Dont Stop Until Deeply Caramelized
If you roast the sweet potatoes long enough, their sugars will start to caramelize against the pan. Those caramelized bits are the best parts! Dont worry if you see a few spots that look burnttake it as a sign that your sweet potatoes are done. In all likelihood, the sweet potatoes will still taste great.
How To Cut A Sweet Potato For Roasting
Now that weve got the perfect cubes for roasting, lets talk about the rest of the process.
How To Store And Reheat
Sweet potatoes are a great meal prep ingredient! Bake a few at the beginning of the week to enjoy throughout the week. Theyre super easy to store if you have leftovers.
- To store: Place the whole or halved sweet potato, or the scooped out flesh in a storage container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
- To freeze: If you have a lot of leftovers, you can freeze them! Just scoop out the flesh into a storage container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Pop the sweet potato in the microwave for a couple of minutes or in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
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Secrets To The Best Sweet Potatoes In The Oven
With their natural sweetness, crispy outsides, and meltingly creamy insides, roasted sweet potatoes are quite possibly one of the easiest vegetables to adore. Discerning adults and picky eaters alike can rally around them. And theyre good for you too!
We eat roasted sweet potatoes often and were perfectly happy with them , so I didnt think my technique needed improving. Then, one night, I was in a hurry and I tried something new.
I cut the sweet potatoes into large chunks.
GAME CHANGER.
Expert Tips For Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- First, be sure to cut your potatoes into equal-sized pieces. I recommend cutting them into 1/2 pieces because they will roast in 30 minutes. The bigger you cut them the longer it will take them to roast. If your diced sweet potatoes are all different sizes they wont cook evenly the small ones will burn before the bigger ones are done!
- Use the right amount of oil! For this recipe that serves four, I think 2 tablespoons of olive oil is the perfect amount. The oil gives the potatoes flavor but it also ensures that they dont stick to the pan.
- Dont overcrowd the pan. In order to roast, the potatoes need to release their moisture so be sure to give them plenty of space. If they are crowded together they will end up steaming and wont turn crispy and golden.
Do you leave the skin on sweet potato when roasting?
Its up to you! I prefer to peel my sweet potatoes for roasting because I like the texture and flavor of the potatoes without the skins. You dont have to peel them and the skin is full of nutrients!
Should sweet potatoes be boiled before roasting?
For this recipe, its not necessary to parboil the sweet potatoes before roasting them. In some cases, you might want to parboil them if you want them to roast faster so it really depends on the recipe!
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More Ways To Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes
In the mood for something different? You can also make whole roasted sweet potatoes, or cut your potatoes into alternate shapes and its a whole new recipe. Here are a few options:
- Bake them whole. Make Baked Sweet Potatoes, which are perfect for stuffing and turning into a meal.
- Bake them halved. Cut them in half and they roast even faster! Try Quick Baked Sweet Potatoes.
- Make sweet potato wedges. Slice them into wedges and theyre ideal finger food. Go to Sweet Potato Wedges.
How To Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes
1. Prepare the seasoning. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes. Slice the potato into 1/2 inch thick rounds, then into 1/2 inch equal sized cubes.
3. Season the sweet potatoes. Toss sweet potato cubes in olive oil, then add seasoning and toss to coat.
4. Roast the sweet potatoes. Place the seasoned sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet with about a half-inch in between each one. Sprinkle with a pinch of brown sugar. Roast for 15 minutes, toss and continue roasting for 10-15 mins until golden brown and crispy.
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How To Cut Sweet Potatoes For Roasting
To make sure the sweet potato pieces cook evenly, try to cut them all roughly the same size. This can be a little tricky depending upon the shape of your sweet potato. Here are my best tips for cutting.
The cut sweet potatoes wont 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.
Storing Roasted Sweet Potatoes
If you have any leftovers store them in an air tighter container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
The best way to reheat leftovers is to spread them out on a sheet pan and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-15 minutes or until hot.They can also be reheated in the microwave, but they will be a little more mushy.
