Are you searching for that one perfect, incredibly easy, and universally loved side dish that can do it all? A dish that’s simple enough for a busy weeknight, yet special enough for a holiday feast? These stunning, 5-ingredient Honey-Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes are the delicious, show-stopping answer you’ve been looking for.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a guide to the absolute best method for cooking sweet potatoes. We’ll show you how the simple magic of high-heat roasting transforms humble sweet potatoes, concentrating their natural sweetness and creating the most incredible, tender texture and beautifully caramelized edges. Tossed in a simple glaze of honey, olive oil, and warm cinnamon, this is a dish that is pure, unadulterated comfort and joy.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Easy & Versatile Side Dish
What makes these Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes so spectacular is their incredible simplicity and the way they deliver such a huge depth of flavor from just a handful of pantry staples. This is a true one-pan wonder that requires just a few minutes of active prep time. The natural sweetness of the potatoes is perfectly enhanced by the floral notes of honey and the warm spice of cinnamon. It’s a wholesome, delicious, and foolproof side dish that will become an instant favorite in your recipe rotation.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 40 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4-6 |
The Essential Ingredients for Perfect Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This recipe uses just a few simple, powerful ingredients to create a truly spectacular result.
- Sweet Potatoes: The star of the show. For the best texture and flavor, look for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as Beauregard, Jewel, or Garnet varieties. Choose potatoes that are small to medium in size with smooth, firm, and unbruised skin. The key to even cooking is to cut them into uniform, 1-inch cubes.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: A good quality olive oil not only prevents the potatoes from sticking but also adds a lovely, fruity, and slightly savory note that beautifully balances the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Honey: The key to our beautiful, sticky glaze. As the sweet potatoes roast, the honey caramelizes, creating a wonderfully sweet and glossy coating.
- Ground Cinnamon: The classic warm spice pairing for sweet potatoes. A generous amount of cinnamon adds a fragrant, cozy, and irresistible aroma and flavor that makes the whole dish taste like fall.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper: The essential finishing touches that balance the sweetness and enhance all the other flavors.
Step-by-Step to Perfectly Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
Follow these simple, detailed steps for a perfect, tender, and caramelized result every time.
Step 1: Prepare the Sweet Potatoes and the Glaze
First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into uniform, 1-inch cubes.
Pro Tip: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, the 1/4 cup of honey, the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Creating the glaze in the bowl first ensures that every single piece of sweet potato will be evenly and completely coated.
Add the cubed sweet potatoes to the bowl with the glaze and toss everything together until the potatoes are thoroughly coated.
Step 2: Roast to Tender, Caramelized Perfection
Spread the coated sweet potatoes out in a single, even layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet.
Crucial Pro Tip (The Secret to Roasting!): The number one rule for crispy, caramelized roasted vegetables is to not overcrowd the pan. The sweet potato cubes need space for the hot air to circulate all around them. If they are packed in too tightly, they will steam instead of roast, and they will come out soft and soggy instead of beautifully browned. Use two sheet pans if you need to! For easy cleanup, you can line your pan with parchment paper.
Roast in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing the potatoes with a spatula about halfway through the cooking time to ensure they brown on all sides.
The roasted sweet potatoes are perfectly done when they are tender all the way through (you can easily pierce one with a fork) and have beautiful, deeply caramelized and slightly crispy edges.
Step 3: Finish and Serve
Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter or a large bowl.
For a final, rich flourish, you can drizzle them with a little more extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve immediately while they are hot and at their most delicious!
The Best Easy Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes (with Cinnamon!)
A simple and delicious recipe for a classic roasted sweet potato side dish. Cubed sweet potatoes are tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, honey, and ground cinnamon, then seasoned with salt and pepper. They are roasted in a single layer on a tray until tender and lightly caramelized. The dish is finished with an extra drizzle of olive oil just before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Place the sweet potato cubes in a single layer on a roasting tray.
- Drizzle the 1/4 cup of olive oil, the honey, and the cinnamon over the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to ensure the potatoes are evenly coated.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a serving platter.
