Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
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Discover the secret to the crispiest roasted sweet potatoes—once you try it, there’s no going back to the traditional method!
Have you ever tried to make perfectly crispy roasted sweet potatoes, only to end up with sweet potatoes that are disappointingly uncrispy? Don’t blame yourself—the higher sugar content and moisture in sweet potatoes leads to a softer texture when roasted. But this recipe, adapted from Jeremy Scheck’s new cookbook, Cooking Smarter, employs a few tricks to deliver the crispiest, most delicious roasted sweet potatoes I’ve ever tasted—no exaggeration! If Jeremy’s name doesn’t ring a bell (or, like me, you rely on the young people in your life for the latest online trends), he’s a rising star in the culinary world, especially on TikTok. I had the pleasure of meeting him at one of my book signings when he was still in high school, and it’s been incredible watching his journey since then.
So what’s Jeremy’s secret to roasting sweet potatoes that come out incredibly crispy? First, it’s key to par-boil the potatoes in salted water mixed with a little baking soda. The par-boiling makes the potatoes tender and the baking soda breaks down the potato’s surface, creating a rough texture that enhances crispiness upon roasting. Then, before roasting, the par-boiled potatoes are tossed with olive oil, seasoning, and potato starch. The potato starch serves as a coating that crisps up beautifully as the potatoes roast.
Table of Contents
“I didn’t think that crispy sweet potatoes were possible, but here they are. I will be making these gems again and again. Thank you, Jenn.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Baking Soda: Helps to soften the sweet potatoes and break down their surface, aiding in achieving a crispy texture during roasting.
- Sweet Potatoes: These potatoes have a sweet, creamy base and absorb flavors well. They are packed with nutrition—a great source of fiber, vitamins A and B6, and calcium. (No need to peel the potatoes for this recipe.)
- Potato Starch: Serves as a coating that crisps up beautifully as the potatoes roast. Corn starch can be substituted if necessary.
- Olive Oil: Assists in achieving a golden, crispy texture and adds richness.
- Chopped Fresh Rosemary: Imparts a fragrant note and complements the sweetness of the potatoes. I love rosemary paired with potatoes, but feel free to experiment with your favorite herbs like fresh parsley or thyme.
- Black Pepper: Adds a subtle heat and depth to balance the sweetness and enhance flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt and the baking soda. Add the sweet potato cubes and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes thoroughly.
Directly on a rimmed sheet pan (avoid using foil as the potatoes may stick), sprinkle the par-boiled potatoes with the potato starch, oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, half of the rosemary, and the pepper.
Toss gently to coat.
Roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, stirring once midway through roasting.
After roasting, turn off the oven but leave the potatoes inside for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a platter and serve.
When baking soda is added to the boiling water, it raises the pH level, making the water more alkaline. This increased alkalinity weakens the pectin in the potato cells, leading to a breakdown of the potato’s surface. As a result, the edges of the potatoes become softer and rougher. When roasted, these rough edges crisp up more effectively, giving you that desirable crispy exterior.
In most stores, you can find potato starch in the baking aisle alongside other starches and thickeners like cornstarch. It may also be in the gluten-free or international foods aisle, especially within the Kosher or Asian sections. Some stores that have distinct sections for natural or organic foods might also stock potato starch there. If you’re having difficulty finding it, ask a store employee.
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Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- Salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large), unpeeled, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) chunks
- 2 tablespoons potato starch (see note)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a large pot, bring 3 quarts (3 L) of water to a boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt and the baking soda. Add the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes.Drain the potatoes thoroughly.
- Directly on a rimmed baking sheet (avoid using foil as the potatoes may stick), toss the par-boiled potatoes with the potato starch, oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, half of the rosemary, and the pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, stirring once midway through roasting. After roasting, turn off the oven but leave the potatoes inside for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a platter and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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These are like “healthy” sweet potato fries. They had a really good crisp and I loved that once you parboil, they’re a nice hands-off side dish. Since I only used 2 potatoes, next time I’ll use the air fryer.
