Sweet Potato Hash

Hash is an American and Northern European dish traditionally consisting of onions, meat, and potatoes. The word “hash” comes from the French “hacher” which means to chop.

However, with this sweet potato hash, we wanted to provide you with a more modern, healthier recipe that you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We are heavily inspired by Mexican cuisine for this recipe. We combine black beans, lime, peppers, and cilantro to create this colorful, nutritious, and, most importantly, delicious meal.

The number one tip we can give you when making sweet potato hash is to roast the potatoes in the oven (or in an air fryer) until they are very tender and golden brown.

This way, they’ll develop and delicious caramelized and slightly charred flavor that will make the best sweet potato hash you’ve ever had.

Sweet potatoes

We use orange sweet potatoes that you can find in most supermarkets. We recommend peeling them off and cutting them into bite-size pieces.

Also, we strongly recommend roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven with olive oil, salt, and paprika (or smoked paprika) before mixing them with the other ingredients.

You can add garlic powder and onion powder for even more flavor.

Oven roasting at high temperatures will soften the spuds making them incredibly tender; the starches will break down and caramelize, and load the potatoes with an incredible flavor. We think it’s so much better than cooking them in a pan.

Substitute roasted kabocha squash for sweet potatoes.

Flavor base

To give plenty of flavors, we gently fry yellow onion, garlic, and cumin in extra virgin olive oil.

Substitute vegetable oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil for olive oil.

You can add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or chili powder for a spicy twist.

Black beans

We use canned black beans. We drain the beans from their liquid and rinse them well to prevent bloating.

You can also use dry black beans that you previously soaked in water for 8 hours, then boiled in lightly salted water until tender.

Substitute pinto beans or red kidney beans for black beans. You can replace the beans with other veggies, such as chopped kale or spinach.

Yellow bell pepper

Yellow bell pepper adds crunch and sweetness to the sweet potato hash.

Substitute green bell pepper or red bell pepper for yellow bell pepper.

Scallions

We use the white and light green part of the scallions to add freshness to the hash and the green tops for garnish.

Salt and pepper

We recommend sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Toppings we recommend

1. Roast the sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-size dice (3/4 inch or 2 cm).

Arrange them on the baking sheet, toss them with olive oil, salt, and paprika, and spread them out on a single layer without overlapping.

Roast at 400°F or 200°C for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender and slightly charred on top.

Tip: the golden-brown color equals flavor, so keep them long enough in the oven to develop that lovely brown hue. You can also air fry the sweet potato.

2. Mix in a skillet

In a large pan, well-seasoned cast iron skillet, or enameled cast iron skillet, warm up the olive oil, then add the chopped onion and fry on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add grated garlic and cumin and fry for 1 more minute or until you smell their fragrant aroma.

To the same pot, add diced yellow bell pepper and drained and rinsed black beans, and stir them in the onion for a couple of minutes.

Then add the roasted sweet potatoes and thinly sliced scallions – only the white and light-green parts.

Season with salt and black pepper and stir fry for 5 minutes.

Taste and adjust for salt, then serve the sweet potato hash with your favorite toppings.

At a minimum, we recommend fresh lime to squeeze on top and thinly sliced green tops of the scallions.

Serve sweet potato hash with nachos, tacos, or in a tortilla with a selection of toppings and sauces:

• Sliced avocado, cilantro, and lime.
• Sour cream (cashew nuts, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar).
• Guacamole (avocado, lime juice, tomato, red onion, cilantro).
• Avocado spread (avocado, tahini, lemon, garlic, salt).
• Roasted bell pepper (bell pepper, olive oil, fresh herbs, salt).
• Tomato salsa or tomato salad (heirloom tomatoes, red onion, basil, olive oil).
• Tahini sauce (tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, garlic).

You can also serve it as a vegetable side dish for brunch, lunch, or dinner, topped with crumbled feta cheese (or dairy-free feta) and lime.

Roast the sweet potatoes

Roasting the sweet potatoes at high temperatures (around 400°F or 200°C) starts the Maillard reaction.

The Maillard reaction produces hundreds of different flavor compounds that manifest in the brown color around the sweet potato dice.

Simply put, sweet potatoes browned in the oven make a delicious sweet potato hash.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make ahead: this is an excellent recipe to make ahead and for meal prep, as it keeps well in the fridge for several days. You can also roast the sweet potatoes in advance and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer: let the hash cool down completely, then transfer it into a freezer-friendly bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw: thaw in the fridge, over several hours, or with the help of a microwave.

Reheat: warm the leftovers in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.

Love cooking and eating sweet potatoes? Get easy and wholesome dinner ideas from these favorite reader recipes:

• Sweet potato chili (sweet potato, black beans, canned tomato, corn, adobo pepper).
• Easy sweet potato curry (coconut milk, ginger, garlic, coriander, curry, garam masala).
• Sweet potato gnocchi (microwave sweet potato, flour, salt, sage, butter).
• Microwave sweet potato (sweet potato, chickpea salad, or couscous salad).
• Black bean salad (beans, green pepper, avocado, lime juice, corn, cilantro).
• Sweet potato salad (arugula, dried cranberries, feta, roasted sweet potato, maple syrup).

Whether you’re looking for new breakfast or brunch ideas, these savory meals are great for easy breakfast inspiration:

• Tofu scramble ( nutritional yeast, soy milk, fresh parsley, mushrooms).
• Chickpea muffins (chickpea flour, frozen peas, water, olive oil, carrot).
• Nut-free vegan cream cheese (tofu, tahini, parsley, salt, pepper).
• Potato leek frittata (chickpea flour, leek, potato, parsley, olive oil, turmeric).
• Pan-fried zucchini frittata (zucchini, nutritional yeast, red onion, garbanzo bean flour).

For many more breakfast ideas, check out our breakfast category page.