Orange Sauced Sweet Potato: A Great Holiday Side Dish.

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It’s that time of year when sweet potatoes get their time in the spotlight. And these baked orange-sauced sweet potatoes are a great holiday side dish. The orange sauce takes just a few minutes to prepare and is poured over the raw sweet potatoes and then baked covered in the oven. They are a delicious Thanksgiving dinner addition or the perfect side dish to your winter meals. Simple and wholesome with high fiber, sweet potatoes make a great meal addition to any season. Your entire family will enjoy this flavorful sweet potato recipe on your holiday table. 

I love using wholesome ingredients, but sometimes, serving them just as they are can be a bit flat. That’s why I love this easy orange glazed dish. The simple orange juice-based sauce comes together quickly, and the hardest part of making the dish is peeling the often bumpy vegetables. It’s a perfect sweet potato recipe to add to your holiday side dishes.

If you are looking for more great holiday dishes, be sure to check out my Holiday Season category at A Cents For Cookery.

close up cooked sweet potato a bit of broccoli lower left of frame

Why You Will Love This Recipe

​Easy Prep. The sauce takes a couple of minutes, and once you’ve peeled the sweet potatoes, added the sauce, and popped them in the preheated oven, you can forget it while it cooks. This leaves you free to work on other holiday dishes. 

​Make Ahead. You can make the orange sauce the day before and then pour it over the freshly peeled sweet potatoes before baking the next day. 

Simple Ingredients. It’s always nice to avoid purchasing more ingredients, and this recipe uses simple and minimal ingredients to make a flavorful side dish. 

Let’s Get Started Making These Orange Sauced Sweet Potatoes.

First things first, when shopping for your ingredients at the store, it’s essential to look for sweet potatoes that are easy to work with. Purchasing large sweet potatoes can be cumbersome when peeling, so I look for those with smoother flesh in a size I can easily handle with my hands. 

Preheat the oven to 350F

You’re ready to begin; start by washing the fresh sweet potatoes’ exterior and then peeling them. You can slice, dice, or chop the hard vegetable for this side dish. I like to straight cut up in chunks because it’s simpler. Slice thick rounds of the vegetable and then cut those up smaller. Add to the casserole dish you will be cooking these in. You can make this either a large or a smaller batch. There is enough of the orange sauce to easily cover six good-sized sweet potatoes. 

Once the potatoes are ready in the dish, you can get the orange zest for the sauce. Be sure to wash the exterior of the fruit well to eliminate as many chemicals as possible. 

Then, add one tablespoon of cornstarch to a small saucepan that is heating on medium-high. At the same time two-thirds cup of brown sugar and one teaspoon of salt. Using your whisk, stir until the sugar melts with the cornstarch. Then, slowly pour in the cup of orange juice and continue to stir while the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Lastly stir in the butter and let melt completely.

Remove your orange sauce from the heat and pour it directly over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Cover the entire dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for one hour. Test the sweet potatoes for doneness before serving; they should be fork-tender. 

Note: If you went with sweet potato slices or cut them into smaller pieces, they may take less time to cook. Be sure to test after 30-45 minutes to be done. 

Serve in a nice serving dish as part of your holiday meal. 

chunks of orange sauced sweet potato on blue and white plate

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes: This root vegetable has a natural sweetness and wholesomeness that makes a great baked side.

Cornstarch: This acts as a thickening agent, helping to make a smooth and glossy texture that clings to the sweet potatoes.

Orange Zest: The zest adds a bright, citrusy flavor to the sauce, enhancing its freshness and aroma.

Orange Juice: This provides the primary flavor of the sauce, contributing both sweetness and acidity that balances the richness of the butter and brown sugar.

Butter: Adds a buttery flavor to the sauce while helping to bind the ingredients together.

Brown Sugar: This adds a deep sweetness and caramel notes, which complement the natural sugars in the sweet potatoes and help create a rich glaze in the sauce.