- Drizzle with a little more extra-virgin olive oil before serving.
Notes
- Arranging the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the roasting tray is a key step to ensure they roast evenly and caramelize rather than steam.
- This is a versatile side dish that pairs well with many main courses, especially for holiday meals like Thanksgiving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 250-320
- Sugar: 20-28 g
- Sodium: 150-250 mg
- Fat: 10-14 g
- Saturated Fat: 1-3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40-48 g
- Fiber: 5-7 g
- Protein: 2-4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Serving Your Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
These sweet and savory roasted sweet potatoes are an incredibly versatile side dish. They are the perfect accompaniment to almost any main course, including:
- Holiday Feasts: A must-have side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas, served alongside a roasted turkey or a holiday ham.
- Weeknight Dinners: A perfect, easy side for roasted chicken, pork chops, or even a simple pan-seared salmon.
- As a Bowl Base: They make a fantastic, flavorful base for a healthy grain bowl or a salad.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
These roasted sweet potatoes are a fantastic dish for meal prepping and leftovers are incredibly delicious.
- Make-Ahead: You can peel and cube your sweet potatoes up to a day in advance. To prevent them from browning, simply keep them completely submerged in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator. Drain and pat them very dry before you toss them with the glaze.
- Storage: Store any leftover roasted sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat the sweet potatoes and bring back some of their original crispy texture is in the air fryer or back in a hot 400°F oven. Spread them on a baking sheet and reheat for about 5-10 minutes, until they are hot and the edges have crisped up again.
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Creative Recipe Variations
This simple and delicious recipe is a wonderful base for your own creative and flavorful twists.
- Make it a Sweet & Spicy Version: For a delicious, addictive kick of heat, you can add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a smoky chipotle powder to the glaze along with the cinnamon. A drizzle of hot honey at the end would also be fantastic.
- Add a Nutty Crunch: For a wonderful textural contrast that is perfect for a holiday meal, you can toss 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts with the sweet potatoes during the last 10 minutes of the roasting time to get them perfectly toasted.
- Add a Savory, Herbaceous Twist: For a less sweet, more savory version, you can reduce the honey by half and toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped hearty herbs like rosemary or thyme along with the cinnamon.
Enjoy The Perfect, Easy Side Dish!
You’ve just created a truly perfect side dish that is a beautiful harmony of sweet, savory, and spiced flavors. These Honey-Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes are a testament to how simple ingredients and a simple technique can create something truly special and delicious. It’s a humble yet spectacular dish that is sure to become a new staple in your home.
We hope you enjoy every last, tender, and caramelized bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves an easy and delicious side dish!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What are the best sweet potatoes to use for roasting?
For roasting, you want to use the classic orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as the Beauregard, Jewel, or Garnet varieties. They have a high moisture content and become wonderfully sweet, creamy, and tender when roasted.
Q2: How do I keep my honey-glazed sweet potatoes from sticking to the pan or burning?
The two most important secrets are parchment paper and the correct oven temperature. Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper is a foolproof way to prevent the sticky honey glaze from adhering to the pan. The moderate roasting temperature of 375°F is also key—it’s hot enough to caramelize the potatoes but not so hot that the honey will burn before the potatoes are cooked through.
Q3: Can I make these roasted sweet potatoes in an air fryer?
Yes, an air fryer is a fantastic tool for making these! Simply prepare the sweet potatoes as directed. Then, place them in your air fryer basket in a single layer (you may need to work in batches). Air fry at about 375°F (190°C) for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until they are golden, caramelized, and tender.
Q4: Do I have to peel the sweet potatoes?
You don’t have to, but it is recommended for the best texture in this specific recipe. Peeled sweet potatoes will have a softer, more uniform, and more “candied” texture. If you love the taste and the extra fiber of the skin, you can absolutely leave it on! Just be sure to scrub the potatoes very well before you cube them.
Q5: Can I use a different sweetener instead of honey?
Yes. You can substitute the honey with an equal amount of pure maple syrup for a delicious, slightly different flavor that is also a fantastic pairing with sweet potatoes and cinnamon.