15 BEST Canned Sweet Potato Recipes For Every Day And Holidays

Let’s chat about sweet potatoes for a minute and then we will get to the canned sweet potato recipes, I promise!  

Everyone agrees sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A, C, B6, beta-carotene, iron, potassium, and fiber.

We also know that seasonally we can find them in abundance in our local grocery stores, but not necessarily all year round. 

This is what led me to explore today’s topic of what to do with canned sweet potatoes. 

The beauty in recipes using canned sweet potatoes is they are available year round and they are already fully cooked. 

The downside is they are not sturdy, per se, for some recipes like fries and unlike the fresh variety, the skins cannot be “filled” since the cans only have the flesh. 

So, the other topic of discussion is the difference between canned sweet potatoes and canned yams, because different recipes call for one or the other or say that either can be used. 

Yams have a rough brown exterior with starchy flesh and are typically found in Latin America, West Africa, and Asia. 

Sweet potatoes have reddish skin and darker sweet flesh inside. 

However, in the US, folks do tend to use these names interchangeably. 

When it comes to the canned variety, recipes with canned sweet potatoes and recipes with canned yams seem to accommodate either one just fine. 

Here we have 15 ways to use canned sweet potatoes with some being a traditional side dish or an entree, but many fall squarely into the dessert category! 

I love sweet potatoes and dessert so some of my favorite recipes to make are Sweet Potato Dump Cake and Sweet Potato Cookies With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

So, to the list, shall we? 

Oo-la-la!

1. Sweet Potato Casserole

Sometimes folks forget about canned sweet potato recipes, but this one makes up the most delicious pecan praline topped sweet potato casserole ever! 

Everyone knows the sweet potato part is good but the topping of butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecans is what makes the dish! 

The casserole is super easy to mix together, the topping is added and then the baking can begin. 

It does call for allowing the casserole to cool for twenty minutes so that it can be set up properly before serving!

2. Oatmeal Sweet Potato Muffins

Muffins are exactly what to do with canned sweet potatoes! 

Sweet potato goodness with crunchy oatmeal crumb topping makes for a hearty snack or a morning treat! 

This recipe makes twelve muffins and has all the expected ingredients of a muffin recipe with the addition of a can of sweet potatoes. 

The topping consists of oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. 

These do take somewhat longer to bake at around twenty-five minutes. 

These would also make great gifts and are easy to basket up and share at work!

3. Sweet Potato Bread

When you are in the mood for a really indulgent slice of bread, recipes with canned sweet potatoes can deliver! 

This sweet potato bread is moist and has the unique flavors of chai spice. 

Definitely memorable! 

If you want a hint of banana, reduce the pumpkin amount and add one in! 

Want to throw in some mini chocolate chips, go ahead! 

It is flavorful as is, but if you want a frosting or glaze on top, feel free to do so! 

As you make this loaf, it is important to measure accurately so the bread does not come out too moist or too dry. 

The chai spice could be substituted with pumpkin pie spice. 

When planning, note that It bakes for an hour or more.

4. Crock-Pot Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipes with canned yams are just as easy and delicious as canned sweet potato recipes. 

What might be even better is when you can make your favorite sweet potato casserole in a slow cooker. 

This helps out tremendously if you have multiple items that need time in the oven. 

The ingredient list includes canned sweet potatoes, butter, heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Mini marshmallows are added in the last few minutes for just the right amount of melting! 

Making this casserole in a slow cooker also easily allows for doubling the recipe if more is needed. 

Four hours and it is ready to be served!

5. Sweet Potato Dump Cake

Dump cakes are quite the go-to dessert and now they are one of the ways to use canned sweet potatoes! 

It really is a dessert because, of course, there is a yellow boxed cake mix used. 

The sweet potatoes are mixed with orange juice and brown sugar! 

Pecans, or any nut, add a bit of crunch but can be omitted if you prefer!  

Did I mention there is crushed pineapple as well? 

Savory and sweet mix together so well! 

Seriously easy to make!

6. Sweet Potato Sheet Cake

Here is the second of my recipes using canned sweet potatoes to make a cake. 

This classic sheet cake recipe produces a dark-colored cake with cream cheese frosting which reminds me of a spice cake. 

It calls for two cans of yams in syrup. 

The batter is baked in two separate sheet pans or cake pans to give this cake two layers with cream cheese frosting in between as well as on top! 

The chopped toasted pecans add to the presentation and the taste!

7. Sweet And Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Soup and canned sweet potato recipes do go together like campfires and marshmallows! 

