Sweet Potato Rounds with Cranberry and Cream Cheese are elegant, festive, and surprisingly easy! With crispy roasted sweet potato slices, a fluffy honey cream cheese topping, and jewel-toned cranberry sauce, these little bites are irresistible at any gathering.
Love More Appetizer Recipes? Try My Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes or this Easy Cranberry Roll Ups next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These Sweet Potato Rounds with Cranberry and Cream Cheese are a delicious mix of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. Roasted sweet potato slices are topped with creamy cheese and a touch of tart cranberry sauce, creating an elegant yet easy appetizer. Perfect for holiday gatherings, they bring a festive twist to classic ingredients.
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Sweet Potato Rounds with Cranberry and Cream Cheese
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24–30 sweet potato rounds
Description
These Sweet Potato Rounds with Cranberry and Cream Cheese are the perfect holiday appetizer! Crispy roasted sweet potato slices are topped with honey-whipped cream cheese, tangy cranberry sauce, toasted nuts, and fresh herbs. They’re naturally gluten-free, make-ahead friendly, and disappear in minutes at any gathering.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Base:
- 2–3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Cream Cheese Topping:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1–2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Cranberry Component:
- 1/2–3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce or cranberry relish
- Optional: 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1–2 teaspoons orange juice to brighten
Finishes/Garnish:
- Chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
- Fresh thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt
- Extra honey or maple for drizzling
Instructions
Oven to 400°F. Put parchment paper on your baking sheet or you’ll be scraping stuck sweet potato off for days.
Cut them into rounds half an inch thick. If they’re different sizes some burn while others are raw. I peel mine because I don’t like the texture but you do you.
Toss rounds with oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon. Use your hands it’s faster. Spread them on the pan so they’re not touching. Touching means steaming means no crispy edges means what’s the point.
20-ish minutes. Flip halfway. You want soft middle, crispy brown edges. That’s where the flavor is.
Beat cream cheese til fluffy. Add honey, vanilla, salt. Keep beating for a couple minutes. Should look lighter and airier.
Canned sauce is thick. Stir it until it’s not. Orange zest and juice here make it taste less canned. Skip if you don’t care.
Let the sweet potatoes sit for five minutes when they come out. Hot potatoes melt the cream cheese right off.
Cream cheese on each round. I use a spoon unless my mother-in-law is coming over then I use a piping bag. Spoonful of cranberry on top. Not too much it’ll slide.
Nuts, herbs, flaky salt, drizzle of honey. Done.
Notes
- Use a mandoline slicer for perfectly even rounds in seconds
- If your cream cheese is too stiff to pipe, add 1 teaspoon of milk to loosen it
- Warm your cranberry sauce slightly (10 seconds in the microwave) so it spreads smoothly without tearing the cream cheese layer
- Toast your nuts in a dry skillet until fragrant – it only takes 3–4 minutes but makes a HUGE difference in flavor
- For extra-special presentation, use a piping bag with a star tip for the cream cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Ingredient List
Sweet Potato Base:
- 2–3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Cream Cheese Topping:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1–2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Cranberry Component:
- 1/2–3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce or cranberry relish
- Optional: 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1–2 teaspoons orange juice to brighten
Finishes/Garnish:
- Chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
- Fresh thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt
- Extra honey or maple for drizzling
Why These Ingredients Work
Sweet potatoes hold up when you roast them. They don’t turn to mush. Already sweet so you’re not dumping sugar on top of sugar.
Cream cheese straight from the package is too thick and paste-y. Beat it with honey and it gets fluffy. Tastes better too. Cranberry sauce needs to be the kind with actual berries in it. The jelly kind looks weird and honestly tastes like can.
You need nuts for texture or everything’s mushy. Herbs balance the sweet so it doesn’t taste like dessert. Flaky salt on top makes people ask what’s in them. Every single time.
Essential Tools and Equipment
- Large rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl and electric mixer (or whisk and some elbow grease)
- Sharp knife or mandoline for even slicing
- Piping bag or zip-top bag (optional, for pretty cream cheese dollops)
- Measuring spoons and cups
How To Make Sweet Potato Rounds with Cranberry and Cream Cheese
Step 1: Preheat and Prep Your Pan
Oven to 400°F. Put parchment paper on your baking sheet or you’ll be scraping stuck sweet potato off for days.
Step 2: Slice the Sweet Potatoes
Cut them into rounds half an inch thick. If they’re different sizes some burn while others are raw. I peel mine because I don’t like the texture but you do you.
