This savory roasted sweet potatoes recipe has a great combination of flavors. It's vegetarian, and perfect for something unique at Thanksgiving or any time!
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I must confess that I am not a fan of sticky-sweet recipes for sweet potatoes. They might as well be pie. (Nothing wrong with pie.)
But I am a big fan of savory roasted sweet potatoes. And this recipe is packed with fun flavors that you might not have expected. Oven roasting the sweet potatoes allows them to brown nicely, which balances out their sweetness.
Then you can pair them with all kinds of savory flavors, so how about cilantro and lime? Now you have my attention.
Jump to:
- Ingredients you'll need
- How to make savory roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro lime sauce
- Tips for savory roasted sweet potatoes
- Substitutions
- How to serve savory roasted sweet potatoes
- FAQ
- Recommended tools and equipment
- Savory roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro and lime are well-balanced and easy to make!
- More sweet potato recipes
- More roasted vegetable recipes
- Recipe
Ingredients you'll need
- Sweet potatoes: Choose sweet potatoes that are heavy, with no wrinkles in the skin. (If the skin is wrinkly, they are old and about to spoil and will probably be a little hollow inside.)
- Full fat Greek yogurt: Don't skimp here. You need the full fat for the creaminess. We aren't using a whole lot, so don't worry about the calories!
- Lime juice and lime zest: Look for limes that are dark green and that have a shiny skin. Store them at room temperature so they will be easier to juice. The lime zest is the perfect kiss of aroma and brightness when finishing the dish.
- Cilantro: You want dark green cilantro with perky leaves.
- Green chiles: I used thin, Thai green chilis. Serrano chiles would also work well.
- Almonds: Use unsalted almonds. Raw or roasted are both fine.
- Honey: Okay, I'll accept this little bit of sweetness on the potatoes. It's just a hint and not overpowering.
- Olive oil and white wine vinegar: To finish the sauce. The sweetness of the white wine vinegar balances out the tartness of the lime juice.
How to make savory roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro lime sauce
Recipe adapted lightly from Diana Henry via NYT Cooking.
Step 1: Chop and prep sweet potatoes
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.
Use a good chef's knife and dice the sweet potatoes into wedges. Not too small, not too big, maybe an inch wide.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, lime juice and salt.
Add the potatoes to the bowl with the lime juice mixture and stir until the potatoes are well-coated.
Step 2: Roast the sweet potatoes
Divide the chopped sweet potatoes between two sheet pans. Be sure to get all of the olive oil mixture out of the bowl and coat all the potatoes on each pan.
Roast the potatoes for 25 minutes, then stir the potatoes and rotate the pans and roast for about 10 minutes more, until they are browned and have cooked all the way through.
Step 3: Make the chili-lime sauce
Meanwhile, make the chile-lime cilantro sauce.
Remove the ribs and seeds of the chilis and give them a rough chop. Using a Microplane grater, grate the garlic clove.
Add the lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, almonds, garlic, cilantro and chiles to a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is saucy and chunky, but not liquified.
Transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a serving bowl. Dot with the savory cilantro sauce and yogurt, and sprinkle the lime zest on top. Serve with more sauce and yogurt on the side.
Tips for savory roasted sweet potatoes
- Be sure to use the tender stems of the cilantro as well as the leaves. They have loads of flavor and you'll have less food waste!
- Testing note: I tested the cilantro sauce in my mini food processor and in my full-sized food processor. The mini food processor worked much better. There's not a whole lot of volume to the ingredients, so the texture came out better in the smaller one.
- I prefer to grate the garlic with a Microplane grater. It incorporates into the sauce much better, so the raw garlic is not as pungent. I use my grater almost every day!
Substitutions
- You can use serrano chilis, jalapeños, or Thai chilis. Just be aware of the heat level of what you are buying and adjust the amount accordingly when you make the sauce.
- To make these savory roasted sweet potatoes vegan, substitute agave syrup or maple syrup in place of the honey, and use vegan yogurt—one made with coconut milk would taste great with these flavors!
- Feel free to swap out the almonds for other nuts like pistachios or hazelnuts.
- If you don't have white wine vinegar, try apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar.
How to serve savory roasted sweet potatoes
These savory roasted sweet potatoes are a perfect Thanksgiving side dish when you want to change things up from the same old sweet potato casserole. They taste great with Roast Chicken with Tarragon, try them alongside Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb, or serve as a side dish with Turkey Burgers.
