Roasted sweet potatoes are quick, tasty, and easy to prepare. Serve them as a side dish or use them to make other delicious recipes.
The sweet potatoes are tender, slightly browned, naturally sweet, and flavorful.
They are an excellent addition to a Thanksgiving feast, a black bean salad and feta sweet potato salad.
Table of Contents
Our roasted sweet potato recipe is an easy vegetable side dish seasoned with olive oil and spices and oven-roasted for 30 minutes.
Tender and naturally caramelized sweet potatoes make a versatile base for many dishes, from salad recipes to grain bowls and as filling in tortillas and burritos.
While roasting at high temperatures, the starch transforms into natural sugars, developing a tender, sweet profile.
Serve this roasted vegetable alongside protein-rich recipes like black bean burger, refried beans, or savory lentil loaf.
These nutritious tubers retain their health benefits thanks to their high fiber content, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Because they’re simple to prepare, this sweet potato recipe is a side dish for everyday vegetarian dinners or special holiday meals.
Ingredients for roasted sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes
We use orange sweet potatoes with a brown, reddish peel. They are the most common ones you can find in most supermarkets.
Please note that in some stores in the US, sweet potatoes are incorrectly labeled Yams, although Yams are a different vegetable that is not even distantly related to sweet potatoes.
For this recipe, we prefer to cook our sweet potatoes without the peel, but you can leave the peel on and eat them, just as our sweet potato wedges.
If you do so, scrub the spuds well under cold water before cooking them.
Orange sweet potatoes are tasty, healthy, and rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and C, fiber, and minerals.
To pick good sweet potatoes, ensure they are free of bruises, brown moldy spots, and hard to the touch. They should not yield to pressure when you squeeze them in the palm of your hand.
Olive oil
Heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil adds a subtle fruity taste to the potatoes and helps cook them faster and more evenly.
If you don’t have extra virgin, go for regular olive oil.
Garlic powder
Garlic powder adds a pleasant aroma to the roasted chunks of sweet potatoes, and we recommend it. You can substitute a couple of freshly crushed garlic cloves for the powder.
Paprika
Paprika adds a mild earthiness with a naturally sweet and peppery taste. It fits the garlic and the potatoes well.
Salt and pepper
We think sweet potatoes need salt and black pepper before cooking. However, if you are on a low-sodium diet, you can reduce the salt based on your needs.
We recommend using sea salt or kosher salt for the best taste and freshly ground black pepper for the best aroma.
Other ingredients
Other spices and herbs that go very well with roasted sweet potatoes are fresh or dry rosemary, sage, thyme, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, parsley, and cilantro.
Tahini sauce, chipotle sauce, vegan mayo, avocado spread, guacamole, and cilantro lime dressing go well with roasted sweet potatoes.
Note: This recipe omits sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, sugar) since the starch in the potatoes gets converted into sugar as they roast. Thus, roasted sweet potatoes have a pleasant natural sweet taste.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a baking sheet (or a sheet pan) with parchment paper.
Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes, then peel them with a vegetable peeler.
If you want to make them with the peel on, scrub them well with a brush, wash them, and pat them dry.
Chop the potatoes into bite-size 1-inch cubes (2.5 cm) with a sharp knife.
Transfer the sweet potato cubes onto the baking sheet and season with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Toss well with your hands to distribute the seasoning, then spread the cubes on the tray on a single layer without overlapping.
Tip: At this stage, add other spices and herbs, such as chopped rosemary and sage.
Bake at 400°F or 200°C for 30 to 45 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and slightly browned on the edges.
Tip: browning is essential to add flavor. Your potatoes might be tender after 25 minutes but not brown yet. If so, bake them until slightly brown on the edges.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve as is, with a side dip. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh parsley.
Note: Oven-roasted sweet potatoes should be slightly browned outside and tender inside, naturally sweet, slightly charred on the edges, and have an intense earthy taste.
Variations
Sweet potato wedges
The process and cooking time are the same as for roasted sweet potatoes, but fresh rosemary and crushed garlic are the main seasoning ingredients in this recipe.
Sweet potato fries
You can cut your sweet potatoes into fries to give them a different shape.
For maximum crispiness, cut your sweet potatoes into uniform, ¼-inch thick strips, and roast them at 425°F (220°C) for about 25-30 minutes.
It is crucial to prevent steaming by flipping them halfway through and arranging them in a single layer.
Serving suggestions
Roasted sweet potatoes go well with black beans, quinoa, and rice. It is also delicious as a side dish with a drizzle of tahini sauce and fresh parsley.
IN SALADS: lentil quinoa salad, sweet potato lentil salad, easy lentil salad, black bean salad.
Storage
Make ahead: To make roasted sweet potatoes ahead, bake them halfway through and do the second part of the baking shortly before serving them.
Refrigerator: Store roasted sweet potato leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for three minutes before serving.
Freezer: Let sweet potatoes cool down completely, transfer them into a freezer–friendly bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the fridge overnight or in the microwave. Reheat in the microwave.
Questions
No, there is no need to parboil sweet potatoes before roasting.
No, there is no need to soak sweet potatoes before roasting.
Bake sweet potatoes at a high temperature. We find that anything between 400°F and 450°F works well.
The fastest way to cook sweet potatoes is in the microwave (5 minutes), followed by air frying (15 minutes), boiling, and oven roasting (30 minutes).
Yes, roasted sweet potatoes are a healthy choice, provided you don’t cook them with marshmallows or coat them in honey or sugar.
Thanks to their many health benefits, they can be considered a superfood.
Sweet potatoes preserve most of their vitamins (C and A), antioxidants, and minerals when oven-roasted.
They are rich in fiber and low in calories, promote good gut health and a healthy heart, and keep you nourished and satiated.
Also, did you know that the longest-living people on earth, on the island of Okinawa in Japan, eat a diet primarily of purple and orange sweet potatoes?
Similar recipes
SWEET POTATO RECIPES: Microwave sweet potatoes, sweet potato bread, sweet potato curry, vegan sweet potato casserole, sweet potato gnocchi.
ROASTED VEGETABLES: Roasted bell peppers, potatoes, roasted vegetables, roasted zucchini, roasted eggplants, Brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes chopped into 1-Inch dice (2.5cm)
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Rinse, dry, and peel the sweet potatoes. With a sharp knife, chop them into 1-Inch cubes (2.5 cm).
- Transfer the sweet potato cubes onto the baking sheet and season with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.Toss well with your hands to distribute the seasoning, then spread out the cubes on the tray on a single layer without overlapping.
- Bake in the oven at 400°F or 200°C for 30 to 45 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and slightly browned on the edges.
- Transfer onto a serving platter and serve as is, with a side dip, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I’m allergic to tahini, is there a different type of sauce you can recommend. Will definitely try the sweet potatoes.
Hi Meredith,
yes sure! You could serve them with a Moroccan Chermoula or with a Vegan Chipotle Sauce. They are both delicious with sweet potatoes.
I hope this helps 🙂
Nico
I usually don’t leave comments but these sweet potatoes were so creamy, dreamy, and full of flavor. I love sweet potatoes but this is the best way I’ve ever had them
That’s fantastic, such good news.
I’m very happy you like them – thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating here!
All the best,
Louise