I started to appreciate sweet potatoes several years ago when I was creating a lot of Whole30 recipes for this website and for my husband and me to eat at home. That’s when I discovered there was just so much I could do with sweet potatoes, from breakfast hash to sweet potato salad. I really came to love the flavor, versatility, and nutritional value of this colorful root vegetable, and sweet potatoes have been a common ingredient in my recipe development for years. I also just love plain cubed and roasted sweet potatoes for adding to dinner bowls and as a healthy side for lunches for me and my kids.
Recipe Highlights
Easy to make: I think baking cubed sweet potatoes on a sheet pan is the easiest way to cook this wonderful veggie, and it doesn’t take much time – just 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes in the oven until they’re fork tender. It would take much longer to cook them in an air fryer or on the stovetop, so oven roasting is my preferred method. If I want a full sweet potato, I use this method for perfect baked sweet potatoes or Instant Pot sweet potatoes.
Nutritious: Sweet potatoes offer many nutrients and health benefits, including being an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and fiber. They also contain high amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, as well as essential minerals like manganese, copper, and potassium. Plus they’re a source of powerful antioxidants, naturally gluten free, and work well in a variety of special diets.
Delicious side dish: By cooking sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, they get nicely browned and caramelized on the outside while remaining soft and tender on the inside. The natural sweetness comes through in the roasted potatoes, making them a great match for a variety of main dishes.
Main Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes – I shop for medium sweet potatoes because I think they have the best texture and flavor. But if the only sweet potatoes you can find are on the larger size, they will work just fine. I typically bake about 1 ½ pounds of them at a time, but a little more or less works just as well. You can peel the sweet potatoes before baking, but I leave the peel on because it tastes just fine and even introduces more fiber.
- Oil – I typically toss the sweet potato cubes with avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil to introduce some good-for-me monounsaturated fats.
- Seasonings – I think simple seasonings like chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt are great matches for sweet potatoes.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Switch Up The Seasonings
Feel free to change up the seasonings, as sweet potatoes are very versatile. Garlic powder and chili powder are my go-to for seasoning the sweet potatoes but I do like to change up the seasonings depending what I’m serving them with. Other seasonings I sometimes use include onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, ground cumin, chipotle powder or cayenne, and/or cinnamon. If you want sweet potatoes with a sweeter flavor profile, try cooking them in a little maple syrup or brown sugar.
What To Pair With These Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a great match for a variety of flavors and healthy sweet potato recipes. I find that I pair them most often with eggs, black beans, quinoa, avocado, chicken, pork, and ground beef.
They’re a natural pairing for sloppy joe meat in these favorite sloppy joe bowls. And they also make a great addition to salads, tacos, burritos, soups, chilis, curry, and sheet pan dinners. One of my favorite ways to enjoy roasted sweet potatoes is as part of an egg scramble. They add nutritious carbs and make my breakfast more filling.
Storage Instructions
After I cook sweet potatoes, I let them cool on the sheet pan before transferring to an airtight container. Then I store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
The key to crispy sweet potatoes is to toss them with oil and then bake them directly on a baking sheet in a hot preheated oven, and then toss them once during the baking time.
One reason roasted sweet potatoes may not get crispy is if the baking sheet is lined with parchment paper. While this does make for easier clean up, sweet potatoes tend to get more caramelized and browned if they’re baked right on the sheet pan without parchment. Other reasons may be that the oven is not hot enough, too much oil is used, or the baking time is too short.
Yes, sweet potatoes are easy to cook ahead of time, and then store in the refrigerator. They can be eaten cold or reheated in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop.
More Simple Side Dishes
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe
This simple method is an easy and fast way to cook sweet potato cubes for enjoying this nutritious and delicious veggie as a side dish or adding to dinner bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes (2 large or 3 medium)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. While the oven is preheating, wash and cube the sweet potatoes into about ½ -1 inch cubes, making sure the cubes are similar in size. Should equal about 6 cups.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and season with the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and toss. Place back in the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the sweet potatoes start to brown.
- Remove from the oven, toss, and add additional salt to taste.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Notes
Feel free to change up the seasonings, as sweet potatoes are very versatile. Garlic powder and chili powder are my go-to for seasoning the sweet potatoes but I do like to change up the seasonings depending what I’m serving them with. Other seasonings I sometimes use include onion powder, Italian seasoning, ground cumin, chipotle powder or cayenne, and/or cinnamon.
Make sweet potato fries: You can use this same oven-roasting method to make sweet potato fries, too. Instead of cutting the sweet potatoes into cubes, cut them lengthwise into ½-inch thick slabs, then cut the slabs into sticks. Spread them in a single layer and bake for 20-24 minutes.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 74
- Fat: 2 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Carbohydrate: 14 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 3 g)
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
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