How to Roast Sweet Potatoes Whole

Want to stock your fridge with a nutritious snack or healthy breakfast? Learn how to roast sweet potatoes whole! This dead-simple recipe will give you the perfectly buttery-soft yet charred roast sweet potato every time. 

I adore the beautifully sweet and nutty flavor of roast sweet potatoes. I often season them with cinnamon or drizzle them with tahini honey for a crowd-pleasing side dish. Honestly, though, most of the time I’m just roasting them whole and eating them straight from the fridge like an apple! It makes for a satisfying breakfast or a quick snack. (Instagram had an absolute fit when I shared this video, but I think they need nothing more!)

Plus roasting sweet potatoes whole could not be easier. You simply poke them with a fork so the steam can escape and roast until they’re buttery and tender all the way through. I like a slightly longer roast time, which will puff and char the skin just right. 

With this simple guide, you’ll learn to roast sweet potatoes to perfection, along with suggestions for what to serve with sweet potatoes, how to turn them into crave-worthy Mediterranean diet breakfast, and more. As a bonus, you won’t even have to clean a knife or cutting board afterward. Doesn’t get much better than that! 

Table of Contents

1. Ingredients for Whole Roast Sweet Potatoes
2. Are Sweet Potatoes Healthy?
3. How to Roast Sweet Potatoes Whole
4. Ways to Use Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes
5. Ways to Dress Up Roasted Sweet Potatoes 
6. More Sweet Potato Recipes
7. Whole Roast Sweet Potatoes Recipe Recipe
8. Mediterranean Diet Starter Kit

Ingredients for Whole Roast Sweet Potatoes

You only need one thing to roast sweet potatoes whole: sweet potatoes! I like them all on their own with a puffy, soft, and slightly charred skin. That said, if you prefer a crispier skin, you can coat them in a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil before roasting.

Are Sweet Potatoes Healthy?

Despite their candy-sweet flavor, sweet potatoes are deceptively healthy! According to Sweet Potato Is Not Simply an Abundant Food Crop, a comprehensive review published by the National Institute of Health, sweet potatoes are also nutrient-rich, high in fiber, packed with vitamins, and have a low glycemic index.

“Sweet potato is considered an excellent source of dietary carotenoids, and polysaccharides,” according to the article, “whose health benefits include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity, cardiovascular protection, anticancer properties and improvement in neurological and memory capacity, metabolic disorders, and intestinal barrier function.”

• GET THE FACTS: See roasted sweet potatoes full nutritional breakdown at the USDA. 

How to Roast Sweet Potatoes Whole

It takes about 45 minutes to roast sweet potatoes whole, and less than 5 minutes of hands-on time! Here are the steps: 

• Get ready. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Using a fork, poke the sweet potatoes all over, then arrange them on the prepared sheet pan. (This allows the steam to escape as they roast, saving you from a big mess in your oven if they explode.)
• Roast the potatoes. Bake in the heated oven until the sweet potatoes are very tender on the inside and a fork inserted in the center meets no resistance. This takes me about 45 minutes, as I like to leave mine in the oven until the skin puffs up and chars in some parts.

Ways to Use Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We love a good sweet potato recipe here at the Mediterranean dish, and we use them in soups, salads, or as a simple healthy side. Try them in these recipes:

• Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Thyme and Molasses
• Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi with a lovely sage sauce
• Stir roasted sweet potatoes into your favorite soups. They will act as a thickener to make them feel creamy without the addition of heavy cream. You can do this with regular white potatoes as well.
• Swap out pumpkin for sweet potatoes in my Pumpkin Parfait.

Ways to Dress Up Roasted Sweet Potatoes 

You can, in my opinion, happily serve sweet potatoes plain as a snack, breakfast, or side dish. But you can also certainly spruce it up a bit! Try slicing them half and topping with crumbled feta, a sprinkle of Greek oregano, flaky salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. 

If you have a morning sweet tooth or are looking for a healthy dessert option, try a drizzle of Greek honey and crushed walnuts sprinkled over top—with or without a dollop of Greek yogurt. I also like to slice them into medallions and pan-fry them in a skillet until deeply golden. Here is a little video from my Instagram to show you the steps.

Really, once you learn hot to roast a sweet potato the sky is the limit for what you can do with them.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

Sides and Small Plates

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey Tahini and Sesame Seeds

Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Za’atar and Tahini

Sides and Small Plates

Roasted Pear and Sweet Potato Gratin

Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Easy Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Browse all Mediterranean recipes. 

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