Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
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Easy maple roasted sweet potatoes with browned butter make the perfect sweet and savory side for the holiday season or regular weeknight meals!
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This might sound weird but… it seems not everyone is a fan of regular potatoes. My younger kid is one of these people (I mean, except for French fries obviously). However, he WILL gobble down SWEET potatoes.
Which is why I’m always trying out new sweet potato recipes for our dinners, especially during the fall and holiday season. We love this Sweet Potato Frittata, and also this vegetarian sweet potato chili on colder nights. And this roasted sweet potato salad is hearty enough for a main, but also makes a great side dish.
But, if you like sweet potatoes that are roasted and release all their sugars and get all caramelized at the edges, these roasted maple sweet potatoes might be the only sweet potatoes recipe you need this holiday season.
It is a simple side dish that requires only a handful of ingredients and always gets rave reviews from everyone on the dinner table.
A few notes on this recipe
- Parboiling sweet potatoes before roasting. Some people like to parboil before they roast sweet potatoes. I find this step unnecessary. Sure they will roast more quickly, but what you save in time you gain in additional dishes to wash since you have to use an extra pot to boil them. Roasting them directly means easy cleanup.
Also I personally prefer to roast sweet potatoes for a longer time for the flavor and texture.
- Sweet or savory? The browned butter in this recipe gives these maple roasted sweet potatoes a nutty savory flavor, while the maple syrup enhances their natural sweetness without resulting in a super sweet dish, like the traditional marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole.
I love this balance, but if you want to be more on the savory side, you can eliminate or reduce the pure maple syrup.
Making Browned Butter. Browned butter is easy and quick to make but it’s important to watch it carefully as it can burn fast. If you’re not familiar with the process, check out the photos and VIDEO below and read the directions carefully before starting.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and potassium. They are are a nutrient-packed and delicious vegetable that is versatile enough to be a main dish or an easy side.
Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and have smooth (not wrinkly) skin.
Butter
I love the richness of butter in these maple roasted sweet potatoes, but you can use extra virgin olive oil instead. You can also absolutely substitute vegan butter if desired, to make this dish vegan.
Maple Syrup
Whenever using maple syrup in a recipe, make sure to use pure maple syrup and not a maple flavored sweetener, table syrup, or pancake syrup. The difference between real maple syrup and artificially flavored sweeteners is stark!
Red Pepper Flakes
Red pepper flakes add a bit of spice to these maple roasted sweet potatoes, but it’s really not a spicy dish. You can omit the red pepper flakes or use a smaller amount. You can also use any other spice you like – paprika, cayenne pepper, etc, or a dash of hot sauce.
Fresh parsley
Fresh parsley is used to garnish the dish. It adds a pop of color and freshness.
How to make Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Roasting with high heat ensures good caramelization. Peel and cut 3 lbs of sweet potatoes (about 4 medium size) into 1-inch sweet potato cubes.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a light-colored saucepan, watching it carefully as it can burn quickly. Using a light-colored pan allows you to see the melted butter browning so it’s less likely to burn.
3. Swirl the pan frequently. After a few minutes you will notice that brown bits are starting to collect on the bottom of the pan, and it starts to smell nutty. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Immediately add the pure maple syrup and whisk. Add some red pepper flakes for a hint of spiciness.
5. Put the sweet potatoes cubes in a large bowl and add half the maple butter mixture. Add a large pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Toss to evenly coat the sweet potatoes.
6. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spread the sweet potatoes cubes onto the foil in a single layer.
7. Roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, flipping once, halfway through. Potatoes should be tender and browned.
8. Pour the remaining glaze over the roasted potatoes and add a small handful of chopped parsley and season with an additional pinch of salt and pepper if desired.
Toss to coat evenly and put in a serving dish. Your maple roasted sweet potatoes are done.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Sure! It’s always great to make things ahead as much as possible whether you’re making a thanksgiving dinner, looking for easy holiday meals, or planning for weeknight dinners.
You will get the best results with freshly roasted potatoes, so my personal favorite way to make these ahead of time is to peel and cut the sweet potatoes, prepare the glaze and store each separately until ready to roast.
When you are ready to roast the potatoes, reheat the glaze a little in the microwave just until it’s back to a liquid consistency. Then start from step 5 above, tossing the sweet potatoes with half of the the glaze (you can do this right on the baking sheet), and roasting as indicated.
Alternatively, you can also stop at step 7 above, and
- Put the maple roasted sweet potatoes in an airtight container and store in the fridge.
- Pour the remaining glaze into an airtight container and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- Reheat the sweet potatoes in a 400 F oven in a baking dish covered with aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes or so, until heated through.
- Reheat the glaze in the microwave for a few seconds until liquid, and then just go ahead with step 8.
A few more easy side dishes for the holiday table
Brown sugar glazed carrots with orange and thyme
Maple balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon
Roasted cauliflower with cumin and coriander
Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter & Maple
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1” cubes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F and grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.
- In a medium light-coloured saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking the butter, swirling the pan frequently, until it starts to turn golden and smell nutty, and brown bits have started to collect at the bottom of the pan. Keep a close eye on it, it can burn quickly. Remove from heat.
- Immediately whisk in the maple syrup and red pepper flakes.
- Toss the sweet potatoes with 1/2 of the browned butter glaze, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper, and spread in one layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast the sweet potatoes, for about 35-40 minutes, tossing with a spatula once, about halfway through, until caramelized and tender.
- Pour the remaining brown butter maple glaze over the sweet potatoes and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with parsley and additional salt and pepper if desired, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to reduce the maple syrup or eliminate it if you prefer a more savory dish.
- To give it a bit more kick, increase the crushed red pepper to taste, or add a dash of hot sauce or pinch of cayenne to the glaze.
- To make this ahead, you can either 1) prep the sweet potatoes and glaze separately and store in the refrigerator until ready to roast, or 2) roast the sweet potatoes as described, but save the remaining half of the glaze in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Reheat the sweet potatoes in a 400F oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through. Reheat the glaze in the microwave for a few seconds and toss with the potatoes.
Between my husband and our three kids, only two out of the 5 of us like sweet potatoes. Or so they thought… these looked so delicious that I had to make them, even if only two of us ate them. To my delight, everyone in the family at some, and the sweet potato haters were transformed. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Oh I am so happy to hear that Rebecca!! This totally made my day!!
What a tasty side dish! I love that brown butter and maple glaze on these sweet potatoes. These are just perfect for the holidays, thanks so much for sharing this.
Thank you so much Michelle!!