Salt: Balances the sweetness of the brown sugar and orange juice and brings out the natural flavors of the sweet potatoes.

drizzling orange sauce on sweet potatoes

Substitutions And Add-Ins For These Orange Sauced Sweet Potatoes.

Sweet Potatoes: Substitute with yams or butternut squash for a similar texture and sweetness.

Cornstarch: Use an arrowroot powder or potato starch as a gluten-free thickening alternative, but only if you are familiar with these ingredients.

Orange Zest: -Remains-

​Orange Juice:-Remains-

​Butter: Margarine can easily be used as a substitute for butter, providing similar flavor and texture while being a dairy-free option.

Brown Sugar: Use maple syrup for a different sweetness profile, or substitute with coconut sugar.

Salt: Use Himalayan pink salt instead of regular table salt, or reduce the amount for a low-sodium version.

If you want to elevate this dish, consider sprinkling it with crunchy pecans or cranberries. If you use cranberries, I recommend the dried version, which won’t explode when baking. 

​Expert Tips, Serving ​And Storing Suggestions For The Sweet Potatoes.

Tip #1: Choose the Right Sweet Potatoes: When shopping at the grocery store for sweet potatoes, look for smooth and free from blemishes. Smaller to medium-sized sweet potatoes are often easier to handle and peel. This will help ensure you spend less time wrestling with overly large, hard-to-handle vegetables.

Tip #2: Use Real, Unsweetened Orange Juice: For the orange sauce, use natural, unsweetened orange juice rather than concentrate.

Tip #3: For Even Cooking: Cut the sweet potatoes into consistent, equal-sized pieces to ensure they are even when cooking.

These orange-sauced sweet potatoes make a delightful Thanksgiving side dish, adding a pop of color to your holiday table with their sweet and tangy flavors. You can enjoy these sweet potatoes as a versatile side dish all winter, especially alongside savory pork chops or roasts.

To make your orange-sauced sweet potatoes ahead of time, prepare the dish as directed, but stop before baking. Cover the casserole dish tightly and keep in the fridge for up to one day ahead. When ready to serve, bake from the fridge, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time to allow them to come up to temperature. Store any leftover sauced sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Did you try this easy recipe for orange-sauced sweet potatoes? I would love to hear how your family enjoyed it. Please rate and comment below, and as always, Happy Cooking!

recipe card image of orange sauced sweet potatoes

Orange Sauced Sweet Potato: A Great Holiday Side Dish.

Amber Bondar
This orange sauced sweet potato is a great holiday side for your Thanksgiving and Christmas table. The smooth, buttery orange sauce pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of the wholesome sweet potatoes. Minimal prep, simple ingredients, nutritious and can be made ahead make this dish a winner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 4 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Canadian
Servings 6
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • Baking Dish
  • Small Saucepan
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Paring Knife
  • knife
  • Cutting board
  • Tablespoon
  • Teaspoon
  • Whisk
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Zester

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Med Sweet Potato (Up To Six For More) Cut Up
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1 Lrg Orange Zested
  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Orange Juice Natural/Real
  • Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat over to 350℉
  • Wash, peel and cut up sweet potatoes and add to baking dish.
    3 Med Sweet Potato
  • In small saucepan on medium high heat add cornstarch, brown sugar, and salt with orange zest.
    1 Tbsp Cornstarch, 1 Lrg Orange, ⅔ Cup Brown Sugar, 1 Tsp Salt
  • Using whisk stir until brown sugar begins to melt. Then slowly add in the orange juice.
    1 Cup Unsweetened Orange Juice
  • Once blended and heated add in the butter. Continue to whisk as sauce thickens about 1 minute.
    2 Tbsp Butter
  • Remove from heat pour directly over the sweet potatoes.
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake in hot oven for one hour.
  • Remove from oven test for done with fork. Serve while hot.

Notes

NOTE: If you sliced the sweet potatoes or cut very small they may cook faster than one hour. 

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 509mgFiber: 3gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 16232IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Christmas, easy side dish, Sweet Potato, Thanksgiving
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