This easy little side dish of baked sweet potato cubes is a family staple. It's great served alongside baked tofu, a meat main, or added to grain bowls. Also wonderful for a simple Thanksgiving or holiday side!
Always looking to add more veg to our dinner plates, I often turn to baked sweet potato cubes for a super easy and quick addition to bring both color and sweetness. I love these added to servings of coconut quinoa with vegetables, alongside a bowl of gluten free cheesy pasta, or with slices of gluten free quiche or gluten free souffle. The oven's heat brings out the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes, turning them into something almost snackable. Even kids love them (ask me how I know), and they keep well, too. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
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What You'll Love
Like in my roasted cauliflower or maple butternut squash puree recipes, I prefer to let the vegetables' natural flavor come forward. Here, you won't need anything besides olive oil and salt to let the sweet potatoes sing. You'll love that:
- This is a really quick recipe to prep. Five minutes or less is all that's needed to prepare the potatoes. Then, let the oven work its magic to cook the sweet potatoes while you work on the rest of the meal.
- The sweet potatoes are delicious. Like little bits of candied sunshine, the sweet potatoes emerge from the oven perfectly soft and just the tiniest bit caramelized. Yes, I do eat these as a snack!
- It's a versatile side. If you eat meat, serve these little beauties with roast chicken or pot roast. If you're a vegetarian like me, they go amazingly on top of grain bowls, with brown fried rice with vegetables, or even with scrambled eggs!
Ingredients Needed
Just 3 ingredients go into this recipe - yay! Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Sweet potato - Choose a large sweet potato or yam that is firm and has no brown or soft spots. You can use an orange sweet potato, as shown, or do a Japanese sweet potato, which has a whiter interior.
- Olive oil - I use extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt is best. You can adjust the amount of salt to your taste.
How to Finish/Add More Flavor
- Drizzle with tahini - Sweet potatoes were made for the smooth creaminess of nutty tahini. I love drizzling (well-stirred) tahini over my cubes!
- A splash of maple syrup - For a little extra sweetness, splash some maple syrup over the cubes when they come out of the oven.
- Parmesan - Dust the sweet potato cubes with grated parmesan for a bit of cheesy saltiness.
- Soy sauce (or tamari, for a gluten-free version) - For a hint of umami, drizzle a few teaspoons of tamari or soy sauce over the baked sweet potatoes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this easy dish:
1. Prepare: Line a baking sheet and toss the cubed sweet potatoes in olive oil and salt.
2. Bake: Place in a 350°F oven and bake until soft, about 35-40 minutes.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- Try to cut the potato cubes uniformly. Let's be real - it's hard to make manually cut produce even if you're not a professional chef! However, if possible, try to make the cubes around the same size so that they all cook evenly.
- Increase the quantities. This dish is fantastic, whether made with one, two, or five sweet potatoes, perfect for serving a crowd. Go ahead and increase the quantities for as much as you need.
- Timing may vary. Depending on your oven, you may need to bake the sweet potatoes a little longer. I like to check around 30 minutes, give the pan a shake, and continue checking so that the potatoes don't burn.
- Add seasonings. In addition to salt, you could add black or white pepper, garlic powder or garlic salt, and fresh or dried herbs like oregano or rosemary.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge - Place the cooled sweet potatoes in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat - Keep it easy and reheat the sweet potato cubes for 30-60 seconds in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, or spread them out on a baking sheet and rewarm in the oven at 350F for about 5-10 minutes.
More Easy Vegetable Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this baked sweet potato cubes recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Baked Sweet Potato Cubes
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½-1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Peel the 1 large sweet potato and cut it up into cubes. Toss the cubes in the 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½-1 teaspoon fine sea salt - I do this right on the baking sheet but you can also do it in a bowl.
- Spread the sweet potatoes out on the baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for about 35-45 minutes, checking to see if the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. When done, remove from oven and serve.
Notes
- Try to cut the potato cubes uniformly. Let's be real - it's hard to make manually cut produce even if you're not a professional chef! However, if possible, try to make the cubes around the same size so that they all cook evenly.
- Increase the quantities. This dish is fantastic, whether made with one, two, or five sweet potatoes, perfect for serving a crowd. Go ahead and increase the quantities for as much as you need.
- Timing may vary. Depending on your oven, you may need to bake the sweet potatoes a little longer. I like to check around 30 minutes, give the pan a shake, and continue checking so that the potatoes don't burn.
- Add seasonings. In addition to salt, you could add black or white pepper, garlic powder or garlic salt, and fresh or dried herbs like oregano or rosemary.
Nutrition
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