These easy roasted sweet potatoes with red onions are the best you'll try! Perfectly tender and creamy in the center with well-browned, caramelized edges. A few tips make all the difference, be sure to read below for how to roast sweet potatoes.
It doesn't matter what time of the year or what season, I am happy to heat up the oven for some hearty roasted veggies. Some of my go-tos are: Italian roasted vegetables, Mediterranean-style roasted eggplant, roasted cauliflower, or roasted butternut squash, done up with a little lime vinaigrette and crunchy nuts (a must-try)!
But roasted sweet potatoes--tender and creamy on the inside and perfectly carmalized on the outside--are a whole category of delicious goodness!
I'm sharing my tested, tried-n-true recipe for roasted sweet potato cubes, tossed in extra virigin olive oil and cooked with some red onions, and a little pinch of cinnamon and allspice, which truly play up the earthy sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
Before getting to the roasted sweet potato recipe, let's cover just a few basic questions.
There are 16 varieites of sweet potatoes. Go for jewel or garnet sweet potatoes, which are the ones with the deep orange flesh. They tend to be moist and more tender, perfect for roasting or in casserole.
Look for small to medium size sweet potatoes, the larger they are the starchier they become. And make sure the skin is tight, unwrinkled, and there are no signs of bruising.
Store raw sweet potatoes in a cooler, dry and dark location with good ventilation.
Cutting sweet potatoes into 1-inch chunks or cubes is a great way to prepare them for roasting. They turn out crispy on the outside, but still substanial and creamy on the inside.
First, peel the sweet potato. Trim the top and bottom, then cut the spuds into round slices. Cut each slice into 1-inch cubes or chunks. Remember that cutting them as evenly and close in size as possible will enusre they all cook in the same amount of time.
No. You do not need to boile sweet potatoes before roasting. And actually, you should not. For perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, start with raw cubes and toss them in a little extra virgin olive oil, then let the hot oven do the work of cooking them and concentrating their sweetness.
Temprature and time play an important role in getting your sweet potatoes roasted just right.
Roast sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F. The sweet potatoes will take anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes. Yes, they can cook faster at 425 degrees F or 450 degrees F, but the longer timeperiod is just what you need to truly cook the interior of the sweet potatoes until nice and creamy, while perfectly concentrating their sweetness.
Remember to flip the sweet potato cubes over partway through roasting.
How to Roast Sweet Potatoes: 5 Important Tips
As simple as oven roasted sweet potatoes are, a few tips have made all the difference for me:
1- Cut Sweet Potatoes into Cubes. I like to cut my sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. This is a good size, not too large and not too small. And they'll work nicely as a side dish, or you can add them to dinner bowls or to augment a salad. I'm not 100% precise, but I do try to cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized pieces so they can take the same time to cook.
2- Set the Oven to 400 degrees F (approx 205 degrees Celsius.) High heat is ideal for roasting vegetables, but, like I said earlier, choosing 400 degrees F as opposed to 425 degrees F or 450 degrees F will mean a longer cooking time, enough to coax more of the sweet potatoes natural sweetness out. It's also ideal for caramelizing the onions we're cooking along, without burning them.
3- Use a Generous Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Coating the sweet potatoes in olive oil is really what helps them crisp up well on the outside. And I always use a quality good-tasting oil because it does add flavor complexity to roasted veggies. This time, I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (you can find it at our online shop)
4- Season Sweet Potatoes Well. Yes, all you need is a generous dash of kosher salt and black pepper. But you can add more flavor to your liking. I went for a Middle Eastern/Persian vibe here with a bit of cinnamon and allspice, which really play up the earthiness of sweet potatoes.
You'll notice in the photo above that I like to season my sweet potatoes in a bowl first before transferring to a baking dish. The bowl allows me to give the veggies a good toss and make sure they are well coated with the seasonings and oil (just a more even result.)
5- Use a Dark Sheet Pan or Baking Pan. Whenever possible, I like to use my cast iron baking pan for roasting vegetables. The dark helps the veggies cook well, while cast iron provides the added benefit of even, steady heat, making it easy for the veggies to char.
And, of course, do not crowd the baking pan. If you want things to cook well to that perfectly charred point, make sure they are well spread.
Occasionally, toss the sweet potatoes and onions so they cook well on all sides (do this carefully, and use a pair of tongs to turn things over if you need to.)
Similar Recipes to Try:
Baked Lamb Chops with Root Vegetables
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Easy Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lb sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- Extra virgin olive oil I used Private Reserve Greek olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ to ¾ tsp ground allspice
- 2 small red onions cut into large pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and position an oven rack in the middle
- Place the sweet potato cubes and onion pieces in a large mixing bowl. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (3 to 4 tablespoons) Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice. Toss well to coat.
- Transfer to a sheet pan. Spread the sweet potatoes and onions well in one single layer (do not crowd the pan.)
- Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are well cooked through and charred on the edges.
Notes
- Tip: I use a black cast iron baking pan here. The dark color helps the veggies cook well, while cast iron provides the added benefit of even, steady heat, making it easy for the veggies to char.
- Visit our Online Shop to browse extra virgin olive oil bundles and all-natural and organic spices and more!
Nutrition
This post originally appeard on The Mediterranean Dish in 2019 and has been recently updated with new information for readers' benefit.
What a great idea to switch up the traditional sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving! I love roasted veggies and I can't wait to start roasting these soon.
These were so good. So much flavor and so easy to make a perfect side dish to our steak tonight!
Thanks, Jessie!
Yummy! We love this recipe! It's so delicious and tasty! I can't wait to make this again soon!
Awesome! Thanks, Beth!
Potatoes are almost every ones favorite. Your recipe makes it super delicious and the caramalised touch and Cinnamon flavor makes it so special.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them!
Such a great side dish. Like how easy it is to make too.
Thank you so much, Andrea!
Would other veggies like cauliflower and broccoli be good to add with cinnamon and allspice? I’m not good with what spices would be good for what foods. 🤔
Hi Becky, cinnamon in particular is great with sweet potatoes because it plays well into the natural sweetness. For roasted cauliflower for example, I use things like cumin and turmeric. Here is the roasted cauliflower recipe: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/best-roasted-cauliflower-recipe/
Try them with ras al hanout! Absolutely delicious.
Oh we love Ras El Hanout...one of our favorite spices! https://shop.themediterraneandish.com/product/ras-el-hanout/
Super yummy & easy.
Satisfying flavors.
I will serve this often!
So glad to hear it!
I made this today, what a great recipe for sweet potatoes, very tasty and fragrant. It on my list to make very often
This sounds amazing. I am wondering if it would work easily if I used butternut squash instead. ?
Thanks for all your great recipes I look forward to receiving your emails.
Sure, Cheryl! Cubes of peeled butternut squash will work here.
This dish was quite delicious. Simple but delicious! I love sweet potatoes but the cinnamon, allspice and red onions brought them to a new level! In addition the use of the cast iron pan added to the deliciousness with all the carmelization. My husband said It was so good. Thank you for another winner!
Norma, I am so glad you enjoyed this sweet potato recipe! You are right, it is so simple. Thanks for the kind words.
This dish is beautiful - so easy and so tasty! I could eat this and only this for dinner and be super happy!
This dish is surely delicious. Awesome flavor and love the caramelized anion too.