Leftovers can also be frozen in an airtight freezer container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat according to directions above.
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Do You Need To Peel Sweet Potatoes Before Roasting
This is a personal question and really depending on your personal taste. Sweet potato skins are 100% edible and become crispy in the oven while roasting, just like regular potatoes so there is no need to peel them. Plus all the nutrition is in the skin!
You can peel them though if that makes you more comfortable and they will still be absolutely incredible. You can always adjust this recipe to suit your taste. That also goes for the seasonings.
How To Baked Sweet Potatoes:
Here is my favorite method for how to make baked sweet potatoes in the oven
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How To Roast Sweet Potatoes
You dont even need a recipe for making roasted sweet potatoes! Make this recipe once exactly as written, just to get a feel for the amounts of flavoring. Then you can go free form: and its easy to memorize too! Here are the basic steps, then a little more detail in the sections below :
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Dice the sweet potatoes into 3/4-inch chunks.
- Season with olive oil, salt and garlic powder .
- Roast about 25 minutes, until tender. No need to stir!
How To Make The Best Roasted Sweet Potatoes
The inside flesh of roasted sweet potatoes is naturally sweet, and one of their superfood merits. So, yes, you could slice your sweet potatoes into bite size pieces, drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper, pop in the oven, and call it good. But as usual, I couldnt leave well enough alone.
Heres what youll need for these roasted sweet potatoes:
- Any variety of sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup or other liquid sweetener of your choice
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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More Delectable Sweet Potato Recipes:
Check out these sweet potato cookies!
I also made some SKINNY sweet potato donutsthey sure dont look or taste skinny, though!
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are a favorite here too.
These make a great side dish at Thanksgiving, right along side my favorite sausage dressing.
Follow me on social for more recipe ideas & inspiration!
Dont Overcrowd The Pan
Like all vegetables, sweet potatoes need some breathing room on the pan. Otherwise, the cubes will produce so much steam that theyll never turn golden on the edges. Its better to use two pans, arranged on separate racks near the middle of the oven, than to cram too much onto one pan.
Tip: Here are my favorite large, rimmed baking sheets . Each of these pans can accommodate up to two pounds of sweet potatoes.
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Variations On This Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe:
- Instead of oregano, you can use rosemary or thyme
- Toss the sweet potato cubes with some ground cinnamon before they go into the oven, then add a generous drizzle of honey or maple syrup about halfway through the cooking time, and youll have a batch of healthy vegetables that tastes like nature’s candy.
- Smoky aromas like ground cumin, smoked Spanish paprika, and chili powder also make a perfect pairing – especially if you are planning on using these as a tacos filling.
- You could use onion powder instead of garlic powder if you’re not a fan of garlic.
Tips For Making The Perfect Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- Remember that cutting the potatoes into evenly sized pieces ensures they all take the same time to cook.
- Do not skip the oil! A generous drizzle of olive oil helps give the sweet potatoes those gorgeous caramelized, crispy edges.
- Very important: do not crowd the pan. What’s pictured is the MAX you should have on the pan. If more needed, match two batches. Each piece not touching is key to crispy caramelized roasted sweet potatoes – otherwise, they will just steam and be soft on the outside.
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Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Ingredients
Potatoes: for this recipe, I used sweet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Herbs & spices: Kosher salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder
The secret ingredient: sprinkling light brown sugar over the potatoes just before baking with gives them a delicious caramelization and crispy finish.
*For a detailed list of ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes
Despite the name, sweet potatoes are not a type of potato, they are a root vegetable. Usually orange-fleshed in the UK, they can also be purple or white inside. They can be baked, roasted, fried, barbecued, steamed or boiled, and will mash and purée well too. When mashed they make a useful vegetarian filling for dishes like quesadillas and falafel.
Their sweetness also makes them a good candidate to be used in baking such as in a carrot cake or brownies. In America its traditional to add even more sweetness to them by roasting them with maple syrup, adding marshmallows to them in a traybake or using them like pumpkin in a pie.
