Perfect Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Roasted sweet potatoes are my favorite! They’re pillowy-tender and sweet on the inside, and deliciously salty and caramelized on the outside. Unlike sweet potato casseroles with marshmallows on top, roasted sweet potatoes have an inherently savory side to them. That’s why I love them.

In fact, I didn’t even like sweet potatoes until I discovered sweet potato fries. Roasted sweet potatoes were just a sidestep away, and they’re certainly healthier than deep-fried varieties. Do you know that sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, plus vitamins A and B6? Since we’re going back to basics this month, I’m sharing my tested and perfected roasted sweet potatoes recipe. As you’ll see, roasted sweet potatoes make a wonderful side dish, snack or hearty plant-based meal component. Crank up the oven and let’s get to it!

Watch How to Roast Sweet Potatoes

How to Roast Sweet Potatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes are easy to make and delicious, if you know these basic tips and tricks.

1) Buy good sweet potatoes.

Look for sweet potatoes that feel heavy for their size, with even skin and no squishy bits. I try to buy sweet potatoes that are more rounded and evenly shaped, which is helpful when it comes to slicing them into even pieces. Store your sweet potatoes in a dry, cool, dark place (like a pantry or cupboard, not the fridge). They should keep for a week or two. Any variety of sweet potato will work for this recipe. The more colorful your sweet potatoes are on the inside, the more antioxidants they contain—truly! That’s why I always buy orange-fleshed (or occasionally purple-fleshed) sweet potatoes, rather than white. Note that in the United States, “yams” are typically just sweet potatoes by another name (here’s what a real yam looks like).

2) Peel or scrub them clean.

This is up to you. I tend to peel my sweet potatoes out of habit, but you can leave the skin on if you don’t mind some additional texture. If you decide to leave the skin on, be sure to scrub them clean under running water and pat them dry before slicing.

3) Cut them into even cubes, or close to it.

Start by slicing each sweet potato into one-inch wide rounds. Then, cut each round as necessary to make chunks that are roughly one-inch cubes. They won’t be perfectly even, but that’s fine.

4) Don’t overcrowd the pan.

Like all vegetables, sweet potatoes need some breathing room on the pan. Otherwise, the cubes will produce so much steam that they’ll never turn golden on the edges. It’s 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 (they’re called half-sheet pans, and that’s an affiliate link). Each of these pans can accommodate up to two pounds of sweet potatoes.

5) Roast at a relatively high temperature, turning halfway.

We want the oven turned up high enough to yield delicious golden edges. Not so high that the olive oil burns, which both smells and tastes bad. I recommend baking at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

6) Don’t 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! Don’t worry if you see a few spots that look burnt—take it as a sign that your sweet potatoes are done. In all likelihood, the sweet potatoes will still taste great.

How to Serve Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes make a great side dish for a wide variety of meals. They’re an especially good option for quick stovetop dinners. Put your sweet potatoes in the oven before you get started on the rest, and they’ll be done around the time your entrée is finished. As you skim through the suggestions provided below, you’ll see that I love to incorporate sweet potatoes into Mexican (or even Thai) meals. They’re sweet enough to contrast with spicy ingredients, and I can’t get enough. Serve roasted sweet potatoes as a side dish for these meals:

Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing Chilaquiles Rojos or Chilaquiles Verdes Crispy Bean Tostadas or Favorite Breakfast Tacos Spicy Black Bean Soup

Roasted sweet potatoes are a great addition to hearty salads with whole grains, including wild rice, farro and quinoa. Here’s proof:

Sweet Potato, Arugula & Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Dressing Mediterranean Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Salad Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale & Pesto Vinaigrette

Craving more roasted vegetables?

Here are a few more versatile recipes:

Roasted Asparagus Roasted Broccoli (Plus Four Variations) Roasted Brussels Sprouts Roasted Carrots (Three Ways) Roasted Cauliflower (Four Ways)

Please let me know how your roasted sweet potatoes turn out in the comments. For a fun variation on roasted sweet potatoes, try my crispy baked sweet potato fries. They’re the perfect snack!

5 Recipes Featuring Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1) Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Pepita Dip

“This is my first time ever leaving a recipe review but I just made these for dinner and they were unbelievably DELICIOUS!!! I agree that the pictures definitely don’t do this meal justice. It was the first time my husband has ever called anything I made “restaurant quality”!!! I can’t wait to make these again!” – Lisa

2) Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls

“I made this last night and it was fabulous! Wonderful combination of flavors. This will definitely be added to our regular rotation, and I’m sure I’ll use the green rice in other recipes. Thank you!” – Rebecca

3) Sweet Potato Burrito Smothered in Avocado Salsa Verde

“Well done, this made our familly recipe book for future use. Everyone loved it.” – Marc

4) Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tostadas

“I made this last night. It tastes like vacation! My husband, daughter and I loved it!!! It’s so interesting to combine sweet potatoes and black beans. I will make this again!” – Pat