take a bit longer to cook. Also be sure to stir a few times.