Roasted Sweet Potatoes
How to make the BEST Roasted Sweet Potatoes with perfectly tender centers and delicious caramelized edges. This is one of the very best sweet potato recipes I’ve tried!
If I had to choose a favorite roasted vegetable, it would likely be these roasted sweet potatoes. Like all roasted vegetables, they are incredibly simple to prepare. As the sweet potatoes bake in the oven, the edges brown and caramelize against the hot pan. Those crispy toasted edges are completely irresistible! I think they taste like toasted marshmallows, sadly my kids don’t agree. Regardless, I’m always tempted to eat more than my fair share of these sweet potatoes, straight from the pan.
This basic recipe is one we make a couple of times a month. It’s a delicious healthy side dish that you’ll want to add to your recipe collection.
Why You’ll Love These Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Easy: It takes about 5 minutes to chop and season the sweet potatoes, and then the oven does the rest.
- Naturally Sweet: Roasting sweet potatoes brings out their natural sugars. Their sweet-savory flavor makes them a favorite with adults and kids alike.
- Versatile: Enjoy this sweet potato recipe as a side dish, or add the roasted sweet potatoes to burrito bowls, enchiladas, salads and more.
- Healthy: With just 4 simple ingredients, this healthy sweet potato recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan.
This recipe would be a lovely simple side dish for your holiday table. It’s also perfect for making on a busy weeknight.
Keep reading for my tips for how to roast sweet potatoes perfectly, every time.
Should You Peel Sweet Potatoes for Roasting?
Whether or not to peel those potatoes is totally up to you and your preference. Sometimes I peel them, sometimes I don’t. One reason to leave the skins on is for added texture, fiber and other nutrients. I especially recommend leaving the skins on when making Sweet Potato Fries, since the skins help the fries to crisp up in the oven. If you’re preparing the potatoes for young kids who shy away from texture, you may want to peel the potatoes before chopping.
How to Chop Sweet Potatoes
First, slice the sweet potatoes into rounds. Then cut each round into slices and finally cubes.
How big should the sweet potato pieces be? I’ve tested chopping them up anywhere between small 1/2-inch pieces to larger 1-inch pieces. I found the best roasted sweet potatoes to be right in the middle: 3/4-inch pieces. This size chop will give you enough surface area for good caramelization without taking too long to cook through (in which case the edges could burn by the time the centers are done).
How to Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Peel the sweet potatoes, if desired. Then chop them into 3/4-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle olive oil over the sweet potatoes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the potatoes in the oil and seasonings.
- Spread the sweet potatoes out on the pan so that there is some room in between each piece. This step is key for making the best sweet potatoes.
- Bake at 425° F for 15 minutes. Then flip/toss the potatoes and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until they are tender in the middle and golden brown on the edges.
Tips for the Best Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Choose small to medium sweet potatoes. Extra large ones have less flavor and can be dried out in the center.
- Chop them into evenly sized pieces for even cooking.
- Don’t crowd the pan. An overcrowded pan will cause the sweet potatoes to steam cook, which prevents those crispy, browned edges that we love. Use two baking sheets if needed.
- Bake at a high temperature for good caramelization. 425° F is perfect.
- Toss or flip the potato pieces halfway through the cooking time to promote even browning.
- Bake them until they are browned on some edges. This gives you the best roasted flavor!
Seasoning Ideas
Most of the time we season our oven roasted sweet potatoes with just olive oil, salt and pepper to let the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes shine. When you want to punch up the flavors, try one of these delicious recipe variations:
- Cinnamon and Honey: Try this Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes recipe. Pure maple syrup can be substituted for the honey, if desired.
- Savory: After tossing with olive oil, sprinkle on chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin and salt, to taste. Then bake.
- Garlic Parmesan: Another delicious savory twist on this easy recipe! Toss the sweet potato cubes with olive oil, 2-3 cloves of fresh minced garlic, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then bake.
- Cajun Spice: For delicious spicy roasted sweet potatoes, toss them with olive oil and Cajun Seasoning, to taste, and then bake.
- Brown Sugar: In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon each of melted butter and olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon and salt. Toss with cubed sweet potatoes and then bake.
Serving Suggestions
These sweet potatoes make a great side dish alongside chicken, pork or steak. You can also use them as an ingredient to add a pop of color and nutrition to your favorite meals. Try them in:
- Burrito Bowls: Combine rice, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado and salsa for a quick lunch or dinner.
- Vegetarian Enchiladas: Together with black beans, sweet potatoes make a hearty vegetarian enchilada filling.
- Breakfast Burritos: They’re a perfect way to add extra flavor to your Breakfast Burritos!
- Salads: Add them to this Southwest Quinoa Salad or a Cobb Salad.
Storage and Reheating Tips
These roasted sweet potatoes are perfect for meal prep! Cook up a batch one day and enjoy with your favorite meals over the next few days.
- To Store: Store cooked sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or in a 375° F oven until heated through.
More Delicious Sweet Potato Recipes
Love roasted sweet potatoes? Try one of these sweet potato recipes next!
Grab your sheet pan and cook up a batch of these roasted sweet potatoes today. They’re sure to disappear faster than you thought possible!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt, or to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the sweet potatoes, if desired. Or, leave the skins on for added texture. Chop the potatoes into ¾-inch cubes and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat the potatoes with the oil and seasonings. Spread the sweet potato pieces out on the pan so that there is some room in between each piece (if the pan is too crowded bake on 2 baking sheets).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then toss/flip the sweet potato pieces and continue baking for 10-15 minutes more, until they are golden brown on the edges and tender in the middle. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Store roasted sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 375° F oven.
Hey Kristine, just spotted your Roasted Sweet Potato recipe – will indulge this weekend!
Here’s a request you may not hear too much: Typically you tout really “easy” recipes to make….and they’re all good. How about sprinkling in a few “hard” or “difficult” recipes? In our home recipe file, we really have a lot of fun (me and spouse) putting these types of meals/recipes together – to great satisfaction, every once in a while – like once or twice a month. I’ll bet you have a number of these types of recipes that you might be willing to share. What do you say?
Thanks for considering! David T.