23 Sweet And Savory Recipes To Make This Fall
Whether you're planning a Friendsgiving party or craving a change of flavor to match the changing seasons, fall is the perfect time for experimenting in the kitchen. The cooler months of the year are not just about pumpkin pies and roast turkeys, but about a delicate balance of wide-ranging flavors that make each meal a novel experience and a celebration of what the season has to offer. Among the many fall staples that grace dinner tables throughout this time of year are dishes that combine sweet and savory flavors. Sweet potatoes, for example, are often served for dinner alongside meat and gravy, despite being chock-full of natural sugars. And speaking of meat, why not add some maple syrup or applesauce to a savory cut of pork or chicken?
Main courses overflowing with warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, along with desserts made from root vegetables. These are never out of place on a fall table, but it can be hard to know how to strike the right balance of flavors. You don't want to serve an entrée that tastes like dessert, and you certainly don't want to serve a dessert that tastes as if it belongs next to potato salad and green beans. With this challenge in mind, we've curated a list of outstanding sweet and savory recipes that strike the perfect balance. Whether you're a seasoned chef or an occasional home cook, these recipes will bring a touch of autumn magic to your table.
1. Sweet And Savory Mango Chutney
As we head into the holiday season, party invitations are picking up, and what better contribution to a festive gathering than a sweet and salty appetizer? While other guests prepare pasta salads and cookies, you can wow them with this deceptively simple yet delicious mango chutney.
Not only does it provide that irresistible sweet and savory contrast, but it also contains smoky paprika and the warmth of fresh ginger and chili flakes. With mango, maple syrup, garlic, and vinegar, this recipe gives your palate a riot of flavors to kick off a meal in style.
Recipe: Sweet and Savory Mango Chutney
2. Sweet Bourbon Chicken
Contrary to its name, this recipe does not contain bourbon, though developer Ting Dalton concedes that adding a few tablespoons of the fiery spirit certainly wouldn't hurt. It's named after New Orleans' historic Bourbon Street, where the dish originated.
Apple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, dark brown sugar, and garlic are just some of the ingredients that make this recipe so delicious, and at 25 minutes of combined prep and cook time, it's also a breeze to make. The versatile sauce pairs well with chicken, tofu, or pork, offering a sweet, velvety, and slightly spicy flavor.
Recipe: Sweet Bourbon Chicken
3. Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Fall is all about root vegetables. Turnips, carrots, and beets offer the kind of earthy sweetness we're all craving as the temperatures start to dip, but sweet potatoes are arguably the most popular. Their sugary flavor and creamy texture are so delicious that you don't need to douse them in sauce or pair them with meat to make them the star of the show.
This recipe lets the sweet potatoes shine. Simply peel and slice them into cubes, add oil, date syrup, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt, and pop them in the oven.
Recipe: Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
4. 15-Minute Loaded Sweet Potato
No matter how much you love plain old sweet potatoes, you'll probably want to switch it up every so often. This recipe for loaded sweet potatoes takes an astonishing 15 minutes to make, thanks to the microwave. You can bake them in the oven if you prefer, but it will take longer. Either way, make sure to prick the potatoes with a fork so they don't explode.
Although these loaded sweet potatoes make an excellent side dish, they are substantial enough to make a main dish as well. With black beans, sour cream, and corn, they are delicious and healthy.
Recipe: 15-Minute Loaded Sweet Potato
5. Easy Sweet Potato Gnocchi
If you've ever come across gnocchi at a fancy restaurant, chances are, it was made out of white potatoes. This recipe, on the other hand, capitalizes on all the sweetness and flavor of sweet potatoes while staying true to classic gnocchi. Don't be intimidated: gnocchi isn't nearly as tricky as it looks, and this recipe is easy to follow. It also only takes 35 minutes from start to finish.
To make this recipe even more delicious, recipe developer Catherine Brookes has paired it with a garlicky sage butter that will make your mouth water even before you drizzle it over the gnocchi.
Recipe: Easy Sweet Potato Gnocchi
6. Sticky-Sweet Caramel Corn
Whether you're planning a cozy movie night at home or curating the menu for a holiday party, this caramel popcorn is the perfect fit. Instead of buying a bag of kettle corn, whip up this easy, flavor-filled homemade version in minutes.
Adding baking soda to the sauce ensures that the salty caramel stays chewy when baked instead of turning hard and crunchy. This ingredient, along with butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt make the perfect, sweet and salty coating for this classic snack.
Recipe: Sticky-Sweet Caramel Corn
7. Caramel Apple Popcorn
Caramel apples are a staple of the autumn season, but they pose a conundrum: unlike pumpkin spice and sweet potatoes, they are hard to incorporate into every meal, and you might make it all the way through fall without eating them more than once or twice. The best solution is to use caramel and apples as a versatile flavor combination.
This caramel apple popcorn recipe, for example, will satiate your caramel apple fix in one sweet and savory snack. It only takes 35 minutes to make and is bound to become your go-to recipe for fall snacking.
Recipe: Caramel Apple Popcorn
8. Easy Donut Breakfast Burger
Donuts and cheeseburgers might be two of your favorite foods, but you probably haven't tried combining them. This recipe does just that, and it turns out to be a surprisingly harmonious concoction that takes breakfast to new heights.
There is no corner cutting in this donut breakfast burger. It features a homemade beef patty covered in cheese and topped with bacon and a fried egg, smashed between two halves of a donut. There's a reason this creation once did the rounds on social media: it's absurdly delicious and, yes, absurdly indulgent. What's not to like?
Recipe: Easy Donut Breakfast Burger
9. Buttermilk Fried Chicken And Waffles
Cold weather calls for comfort food, and what could be more comforting than a breakfast of fried chicken and waffles? This recipe is perfect for a leisurely morning during vacation or a long weekend when you want to luxuriate with a decadent breakfast.
Letting the chicken marinate in the acidic buttermilk for a few hours before cooking it will make it extra tender, but you'll still get delicious results without this step. When drizzled with a generous helping of maple syrup, this crispy fried chicken and waffles are even better than what you could get at a five-star restaurant.
10. Easy Peanut Butter And Jelly Smoothie
Peanut butter and jelly may be a flavor combination that reminds you of childhood, but that doesn't make it off-limits for adults. The sweet, fruity flavor of jelly combined with the buttery, roasted nuttiness of peanuts never seems to go out of style, and recipe developer Susan Olayinka has found an ingenious way to enjoy the classic pairing.
Making a peanut butter and jelly smoothie is even easier than it sounds. Simply combine a banana, frozen strawberries, your preferred type of milk, and a few tablespoons of peanut butter in a blender. It takes all of 60 seconds to make.
11. Pumpkin Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
White chocolate and pretzels were made for each other. Take one bite of a white chocolate-covered pretzel and you'll wonder how you ever ate plain ones. The salty crunch of pretzels combined with the buttery sweetness of white chocolate is one of the most enduring flavor duos of all time, and we've got a Halloweeny spin to make them the perfect treat for spooky season.
All you need is white chocolate, pretzels, orange food dye, and dark chocolate mint M&Ms for the stems. They take less than 20 minutes to make and are eye-catching and delicious in equal measure.
12. Candied Pecans
Nuts are everywhere during the holidays, from the "Nutcracker" ballet to the lyrics of classic Christmas songs. When it comes to food, you'll find them in recipes for stuffing or sprinkled over sweet potato casseroles. One of the best uses for them, however, is to simply add sugar and let the nutty flavor work its magic.
Candied pecans are a perfect holiday finger food to keep your guests content while you put the finishing touches on dinner. For the crunchiest sugar coating, this recipe uses egg white along with sugar, salt, and spices.
Recipe: Candied Pecans
13. Easy Candied Walnuts
Candied walnuts are a quick appetizer that look and taste gourmet when you put them in a fancy dish. Recipe developer Catherine Brookes has created a streamlined formula that you can make in about 20 minutes without needing to go on a special trip to the grocery store.
The key is to heat the sugar until it's a golden brown syrup. The results are crunchy, sweet, and salty. Whether you devour them in one sitting before the sugar can harden or serve them at your next holiday party, they will hit the spot.
Recipe: Easy Candied Walnuts
14. Candied Yams
As the holidays approach, sweet potato recipes are everywhere. From tacos to brownies, they enhance just about any dish, but sometimes, you just want something classic. Deeply rooted in Southern cuisine. candied yams are easy to prepare and ooze with sugary goodness.
Our recipe calls for a spiced butter sauce that infuses the delicious vegetable with even more mouthwatering flavor. Aside from cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, the star ingredient is a sprig of rosemary. This might not be your classic family recipe, but it's bound to start a trend.
Recipe: Candied Yams
15. Candied Orange Peel
Late fall and winter is citrus season, and when you make freshly squeezed orange juice and orange marmalade, you might be tempted to throw the peels in the compost. However, although orange peel has a pungent, bitter taste, it makes a deliciously fragrant snack when coated in sugar.
