When it comes to Roasted Sweet Potatoes, it’s ALL about using the right technique and I’ve got a game-changing method that makes this recipe the absolute best. Tender, sweet, savory, and ready to pair with just about any main dish.
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Why You’ll Love This Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe
- The BEST Veggie Side Dish. With their natural sweetness, crispy outsides, and meltingly creamy insides, roasted sweet potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to adore. (Okay, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, and Roasted Butternut Squash are pretty great too.)
- A Game-Changing Secret. The trick to the best roasted sweet potatoes is to cut the potatoes into large chunks. When they’re cut larger, the insides have time to become unbelievably velvety while the outsides fully crisp, all without drying the sweet potatoes out.
- Healthy and Versatile. Enjoy these crispy roasted sweet potatoes as a side dish to any main protein. They’re loaded with vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and vitamin A, so your body with thank you along with your taste buds! (Roasted Root Vegetables are also loaded with nutrients.)
- Incredibly Easy. We’re talking minimal effort, maximal reward! You need just 3 basic ingredients and a few minutes of prep time to get these sweet potatoes in the oven.
Tip!
To roast a medley of vegetables, and for more tips and seasoning suggestions, check out my ultimate guide to Oven Roasted Vegetables.
5 Star Review
“I just made these and they are DELICIOUS! I can’t stop eating them! Really like the spice combination.”
— Cheska —
How to Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes
The Ingredients
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- Sweet Potatoes. Red or orange sweet potatoes will give you the sweetest results with that signature velvety interior. White and purple varieties are also sweet, but they’re more starchy and fluffy inside. Look for sweet potatoes with smooth skin and no mushy or soft spots.
- Honey or Pure Maple Syrup. Optional, but great if you want to lean into the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes and carmelize them further.
Optional Seasonings of Choice:
- Ground Black Pepper. My seasoning of choice when I’m making oven-roasted sweet potatoes.
- Chili Powder. A great option if you’re serving these potatoes as a side for Tofu Tacos or Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas.
- Ground Cinnamon. For a warm cinnamon flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Chipotle Chili Powder. For heat and smokiness.
The Directions
- Prepare. Scrub the sweet potato and peel if desired (you can leave the skin on the sweet potatoes if you like).
- Slice into Rounds. Trim off the ends of the sweet potatoes. Cut the sweet potato cubes into 1-inch thick rounds. Depending upon the shape of the sweet potato, you will have some rounds that are very wide in diameter (large) and some that are narrower.
- Cut the Rounds into Chunks. Lay the cut side of each round down on your cutting board so that it rests flat. Cut each round so that you have pieces that are roughly 1-inch in size. Very large rounds I cut into fourths or even sixths. Smaller rounds I cut in half.
- Season. Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil and seasoning and arrange them on the pan.
- Roast. Bake the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes, flip, and continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes more. Season to taste and ENJOY!
Additional Seasoning Suggestions
- Spicy. Add a 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to kick things up a notch.
- Herb. Add 1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil, or Italian seasoning.
- Parmesan. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan over the top of your roasted sweet potatoes for a delicious finish.
- Ground Cumin. Add 1/2 teaspoon for a rich, earthy flavor with a hint of citrus.
- Garlic Powder. A 1/2 teaspoon will taste slightly sweeter and less assertive than fresh garlic.
- Brown Sugar. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar for a sweet, caramelized flavor.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate roasted sweet potatoes in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm potatoes on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F.
- To Freeze. Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Leftover Ideas
These healthy oven roasted sweet potatoes are versatile! Make a big batch, then use the leftovers in a variety of ways:
- Top them with a runny egg and avocado for a delicious sweet potato hash, or give this tasty Sweet Potato Hash a try.
- Toss them into your favorite salad for a crispy, nutritious addition.
- Add them to this hearty Mexican Salad.
- Add them to these healthy Whole30 Vegetarian Power Bowls.
What to Serve with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Chicken. Whether you opt for simple Grilled Chicken Breast or a more composed dish like Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast, sweet potatoes pair nicely.
