Easy roasted sweet potatoes made with just a little oil, salt and pepper. They’re a simple and quick side that you can pair with just about any main dish.
Roasted sweet potatoes are a staple in our household. We have them for dinner often and I’ve been making a batch every week (sometimes twice a week) while doing my meal prep. I’ll have a big pot of quinoa cooking, eggs boiling, these little gems roasting all while chopping veggies for the week. Doing a bit of prep work like this makes tossing together meals throughout the week a breeze and is a total game changer when it comes to healthy eating.
When sweet potatoes are roasted this way they turn out crispy on the outside while soft and pillowy on the inside. If you decide to peel them (like I recommend) they simply melt in your mouth.
Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse vegetable! They’re packed with fiber and vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C. They’re also high in antioxidants which help protect your body against free radical damage.
Studies have shown sweet potatoes positively impact gut, brain, eye and immune health. And some studies have shown that certain antioxidants in sweet potatoes may protect against certain cancers. Bottom line? They’re SO good for you and delicious! Now you have no excuses to not incorporate them into your diet. (Source)
When shopping for sweet potatoes, look for firm, unwrinkled skins. Sweet potatoes come in all different colors – creamy white, deep orange and purple. I usually buy Beauregard, Jewel or Garnet sweet potatoes just because those varieties are typically available at my local grocery stores. That said, Beauregard sweet potatoes tend to be stringier so when given the option I go for Jewel or Garnet.
Store your sweet potatoes in your pantry or on the countertop at room temperature. They’ll last about a week before they start to go bad (which usually means getting wrinkly and soft).
Many grocery stores use the terms “yam” and “sweet potato” interchangeably, but the two are actually quite different.
Real yams have rough brown skin, starchy white flesh and a long, cylinder shape. Sweet potatoes usually have smooth, thin orange skin with orange, white or purple flesh. They’re shorter and wider than yams and have a much sweeter taste.
Even if you buy a “yam” at the grocery store you’re more than likely actually buying a sweet potato as yams aren’t widely available at grocery stores throughout the U.S.
Are you ready for this super simple recipe?!
Chop – Prep your sweet potatoes by peeling and chopping them into medium-sized chunks. Try to make them around the same size so that they all cook cohesively. In this recipe I recommend peeling the sweet potatoes, but often times I don’t peel them. It just depends on my mood.
Season – Toss your chopped sweet potatoes with oil and salt + pepper in a large bowl to combine. Pour sweet potato cubes onto a baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up if you want!
Cook – Bake for 30-45 minutes at 400ºF, tossing once halfway through until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Remove from the oven, taste and season with additional salt if needed.
In my opinion, there is no wrong way to eat roasted sweet potatoes. They’re so versatile and work for just about any meal! I personally love having roasted sweet potatoes for breakfast or as a side dish for dinner. Here are some ideas to incorporate roasted sweet potatoes into your routine:
You can’t go wrong with the classic oil and sea salt, but sometimes I like to spice it up and add some flavor variations! Here are some ideas:
To store leftovers, let the sweet potatoes cool completely and then place in an airtight container. The sweet potatoes will last up to one week in the refrigerator.
Like I mentioned earlier, I like eating my sweet potatoes cold sometimes but you can easily reheat them in a toaster oven, air fryer or traditional conventional oven to maintain crispiness.
Be sure to check out all of my sweet potato recipes as well as the full collection of side dishes here on EBF!
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very nice post thank you
Nice Blog!
Thank you so much!
great work well done
Thanks! I so appreciate the feedback 🙂
Every time I have roasted sweet potatoes in the past, they turned out dry. Not these! They were crispy, yet fluffy, and I love that I can use various seasonings. Thank you for this recipe! It was a hit.
Ahh yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Larissa. 🙂
Delicious, I could not stop eating them. I used cayenne pepper, salt and avocado oil. I plan to do this every week and use in soups,breakfas, snack and try to add them to other meals.
Woo!! So glad you loved these, Karen!! 🙂