This easy recipe for Scalloped Sweet Potatoes has thinly sliced sweet potatoes layered into a casserole dish and smothered with a creamy brown sugar sauce that turns silky and rich as it thickens. Here’s the perfect side for any holiday meal or special gathering.

If you love sweet potatoes like I do, try my Sweet Potatoes in a Slow Cooker or Sweet Potato Crumble too.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes on a white serving dish.

A Quick Look at the Recipe

✅ Recipe Name: Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
⏲️ Ready In: 1 Hour and 35 minutes
👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 Serves: 12
🍽️ Calories: 249
💪 Protein: 3g
🥣 Main Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, Cream
📋 Dietary Info: Comfort Food, Holiday Side Dish
💯 Why You’ll Love It: Rich, creamy, and perfectly tender, this cozy sweet potato side dish is perfect for any holiday dinner or special gathering

Who doesn’t love a rich and creamy potato recipe? Scalloped potatoes are an easy side that takes only minutes to assemble.

Simmer this creamy side dish in the oven until the sweet potato layers are incredibly tender, smothered in a thick, sweet cream sauce.

This au gratin potato recipe is easily cut in half if serving a smaller group. The baking time will remain about the same to get the sweet potatoes tender.

If you love this recipe, you must also try our Sweet Potato Crumble or my Ham and Scalloped Potatoes. Oh, how I love sweet potatoes!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Sweet potatoes: I find that longer, skinnier sweet potatoes are easier to slice thinly for this recipe, whether using a knife or a mandolin. When you try to slice large sweet potatoes thinly, they can sometimes break apart.
Whipping cream: You’ll find this in the dairy section of your grocery store, next to the half-and-half and other milk products. Whipping cream is sometimes labeled as “heavy cream.”
Dark brown sugar: Substitute light brown sugar, if needed.
Minced chipotle peppers: This is an optional ingredient, but definitely recommended! The chipotles add a bit of heat and smokiness to this dish and perfectly complement the sweet potatoes.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream, brown sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, brown sugar, melted butter, and minced chipotles.

Step 3: Using a mandolin or a very sharp chef’s knife, thinly slice the sweet potatoes to approximately 1/8-inch thickness.

Sliced potatoes on layered on the bottom of a baking dish.

Step 4: Into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, arrange the sweet potato slices in an even layer on the bottom, overlapping them as you go. Using your fingertips, generously sprinkle the kosher salt over the sweet potatoes.

Sliced potatoes with cream sauce on top.

Step 5: Gently pour the prepared cream mixture over the sweet potatoes. Cover the pan tightly with foil.

Step 6: Bake the sweet potatoes, covered, on the center oven rack for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Continue cooking the sweet potatoes for an additional 40-45 minutes, removing the foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

Step 7: The sweet potatoes are done when most of the cream has been absorbed, and the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. Let the sweet potatoes rest for 5 minutes before serving to solidfy a bit.

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My Recipe Tips

A mandoline slicer lends help in two great ways: consistency and speed. All your slices will be exactly the same thickness so they cook evenly and the slicer makes a super thin potato slice, if desired. I also love how quickly and easily you can slice a cucumber using a mandoline!
If preferred, you can make and bake this dish in a 12-inch cast iron skillet instead of a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Please make sure you allow enough time for slowly baking the scalloped sweet potatoes as directed in the recipe. The assembly is super fast, but these potatoes need a long time in a low and slow oven so they can cook down to a thick and creamy consistency, and the potatoes are very fork-tender.
This au gratin potato recipe is easily cut in half if you are serving a smaller group. The cooking time in the oven will remain close to the same for getting the sweet potatoes tender.

Can I freeze scalloped potatoes?

You can freeze this dish once it is fully cooked and cooled, but be aware that freezing and thawing can change its consistency and the texture of the potatoes.

The sweet potatoes will be best if frozen in small portions and gently reheated in the microwave once thawed.

Do you cover scalloped potatoes?

Yes, we suggest covering your scalloped potatoes as they bake. Cover the casserole dish with foil to keep the moist heat trapped inside, allowing the cream to simmer until it thickens gently and the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Au Gratin Potatoes vs Scalloped Potatoes

If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between potato au gratin and scalloped potatoes, here’s the technical down-low: Au gratin potatoes typically include cheese and have a bread crumb topping.

Scalloped potatoes, on the other hand, are typically cooked in whipping cream with seasonings until the cream thickens and cooks down into the layers of potatoes.

Rest assured that over time, the names for these potato recipes have become pretty synonymous since they are so similar in ingredients, texture, and appearance.

Feel free to substitute scalloped potatoes for au gratin potatoes at any time. I promise the potato police won’t come after you.

Where can I find minced chipotles at my local grocer?

You will find chipotle peppers (jalapenos packed in adobo) in the Hispanic food section of your grocery store, either in a can or a jar. Make sure to use them sparingly. They have a lot of intense flavor!

More Favorite Potato Recipes to Enjoy

I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes. My family? Well, not so much. Despite my sweet potato aversion, I find a way to indulge myself with several sweet potato dishes like Sweet Potato Crumble and Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes.