These oven roasted sweet potatoes have an irresistible crispy exterior, and a soft and fluffy interior. They’re seasoned perfectly with fresh herbs to accent their naturally sweet flavor, and are a perfect side dish to add to almost any meal.
These roasted sweet potatoes are such a versatile and nutritious side dish. Their natural sweetness, combined with the crispy exterior of these roast potatoes makes them such a delightful addition to any meal.
They’re a perfect compliment to so many main courses, like grilled chicken, or steak, burgers, or pork tenderloin.
I love to serve these roast sweet potatoes with a rosemary aioli that is a perfect creamy sauce, that is so good drizzle over the potatoes.
What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
In American grocery stores you are most likely to find sweet potatoes, which are a red or orange potato. But are sometimes labeled yams.
Sweet potatoes have an orange skin, and their flesh can be orange, white or purple. They are usually a lightly sweet root vegetable, and are what you are most likely to find in grocery stores in the United States. They are sometimes labeled in the store as ‘yams’ but that is inaccurate.
True yams have a brown skin, and their interior is white and very dry, fibrous, and starchy. They are originally from Africa, and will be much harder to find in the United States.
Ingredients Needed:
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Roasted Sweet Potato Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- sweet potatoes
- optionally use a variety of potatoes – I used a mix of purple fingerling potatoes and golden potatoes, if using all sweet potatoes get 3-4 large sweet potatoes. Otherwise follow the recipe be
- olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- fresh chives
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- garlic aioli
How to make Roast Sweet Potatoes?
- Prepare the potatoes. Peel all of the potatoes and dice them into cubes that are about 1/2 inch in size. Try to keep the cubes similar in size so the potatoes will cook evenly. Add the potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh herbs into a large bowl and toss them together.
- Transfer the cubed potatoes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and spread the potatoes around the pan. You want to keep the potatoes as spread apart as you can so they will get a better crispy skin.
- Bake the sweet potato pieces until they are golden brown, and the interiors are fork tender, tossing them once half way through baking.
- Make the rosemary aioli. Add the lemon juice, egg, garlic, and celery leaves to a blender or food processor and mix until pureed. Slowly add in the olive oil, in a slow steady stream through the top of the blender, while continuing to blend until you have a thick emulsion. Scoop into a bowl and stir in the salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Tips and Tricks:
- If you want to use all sweet potatoes for this recipe, use 3 to 4 large sweet potatoes, instead of sweet potatoes and the golden and purple potatoes.
- Even sized pieces. Keep in mind that smaller potato pieces will cook faster and larger pieces will cook slower, so try to cut the cubes into sizes as similarly as you can so the potatoes will all cook evenly.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Arrange the sweet potato pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer with space between them if possible. If they are too close the potatoes are more likely to steam and will be soggy, instead of crispy. Use an extra large pan if you need to keep the potatoes spaced.
- Smoked Paprika. Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika in with the potatoes when you mix it all together for a nice smokey flavor.
Roasted Sweet Potato Frequently Asked Questions:
It is not necessary to boil the sweet potatoes before roasting them. This will only create extra dirty dishes, and the small pieces of sweet potatoes are roasted long enough to cook thoroughly in the oven.
Peeling the potatoes is personal preference, but for the best flavor and texture I recommend peeling them.
If you are adding purple and golden fingerling potatoes to your roasted potato mixture you can leave the skin on those.
The potatoes should be cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Keep the potato pieces a similar size to ensure even roasting, and will allow your potatoes to have a tender inside, and a crispy exterior.
These roasted sweet potatoes are perfectly seasoned with nice and crispy edges. It’s perfect paired with the creamy rosemary aioli, and will be a perfect pairing at your next dinner!
More Sweet Potato Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Patties
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Connect with Like Mother, Like Daughter
Be sure to follow us on social media, so you never miss a single post!
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Email
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 6 purple fingerlings potatoes (peeled and diced)**
- 3 golden potatoes (peeled and diced)**
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 to 2 tsp Kosher salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 TBS fresh chives (minced)
- 1 to 2 TBS fresh rosemary (minced)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
Rosemary Garlic Aioli
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 egg
- 1 lemon (fresh squeezed for juice)
- 2 TBS celery leaves (chopped)
- 1 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (to taste)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary (minced)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Roasted Potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Peel and diced all of the potatoes into appropriately 1/2 inch cubes.
- Add potatoes, olive oil, spices and herbs into a large bowl, and toss them together to coat them in the mixture.
- Spread the potatoes evenly over the baking sheet, keeping the potatoes apart so they don't overlap.
- Roast the potatoes in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them half way through. Until the potatoes are fork tender.
For the Rosemary Garlic Aioli:
- Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl.
- Blend the lemon juice, egg, garlic, and celery leaves in a blender or food processor until pureed.
- Add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream from the top of the blender, while blending until it is a thick, creamy mixture.
- Scoop the mixture into a small bowl and mix in the salt, pepper, and rosemary.
- Serve as a dipping sauce or drizzle over potatoes
Notes
These roasted sweet potatoes were first posted on December 26, 2015. The photos and text were updated for clarity on September 28, 2023.
Jeff says
This sounds like a perfect combination. Loving the colors on those potatoes (that purple!), and I want to try making this soon. Thank you Ellen!
Ellen Garrett says
I hope you like it as much as I do. The purple potatoes are awesome but they do stain, be warned.