- Mexican and Tex-Mex. Try oven roasted sweet potatoes with spiced foods like Beef Fajitas, Chicken Quesadillas, or Vegetarian Enchiladas.
- Chili. Sweet potatoes cool off a bowl of Healthy Turkey Chili, White Chicken Chili, or Vegetarian Chili.
- Fish. Both mild fish like Pan-Fried Cod and more robust fish like Honey Garlic Salmon work well with roasted sweet potatoes.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Sheet. Enjoy roasted vegetables any night of the week with this tool.
- Fish Spatula. Great for flipping fish and veggies.
- Sharp Chef’s Knife. You’ll keep this tool for a lifetime.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Peeled vs. Unpeeled. The skins of sweet potatoes are safe to eat and contain nutrients such as fiber and antioxidants. Whether or not you peel the potato is completely personal preference. The skin will add a little texture, so if you are serving children or sensitive eaters, consider peeling the sweet potatoes before roasting.
- Cut (Almost) Uniform Pieces. To make sure the sweet potatoes cook evenly, try to cut them all roughly the same size. The cut sweet potatoes won’t all be perfectly uniform, which is fine.
- Don’t Second Guess the Temperature. 425 degrees F is spot-on. It’s hot enough to crisp the outsides and allows the flavors of the sweet potatoes to caramelize and concentrate (they truly could be vegetable candy!).
- Don’t Crowd the Pan. You need plenty of room around the pieces for air to circulate, otherwise they will steam and you lose the crispy outsides.
- Add a Touch of Honey. Need to lure picky eaters into eating veggies? Try making honey roasted sweet potatoes. If you do add honey, be sure to line your sheet pan to prevent sticking.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
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Ingredients
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes about 3 medium
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup optional
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Seasonings of Choice* (optional; we usually keep it simple with black pepper)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. For easy clean up, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (this is especially important if using the honey)
- Scrub the sweet potatoes and peel if desired. If scrubbing only, be sure to pat them very dry.
- Trim off the ends of the sweet potatoes, then cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds.
- Cut each round so that you have pieces that are roughly 1-inch in size. They won’t all be perfectly uniform, which is fine. Just try to get them to all be fairly similar in size so that they roast in the same amount of time. Smaller rounds are typically cut into quarters; larger ones you may need to do in 6ths. Place the cubes in the center of the baking sheet.
- Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the oil and honey (if using) and sprinkle with salt and your seasoning(s) of choice.
- Toss to coat the sweet potatoes as evenly as possible, then spread them into a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure the potatoes have a good amount of room around them, or they will steam instead of caramelize. Turn the cubes so that the widest, flattest side of the pieces are touching the sheet pan.
- Roast the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and with a big spatula, turn them to promote even browning. Arrange them back in a single layer. Continue baking for 10 to 20 additional minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork tender and caramelized at the edges. It’s OK if some of the edges get pretty dark—they’ll taste delicious. Taste (be careful, they are hot!) and seasoning with a bit of extra salt as desired. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. See blog post above for storage tips and ways to use them.
Video
Notes
- *You can also do a mix of seasonings. If using spicy seasonings, like chipotle chili powder, be careful not to overdo it. When using spicy seasonings (such as chili powder or chipotle chili powder), I like to add honey too.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate sweet potatoes in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm potatoes on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
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These are great! KID APPROVED! So simple and easy to cook. I doubled the ingredients to have extra leftovers.
That’s always a plus! Thank you Annie!
These are so good! I love sweet potatoes in all their forms but was kind of skeptical with the addition of honey, but it was really good! These will be on rotation at our house for sure now! On a side note – I put the leftovers into my salsa verde chicken burritos and it was delicious!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Aimee! Thank you!
Absolute delicious! I added maple syrup and cinnamon !
Great to hear, thank you Kate!
Delicious and so easy to cook! Thank you, Erin :)
Thank you Fer!
I make these often. One of my favorite dishes. They taste great and are easy to make. Parchment paper makes clean-up easy.
Thank you!