These roasted sweet potatoes only take one knife cut and one pan, yet get caramelized and sweet and spicy all at the same time. With just a few ingredients and a super easy method for seasoning sweet potatoes, you can get this yummy side dish prepped and into the oven in just 5 minutes.
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These really are the best roasted sweet potatoes
So many roasted sweet potato recipes ask for you to chop the sweet potatoes up into cubes before you pop them into the oven to cook. This isn’t always so simple and can take a fair bit of prep time. The best part of this recipe is that you just need to make just 3 cuts to each potato. One on each end, and then one down the middle.
I'm also introducing you to the simplest trick for seasoning your sweet potatoes. No bowl, no oily hands. It makes for super crispy roasted sweet potatoes. Just one sheet pan and a pastry brush and you are good to go!
Ingredients
A few notes on the ingredients:
- Sweet Potatoes: Try and find sweet potatoes that are all the same size for this recipe so that they all cook at the same rate. You can use any variety of sweet potato you find!
- Spices: If you don’t like the combinations I suggest, use any flavor profile you like.
Simple step by step instructions
You’ll start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees and lining a sheet pan with aluminum foil (you could also use parchment paper). Be sure to wrap the foil up around all the edges to make clean up super easy.
Then wash and pat dry your sweet potatoes. With a sharp knife, trim off the ends and then cut it lengthwise in half.
On the foil lined baking sheet, drizzle the olive oil first, then the honey, and then sprinkle all the seasonings over the top. Using the pastry brush, mix the oil, honey and spices together and make sure that the entire pan is covered.
Now, place each piece of sweet potato cut side down on the baking sheet. Give it a little wiggle to make sure the whole surface is covered in good stuff. Once all of the sweet potatoes are on the baking sheet, take your pastry brush and use some of the excess oil and seasoning to brush the tops (the skins) of the potatoes.
Put into the hot oven and roast until soft to the touch and caramelized on the bottom (about 30 minutes).
Once they are fully roasted, take the potatoes out of the oven and immediately use a spatula to loosen from the aluminum foil before they get stuck for good. Plate and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
While I love the sweet and spicy mix of spices in this recipe, you can easily try any of these other flavor combinations with the same method:
◾ BBQ: use your favorite bbq seasoning
◾ Herb-y: use any of your favorite herbs, I like rosemary and Herbs de Provence with kosher salt
◾ Blackened: use your favorite blackening seasoning and add honey to the sheet pan
◾ Chipotle: use the sauce from chipotles in adobo and a bit of maple syrup
◾ Fall Flavors: use cinnamon and maple syrup
◾ Middle Eastern: use shawarma spice blend or za'atar blend with a sprinkle of kosher salt
Yes and no 😂. If you are eating them as a side dish for a meal, they are great straight from the oven. However, they are really good at room temp or even cold, too. My kids and I LOVE snacking on them through the week and eat them straight from the fridge.
These potatoes have such great flavor that they could really be added to anything. I like to add them cut up to salads, build a sweet potato quinoa bowl with them (add avocado and black beans for a super healthy meal) or even stuff them with other yummy toppings for a quick lunch.
Other ways to cut the sweet potatoes
If you are feeling fancy, there are other ways you can cut the sweet potatoes before cooking. Use the same method for spicing and roasting, just change the shape of the potato. Here are some other favorites:
- Roasted sweet potato slices: To make slices, simple cut the sweet potato from one end to the other in slices that about ¼" wide. Place one cut side down on the prepared sheet pan, and brush the other cut side with the olive oil and honey mixture.
- Sweet potato cubes: Cut your sweet potato into ½" cubes and then toss with the spice rub, oil and honey right on your sheet pan before roasting. The cook time my be a little shorter with this shape because they are smaller than the half potatoes in the recipe as written:
- Roasted sweet potato wedges: Take you half of potato and slice it lengthwise two more times. This will give you six sweet potato wedges out of each potato. Then continue with the recipe as written.
- Sweet potato fries: Slice the ½ sweet potato into smaller french fry sized pieces (you can decide on how tall or thick you want them). Then follow the recipe as written. While these bake, stir them every 10 minutes or so to be sure they cook evenly and don't burn.
How to store leftover roasted sweet potatoes
Start by cooling the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet until completely cooled. Then pop them into a zip top storage bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat them, either warm them up on a sheet pan in the oven on a low temperature OR microwave them for about 15 seconds in the microwave.
Or do like we do, and just eat them cold, straight from the fridge. Such a sweet (and healthy) treat!
One more simple tip
Make a double batch of these when you make them. You can make as many sweet potatoes as you can squeeze sheet pan. I like to use this one, because it fits a ton! Or make two pans at a time and just remember to switch racks in your oven halfway through!
Looking for other ways to use roasted veggies? Try these recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Sweet and Spicy Roast Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- sheet pan
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes try to find potatoes that about the same size
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- ½ Tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Wash the sweet potatoes and dry well. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and set aside. On the foil line pan, drizzle the olive oil followed by the honey. Then sprinkle the spices and seasonings over the oil and honey and schmear together with a pastry brush.
- Place the sweet potatoes cut side DOWN on the baking pan and nudge around a bit to make sure the cut side is covered in the oil, honey and spices. Using your pastry brush, brush the skin side with any residual oil and spices from the pan.
- Put into the preheated oven and roast at 400 degrees from 30-40 minutes. You want the sweet potatoes to be soft inside and caramelized on the bottom.
- As soon as your remove the pan from the oven, use as spatula to turn over the sweet potatoes so that they don't stick to the foil pan. Cool a bit and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Patti says
I'm going to make these for Easter this year! They sound amazing!
Marni Katz says
I hope you love them as much as we do!