Outback Steakhouse Sweet Potato Easy Copycat Recipe

This Outback Steakhouse sweet potato copycat brings that iconic cinnamon-honey butter loaded baked sweet potato right to your own kitchen. It’s faster than a restaurant trip, and the result is just as good on a Tuesday night.

The technique is simple: roast the sweet potato until the skin crisps and the inside turns soft and sweet, then load it with a honey butter you make in about 2 minutes.

Why I Love This Recipe

The honey butter is the whole point. Softened butter, honey, and cinnamon blend into something slightly sticky and warm-spiced that soaks right into the hot flesh of the potato.

This is the version I keep coming back to because the oven does all the real work. You spend maybe 5 minutes of actual hands-on time.

The skin gets a little salty and almost snappy when you rub it with oil and coarse salt before roasting. That contrast with the sweet, soft inside is what makes it worth making at home.

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato (about 12 oz / 340 g) – Look for one that is roughly even in thickness so it roasts evenly; avoid very narrow ones that dry out fast
• 1 tsp olive oil – Rubbed on the skin for crispness; any neutral oil works
• 1 tsp coarse kosher salt – For the skin; table salt will work but use half the amount
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened – Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes before you start
• 1 tbsp honey – A mild, light honey lets the cinnamon come through; dark buckwheat honey will overpower it
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon – The key flavor in the compound butter, matching the Outback version closely
• Pinch of fine salt – Balances the sweetness in the butter

Variations / Substitutions

• Salted butter – Works fine; skip the pinch of fine salt in the butter so it does not get too salty.
• Maple syrup instead of honey – Gives the butter a slightly deeper, woodsy sweetness that is great in fall.
• Brown sugar instead of honey – Use 1 tbsp packed brown sugar; the butter will be a bit drier and less glossy but still good.
• Coconut oil for the butter – Dairy-free swap that works well; use refined coconut oil so you do not get a strong coconut flavor competing with the cinnamon.
• Nutmeg or cardamom added – A pinch of either alongside the cinnamon adds warmth without changing the overall profile much.
• Extra heat – A tiny pinch of cayenne in the butter plays well against the honey’s sweetness.

If you like this kind of sweet-savory side, Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato Copycat Recipe is worth making alongside it.

How To Make Sweet Potato

Step 1: Rub and Roast the Sweet Potato

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C), then get your potato ready while it heats. Pierce the 1 large sweet potato all over with a fork, about 8 to 10 times, going at least half an inch deep. Drizzle the 1 tsp olive oil over the skin and rub it all over with your hands, then press the 1 tsp coarse kosher salt evenly across the surface. Set the potato directly on the oven rack with a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips, and roast for 45 to 55 minutes.

The potato is ready when a fork slides into the thickest part with zero resistance, around 45 minutes for a slender potato and closer to 55 for a fat one. The skin will feel taut and slightly papery, and you may see a little sugary syrup beginning to bubble out of the fork holes.

Do not wrap the potato in foil. Foil traps steam and gives you a soft, pale skin instead of the slightly crisp, salted exterior that makes this version worth eating.

Step 2: Beat the Honey Cinnamon Butter

While the potato roasts, combine the 2 tbsp softened butter, 1 tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and the pinch of fine salt in a small bowl. Beat it together with a fork for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth, uniform, and slightly fluffy with no streaks of butter or pooled honey.

Taste it. It should be sweet, warm-spiced, and just barely salty. If your butter was cold it will look broken and greasy; press it against the side of the bowl and keep working until it comes together. Room-temperature butter is what makes it blend smoothly in under 2 minutes.

Step 3: Split and Load the Potato

When the sweet potato comes out of the oven, let it sit for 2 minutes, then cut a deep slit lengthwise down the center. Push the ends toward each other to open it up and expose the steaming orange flesh. Spoon all of the honey cinnamon butter directly into the opening and across the top so it melts down into the potato.

Serve it immediately, open-faced on a plate with the butter visibly melting into the bright orange flesh and pooling at the base of the slit.

Recipe Tips

• Choose the right potato. A large, fat sweet potato holds more interior moisture than a thin one and gives you that fluffy, almost creamy texture inside. Aim for one that is roughly the size of a large fist.
• Butter temperature matters. If your butter is even slightly cold, the honey will not incorporate and you will get a greasy, separated mixture. Pull it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes ahead.
• Do not skip salting the skin. The coarse salt on the outside is not just seasoning; it draws out a little moisture and helps the skin firm up while it roasts. It is also the best part to eat.
• Make a double batch of the butter. It keeps in the fridge for up to a week and is excellent on toast, cornbread, or oatmeal. Just bring it back to room temperature before using.

Cook times vary a bit depending on the size of your sweet potato:

How To Store

• Refrigerate – Wrap any leftover potato (without the butter, if possible) in plastic wrap or an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
• Reheating – Reheat in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through, or microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes. The skin will soften in the microwave, so the oven is worth it if you have the time.

What To Serve With Sweet Potato

A crispy green salad with a sharp vinaigrette works well here because the acidity cuts through the richness of the honey butter. Grilled or pan-seared steak is the obvious pairing for good reason: the savory crust on the meat and the sweet, soft potato balance each other without competing. Roasted or steamed broccoli adds some bitterness and crunch that rounds out the plate when you want a full vegetable-forward meal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I microwave the sweet potato instead of roasting it?

Yes, you can microwave it on high for 5 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway, but the skin will be soft and pale rather than firm and salty. The inside texture will still be fine.

Can I make these ahead for a dinner party?

Roast the potatoes up to 2 hours ahead and reheat them in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 10 minutes before serving. Make the butter up to a week in advance and refrigerate it.

My butter mixture looks greasy and separated. What happened?

Your butter was too cold. Press the mixture firmly against the side of the bowl with a fork and keep working it; the friction warms it slightly and it will come together within another minute.

Can I use a regular russet potato instead?

Yes, russet works and roasts in roughly the same time, but the flavor is starchy and neutral rather than sweet, so the cinnamon butter will taste different, more like a sweet dessert topping on a plain base.

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Outback Steakhouse Sweet Potato Recipe

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 1 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 large sweet potato (about 12 oz / 340 g)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of fine salt

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce the sweet potato 8 to 10 times with a fork, rub all over with the 1 tsp olive oil, and press the 1 tsp coarse kosher salt into the skin. Place directly on the oven rack with foil below to catch drips and roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until a fork slides in with no resistance.
2. While the potato roasts, beat together the 2 tbsp softened butter, 1 tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and pinch of fine salt with a fork for about 1 minute until smooth and slightly fluffy.
3. Remove the potato from the oven, rest for 2 minutes, then cut a deep lengthwise slit and push the ends together to open it. Spoon all of the honey cinnamon butter into the opening and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe scales up easily; just give each potato its own space on the oven rack so the heat circulates around all of them. The honey cinnamon butter is the component worth making extra of: it keeps refrigerated for up to a week and comes in useful far beyond this dish. If your sweet potato is much larger than 12 oz, start checking at 50 minutes rather than pulling it early.