There’s a reason why sweet potatoes are so popular: they’re versatile, delicious, comforting, and generally easy to cook up! This roasted sweet potato recipe is no exception! They are crispy and tender, serve well with almost any meal (see my recommendations below!), and are made with just a few doable recipe steps that even the novice cook can conquer.
Though these potatoes are delicious when classically seasoned with salt and pepper, you can step the basic recipe up a notch by sprinkling them with pantry staples such as garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, or cinnamon. Adjust the seasonings as you see fit, and match the main dishes you are serving with the potatoes. There’s really no way to go wrong with this dish! For more tasty sweet potato recipes, check out my recipe for mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries recipe, and sweet potato biscuits recipe!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sweet Potatoes – choose sweet potatoes that have smooth, orangey brown or red skin and are heavy and dense for their size. Jewel and garnet variety sweet potatoes are my favorite for their deep color and ability to caramelize and sweeten up as they roast. Occasionally, sweet potatoes are labeled as “yams” in grocery stores. If said yams fit these descriptions, they will work wonderfully in this recipe! Finally, always scrub the potatoes well before peeling and cutting and cut the sweet potato cubes into similar-sized pieces.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – provides rich undertones to the oven-roasted sweet potatoes, helps to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the baking sheet, and aids in creating those desirable crispy edges. Extra virgin olive oil adds the most flavor and dimension to the recipe, but virgin and pure olive oil also work, as does avocado oil or vegetable oil.
Seasonings – sea salt and black pepper enhance the natural sweetness and caramel notes of the potatoes, making them essential to the recipe. Add extra optional spices, like garlic powder, ground cumin, chili powder, paprika, or ground cinnamon if desired for a savory, zippy, and/or warm-spiced finish!
How to Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Peel off the sweet potato skins and cut the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes.
2. Place the sweet potato chunks on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. If desired, add any of the additional seasonings (all or some) to the potatoes.
3. Toss the potatoes in the seasonings until coated evenly. Spread the potatoes out on a single layer.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Serve immediately!
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use a large baking sheet. The potatoes will roast the best when they have plenty of space to spread out on the pan, so always choose a large enough pan that the potatoes have room for the hot air to circulate around them. Otherwise, the potatoes will steam rather than roast and not get crispy. Additionally, a rimmed sheet pan will help prevent potatoes from falling off the pan when you season or turn them.
- Stir the potatoes throughout the roasting time. This will help them to cook evenly and to prevent burning. Additionally, if your oven has hot spots, consider rotating the pan after stirring.
- Checking the potatoes for doneness. Different varieties of sweet potatoes can cook at different speeds, so check the potatoes for doneness towards the end of the cooking time by piercing them with a fork. Once you can pierce the potatoes easily – that is, with no resistance – they are cooked through.
- Tips for easy clean-up. Toss the vegetables with the oil and seasonings on the sheet pan instead of in a bowl to save on dirtying extra dishes. Make clean-up even more effortless by lining the baking sheet with parchment paper before adding the ingredients and seasoning.
- Optional variation. For a hint of extra sweetness in the sweet potatoes recipe, just drizzle or sprinkle 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or light brown sugar along with the spices before roasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat them in the microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through. Unfortunately, the texture of the sweet potatoes is compromised during freezing and thawing so they do not freeze well.
Oven-roasted sweet potatoes are a versatile and delicious side dish that pairs well with so many main dishes. Serve them in a grain bowl with black beans or as a side with my recipe for roasted chicken, black bean burgers recipe, or turkey meatloaf recipe. You can also add a delicious new spin to your holiday feasts by adding this easy side dish to the menu as well.
You do not need to peel the sweet potatoes before cutting and roasting, though I do prefer to do so. The potatoes are more tender and sweet without the fibrous skin, but if you prefer to keep the skin on for any reason, it is edible, and you are welcome to do so.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this roasted sweet potato recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 large potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional seasonings:
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder or paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes, then place on a large baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If desired, add any of the additional seasonings (all or some), then toss the potatoes to coat evenly.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until fork tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a large baking sheet. The potatoes will roast the best when they have plenty of space to spread out on the pan, so always choose a large enough pan that the potatoes have room for the hot air to circulate around them. Otherwise, the potatoes will steam rather than roast and not get crispy. Additionally, a rimmed sheet pan will help prevent potatoes from falling off the pan when you season or turn them.
- Stir the potatoes throughout the roasting time. This will help them to cook evenly and to prevent burning. Additionally, if your oven has hot spots, consider rotating the pan after stirring.
- Checking the potatoes for doneness. Different varieties of sweet potatoes can cook at different speeds, so check the potatoes for doneness towards the end of the cooking time by piercing them with a fork. Once you can pierce the potatoes easily – that is, with no resistance – they are cooked through.
- Tips for easy clean-up. Toss the vegetables with the oil and seasonings on the sheet pan instead of in a bowl to save on dirtying extra dishes. Make clean-up even more effortless by lining the baking sheet with parchment paper before adding the ingredients and seasoning.
- Optional variation. For a hint of extra sweetness in the sweet potatoes recipe, just drizzle or sprinkle 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or light brown sugar along with the spices before roasting.
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