This sweet and spicy sweet potato soup can be made year-round since it calls for canned sweet potatoes! 

The zesty flavors include tart apples, spicy ginger, and a touch of lime! 

It all starts with sauteed shallots in oil before adding in Granny Smith or McIntosh apples, ginger, lime zest, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper, and simmer till the apples are soft. 

Then broth, sweet potatoes, and salt are added and brought to a boil. 

The smoothness comes from using an immersion blender at the end! 

A swirl of heavy cream when serving makes it fancy!

8. Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Here is a wild idea for what to do with canned sweet potatoes, and make dinner rolls! 

That’s right, sweet potato dinner rolls. 

They are easy to make and come out fluffy and soft! 

To be honest, these rolls do not taste like sweet potatoes, but they do add flavor and the yeast in the recipe eats up the sugar in the sweet potatoes and a new flavor emerges! 

Science and cooking in action! 

This is a bake from scratch recipe with excellent instructions and there is an hour needed for the dough to rise. 

When ready to bake, it is divided into 16 balls to rise again slightly. 

Fabulous!

9. Sweet Potato Salad With Canned Yams

Next up is another one of the recipes with canned yams that may surprise you! 

Sweet potato salad! 

Talk about interesting! 

Textures galore here with soft sweet potatoes and boiled eggs, crunchy green onions and celery, and creamy mayo or Miracle Whip! 

The sweet potatoes are already cooked so all that has to be done is drain and cut! 

Slice and dice all the ingredients then add and combine!  

This salad is served cold and tastes best after several hours of chilling. 

10. Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows

Perhaps one of the most popular ways to use canned sweet potatoes is in the traditional sweet potato casserole way, complete with marshmallows on top. 

The earlier recipe was for making in the slow cooker, and this one is for the oven. 

Can it even be Thanksgiving without this dish on the table near the turkey? 

It includes canned sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and those adorable mini marshmallows. 

Super easy and super loved!

11. Sweet Potato Banana Crunch

Several recipes with canned sweet potatoes add another fruit to the mix and this one does too! 

Yes, everyone expects a sweet potato casserole to be part of family gatherings, but nobody said they have to be plain or ordinary. 

This recipe is FAR from ordinary since it uses a banana and Cornflakes! 

It comes together quickly with the combination of canned sweet potatoes, banana, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt which is put in a casserole dish with pecans folded in! 

For the topping, alternate rows of mini marshmallows and the Cornflakes, brown sugar, and butter mixture. 

12. Sweet Potato Cookies With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Cookie recipes using canned sweet potatoes might not have been on your radar, but I most assuredly think they should be! 

These sweet potato cookies bake up soft and the cinnamon cream cheese icing adds luscious richness to every bite! 

Gotta love a can of yams that can be a side dish or a dessert! 

There is one very different step included in this cookie recipe. 

After the batter is made, it needs to refrigerate for at least an hour before scooping onto cookie sheets and baking.  

The frosting is made of cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

These taste amazing! 

13. Mouthwatering Pie With Canned Sweet Potato

So we have finally made it to the best known canned sweet potato recipes for sweet potato pie! 

Included is a recipe and instructions for the pie crust if that is the route you would like to take! 

The filling is made by combining in the food processor canned sweet potatoes, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, whipping cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs. 

Once it is smooth, simply pour it into the pie crust and pop it in the oven. 

For the best serving experience, the pie needs a minimum of four hours to completely cool!

14. Candied Yams

Recipes with canned yams that are titled candied yams just emanate sweetness! 

I learned something here as I had always heard about candied yams, even eaten them, but never made them myself. 

I couldn’t believe how easy it was. 

Drain the yams and pour them into a baking dish. 

Cut up the butter into small slices and scatter them all across the yams. 

Sprinkle brown sugar, salt, and vanilla over it all and bake. 

There’s lots of room for adding in other spices should you want them!

15. Fruited Sweet Potatoes

To conclude this list of recipes with canned sweet potatoes, I present a somewhat unusual recipe. 

Fruited sweet potatoes. 

The fruit this dish uses is pineapple and golden raisins. 

The entire mixture that is baked together in a casserole dish is sweet potatoes, crushed pineapple, bourbon, brown sugar, golden raisins, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. 

Mix, pour, and bake! 

This side dish is going to turn heads and will most certainly be requested again!

The bottom line

Canned sweet potato recipes might send you down a delightful rabbit trail that may fill your recipe box with wonderful ideas for future baking opportunities!

Thanks so much for stopping by to see what to do with canned sweet potatoes, or yams for that matter, and happy baking!