This seasoned and crispy roasted sweet potato is bursting with sweet, spicy, and smoky flavor! It has a soft inside and crispy golden exterior flecked with blackened seasonings. You'll want to add this to bowls, salads, and tacos!
It doesn't need to be fall to enjoy sweet potatoes! These crispy roasted sweet potatoes are an almost weekly recipe in my house because they are packed with flavor but so easy to make.
The only staples that I cook as often as roasted sweet potatoes are probably roasted breakfast potatoes and roasted butternut squash.
In this post, I'm sharing a basic recipe for roasting diced sweet potatoes in the oven. All you need to make crispy roasted sweet potatoes is high heat, oil, and a little bit of time.
I also share my favorite sweet potato seasoning blend, which is optional but so good!
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Why this recipe works
- Reliable: I've made this recipe dozens, if not hundreds, of times! It is my tried and true way to roast diced sweet potato cubes so that they are soft, golden, and slightly crispy.
- Easy: All you need is 5 minutes of active time and 3 main ingredients to make this recipe.
- Versatile: Serve roasted sweet potato as a side or add to salads, sweet potato bowls, or wraps.
- Easy to customize: This recipe features a smoky and lightly spicy seasoning blend, but you can use whatever spices you have on hand. You can peel the sweet potato or keep the skin on.
I use the same method to roast sweet potatoes in my sweet potato enchiladas, sweet potato plantain tacos, and sweet potato kale crunch salad.
How to choose a sweet potato
Because the most important ingredient in this recipe is sweet potatoes, let's talk about how to choose the best sweet potato at the grocery store:
- Types of potatoes: I recommend orange-fleshed potatoes, most commonly known as Jewel or Garnet varieties. Purple, white, and Japanese sweet potatoes are starchier and have a different flavor than sweeter orange potatoes.
- Shape: I personally don't think that the shape of the potato matters much because the potato gets diced. That being said, it's easier to dice and peel a uniform potato than a lumpy, oblong and pointy one.
- Size: Larger sweet potatoes are easier to peel, but size doesn't matter too much.
- Avoid soft or wet sweet potatoes or potatoes with growths. This can be a sign that the sweet potato is going bad.
Other ingredients
Aside from sweet potato, the only required ingredients are oil and salt.
- Oil: I prefer olive oil when roasting vegetables. However, any neutral oil works well. Try avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, etc.
- Salt: Even just a pinch of salt enhances the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes. I use kosher salt but any kind works. Adjust to taste.
My go-to seasoning blend includes a few pantry staples:
- Smoked paprika: This adds smokiness. An equal amount of regular paprika can be used if you don't have smoked paprika.
- Chipotle chili powder: This is like a spicy and smoky version of chili powder. It adds a bunch of flavor.
- Onion garlic and garlic powder: Choose brands that have powder-y garlic and onion powder, not the small granulated pieces.
Other seasonings to try on sweet potatoes: Cajun seasoning, taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, or just salt and pepper.
Step-by-step instructions
Step one: Peel sweet potato skins. This step is optional. Peeled sweet potatoes have a uniform texture, while sweet potatoes with the peel on result in a very crispy peel.
Step two: Dice the sweet potato into one-inch cubes. It's okay if the pieces aren't completely uniform, but try to have pieces that are mostly similar sizes. This ensures that the sweet potato roasts evenly.
Step three: Toss diced sweet potato with oil and seasonings in a large bowl.
Step four: Spread the sweet potato out on a parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet. Try not to overcrowd the potato pieces.
Note: You can skip the foil or parchment paper if it's not readily available. It just makes cleanup easier and makes it so that the sweet potato doesn't stick to the pan.
Step five: Bake at 400F for 30 minutes total. Remove from the oven and stir after 15 minutes (see above). This ensures even cooking.
The sweet potatoes are ready when tender on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Tips for the best roasted sweet potato
- Don't skip the oil: Oil is what gives roasted sweet potatoes their golden, crispy exterior. The easiest way to make sure that each piece of sweet potato is coated in oil is to toss them with clean hands.
- Use parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup. You can roast it directly on a sheet pan but make sure that it is non-stick. Using paper or foil makes cleanup a lot easier.
- Use a large sheet pan and don't overfill the pan. An overcrowded pan yields soft and steamed sweet potatoes instead of crispy sweet potatoes. Try to leave a little bit of space between each piece and don't overlap any pieces.
- Size: Smaller sweet potato pieces are crispier, while larger pieces are softer. Cut each potato into 1" pieces. It's okay if the sweet potatoes aren't exactly uniform, but keeping them around the same sizes helps them cook evenly.
- Check the sweet potatoes instead of relying solely on a timer. I recommend stirring sweet potatoes about halfway through roasting for the most even bake.
FAQ
No, you do not need to boil or parboil sweet potatoes before roasting them in the oven.
This is completely up to personal preference. Sweet potato skins become crispy and almost blackened when roasted, whereas skinned sweet potatoes have a more uniform texture.
The sweet potatoes likely didn't have enough room on the pan and weren't roasted for long enough. Leave space between each sweet potato piece to allow for adequate airflow. Overcrowding the sweet potatoes results in steamed potato pieces, which are softer than roasted sweet potato.
Storage tips
- Fridge: Store leftover sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Roasted sweet potato is best reheated in the oven because reheating it in the microwave can soften it and make it soggy. Bake on a sheet pan at 350F for 8-10 minutes, until crisp. An even quicker option is to reheat roasted sweet potato in a skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil to bring them back to their original crispy texture.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months in an air-tight freezer bag or container. Reheat in the oven
More sweet potato recipes
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Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ pounds sweet potatoes see note #1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil see note #2
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (optional).
- Optional: Peel skins from the sweet potatoes using a potato peeler.
- Dice the sweet potatoes into one inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss the diced sweet potato with oil, seasonings, and salt.
- Spread the sweet potato out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Try not to overcrowd the potato pieces.
- Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes total. Remove from the oven and stir after 15 minutes. The sweet potatoes are ready when tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Sweet potato: Choose red or orange fleshed sweet potatoes for this recipe. These are most commonly Jewel or Garnet varieties.
- Oil: Any neutral oil like canola, avocado, or vegetable oil works.
- Leftovers and reheating: Store leftover sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat roasted sweet potato in the oven. Bake on a sheet pan at 350F for 8-10 minutes, until crisp.
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