A combination of bourbon, orange juice, brown sugar, and spices come together in this delicious sweet potato recipe that is perfect for your holiday table. Bourbon Sweet Potatoes is an easy recipe that can be made ahead and popped in the oven with your other side dishes. The delicious aromas wafting through the house will have your guests eagerly awaiting dinnertime.

Ingredients for Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Gather the following ingredients:

5-6 medium sweet potatoes- baked, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-inch slices (See my notes on this below)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup bourbon
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

About the sweet potatoes:

The size of the sweet potatoes that I can find in the store determine how many I use in this recipe. If the sweet potatoes are large, I don’t buy as many.
I like to bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time- sometimes even the day before.
Cook the sweet potatoes until they are done, yet still firm. If they are too mushy, they will be difficult to slice.
After baking the sweet potatoes, allow them to come to room temperature before peeling and slicing. This makes the job easier and less messy.

How to Prepare Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Pouring the bourbon sauce over the sweet potatoes

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray
Arrange the sweet potato slices in the baking dish
In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, orange juice, bourbon, and all the spices
Cook over medium heat until bubbly
Pour the bourbon mixture over the sweet potato slices
Sprinkle chopped nuts over the sweet potatoes
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Serve warm

Notes on preparation:

This dish can be prepared ahead of time and then baked along with your other side dishes.
Take the prepared bourbon sweet potatoes out of the fridge a few minutes before baking, to allow it to come up to room temperature.
Try this recipe with the best bourbon that you have on hand, that you don’t mind cooking with. Better bourbon makes the recipes better.

Presentation and pairing

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes on a white platter alongside a silver spoon

My holiday meals seem to be very busy and labor intensive. This recipe makes everything a little easier because I can make it ahead and then pop it in the oven with the other side dishes.

I usually serve holiday meals buffet-style, which allows me to serve the bourbon sweet potatoes right in the baking dish. If you are serving your meal family style, then transfer the sweet potatoes onto a pretty serving platter, and spoon the delicious juices over the top.

A Holiday Tradition

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes displayed on a white platter with spices in small bowls next to the platter

This recipe for bourbon sweet potatoes is a staple on our holiday table- at Thanksgiving and Christmas (and sometimes Easter). Occasionally, I will make this recipe when it’s not a holiday, and we always say, ” Why don’t we have this more often?”

I encourage you to try this sweet potato recipe at your next holiday gathering. If you do, send me a note, and let me know how it turns out.