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How To Pick A Good Sweet Potato
- Red and orange sweet potatoes are often labeled as yams at the grocery store which is actually inaccurate. True yams are starchier and drier than sweet potatoes with a thick and fibrous skin.
- There are lots of different varieties of sweet potatoes: Heres an article that describes some of the different varieties and characteristics.
- I recommend skipping tan or purple skinned sweet potatoes and sticking with orange or red skinned sweet potatoes. This variety are sweeter and have a creamier texture.
- My favorite sweet potatoes for roasting? Either Red Garnet or Jewel.
- When picking a sweet potato at the grocery store look for firm potatoes without growths or discolorations on their skins. Avoid soft or wet potatoes.
- For questions on freshness/how long a sweet potato lasts, check out this article.
Now that youve got some sweet potatoes, lets talk cutting.
There are a lot of different ways that you can cut sweet potatoes for roasting you can make roasted sweet potatoes wedges or crispy roasted sweet potatoes fries. You can even roast sweet potato halves! Thicker, bigger cuts will need a longer bake time, and thinner cuts will need a shorter amount of time in the oven. For this particular recipe, were making roasted sweet potato cubes, and I recommend cutting the sweet potato into ½ inch chunks.
While there isnt one single way to cut a sweet potato into cubes, Ill share my favorite way to cut them below.
Why This Roasted Sweet Potato Recipe Works
- The prep is quick. Just dice the sweet potatoes, toss them with oil and seasoning and pop them in the oven!
- Within 30 minutes theyre hot and crispy on the outside and tender and soft on the inside just the way roasted potatoes should be.
- Sweet Potatoes are high in fiber and vitamin contents making them healthier than regular potatoes.
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How To Roast Sweet Potatoes In The Oven:
Step 4 – Place cut sweet potatoes in the center on a large baking sheet. Do not spread yet. Its easier to get all the pieces coated with spices and oil when they are grouped together. Sprinkle with sweet paprika, oregano, garlic, and salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
Step 5 – Toss until every piece is well coated. Using your hands for tossing is not only the easiest but also the best way. I know its a bit messier than using a wooden spoon or spatula, but those tools simply dont work as well.
Step 6 – Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer, making sure theyre not overlapping. The more room they have the better – it will make them crispier. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are soft inside and a bit crispy outside .
Step 7 – Finish with a few minutes under the broiler to caramelize them further. Keep an eye on them so they dont burn and make sure they are not already too soft inside – you dont want mushy sweet potatoes. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Serve and enjoy!
The Best Ever Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Learn how to make the best ever Roasted Sweet Potatoes in the oven. With this easy roasted sweet potatoes recipe, you will get a crispy caramelized exterior and a soft irresistible interior. The seasonings add a perfect savory accent to these!
In the hierarchy of side dishes, perfectly roasted chunks of pillowy sweet potato will forever sit at the top of my list. Perfectly roasted cubes with a creamy center and golden, caramelized and crispy edges. So irresistible you cant help but sneak them straight off the sheet pan, gladly risking burning both your fingertips and tongue.
This roasted sweet potatoes recipe is one I’ve been making for years, for myself and pretty much every time I have guests over for brunch or dinner and it’s always a big hit!! I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t like them!
Baked sweet potatoes are just the most incredible side dish ready to be served with absolutely anything. Whether you prefer them plain with just a sprinkling of salt or like to give them an extra savory twist by adding some garlic, paprika, and oregano, as I do, theyre SO easy to make! There are just a few key steps to success that I will share with you today.
Choosing And Storing Sweet Potatoes
Picking the right sweet potato can make all the difference when you’re trying to achieve that perfect baked sweet potato. So how do you end up with the right one? Go for thinner, uniform sweet potatoes.
Although you may be tempted to pick the more meatier potato, thinner sweet potatoes will cook evenly all the way through to the center. With fatter sweet potatoes, the outsides will be done before the centers have been fully cooked. If you’ve ever encountered this problem when baking sweet potatoes, it’s probably because you’re cooking with the wrong size.