I used them with carne asada for carne asade and sweet potato tacos (because why not?). These gave the tacos sweetness and crunch. Yum!
I won’t go back to regular roasted sweet potatoes again, and I’ll definitely try with butternut squash.
I love your recipes! I do find some of them hard to make, BECAUSE I live alone. My neighbors really enjoy this fact. My freezer is small and so is my spending account. Do you ever make recipes for 4? Love to just read recipes. Rosie. (Age 82)
Hi Rosemary, so glad you like the recipes! I definitely have a fair number of recipes for four. A couple that you may want to check out are egg roll in a bowl, skillet turkey burgers, and this spinach frittata. You can also cut some recipes like this one in half (although it requires a little math). 😊 And I’d encourage you to browse through the recipes to see if you come across others as there are definitely a number of them.
You don’t need to peel the sweet potatoes?
Nope – the skin is delicious 🙂
Jen,
I can’t wait to try this recipe as I think that is the age old issue with roasted sweet potatoes – not getting them crispy enough without charring them. Two questions – can we do this method with sweet potato steak fries? Also, could would this recipe work as well for butternut squash? Thanks!
P.S. Your new photo with those gorgeous chocolate labs is fantastic! Are they your pups?
I do think it’d work well for steak fries. I haven’t tried it with butternut squash but I wondered the same thing! I’ll report back once I have a chance to try it; please let me know if you try it first. 🙂 And thank you for the kind words about my sweet pups!
My husband is a potato lover so I wanted to give this a whirl, always needing a new side dish. Sweet Potatoes are roots and Yams are tubers from my research. Do you know if they would cook the same? I tend to find Yams in our local organic store rather than sweet potatoes. Thanks so Very much.
Hi Wendy, Many grocery stores use the names “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably. This can be confusing since yams aren’t sweet potatoes at all, but rather thick white tubers with dark brown skin. Chances are you won’t find real yams at the supermarket, so if you see “yams,” you’re probably looking at sweet potatoes.
How do the potatoes not turn to mush with this much cooking? When I roast sweet potatoes they usually only take about 20 minutes. Can’t imagine parboiling and then roasting for another 35 minutes. Can you explain?
Hi Linda, Honestly I wondered the exact same thing when I first read the recipe, but they aren’t mushy at all. They’re definitely soft on the inside, but the outside is so crispy that it all just works. Promise!
Just to add confusion to the mix, in Canada, the root vegetable you have pictured here is most definitely a ‘yam’. It has deep orange flesh (we can get purple yams too). “Sweet potatoes” here have yellow flesh on the inside, and tend to be rounder and fatter, with less pointy ends.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe!
Interesting, Naomi (another Canadian here). I’ve lived in a number of Canadian cities and always called these sweet potatoes. Maybe it’s regional in another way?
Can you use cornstarch instead of the potato starch?
Hi Virginia, Potato starch will give you a better and crispier result.
Surely if you wish to rough up the edges after draining the potatoes just shake in the saucepan with the lid on and this will do the same without the need for the cornstarch. This method I use all the time for roast potatoes.
I LOVE sweet potatoes and this recipe looks fabulous(and I will be trying it). I noticed you left the skins on the potatoes, which I have never seen before, but love the idea, such a time saver. Is this a newer “thing”?
Hi Karen, I don’t know if it’s new but I always leave the skin on when I roast potatoes. Please come back and let me know how they turn out!
This recipe is surprisingly similar to the “Serious Eats” recipe for “The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes Ever”, originally published in 2016. The link to that recipe is: “https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-roast-potatoes-ever-recipe”
There are a few minor differences but the methods are almost identical. That recipe is amazing and I’m going to try this one (sweet potatoes) in the next day or two. Should be delicious.
Hi John, Yes Jeremy actually mentions that he was inspired by the Serious Eats baking soda method in his book – but it’s the addition of potato starch that truly makes these special. Hope you enjoy them!
Could you use parchment paper on the sheet pan? Would it affect the crispiness if the final product?
Hi Karen, I don’t recommend it because of the high heat; the parchment will burn.