Learn How to Make the Base Recipe
This is one of the base recipes featured in Part 2 of our Whole Life Meal Plan. We love roasting sweet potatoes. If you don’t have the time to roast whole potatoes, dicing them speeds up the cooking time and develops even more of that delicious caramelized taste. This roasted diced sweet potatoes base recipe is a great side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Three Must-Know Skills
To make this recipe even easier, check out these videos to learn how to:
Learn how to slice and dice like a pro in our knife skills 101 course!
Culinary Tips for the Best Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
We use weight instead of volume for roasted diced sweet potatoes because sizes can be highly variable. Weigh at the store or use a simple kitchen scale. It’s okay if you have slightly more or less than 1 pound.
For best results when roasting, use our memorable acronym: ROAST WELL.
Right Temp
Set your oven to a high cooking temperature to achieve optimal caramelization. In general, anywhere between 400ºF and 500ºF is considered a roasting temperature.
Oil Generously
Don’t be scared of oil! Healthy oils add nutrition, satiety, and great flavor to roasted vegetables. Make sure every piece is thoroughly coated with oil; it’s better to use a little too much than not enough. Use oils with high smoke points, such as canola or avocado oil.
Alike Items
If you want to roast an assortment of vegetables at the same time, select ones that are similar and will cook in the same amount of time.
Skip Pan Liners
For best caramelization and browning, place the oil-coated vegetables directly onto the pan. Although parchment paper, silicone mats, and foil make clean-up easier (we get it!), your vegetables won’t be quite as crisp and delicious.
Traditional Sheet Pan
When roasting, be sure to use a traditional sheet pan, with no more than a 1-inch rim along the sides. Deeper dishes cause vegetables to steam rather than roast – not optimal when trying to make crispy veggies! A metal pan also ensures browning.
Wash and Dry
You should always wash fresh produce before eating or cooking, but another important step when roasting is to make sure your vegetables are dry. Water generates steam, and again, you want to avoid steam to ensure the vegetables turn brown and crispy.
Even Cuts
It is important to make your pieces approximately the same size to ensure even cooking. Small pieces cook faster than large pieces. Check out our online Knife Skills class to improve your speed and efficiency in the kitchen!
Leave Space
Spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan and leave plenty of space around each piece. If you overcrowd the pan, the vegetables will steam. Are you noticing a trend here? Steam is the enemy when trying to create crisp, roasted veggies!
When in doubt, use two pans. Yes, that might mean more dishes to clean, but we promise that it will be worth it!
Let them Cook!
Cooking requires patience. While it can be tempting to pull the vegetables from the oven once they are soft, make sure that they get that nice, brown exterior. For longer cooking vegetables, such as potatoes, you can stir them halfway through the cook time to brown on all sides, but it’s not totally necessary.
Learn more about how to roast vegetables in this article!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Sweet Potatoes: use any variety – orange, white, or purple!
- Canola or Avocado Oil: substitute a lower-quality extra virgin olive oil.
Base Recipe Variations
Remember that this is a base recipe, so the goal is for you to customize it to your taste! Keep it simple or spice it up! Check out our variation ideas, then come up with your own.
Subtitle for This Block
Title for This Block
Text for This Block
Use these additional ingredients for flavor inspiration!
- Garlic: substitute 1 teaspoon pre-minced garlic, 1 teaspoon garlic flakes, teaspoon ½ granulated garlic, or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Spices: use chili powder, paprika, cumin, turmeric, or your favorite spice blend for savory sweet potatoes. You can also use cinnamon or pumpkin spice for a slightly sweet variation.
- Parmesan: substitute grated asiago or pecorino romano cheese.
- Fresh Herbs: add hearty or dried herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, or thyme at the beginning of cooking. Add delicate herbs such as parsley and cilantro after cooking.
As always, use our recipe as a guide, then adjust to YOUR taste!
We love buying our spices from The Spice House. Click on the picture below to view & try out hundreds of flavorful spices and herbs!
Equipment Recommendations
For recipe success, use the following pieces of equipment:
Check out our essential equipment guide to stock your kitchen with ALL the tools you need to prepare anything!
Health Benefits of Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Americans love potatoes, but white are the more popular variety. Why not mix it up with nutritious and delicious sweet potatoes? Eating a variety of natural colors, like orange from sweet potatoes, is best for overall health. This recipe features sweet potatoes, healthy cooking oil, and optional spices.
Sweet Potatoes
The sweet potato is a root vegetable in the morning glory family. Sweet potatoes are a great source of important nutrients, such as beta carotene and anthocyanins which are naturally-occurring phytonutrients. These phytonutrients help prevent diseases.
Canola or Avocado Oil
Both canola and avocado oils contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. They also have a high smoke point, making them ideal for high-heat cooking methods, such as roasting.
Spices
Using spices decreases the need for salt, which may help reduce hypertension risk and therefore promote heart health. Additionally, spices contain powerful antioxidants which may help reduce inflammation in the body.
Learn more about the health benefits of spices in this article!
How to Serve Roasted Diced Sweet Potatoes
These roasted sweet potatoes make a delicious side at almost any meal! Pair with our beef and bean burgers base recipe and a green salad for a balanced plate.
Storage Tips
Allow sweet potatoes to cool, then store in an airtight container. Leftovers will last for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, but they will definitely lose some crispness as they sit! Reheat in the oven for best texture.
Want more roasted vegetable recipes?
Try out these flavorful favorites!
Roasted Russet Potatoes Base Recipe
Roasted Diced Sweet Potatoes Base Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (~4 cups diced)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons canola or avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Additions to YOUR taste
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced (~1 teaspoon)
- 1 Tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- ½-1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs
- ¼ - 1 teaspoon spice(s)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Clean and scrub sweet potatoes well. Do not peel. Dice into ½-¾" cubes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, salt, and optional garlic, hearty herbs, and/or spices. Add diced sweet potato. Using a spatula, toss to evenly coat.
- Spread sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Roast 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are browned, crisp, and easily pierced with a fork. Sprinkle with optional parmesan and/or chopped herbs. Enjoy!