FAQ
The chili-lime cilantro sauce can be made up to a day ahead.
Yes you can, and you should! The skin of the sweet potato holds most of the fiber and antioxidants.
Recommended tools and equipment
- Chef's knife and cutting board: To chop the sweet potatoes and the chilis.
- Sheet pans: For roasting the sweet potatoes.
- Mixing bowl, whisk and silicone spatula: To mix up the honey-lime olive oil, we'll coat the sweet potatoes with it before they are roasted.
- Microplane grater: To zest the lime. (My favorite kitchen tool!)
- Mini food processor: For the cilantro sauce. I used my mini food processor, because although you can use a large one it wasn't really enough volume of ingredients. This little guy comes in handy a lot for sauces like this.
Savory roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro and lime are well-balanced and easy to make!
- A little acid from the lime, a little sweetness from the vinegar, a little spice, some fresh herbs, and creamy yogurt. Everything balances out.
- These savory roasted sweet potatoes are vegetarian and gluten free!
- Easy prep: Just whisk up a marinade, roast on a sheet pan, and zip the cilantro-lime sauce up in a blender.
- Ready in about 40 minutes.
- Makes a great holiday side dish.
More sweet potato recipes
Sweet potatoes are great in soups or try them with other spicy, savory flavors in casseroles!
- For an elegant Thanksgiving starter, try Sweet Potato Soup.
- Corn Chowder with Bacon swaps in sweet potatoes for regular and makes a hearty fall meal.
- Try a spicy Chipotle Sweet Potato Gratin for a spin on traditional scalloped potatoes.
More roasted vegetable recipes
Here are some more ideas for roasted vegetables that get zhuzhed up with other flavorful ingredients and sauces.
- I make this Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Garlic all the time during the week. It's really simple!
- Try these Oven Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Orange Vinaigrette, and Mint at your next potluck. The warm beets take on the flavor of the orange dressing, and it tastes great at room temp.
- Make broccoli interesting again! Charred Broccoli with Calabrian Chile Paste, Feta, and Lemon Yogurt Sauce makes turns a veg you thought you knew into something entirely new.
Recipe
Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro and Lime
Ingredients
Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 ¼ lb sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice of one lime
- ½ tablespoon honey
- pinch kosher salt
Chile-Lime Cilantro Sauce
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 oz cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 2 green chiles serrano chiles or Thai chiles
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoon whole almonds
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- juice of one lime
- pinch kosher salt
Yogurt
- 1 cup full fat Greek yogurt
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.
- Zest both of the limes and set aside.
- Chop the potatoes into wedges, about 1 inch thick. Not too big or small.
- In a large bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, the juice of one lime, honey and a pinch of salt. Add the sweet potatoes to the bowl and toss until well coated.
- Divide the potatoes between two baking sheets and spread them out evenly. Be sure to drizzle the remaining olive oil mixture over them! Don't leave it behind!
- Roast for 25 minutes, then stir the potatoes and rotate the baking sheets from top rack to bottom rack. Continue to roast for about 10 more minutes until the potatoes have browned and cooked all the way through.
Chile-Lime Cilantro Sauce
- Remove the ribs and stems of the chiles and give them a rough chop. Grate the garlic clove with a microplane grater or chop finely.
- Add the cilantro, ⅓ cup olive oil, vinegar, juice of the remaining lime, almonds, garlic, and chiles to a food processor. Pulse a few times until you have a chunky sauce, you don't want it liquified.
Serving the Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Add the sweet potatoes to a serving dish, top with dollops of the cilantro sauce and greek yogurt. Sprinkle the lime zest over the top. Serve the remaining sauce and yogurt on the side so guests can add more if they like.
Notes
- Be sure to use the tender stems of the cilantro as well as the leaves. They have loads of flavor and you'll have less waste!
- I tested the cilantro sauce in my mini food processor and in my full-sized food processor. The mini food processor worked much better. There's not a whole lot of volume to the ingredients, so the texture came out better in the smaller one.
- I prefer to grate the garlic with a Microplane grater. It incorporates into the sauce much better, so the raw garlic is not as pungent. I use my grater almost every day!
- If you love this recipe, you might want to check out some of Diana Henry's other recipes in her book, How to Eat a Peach.
- Check out the post above for tips on ingredients and FAQs.
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