How to Make Crunchy Sweet Potato Croutons
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Published May 27, 2016, Updated Mar 03, 2022
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Roasted sweet potato croutons are crunchy, sweet and easy to make. They’re the perfect healthy topping for salads and soup!
As a self-proclaimed salad expert, I have a laundry list of salad toppings that I use on the regular. Avocado, chopped apples and roasted nuts are up at the top, but I think my absolute favorite topping is sweet potato. I used to be all about chopping up baked sweet potatoes for salad and I’ve made a sweet potato tuna salad, but today I want to share a new method I’ve been using to make crunchy little sweet potato croutons.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You only need 3 ingredients! That’s it!
- They come together in 25 minutes! Throw them in the oven while you prep the rest of your salad.
- They’re super addicting. No really, I should mention that they are crazy addictive. If you start munching on a few while prepping your salad you may find that you don’t have any left when it’s time to eat. Just a warning. 😉
Here’s What You’ll Need
- sweet potato – you need about 2 cups chopped. I like to chop mine very small so they roast and crisp up. Try to make the pieces uniform so they cook the same!
- avocado oil – you can also use coconut oil or olive oil!
- sea salt – to taste. You can also add pepper if you like a little kick.
How to Make Sweet Potato Croutons
So these sweet potato croutons aren’t anything too complicated or special. They’re literally just sweet potato chunks that are chopped small so that they cook quickly and get a little crunchy.
If you haven’t already, start by preheating your oven to 450ºF and then prep and chop your sweet potatoes into cubes. Toss the cubes with avocado oil and salt and then spread on a baking sheet lined in parchment paper.
Roast at 450ºF for 15-25 minutes. Depending on how large your chunks are, how many sweet potatoes you have on the baking sheet, how much moisture is in the sweet potato itself and how crunchy you want the sweet potatoes to get. I’m all about the crunch factor and I don’t mind having a few brunt pieces so I roast mine a little longer.
That’s it! When they’re roasted to your liking, they’re ready to use!
Tips & Variations
The recipe for these little guys is really easy, but I do have a few pointers for ya:
- Keep the sweet potato chunks small and uniform in size, about 1/4 inch.
- Make sure to space the sweet potato chunks out on the baking sheet. If they’re too crowded they will steam and never get crunchy.
- I tested multiple batches and the parchment lined baking sheet yielded the crispiest croutons. You can use a baking stone as well, but the sweet potatoes didn’t get AS crunchy with this method.
- You can stick with just salt, or add whatever spices you like for extra flavor. I like adding pepper, cumin, cinnamon or maple syrup!
How to Serve
Once the sweet potatoes are roasted you can add them to just about anything your little heart desires. Salad, soup, an omelette, savory oats… seriously, sweet potatoes go with everything. They are especially good on salads though!
Some recipes you should try them on?
- My Superfood Salmon Salad (pictured above) is perfect for these and I include them in the recipe card.
- Top this Harvest Fall Salad for a boost in nutrients, or even this Easy Quinoa Salad.
- Add a layer to this Black Bean Mason Jar Salad or Meal Prep Salad – Chicken Avocado Club Salad.
- I love this Garlicky Kale Salad as a side salad, top it with these croutons to make it more filling.
- You can top this Chicken Protein Bowl or add them to this Vegan Power Bowl.
- Serve them for breakfast alongside this Egg White Omelette or add them to this Egg, Spinach and Feta Breakfast Wrap.
Storing Sweet Potato Croutons
These are meant to be made and eaten right away. You can make them in advance, but they will not stay crunchy.
If storing any leftovers, keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge. I would probably just eat them cold, but you can try reheating in the oven at 350ºF for 10 or so minutes.
Other Popular Sweet Potato Recipes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Perfect Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Bites
- Baked Sweet Potato Chips
- Sweet Potato Nachos
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
Be sure to check out all of the salad recipes and sweet potato recipes on EBF!
Crunchy Sweet Potato Croutons
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped sweet potatoes, about ¼ inch
- 2 teaspoons avocado or coconut oil
- sea salt, to taste*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Coat sweet potato chunks in oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Spread over a parchment lined baking sheet or baking stone and roast for 20 minutes, or until sweet potato chunks are brown on the edges and have a little crunch on the outside. Stir/toss potato chunks once mid-way through baking.
- Serve immediately. These are meant to be made and eaten right away. You can make them in advance, but they will not stay crunchy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Brittany this is genius!! <3 <3 <3
I ran across a caesar salad recipe that mentioned sweet potato croutons instead of regular croutons. I will need to make enough to portion a salad for 35 people. I love sweet potatoes, so I am stoked to try this!! My question is…could I substitute olive oil or is the coconut still better? Is there a big cost difference or just flavor wise? Thank u from a Canadian linecook student.
I grate sweet potatoes and cook them in the microwave like making potato chips. It makes smaller crunchies.
It looks like the potatoes aren’t peeled first. Am I seeing that correctly in the picture?
That is correct! No need to worry about peeling them.
These are soooo good!!! I will on occasion sprinkle smoked paprika on the potatoes, with the salt, and they come out with a slight bbq flavor! so yummy! thank you for sharing!
Oh! I love that idea. I’m going to try that next time I make these. 🙂
Thank you! So easy simple.
Excellent!! This will be a salad staple in our house. So much better than the bread croutons!
Woo! Love to hear that, Kelly. Thank you for leaving a review, I really appreciate it!
So many pop up ads! Sorry, you’re good looks good, but I can’t deal with the bombardment of numerous ads in the content and floating on the screen. Hard pass.
Hi Chris – I am sorry to hear that you’re having troubles viewing the recipes because of the ads. Are you looking at the recipes on your desktop or phone? I’ll make sure to chat with my developer about this.