Name: Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds sweet potatoes (peeled and diced into 3/4 inch pieces); 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 tablespoons butter (melted); 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest; 1/4 cup honey; Flaky sea salt (for serving)

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Have a Thanksgiving-worthy side dish on the table in 40 minutes with these honey roasted sweet potatoes. They’ve got crispy, caramelized edges and a honey butter glaze with paprika, garlic, and a little lemon. They’re sweet, buttery, a little garlicky, and SO good with flaky salt on top.

A close up shot of honey roasted sweet potatoes in a white dish with a serving fork scooping some out.

Table of Contents

Why These Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes Work!

a girl wearing a black leather jacket holding a drink

I’m excited to make these for Thanksgiving as an alternative to the classic sweet potato recipes (though there’s a place for those too, like my easy sweet potato pie!). But I also love that they’re easy to throw together on a weeknight with chicken or fish.

What makes this recipe work is the honey butter. It goes on before the sweet potatoes hit the oven, so the edges get sticky and caramelized while the centers stay soft. Then the extra gets poured over the top at the end (so it never burns on the pan!). Add flaky salt, and you’ve got sweet and salty in every bite.

Jordan

A few ingredient notes…

Flat lay of ingredients for honey roasted sweet potatoes on a counter top.

Sweet potatoes: I use orange sweet potatoes (the ones that are sometimes labeled as yams at the store). Purple or white sweet potatoes work too, but they’re not all the same amount of sweet, and the purple and white ones are a little drier. If a fork doesn’t go in easily, give them a few more minutes.
Honey: It gets a quick simmer with the butter so it’s thin enough to coat every piece. The sugar is also what helps the edges caramelize.
Lemon juice and zest: Just a little. It keeps the honey butter from being too sweet.
Paprika and garlic powder: No cinnamon, no brown sugar. These are what make it a savory side dish. It’s not traditional, but it’s delicious!

How to make honey roasted sweet potatoes

Seasoning the sweet potatoes in a glass bowl.

Season the sweet potatoes. Try to keep the cubes about the same size (3/4 inch is what you’re going for) so they all finish at the same time, then toss them with the salt, paprika, and garlic powder.

A pot with the ingredients to make honey butter.

Make the honey butter. Let it simmer for about a minute. You want small bubbles around the edge of the pan, not a hard boil!

Tossing raw sweet potatoes with honey butter before spreading them onto the baking sheet.

Toss to coat. Every piece should look shiny. You’ll have extra honey butter in the bottom of the bowl, and that’s what you want.

Tossed honey butter sweet potatoes on a baking sheet before cooking.

Spread them out. Leave some space in between the potatoes, because otherwise you won’t get those crispy caramelized edges. If they don’t all fit, grab a second baking sheet.

Roasted honey butter sweet potatoes out of the oven.

Roast. Give them a toss after about 15 minutes, then keep roasting until the edges are crisp and a fork goes in easily. Keep an eye on the ones around the edge of the pan toward the end, because honey burns fast!

Adding honey butter to the top of roasted sweet potatoes and serving.

Drizzle and serve. Pour the rest of the honey butter over the top and sprinkle with flaky salt just before serving.

Recipe Tips

Peeled or unpeeled? Peel the sweet potatoes for this one so the honey butter gets on every side.
After you toss the potatoes, you’ll have honey butter left in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t pour it onto the baking sheet! Pouring the rest of the honey butter and olive oil mixture on can cause it to burn on the bottom of the pan, so make sure not to learn the hard way. Save it for the end instead!
If the honey butter thickened up while the potatoes roasted, just give it a quick stir.
If you’re serving these for a crowd, use a serving tray instead of a bowl so they don’t get mushy.

A platter filled with honey roasted sweet potatoes next to a serving spoon.

How to Serve Them

Need a main to go with them? Try my juicy marinated chicken thighs or air fryer salmon with the skin on. And if you’re planning your holiday menu, all of my Thanksgiving recipes are in one place.

Want to make them ahead of time? The tricky part is the honey butter congealing around the potatoes and won’t guarantee a good bake. My best advice is to prep your potatoes the day ahead so you have that out of the way. The honey butter should be made on the day of, right before baking.

A fork piercing a piece of honey roasted sweet potatoes out of a larger dish.

More Thanksgiving Sides

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