Our candied orange peel recipe is about as straightforward as it gets. All you need is orange peel, sugar, and water. Once you've made these tasty strands of sugary citrus, you can eat them on their own or use them as a garnish for pies, cakes, and drinks.
Recipe: Candied Orange Peel
16. Air Fryer Candied Bacon
If you're the type of person who drizzles as much maple syrup over their bacon as their pancakes, this recipe is for you. Even better, it calls for air frying, meaning you won't have to worry about setting off the fire alarm or getting burned by splattering fat.
Make sure you're using thick-cut bacon to avoid burning it and use the faintest dash of cayenne pepper for a fiery kick. In the unlikely event that you do not eat every last bite within minutes, you can crumble it on top of sweet or savory dishes as a garnish.
Recipe: Air Fryer Candied Bacon
17. Bacon-Wrapped Maple-Glazed Carrots
Carrots often get overlooked in favor of more ubiquitous fall vegetables, but they are every bit as delicious as pumpkin and sweet potatoes. And when you pair them with bacon, they automatically become the best dish at any table.
This bacon-wrapped maple-glazed carrot recipe is the fall comfort food you never knew you needed. The sweet earthiness of carrots paired with sugary maple syrup and salty, fatty bacon is about as good as it gets. It takes only 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes to cook, so there's no reason not to make it.
18. Sweet And Sour Meatloaf
Meatloaf is often dismissed as a bland, retro entrée that doesn't belong on sophisticated dinner menus, but we're here to dispel this misconception. Not only is this sweet and sour meatloaf bursting with flavor, but it is also a versatile main dish that can be paired with just about any side.
What makes this recipe special is the addition of smoky bacon and the sweet and sour sauce made from tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, and mustard. When it's baked, the sauce caramelizes into a sugary glaze that moistens the meatloaf and provides enough flavor to delight meatloaf skeptics.
Recipe: Sweet And Sour Meatloaf
19. Sweet Potato Fritters
These fritters are a creative way to use sweet potatoes when you've already exhausted the standard recipes. With garlic powder, paprika, salt, and onion powder as flavoring, they require little prep aside from grating the potatoes and mixing them with flour and eggs.
You can serve these sweet and savory fritters as a side dish alongside any entrée, use them as an appetizer with mayonnaise or aioli, or have them for lunch. They are so tasty that you might want to double up the recipe and freeze some for later.
Recipe: Sweet Potato Fritters
20. Easy Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
This recipe had us at "bacon." And also "chocolate." And yes, okay, the cupcake part too. It's basically a triple threat of the best foods you can imagine and yet is somehow greater than the sum of its parts. If you're worried that it sounds complicated and time-consuming, we have great news: it takes less than an hour, start to finish.
Instead of making everything from scratch, recipe developer Stephanie Rapone starts with devil's food cake mix and store-bought cream cheese frosting. Adding maple extract and salt to the frosting compounds the distinctly sweet and salty flavor of the candied bacon.
Recipe: Easy Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
21. Sweet Spiced Chicken Mulligatawny Soup
Fall weather calls for warming dishes, and soup is one of the best options. Not only is mulligatawny soup warm from a temperature standpoint, but it's also full of warming flavors such as ginger, curry powder, and smoked paprika.
What sets it apart from other soups inspired by Indian cuisine is apples. Their inclusion suffuses the coconut milk, lime, chicken, and spices with a sweetness that is as unexpected as it is delicious. Don't leave out any of the ingredients in this recipe, even if you have to make a special trip to the store. Trust us, it's worth it.
22. Apple Cider Pork Chops
If you're tired of turkey and cranberries, look no further than pork chops and apple cider. This recipe tastes like fall without feeling like you're retracing a well-worn path. Pork chops might seem like an intimidating cut of meat to work with, but as long as you account for their thickness, this recipe will guide you through the necessary steps for producing a tender, succulent result.
These chops are breaded, seared in butter, and doused in a garlicky apple cider sauce. Even if you've never made pork chops before, this recipe is easy to follow and will have your guests clamoring for seconds.
Recipe: Apple Cider Pork Chops
23. Brie Apple Honey Crostini
If you're trying to figure out what appetizer to serve at your next holiday party, we have the answer. These brie and apple crostini with prosciutto and honey are so delicious that you'll want to have them as your appetizer and main course, and they only take 20 minutes to make.
Make sure to use a good crusty baguette for the recipe and serve the crostini directly out of the oven when the melted brie and butter-simmered apples are still warm. Not only does this appetizer taste like heaven, but it looks beautiful, too–perfect for a festive gathering.
Recipe: Brie Apple Honey Crostini