Step 3: Season and Arrange
Toss rounds with oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon. Use your hands it’s faster. Spread them on the pan so they’re not touching. Touching means steaming means no crispy edges means what’s the point.
Step 4: Roast Until Golden
20-ish minutes. Flip halfway. You want soft middle, crispy brown edges. That’s where the flavor is.
Step 5: Whip the Cream Cheese
Beat cream cheese til fluffy. Add honey, vanilla, salt. Keep beating for a couple minutes. Should look lighter and airier.
Step 6: Prep Your Cranberry Sauce
Canned sauce is thick. Stir it until it’s not. Orange zest and juice here make it taste less canned. Skip if you don’t care.
Step 7: Cool the Rounds
Let the sweet potatoes sit for five minutes when they come out. Hot potatoes melt the cream cheese right off.
Step 8: Assemble Your Bites
Cream cheese on each round. I use a spoon unless my mother-in-law is coming over then I use a piping bag. Spoonful of cranberry on top. Not too much it’ll slide.
Step 9: Add the Finishing Touches
Nuts, herbs, flaky salt, drizzle of honey. Done.
You Must Know
Cream cheese needs to be room temp soft. Like you can smush it with your finger soft. Cold cream cheese won’t whip and you’ll have chunks.
Don’t crowd the pan. They need space. Use two pans if you have to.
Personal Secret: Preheat the empty baking sheet for five minutes. Put the sweet potatoes on the hot pan and they start crisping immediately. My friend Sarah taught me this and now I do it for everything.
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
Mandoline makes slicing faster. Watch your fingers though I’ve got scars. If cream cheese won’t pipe add a little milk.
Microwave cranberry sauce for 10 seconds so it spreads easier. Toast nuts in a dry pan few minutes til they smell good.
Two tablespoons oil max for three potatoes. More than that they’re greasy not crispy.
Biggest screwup is assembling early. They get soggy after 30 minutes. Also skipping the flaky salt then wondering why they’re boring.
Flavor Variations / Suggestions
Skip cinnamon and honey for less sweet. Plain cream cheese. Balsamic reduction instead of cranberry.
Goat cheese is tangier than cream cheese. Tastes more grown up. Boursin if you’re showing off. Pomegranate seeds instead of cranberry look prettier and pop when you bite them.
More orange zest if you like citrus. Heavy on maple and pecans for fall vibes.
Make-Ahead Options
Roast sweet potatoes day before. Cool them, fridge them. Reheat at 400°F for five to seven minutes before serving to crisp back up.
Whip cream cheese two days ahead. Cover it, fridge it. Take out 15 minutes before using or it’s too stiff.
Don’t assemble early. 30 minutes max before serving. They get soggy.
Freeze plain roasted rounds couple months. Thaw overnight in fridge. Re-crisp before topping.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
Cinnamon’s optional but good. Makes them smell amazing without tasting like pie. Jellied cranberry sauce needs to be warmed up to spread.
Brick cream cheese not whipped from a tub. Tub kind is too soft and slides off. Serve these warm or room temp not cold.
Get 24 to 30 depending on potato size and how thick you slice.
Serving Suggestions
I make these every holiday. Thanksgiving Christmas New Year’s doesn’t matter. White platter makes the colors look better.
Good with sparkling wine, hot cider, white wine. Stick rosemary around the platter if you’re trying to impress. Little bowl of honey on the side for people who want more.
How to Store Your Sweet Potato Rounds
Eat assembled ones within two hours. Cream cheese can’t sit out longer.
Assembled ones in fridge for a day but they’re soggy. Plain roasted rounds keep three four days.
Freeze plain rounds two months. Thaw overnight fridge.
Reheat 350°F five to seven minutes on baking sheet. Top after heating not before.
Allergy Information
Contains: Dairy
Gluten-free: Yeah
Dairy-free substitutions: Dairy-free cream cheese. Kite Hill or Miyoko’s. Check cranberry sauce for butter.
Nut-free: Skip nuts or pepitas instead.
Vegan option: Vegan cream cheese maple syrup not honey.
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
My cream cheese won’t whip – what went wrong?
Not soft enough. Room temp. Should be able to press your finger in it. Microwave 10 seconds at a time til soft try again.
Can I make these without the cinnamon?
Yeah leave it out. Smoked paprika or cumin if you want savory.
Do I have to flip the sweet potatoes halfway through?
If you want them evenly crispy yeah. Takes one minute. Skip it if you’re busy but bottoms might burn.
What if I don’t have a piping bag?
Zip-top bag cut the corner. Or spoon. Nobody cares how they look. They taste the same.
💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I love hearing how these turned out for you and what creative variations you tried.
