Sweet Potatoes Royale

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How Sweet It Is!

Sweet Potatoes Royale

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Tom’s sister loved sweet potatoes and was in charge of bringing them to Thanksgiving. After she passed away in 2018, no more sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. Fast forward to the November 2025 when Southern Living featured a recipe for Sweet Potatoes Royale, mashed sweet potatoes sweetened with apple butter and topped with a coconut-pecan crumble and marshmallows. It sounded like a recipe even Tom would like, so I asked our Thanksgiving crew if there were any sweet potato fans and was surprised to learn that, yes, they like sweet potatoes so I added them to the menu. (But the big question is, why didn’t anyone tell me they wanted sweet potatoes???)

The only-time consuming part of this recipe was baking the sweet potatoes correctly so they are creamy and sweet. Fortunately, the Barefoot Contessa has the answer. In her latest cookbook, Simply Ina, Ina Garten highly recommends Trader Joe’s frozen mashed sweet potatoes as a short cut. “No one will guess that you ‘cheated’ a little.”

The first time I made this, I baked the sweet potatoes and made the filling the day before and assembled the topping (sans the melted butter) so everything was ready to go on Thanksgiving.

For this post, I used the Trader Joe’s short cut and Ina was correct. Fast, easy and tastes the exactly the same! However, the consistency of the baked sweet potatoes are a little thicker and scoop better than the Trader Joe’s. I would definitely use the Trader Joe’s again but use a tad less liquid than called for in the instructions. (Trader Joe’s in photo on left; baked sweet potatoes on right.)

Quick note on ingredients: The original recipe calls for unsweetened coconut flakes. I used sweetened coconut flakes because I wasn’t paying attention when I purchased the bag. Personally, I did not notice a difference from the first time I made this with the unsweetened coconut. I used cinnamon pecans because they sounded good. And they were! You can use raw or roasted or flavored pecan halves. I think the Trader Joe’s Sweet & Spicy Pecans or Candied Pecans would be great in here, too.

These are so delicious, they will definitely be in our Thanksgiving rotation from here on out.

Filling Ingredients
4 ½ cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (from 4 medium similar sized sweet potatoes, baking instructions below) OR 2 (18-ounce) bags Trader Joe’s frozen mashed sweet potatoes
¾ cup apple butter
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Topping Ingredients
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¾ cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup pecan halves (see note)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12-15 large marshmallows

Directions:

If baking the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub and dry the sweet potatoes and poke with holes to allow the steam to escape. Bake directly on the oven rack or on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet to allow for even baking. Bake until they give when squeezed and are easily pierced with a fork (45 to 60 minutes or more depending on size on the potatoes and your oven). Remove from the oven and cut the potato open lengthwise and squeeze to open further to allow the steam to escape so they remain fluffy, otherwise they may get gummy while cooling. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out into a bowl and mash until smooth.

If using Trader Joe’s frozen mashed sweet potatoes: Do not defrost. In a large saucepan heat ½ cup water and two bags of frozen sweet potatoes over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until smooth. Allow to cool before making the filling.

Make the Filling: In a large bowl, combine the cooled mashed sweet potatoes with the remaining filling ingredients (but not the topping) until smooth. Cover and refrigerate if making ahead of time. When ready to bake, spoon the filling into an ungreased 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

Make the Topping: In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt together, stir in the coconut, pecans and melted butter until the butter is evenly incorporated and the mixture begins to form clumps. Scatter the topping evenly over the filling. Arrange the marshmallows on top and press lightly into the filling.

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