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These roasted sweet potatoes are perfectly tender, caramelized, and seasoned with my simple-but-secret blend that makes them seriously addictive.
I’ve tried just about every way to cook sweet potatoes: cut them into fries, stuffed them, and boiled them into stews and curry. But this method is hands-down my favorite. It’s nothing fancy – just sweet potatoes roasted in the oven with garlic powder, salt, and pepper – but it creates the perfect sweet potatoes with the best flavor.
You really don’t need much for wonderfully seasoned, oven roasted sweet potatoes that are ready to pair with just about anything. If you’re at my house, tacos are probably the most common request. Let’s get to it!
5 Simple Ingredients You Need
You only need a handful of ingredients for roasting sweet potatoes, including:
- Sweet potatoes: I’ve found that 3/4-inch cubes are the best size for roasted sweet potatoes. Half-inch pieces get too shriveled, and one-inch sweet potato cubes take longer to roast. Trust me! Choose medium sweet potatoes for easier handling.
- Garlic powder: This is my flavor secret for oven roasted sweet potatoes. It’s savory without tasting too garlicky, and balances the natural sweetness in your dish. It also helps your potatoes caramelize while they roast.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Oil helps your potatoes brown and crisp properly, enhances flavor, and promotes even caramelization. I like extra virgin olive oil for its flavor and added dose of healthy fats to an already nutritious dish.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Fine sea salt also works.
5-Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “So delicious! I baked at 400 for about 30-35 min and they were perfectly done and caramelized. I ate the whole potato while cooking the rest of the dinner!” -Dasha
Tips for Perfect Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Cooking sweet potatoes comes down to the dice and the heat. I’ve already shared my tips on the right size cubes for this method, so let’s talk about your oven.
The best temperature for roasting potatoes is high heat. At 450°F, you’ll get them perfectly tender on the inside and caramelized on the outside. Using a lower temperature will cause them to cook through, but they won’t turn out caramelized.
For your total cook time, leave them as is on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, and they’ll get beautifully caramelized on the bottom. You don’t even need to stir or flip them halfway!
Pro tip: You can make these up to 3 days in advance. For maximum crispiness, reheat in the oven at 350°F, but the stovetop and an air fryer can also work.
Versatile and Delicious Pairings
The most basic way to serve sweet potatoes is as a side dish, but you can add them to your main dishes. They work great for quick weeknight meals or holidays like Thanksgiving. (Any recipe that calls for yams typically works as a sweet potato recipe, too.) Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve roasted sweet potatoes:
- On a salad: Make a sweet potato salad by layering greens, pepitas, dried cranberries, and a honey mustard dressing.
- With seafood: Try these sweet potatoes with my baked salmon with smoked paprika, baked shrimp, or any grilled fish.
- In a taco: Make sheet pan sweet potato tacos (or burritos!) with black beans, lots of veggies, and a seasoning blend of cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder.
- In a bowl: Turn your sweet potato tacos into a burrito bowl or throw them into a power bowl or grain bowl with quinoa or rice.
- For breakfast: Add your sweet potatoes to a vegetable scramble or top a grain bowl with a sunny-side-up egg for a savory morning.
Store and Reheat for Later
Oven roasted sweet potatoes keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container. You can freeze them, although they may be a little soggier once you reheat.
Reheat your potatoes in the oven at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes. (You may need to add more time if they’ve been frozen.) An air fryer for about 5-7 minutes can return some of their crispiness.
Dietary Notes
This roasted sweet potatoes recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
More Sweet Potato Dishes to Try
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! I love the simplicity of garlic powder, salt, and pepper, but these sweet potatoes are a blank canvas. Try adding cumin and chili powder for a Tex-Mex vibe, smoked paprika for smokiness, or cinnamon and nutmeg for a sweet twist.
Some readers have told me they like adding a drizzle of maple syrup during the last 5 minutes of roasting (but I prefer sweet potatoes savory).
Nope! I leave the skins on because they get crispy and delicious when roasted. Plus, the skins contain lots of nutrients and fiber. Just scrub them well before dicing.
The most common culprit is overcrowding the pan. When sweet potatoes are too close together, they steam instead of roast. Make sure they’re in a single layer with space between the cubes.
Also keep in mind that sweet potatoes don’t get as crispy as standard potatoes. If you’d like for them to get crispy, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch before roasting.
Sure! Just keep in mind that different vegetables have different cooking times. Carrots work well since they roast at similar temperatures. I’d avoid softer vegetables like zucchini since they’ll turn mushy by the time the sweet potatoes are done.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Dice, season, and bake. That’s it! Make them once, and they’ll be part of your regular rotation in no time
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Dice the sweet potatoes into 3/4” cubes, leaving the skins on.
- In a large bowl, mix sweet potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
- Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until the cubes are fork-tender and browned on the bottom. Serve warm. Leftovers store up to 5 days refrigerated.
Notes
If your sweet potatoes aren’t coming out crispy, they may be overcrowded on your baking sheet, causing them to steam instead of roast. A single layer at high heat should do the trick.
Remember: You don’t need to stir these while they’re roasting. You don’t need to peel, parboil, or soak them, either. That’s why they’re one of my favorite sides. There’s so little prep!
I’m so glad to learn that these are on your Thanksgiving menu. I’m bringing them to my family’s gathering and as much as I love sweet potatoes, I wasn’t sure these were really a Thanksgiving day dish. Looking forward to using this recipe. And have a Blessed Thanksgiving.