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This easy roasted sweet potatoes recipe is a low-effort and pretty addition to any meal! They’re naturally sweet, nutty and creamy, and roasted to golden perfection.
Try my Maple Roasted Beets and Carrots or Honey Roasted Butternut Squash next.
Why you’ll love them
Roasting sweet potatoes enhances their natural sugars, and they become warm and earthy and downright delicious. The exterior gets a little crisped up and caramelized, and inside they’re beautifully soft and creamy. You may prefer them to regular potatoes!
They’re perfect for a cozy dinner or holiday feast, and these golden-orange gems are as nutritious as they are tasty. When it comes to simple side dishes, this roasted sweet potato recipe is as easy as it gets. Your oven does all the work after a bit of chopping.
What you’ll need
- Sweet potatoes – in the U.S., orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are often marketed (and mislabeled) as “yams” due to historical labeling practices, but they are actually sweet potatoes. True yams are very rarely found in regular grocery stores.
- Olive oil – to get that perfect exterior browning
- Salt & pepper – that’s all you need to let the flavors shine through, but be generous with both. I like sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Use a razor-sharp chef’s knife for ease of cutting the sweet potatoes up.
- Here is the brand I recommend for baking sheets, and Dawn Powerwash is great to clean them easily.
- A good-quality salt and pepper mill set makes all the difference!
How to roast sweet potatoes
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven. Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into cubes, and place them on a baking sheet. Add the olive oil and salt & pepper to the baking sheet, and toss to coat.
Spread the sweet potatoes into a single layer. Roast, and toss halfway through the cooking time. Spread into an even layer once more, then continue baking until golden brown.
Helpful tips
- Many grocery stores sell pre-cut sweet potatoes. You can save some prep time by grabbing those. Just ensure that you adjust timing as needed if they’re cut much bigger or smaller than suggested in the recipe.
- You don’t need to be super precise with cutting the sweet potatoes, but try to get them all in the ballpark of similar size so they cook at the same rate.
- Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
- Every oven and baking sheet can vary, so check on them early if you don’t want them too browned. You can always pop them back in the oven!
Substitutions and variations
- Try adding a half teaspoon of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and/or chili powder.
- Use seasoning salt or Tony’s Creole Seasoning instead of regular salt.
- Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for something a little different!
What to serve with roasted sweet potatoes
- I garnished them with fresh parsley in the photos, but that’s completely optional.
- Make a batch earlier in the week and meal prep them with your favorite protein and vegetable for easy lunches and dinners.
- They’re great with a variety of dishes, anything from weeknight favorites like my Easy Cream Cheese Chicken, Maple Glazed Salmon, or Creamy Brandy Apple Pork Tenderloin to your Thanksgiving spread with my Easy Roast Turkey.
Leftovers and storage
- These baked sweet potatoes will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Eat them cold in a salad, or reheat them in the air fryer to restore the crisp exterior. Try 350F for a few minutes, checking often.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftover sweet potatoes. They’re liable to change texture and soften too much.
If you made these oven roasted sweet potatoes, please leave me a comment and star rating below! What do you serve them with? Or tag me on Instagram with any S&L recipe.
Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste, see note
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into 1/2" pieces. Add them to a large baking sheet.
- Add the oil and salt & pepper to the baking sheet and toss until coated. Spread the sweet potatoes in a single, even layer so they brown better.
- Roast for 20 minutes, then take the baking sheet out of the oven and toss the sweet potatoes (two spoons or tongs work well). Spread them out in an even layer again.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and nicely browned.
Notes
- I love using sea salt or seasoning salt. See blog post for more seasoning suggestions!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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