How to Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Oven & Air Fryer)

Serve homemade roasted sweet potatoes with almost any main dish – from dinner to breakfast. This recipe is easy enough to meal prep and add to bowls, serve with fried eggs, or even for the holidays like, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I could eat sweet potatoes in everything!

I’ll make little sweet potato cubes and add them to my autumn crisp apple salad. I’ll toss them in the slow cooker for my Moroccan lentil soup. Not to mention the countless recipes that roasted sweet potatoes would be a good side dish. 

I like to bake them with the peel on so that it adds a little texture. They’re tender all the way through, spiced with a hint of cayenne and a dash of cinnamon to bring out their natural sweetness. I’ve been roasting sweet potatoes this way for so long. In the summer, I’ll make them in the air fryer. And in the winter, I’ll have them going in the oven. Keep them savory or drizzle them with a little maple syrup if you like them on the sweeter side.

Roasting sweet potatoes really brings out their natural sweetness. Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse of nutrition, loaded with vitamin c and potassium. They’re also high in fiber and low on the glycemic index helping to fill you up and provide lasting energy!

These roasted sweet potatoes or yams are such a flavorful yet versatile side dish that’ll work well with black beans, in tacos, with whole roasted chicken, salmon, in a bowl with harissa chicken, and the list goes on and on.

What you need to make roasted sweet potatoes:

• Sweet potatoes: You’ll need 1½ pounds of sweet potatoes for this recipe. Keep in mind that you can make double or even triple the recipe if you’d like; I just suggest roasting 1½ pounds per baking sheet so that the potatoes aren’t too crowded and so that they roast up and develop color.
• High Heat Oil: I prefer to use avocado oil for this recipe because we’re roasting the potatoes at a pretty high temperature. I know other recipes call for olive oil, but once a recipe is cooked at above 400ºF I try to avoid using olive oil if I can! If you make these in the air fryer, olive oil will work fine.
• Cinnamon: Adding cinnamon to the potatoes before roasting them gives them the best aroma! Fork tender chunks seasoned with spices that are versatile and will work with almost any main meal.
• Cayenne: If you’re worried about the heat, you can easily cut back on the cayenne or swap it with smoked paprika. Or you can even use a dash of garlic powder instead.
• Kosher Salt: Seasons the potatoes. I know it doesn’t look like a lot of spices, but trust me, they’re just enough!
• Cornstarch: It’s a secret ingredient that helps give the outside of the potato a lovely crust! I use them on sweet potato fries too, and they make the skin so crispy!
• Maple syrup: This is totally optional, but when I want the potatoes on the sweeter side, I drizzle them with a little maple syrup and then let them roast for another 2 minutes. The maple gives the potatoes a light sweetness that pairs beautifully with the cinnamon and cayenne!

How to make roasted sweet potatoes:

1. Prep comes first. You’ll want to start by preheating the oven. This will take some time so be sure to start there. I like to snip off the ends of the potatoes and leave any smaller pieces in a whole circle. The rest of the thicker slices will get sliced down the middle to make half moons. Gather all your ingredients. Add the oil, cornstarch, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, and kosher salt to a bowl. Toss in the sliced sweet potatoes and either toss or stir to coat all the potatoes in the mixture.
2. Let them roast. Grab a sheet pan. If you’re making this for the first time, I do suggest roasting them on a nonstick baking sheet; it makes cleanup a lot easier and keeps the potatoes from sticking! Grease the baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread the potatoes out into a single layer. If they don’t all fit, you’ll want to wait on roasting the second batch later. This is so that there isn’t too much moisture in the oven and once. Roast them for 20 minutes, then gently flop and continue roasting for another 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender in the middle.
3. Hit them with maple syrup. If you want to add the maple syrup, drizzle it over the potatoes during the last 2 minutes of roasting, but this is purely optional! Serve warm.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Garlicky Extra Crispy Roasted Potatoes
• Breakfast Potatoes
• How to Make Perfect Baked Potato
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
• Asiago Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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Yield: Serves 4-6

How to Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Oven & Air Fryer)

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Serve homemade roasted sweet potatoes with almost any main dish – from dinner to breakfast. This recipe is easy enough to meal prep and add to bowls, serve with fried eggs, or even for the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas!

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Ingredients

• 1½ pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed + cut into ½-inch half moons
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or other)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup, optional

Instructions

1. PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450ºF. Add the potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, and add cornstarch, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, and kosher salt. Toss the bowl to combine or use a silicone spatula.
2. ROAST: Spread the potatoes out on a large nonstick baking sheet in a single layer. If they don’t all fit, I suggest roasting the other batch separately. Roast for 20 minutes, gently flip, and continue to roast for another 5-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender in the center and golden on the outside. I like to drizzle with maple syrup during the last 2 minutes of roasting, but this is purely optional! Serve warm.
3. OR AIR FRY: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF for a few minutes. When hot, add a single layer of potatoes to the air fryer basket. For this quantity, you’ll need to do this in at least 3 batches so that the potatoes roast and don't steam. Cook for 14-16 minutes flipping them around the halfway mark until the sweet potatoes are fork tender in the center. Drizzle with maple and roast for an additional minute if desired.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 5gCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 4gProtein: 2g

Calorie count includes the maple syrup. The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

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