Follow this recipe for perfectly roasted sweet potatoes every time! Made with just a few simple ingredients, roasted sweet potatoes are a delicious veggie addition to any healthy dinner.
We have tested our fair share of roasted vegetable recipes here in the Fit Foodie studio. From roasted Brussels sprouts to roasted broccoli, garlic roasted cauliflower to ranch roasted potatoes, and everything in between, oven baked veggies are our fave!
This tried and true recipe for roasted sweet potatoes in the oven is super simple yet makes perfect sweet potatoes every time. All you need are pantry basics and about 30 minutes of bake time at 400ºF! Use this recipe for sweet potato cubes, rounds, or wedges – they come out wonderfully crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Featured Comment
“I have tested a few sweet potato recipes and this works the best. No more separate recipes and figuring out the time for cubes and wedges.” – Carl
What You Need for Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Roasted sweet potatoes are our go-to whenever we need a quick veggie side (and are delicious added to any buddha bowl recipe). They require minimal prep and just a few staple ingredients including sweet potatoes and seasonings like garlic powder, salt, and pepper. A drizzle of olive oil helps crisp them up while they bake.
sweet potato tip
When choosing a sweet potato, the main thing to look for is softness or rotting. Your potato should be hard all over free of mold. If it is soft anywhere, this is a sign that it might be rotting.
It is very normal for sweet potatoes to have a little discoloration and dirt – they do come from the ground after all!
Roasted Sweet Potato Variations
Flavor: For classic roasted sweet potatoes we kept the seasoning pretty basic, but mix up the flavor by adding other spices and fresh herbs like:
- Fajita seasoning
- Taco seasoning
- Curry powder
- Cinnamon sugar
- Italian seasoning
- Chopped fresh rosemary and/or oregano
Shape: This recipe works for any shape of sliced sweet potatoes. Choose exactly how you want to slice them before baking – rounds, wedges, fries, and cubes are all great options!
FAQ
What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
While yams and sweet potatoes are not the same vegetable, they can often be used interchangeably in most recipes. Sweet potatoes are native to North America and yams are native to Asia and Africa.
Do sweet potatoes need to be parboiled?
Sweet potatoes do not need to be parboiled, especially if you are slicing them for roasting.
Should you peel the sweet potatoes before roasting?
It’s up to you! We prefer to keep the skin on the sweet potatoes because it helps them crisp up while roasting (and has more nutrients). If you prefer to peel the potatoes, peel them before slicing.
What’s the best way to cut sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes can be tough to slice through, so make sure you use a sharp knife. We use a 6-Inch Wusthof Chef Knife to slice our sweet potatoes extremely thin.
Tip: Cut the ends off of the sweet potatoes first. This creates a flat surface on the potato so you can safely continue slicing (instead of cutting a sweet potato on its curved edge).
How thick should the sweet potato slices be?
No matter what shape you cut them, the thickness should be anywhere between 1/2-inch to 1-inch. Make sure they’re all relatively the same thickness so they roast evenly.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
If you have a lot of sweet potatoes on hand and don’t want to roast them all, try our recipes for:
- Baked Sweet Potato (and, here’s how to microwave a sweet potato)
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries or Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Tater Tots
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Storage
Roasted sweet potatoes are great for meal-prep! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
We love eating roasted sweet potatoes with a grain such as quinoa and a big kale salad. Roasted sweet potato cubes also star in a lot of our Buddha bowl recipes. Here are some other pairing options for your taters:
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato or 2 medium
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Prepare your sweet potato by cutting off the ends off to create a flat surface.
- Slice your sweet potato into cubes, fries, rounds, or wedges and place on a large baking sheet. You want the thickness to be anywhere between 1/2-inch to 1-inch. Just make sure that all slices are the same thickness.
- Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and season with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Toss the potatoes with your hands to make sure everything is coated.
- Roast at 400ºF for 20-30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. The thicker you slice your sweet potatoes, the longer they will take to roast.
Tips & Notes
- Storage: Roasted sweet potatoes are great for meal-prep! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
- Double Batch: You can absolutely double (or triple) this roasted sweet potato recipe, just make sure the potatoes are spread in an even layer on the baking sheet (no overlapping).
- Recipes with Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Use up roasted sweet potatoes in our sweet potato Buddha bowl, roasted sweet potato tacos, and sweet potato nachos.
Than You. I have tested a few sweet potato recipes and this works the best. No more separate recipes and figuring out the time for cubes and wedges. Happy holidays.
Glad you loved this!!
Excellent
I drizzled honey over mine and the last 10 minutes of roasting
I plan on trying this with the homemade fajita seasoning. Thia was a tip.
I like the fact that this is a simple recipe. It’s helpful for those of us who don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking.
Whenever I roast sweet potatoes, I just keep them plain or toss them with a little cinnamon. Oh yeah, and I usually keep them whole, unless if I’m feeling a little fancy, which in that case I’d slice them into wedges! These look so yummy and perfect for anything1
Sounds great. I’m going to try with paprika and cinnamon. Happy holidays.
I’ve roasted sweet potatoes this way. I also added some smoked paprika, turmeric and cayenne for a deeper flavor. They are delicious!
Can you cut the potatoes and bag them for future or do they go bad? And, can you eat them raw? I’m new to this- thanks.
Hey Lisa! I would keep the sweet potato whole. If you store them properly (in a dark, cool place), they should last at least a month! I would not suggest eating sweet potatoes raw 🙂
Would have been a great recipe if you didn’t have to wade through 9 ads to get it. Talk about overload. Who wants to go to a page that has that many ads.
Sounds delicious. I usually fresh minced garlic and fresh thyme then season with sea salt at the end
I thought you should always peel the sweet potatoes as their skin is too tough to eat? Is it like a russet potato’s skin?
How do you reheat these babies?
I usually do it in the microwave, but if you don’t have one you could do 400 in the oven for 10-15 minutes!
I tried similar kind of potato recipe in haweli restaurant, Edmonton. Taste too good.
I LOVE oven roasted sweet potatoes! Last week we tried them with Italian pasta seasoning (brought home from Rome: the usual dried green herbs: oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, garlic and some chili flakes) + salt, and wow it was mind-blowing! We’ll definitely be roasting them with this spice mix in the future!
OMGGGGG. What a dream to go to Rome and stock up on spices…seriously!
I usually make “fries”, it’s a little less cutting work than cubes haha! I like to session them with very savoury, hearty, spicy spices. Hot paprika, cumin, Cayenne, Italian/french herb blends, black pepper (always), or curry is good too! I always add salt after cooking though so they don’t get soggy.
o0ooo loving all of those spices! However, I usually stay more boring with just garlic, salt, and pepper.