Sweet Potato Creme Brûlée

This sweet potato creme brûlée is the perfect dessert for the holidays. It features tender cinnamon-spiced sweet potatoes topped with a creamy custard and that quintessential brown sugar shell.

I just had to bring you this sweet potato creme brûlée dish and I promise it’s not as hard as it looks. Diehard sweet potato fans will fall in love when their standard dish is topped with a decadent brûlée, and single guys and gals who make this will end the meal with a marriage proposal, possibly more than one! LOL

If you like sweet potato casserole, you need to try this sweet potato creme brûlée recipe. It features three layers to make a dessert that’s perfect for the holidays. First, we have tender cinnamon-spiced sweet potatoes, which are topped with a creamy custard and that brown sugar shell that’s made for cracking!

Now, this recipe is going to seem long and drawn out, especially compared to my usual ones. But it really is simple if you just look at the steps. I make this a day ahead of time, usually the day before Thanksgiving and then just sprinkle the topping on and put it under the broiler just before serving. That way it doesn’t take up so much of my time on the big day.  

If there is just a smidgeon left, it makes a great breakfast eaten cold right from the baking dish. 

Recipe Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes
• Melted butter
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Light brown sugar
• Whipping cream
• Sugar
• Eggs

How to Make Sweet Potato Creme Brûlée

I bake my sweet potatoes at 425 until tender in the middle (about an hour) a day or so ahead of time and stick them in the fridge.

Doing it that way, the skin just pulls right off easily and sweet potatoes that are baked in the oven, in their skins, have more flavor than when you peel and slice them and cook them in water.

Either way, get the skin off and place the baked sweet potatoes in a large bowl with cinnamon, sugar… 

The melted butter and two eggs. 

TIP: If you just got done cooking your sweet potatoes before this step, make sure they’re cool because if they are really hot when you do this, they’ll cook the eggs.

 Mix that up really well with an electric mixer until well combined and there are very few lumps.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into the bottom of a baking dish and set it aside. 

Make the Custard

 Now, combine your egg yolks, whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. 

TIP: You’ll have some egg whites leftover from this recipe. I just put those in a mason jar and stick it in the fridge because if you’re making Thanksgiving dinner you’re sure to need them to make meringue on a pie :). I suggest lemon meringue pie or peanut butter pie.

Whisk your ingredients together really well until combined and smooth.

Place this pot over medium-low heat and whisk constantly just until warm and your sugar dissolves (about five minutes).

Or, as I always say, until you’re tired of fooling with it. 

 Gently scoop and pour the cream mixture over your sweet potatoes. 

Place your dish in a larger dish and fill it with water until it is at least one-inch deep. 

You can use any type of oven-proof pan that is big enough to accommodate your pan and an inch or so of water.

Bake this at 325 for about an hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

This won’t be set in the center by then, but most of the dish will be set except for the middle. There will just be a little bit of a jiggle in the center. 

Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool by placing the dish on heavy dish towels or a wire rack. 

Once cool, cover with foil and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

I make this the day before Thanksgiving.

Broil the Topping

About half an hour before your meal, remove the dish from the fridge and let it sit on your counter for about 30 minutes. 

Turn your oven to low broil and sprinkle brown sugar over the top. 

Place in the oven, about 5 inches from your broiler, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until most of the sugar melts. 

Watch this constantly as different ovens cook at different speeds on broil but it will always go faster than you think!

 Allow it to sit for five minutes before serving to allow sugar to harden.

Enjoy your sweet potato creme brûlée!! I sure do! 

Storage

Store covered leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. As mentioned, I like to eat this cold for breakfast the next day, but you can quickly put it under the broil again to warm up.

Recipe Notes

• If you like, substitute the white sugar you mash with the sweet potatoes with brown sugar.
• For individual creme brulees, you can follow these steps but use ramekins instead of a casserole dish. Check them after 30 to 40 minutes.
• You can use canned sweet potatoes or canned yams instead of fresh sweet potatoes. However, they’re usually already flavored, so you might not want to add as much of the other ingredients. Add a little and taste test to see if it needs more cinnamon and sugar.
• Another option is to substitute sweet potato for fresh pumpkin.
• If you like, garnish with whipped cream and a Maraschino cherry or fresh fruit.
• You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the mashed sweet potato for added flavor.
• I use sugar in the custard. But you could use Stevia or Monk Fruit or your favorite sweetener instead to make this a ‘sugar-free’ dish, except there is brown sugar on top, of course. These substitutes are much sweeter than sugar so some experimentation may be necessary to get the right taste.

Check out these other terrific Thanksgiving treats:

Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe From Scratch

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Praline Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

Italian Cream Cake with Pecan Cream Cheese Icing

 

Every day is a holiday, every meal is a banquet!

~unknown, submitted by John (thanks, John!)

Share your favorite motivational or uplifting quotes by clicking here.