Sweet Potato Gratin

This amazingly delicious Sweet Potato Gratin has goat cheese, Parmesan, and thyme, and this is perfect for a special side dish. And these cheesy sweet potatoes are especially great for people who love savory sweet potato recipes!

PIN the Sweet Potato Gratin to try it later!

For this week’s Friday Favorites pick, I’m reminding you about this delicious Sweet Potato Gratin that’s a huge Thanksgiving favorite in my extended family! I know sweet potatoes are a splurge when you’re limiting carbs, but I love savory sweet potatoes and for a special holiday meal I wouldn’t pass up a small serving of this! And if I had to pick my favorite sweet potato recipe on the blog, it would have to be this one!

When I tested the Sweet Potato Gratin recipe twice, (once with Jake and once with Kara), we absolutely could not stop eating these savory sweet potatoes! We loved the combination of cheese and cream (or half and half) that gives such creamy flavor, and the creaminess factor is bumped up even more with creamy melted goat cheese.

Of course, Sweet Potato Gratin is a holiday treat, so it’s a little more indulgent than the usual things you find on this blog. But sweet potatoes are loaded with nutrients and do have some fiber, and this is also gluten-free for anyone who needs that! 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• sweet potatoes
• black pepper
• goat cheese
• half and half (or cream)
• Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
• Parmesan

What is a Gratin?

A Gratin is a dish where food is topped with a browned crust that usually contains cheese, breadcrumbs, or butter. I’ve become a huge fan of cheesy gratin dishes like Sweet Potato Gratin, and don’t think any breadcrumbs are needed!

Can the Sweet Potato Gratin be made ahead?

This recipe could be assembled earlier in the day (or even the day before) and then cooked when it’s dinner time. I would let it come to room temperature before baking if it’s been in the fridge.

What other cheeses can you use for Sweet Potato Gratin?

I know some people will look at the recipe for Sweet Potato Gratin and think about how they don’t enjoy the pungent flavor of goat cheese. If you’d prefer to use another cheese I think Feta would be amazing in this, or use a milder cheese like Mexican Queso Fresco.

Want low-carb options for Thanksgiving?

I know some people wouldn’t want this much of a splurge on carbs, even for a holiday meal. So for people who are keeping it as low-carb as possible, I’ve given you Keto Side Dishes, Appetizers and Salads for the Holidays as well as Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes. If sweet potatoes are too high in carbs for you, I hope you’ll check those out!

How to Make Sweet Potato Gratin:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Try to find long thin orange-fleshed sweet potatoes for this recipe (often called yams or sweet yams in many U.S. stores)
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Layer the slices in a glass baking dish and season well with salt and pepper.  (I used an oval 4-quart baking dish, but as you can see from the photos any 3-Quart Baking Dish (affiliate link) would have been big enough, so don’t worry if that’s the size you have.
4. Whisk together the softened goat cheese, thyme, and half and half.
5. Spread half the goat cheese mixture over the sweet potatoes.
6. Top that with half the Parmesan.
7. Make another layer of seasoned sweet potatoes, goat cheese mixture, and Parmesan.
8. Bake covered with foil in a pre-heated 375F/190C oven.
9. Then remove foil and bake 20-30 minutes more, or until the top is nicely browned and sweet potatoes are soft when you stick a fork in.
10. When I shared the Sweet Potato Gratin on Instagram people immediately starting asking for the recipe; enjoy!

More Savory Sweet Potato Recipes:

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Feta
• Favorite Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes
• Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Continue to Content

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Yield: 8 servings

Sweet Potato Gratin

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

This delicious Sweet Potato Gratin has goat cheese, Parmesan, and thyme, and it's perfect for people like me who love savory sweet potato recipes!

Ingredients

• 3 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes 
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 10 oz. log soft goat cheese
• 1 cup half and half (see notes)
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.  Take goat cheese out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature.
2. Spray a 3-4 quart glass casserole with with non-stick spray or olive oil. I used an oval 4-quart baking dish, but any 3-Quart Baking Dish (affiliate link) would have been big enough.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick.  (Don't make them too thick or they will take longer to cook.)
4. Put the softened goat cheese in a small bowl, add the half and half and the thyme, and whisk together until it's smooth.  (You can put the package of goat cheese in the microwave and heat in 10 second intervals until it's soft to make this easier to mix.)
5. Layer half the sweet potatoes in the baking dish and season well with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
6. Spread half the goat cheese mixture over the sweet potatoes and sprinkle on half the grated Parmesan.
7. Make another layer each of sweet potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper, goat cheese mixture, and Parmesan.
8. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake 1 hour (or until the sweet potatoes are quite soft when you stick a fork in them.)
9. Remove foil and bake 20 minutes more, until the sweet potatoes are very soft and the top is nicely browned. Serve hot.
10. This will stay good in the fridge for several days and may have reheated a little too well, if you know what I mean.
11. I haven't tried it, but I'm sure the dish could be assembled in advance, refrigerated, then allowed to come to room temperature when it comes out of the fridge and baked later in the day, or possibly even the next day.

Notes

Use heavy cream if you prefer.

Recipe created by Kalyn with recipe testing help from both Kara and Jake.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 307Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 43mgSodium 599mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 4gSugar 17gProtein 15g

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.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Sweet Potato Gratin might be too much of a carb splurge for strictly low-carb eating plans, and this is kind of a rich dish for the original South Beach Diet. But this is so much lower in carbs than traditional holiday sweet potatoes, and I’d eat this in small amounts for a Thanksgiving indulgence.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Holiday Recipes to find more Thanksgiving recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find 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 for savory Sweet Potato Gratin was first posted in 2014. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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