These Sweet Potato Casserole Bites are a finger-food take on traditional sweet potato casserole, but served as a fun appetizer with sweet potato tots, pearl onions, candied bacon, and charred marshmallow!
Growing up, my mom didn’t serve a lot of sweet potato recipes. She always served yams for Thanksgiving. No casserole, just straight up. Not even with butter. But goodness knows I won’t turn down sweet potato casserole – with brown sugar, pecans, and marshmallows, naturally it sings to me.
(In case you’re wondering what the difference is between a yam and a sweet potato, you can head over to Wikipedia to read all about how they’re flowering plants, native to Africa and Asia, one is long, while the other is fat…zzzzzzzz. Basically they’re both root vegetables, the sweet potato has a cream colored flesh and crumbly texture, similar to that of a baking potato, while the yam has orange flesh, and is much softer and sweeter. Both yummy! IMHO.)
Anyway, who doesn’t like sweet potato casserole?! I’ll tell you who doesn’t like it – my kids. My husband. My father in law. And both my brothers-in-law. Lame.
But, I swear you make something small and stick a toothpick in it, and all of a sudden it becomes adorable and delectable – like these Sweet Potato Casserole Bites!
Ingredients you need
- Sweet Potato Tots
- Pearl Onions
- Regular bacon
- Brown sugar, salt, and pepper
- Large marshmallows
Tips for making these
- Make the candied bacon first – it crisps up as it cools, then you can break it into bite sized pieces.
- Keep the ingredients warm – after cooking the sweet potato tots and onion, keep them warm.
- Make an assembly line – have the sweet potato tots, onion, and bacon all cooked and ready to go, then assemble with the marshmallows. Have your kids help!
- Get out your kitchen torch! – you know that torch you use when you make Crème brûlée? You’ll need it for the marshmallows. (This is the kitchen torch I have and love it. << That’s an affiliate link.)
- Serve right away – this is one of those appetizers that can’t sit around. Serve them right away before the tots and onions get cold. (I used these toothpicks. << also an affiliate link.)
I did a test run with my yam-and-sweet-potato-hating family, and they all loved them. I personally think it’s the candied bacon. Because DUH.
Other holiday appetizers we love include these Brie and Jam Fillo Bites, French Quarter Cheese Spread, Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs, and this lovely Charcuterie Board perfect for the Fall!
Sweet Potato Casserole Bites
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- pinch pepper
- 30 sweet potato tots
- 30 frozen pearl onions
- 8 large marshmallows
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
For the Candied Bacon
- Preheat oven the 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top; coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- Lay out the strips of bacon on top of the rack, perpendicular to the lines of the rack (otherwise they will fall through once they cook and shrink), making sure they don't overlap.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar and a little pinch of black pepper (or even cayenne if you like a little kick!)
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, checking after 18 minutes. (The bacon is done when the brown sugar is melted and the bacon is a deep brown color. The bacon will continue to crisp up once it cools, so don't worry if it doesn't look completely crispy in the oven.)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Then tear it up into bite sized pieces.
For the Sweet Potato Tots
- Cook according to package directions. Keep warm.
For the Pearl Onions
- Cook according to package directions. Keep warm.
For the Marshmallows
- Slice all the marshmallows in half crosswise, then in half again, so you have 32 pieces (just eat the extra 2! HA. I have tried using mini marshmallows, but they're just too small.)
ASSEMBLE the Sweet Potato Casserole Bites
- Thread a toothpick with a sweet potato tot, a pearl onion, a couple pieces of candied bacon, and a marshmallow piece.
- Using a kitchen torch, carefully char the marshmallow.
- Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, to taste, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make the candied bacon first - it crisps up as it cools, then you can break it into bite sized pieces.
- Keep the ingredients warm - after cooking the sweet potato tots and onion, keep them warm.
- Make an assembly line - have the sweet potato tots, onion, and bacon all cooked and ready to go, then assemble with the marshmallows. Have your kids help!
- Get out your kitchen torch! - you know that torch you use when you make Crème brûlée? You'll need it for the marshmallows. (This is the kitchen torch I have and love it. << That's an affiliate link.)
- Serve right away - this is one of those appetizers that can't sit around. Serve them right away before the tots and onions get cold. (I used these toothpicks. << also an affiliate link.)
Nutrition
Other Notes
Sweet potato casserole is my all time fav at Thansgiving AND Christmas Dinners! What a fantastic idea – on a stick.
I have to tell you, Amy, I LOVE, love, love your blog and am so glad I found it today. Love your recipes…Love your character!
I described you to my friend as being “colorful” LOL.
I’m here to stay. Don’t ever stop posting!
Haha! Best compliment ever! Thank you for being here…if you’re on FB, come play with me. I have even more fun over there!
Perfect little appetizer!
Holy cow, brilliant is right! Love these!
These are so cute! (and they look delicious!)
We’re not so keen on the sweet potato and marshmallow combination, but I’m thinking, why not bacon? I’ll let you know. I have the puffs in the freezer.
Well, that defeats the whole “sweet potato casserole” idea, BUT I can’t imagine it being bad. Bacon makes everything better.
I mean, you just can’t go wrong with those ALexia sweet potato puffs…I think even my brother would eat them. But he’s a weirdo who hates sweet potatoes but loves sweet potato fries.
Looook! omg I love it.
Everything is better on a stick!
Oh my goodness!! These would be perfect to get our fix of the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes!!! What an excellent idea!! Would love it if you could share this at Foodtastic Friday!!