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Taco sweet potatoes are fluffy sweet potatoes piled high with savory ground beef and your favorite taco toppings! Packed with flavor, these stuffed sweet potatoes put a fun, veggie-loaded twist on taco night.
Love stuffing your vegetables with flavorful fillings? Try my easy taco stuffed peppers, next!
Don’t get me wrong, I love whipping up classic tacos or even taco casserole to satisfy an (almost weekly) taco craving. But every so often, I make these easy taco sweet potatoes and they always hit the spot. Picture fluffy and tender-cooked sweet potato halves loaded up with juicy seasoned ground beef, sour cream, and all your favorite taco fixings. Is your mouth watering yet? Good!
Why You’ll Love These Taco Sweet Potatoes
- Skip the tortilla. This recipe replaces your traditional taco shell with a fluffy, tender sweet potato. It’s a great, filling way to fit extra veggies into weeknight dinners.
- Packed with flavor. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes combined with savory, spicy ground beef and fresh toppings is seriously irresistible.
- Easy. Prepare your taco filling while the sweet potatoes bake in the oven, then fluff, stuff, and serve. These stuffed sweet potatoes make the perfect light meal or easy side dish to all sorts of Mexican Inspired recipes.
- Adaptable. The possibilities for taco sweet potatoes are endless! Make the taco meat spicy or mild, change it up with chicken or turkey, and load these up with cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, and any other toppings your heart desires. See below for ideas!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need 3 ingredients to make these simple, flavorful taco sweet potatoes, plus your choice of toppings. Below are some quick notes. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.
- Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes come in many shapes and sizes. You’ll need between 2-4 sweet potatoes depending on whether they’re small or large.
- Ground Beef – I use lean ground beef, or you can make this recipe with ground chicken, ground turkey, or pork sausage.
- Taco Seasoning – I always have a jar of homemade taco seasoning in my pantry (it’s super quick and easy to make). You can also use a packet of your preferred store-bought taco seasoning.
- Toppings – Where the fun starts! I love topping these taco sweet potatoes with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and diced tomatoes. Scroll for more suggestions, and feel free to get creative!
How to Make Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Here’s how to make delicious taco sweet potatoes, step-by-step. Remember to scroll to the recipe card below the post for printable instructions.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Wash and then pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork (this lets the steam escape). Before you stuff them, you’ll need to cook them. You can do this in the oven (1 hour at 350ºF) or you can follow the directions for my easy Instant Pot sweet potatoes.
- Cook the taco meat. Meanwhile, brown and then season the ground beef in a skillet. Remember to add any water that’s called for with the taco seasoning (refer to the packet if you’re using store-bought). Let everything simmer until the liquid absorbs.
- Stuff the sweet potatoes. Finally, cut your cooked sweet potatoes in half, or you can leave them whole if they’re on the smaller side. Fluff the inside with a fork and fill the sweet potatoes with taco meat.
- Serve! Plate up with any taco toppings you’d like, see below for easy topping and serving ideas.
Tips and Variation Ideas
These are some helpful tips to make the most of this stuffed sweet potato recipe:
- Choose wide sweet potatoes. Larger, wider sweet potatoes will hold the filling better than long, narrow ones.
- Scrub the sweet potatoes. Give the sweet potatoes a good scrub and a rinse beneath cold water, and dry them well before you cook them.
- Different protein. Try chicken or turkey in place of ground beef, or you can use cooked shredded chicken or shredded beef. I love making this recipe with leftover Instant Pot salsa chicken.
- Make it spicy. Add an extra sprinkle of cayenne, chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes in addition to the taco seasoning to give your filling some kick. Another option is to stir in diced jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce.
Taco Toppings
Once the sweet potatoes are stuffed, serve them with an assortment of toppings so that everyone can DIY their dinner! Customize your Mexican-style sweet potatoes with any taco toppings you have on hand. Here are some of my family’s favorite ideas:
- Shredded cheese
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Diced tomatoes
- Sliced jalapeños
- Pico de gallo
Serving Suggestions
I like to finish off my taco sweet potatoes with a drizzle of enchilada sauce or salsa verde and a squeeze of lime to brighten up the flavors. They’re a satisfying meal on their own, or you can serve these sweet potatoes as a side dish to juicy cilantro lime shrimp and rice, crispy cheese quesadillas, or a plate of air fryer nachos.
How to Meal Prep Taco Sweet Potatoes
This sweet potato recipe is great to prep on a weekend afternoon, to have ready for easy lunches during the week! Cook the sweet potatoes and store them in an airtight glass container. The taco meat can also be prepared and stored in advance. Keep everything in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or until you’re ready to reheat and serve. See the next section for more details.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftovers airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can keep the filling and sweet potatoes together or store them separately (see my meal-prepping tips above). Try to store these taco sweet potatoes without toppings when possible.
- Reheat. Reheat leftover stuffed sweet potatoes in the oven covered in foil, or in the microwave (without foil) until hot throughout.
- Freeze. You can freeze the sweet potatoes and taco meat together or in separate containers. Store everything airtight and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Taco Recipes
Taco Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 small or 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning, or homemade taco seasoning
Toppings
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Diced Tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º f. Wash and pierce the sweet potatoes well with a fork. Bake for about an hour, or until they are soft and cooked through. Or follow Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes for another method.
- In a large skillet brown ground beef over medium high heat. Break apart and cook until no longer pink. Drain any grease away. Season with taco seasoning and any water called for in the packet or recipe. Simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, get them ready to serve. If they are small, you can use 1 per person or if they are very large, cut in half and use one half per person. Fluff the inside, and fill with the taco meat and top with your favorite taco toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Last night was the fist time I’ve ever had sweet potatoes like this, and I loved it. I made this for our Taco Tuesday, and it was a big hit with my husband and the kids, too!
Wow, Taco Sweet Potatoes have become a new favorite in our house! The blend of spicy taco flavors with the natural sweetness of the potatoes is brilliant.
These are so delicious! The sweetness of the potato compliments all the flavors from the meat and taco seasoning! So good!
Delicious way to have a change up taco night! We love this