Every spring, my grandmother brings out this bright, sticky orange-glazed sweet potato dish, and it always disappears before anything else on the table. It’s the kind of simple, old-fashioned recipe that feels special enough for Easter or any holiday, but easy enough to toss together on a busy weeknight. With just four ingredients and a slow cooker doing all the work, you end up with tender chunks of sweet potato coated in a glossy citrus glaze, little pools of melted butter, and caramelized edges that taste like sunshine after a long Midwestern winter.
Serve these orange glazed sweet potatoes straight from the slow cooker on warm plates so the syrupy sauce can mingle with the rest of the meal. They’re wonderful alongside baked ham, roast chicken, or a simple pork loin, and they pair nicely with green beans, a crisp salad, or roasted Brussels sprouts to balance the sweetness. For a holiday spread, I like to set the slow cooker on warm near the rolls and veggies so everyone can scoop a little extra sauce over their meat or even drizzle some over a slice of buttered cornbread.
Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Orange Glazed Sweet PotatoesServings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup orange juice (preferably pulp-free)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a little butter or nonstick spray to help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into roughly 1 1/2-inch chunks, trying to keep the pieces about the same size so they cook evenly and get tender at the same time.
Place the sweet potato chunks into the prepared slow cooker, spreading them out into an even layer so the glaze can coat as many pieces as possible.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the orange juice and brown sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture looks like a thin syrup.
Pour the orange juice and brown sugar mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes in the slow cooker, gently stirring once or twice to help coat the potatoes without breaking them up.
Dot the top of the sweet potatoes with the pieces of butter, spacing them out so they melt down into different spots and create little pools of rich, glossy sauce.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork but still holding their shape.
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, gently stir them from the bottom so the orange-brown sugar syrup and melted butter coat all the pieces. If you want a thicker, stickier glaze, leave the lid slightly ajar and cook on HIGH for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once, to let some of the liquid reduce.
Before serving, give everything one last gentle stir, being careful not to mash the sweet potatoes. Spoon the sweet potatoes and plenty of the glossy orange glaze into a serving dish, or serve them right from the slow cooker set to WARM to keep them hot at the table.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra brightness, you can stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of finely grated orange zest along with the orange juice and brown sugar, but if you want to stay true to the four-ingredient spirit, simply sprinkle zest over individual servings instead. If your family prefers things less sweet, cut the brown sugar down to 3/4 cup and let the natural sweetness of the potatoes shine. For picky eaters who like things very soft, cook on the longer end of the time range and gently mash some of the sweet potatoes right in the slow cooker so they soak up even more sauce. If you need to stretch the dish for a crowd, you can add up to 1 extra pound of sweet potatoes and an extra 1/4 cup each of orange juice and brown sugar without changing the texture too much. To get slightly more caramelized edges, transfer the cooked sweet potatoes and some of the glaze to a shallow baking dish and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely, just until the tops start to brown and bubble. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave with a splash of extra orange juice to loosen the glaze, and they’re lovely served the next morning with breakfast alongside scrambled eggs or tucked into a warm bowl with a spoonful of plain yogurt for a sweet-savory treat.
