Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Tried this recipe today and I was so upset – it was a total failure. Cut unpeeled sweets into 1 1/2 inch cubes, and boiled them in the water with salt & baking soda for 10 minutes, drained and let sit in the colander a couple minutes to dry.
Spread out on the pan (that looks just like yours), drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled potato starch/spices mixture on top and tossed/stirred to combine. Baked for 15 minutes at 450 and tried to flip/stir and they found all were stuck to the pan and mushy. Flipped anyway and cooked another 15 minutes. Turned off the oven and let sit for 10. Most of the skins had separated from the sweets and were burned. Spent 15 minutes scrubbing the pan and had to throw most of the messy burned contents in the garbage disposal. Not sure what went wrong, but I’ll not be making these again. Next time I’ll save an hour and a quarter and just boil the sweets and mash them. Sorry. I really wanted some crispy roasted sweet potatoes. 🙁
Hi Robin, I’m so sorry you had a problem with these! If you ever do want to attempt them again, you could use non-stick foil as insurance.
Just made these for the first time. They are very good, even made with cornstarch (what I had). A note of caution- check/toss them after 10-15 minutes! I let them go for 20 and many were burned on the baking sheet. My bad, I should have guessed at such a high temp that burning was a hazard. I still ate them, but next time I will check on them sooner!
Can I make these with a normal baking sheet? I don’t have a rimmed one.
I suppose that should work — you’ll just need to be really careful when you’re transferring to and from the oven and when you stir them, as you won’t have any “guardrails.” 😊
I am wondering how I could make this ahead for an event? Would I just prep as usual and reheat for a few minutes at 350? I will have biscuits in the oven and it would be amazing if I could reheat these at the same temp. Thanks!
Sure, Toby, that should be fine. (I’d just keep them on the counter after you bake them – no need to refrigerate.)
I think it is key to note you should NOT peel the sweet potatoes because that screws it all up and makes it mushy! I only discovered this after going back and looking at the pictures in detail to see what I did wrong because the entire sheet pan turn out fairly mushy and stuck, even though I followed the directions precisely.
Will try this recipe again without peeling the potatoes because it was really hard to find the potato starch and don’t know how else to use it up!
Hi Jenn, we made these at Thanksgiving and they were delicious! No leftovers whatsoever. What purpose does leaving them in the oven for the last 15 mins serve? With our ovens working overtime at Christmas, we’re trying to avoid turning one off. We’ll make it work if need be, but was wondering how crucial this last step is. Thanks!!
Hi Katie, this isn’t my recipe, so I’m not certain what purpose leaving them in the oven serves! They may not be quite as crispy, but I do think you can get away with skipping that last period in the oven.
Absolutely delicious! This is a new family favorite!
These were a hit! Thanks for another winner
A long time ago in a nutrition class I was told that adding baking soda when cooking vegetables destroys the vitamin content, especially water soluble vitamins. I know it used to be a trick restaurants used to retain the green in green vegetables.
I love your recipes and you are my go to person for great recipes.
Thank you!
These were so yummy!!! They were even better excellent re-heated.
I didn’t have the potato starch .. so just used cornstarch. I was happy!!! Thank you so much!