Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan, Garlic & Herbs

Published September 15, 2015. Updated January 19, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

These Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes are ready in under an hour and are the perfect fall side dish. They’re topped with grated fresh Parmesan, fresh herbs and minced garlic. You’ll definitely want seconds of these sweet potatoes!  

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan, Garlic & Herbs

Easy Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Don’t you just love all the flavors of fall? It took me a large portion of my life to come to appreciate sweet potatoes and their unique, sweet flavor. A sweet vegetable just seemed so strange and those marshmallow loaded yams were just wrong to me in my childhood. But now? Bring them on!

It’s surprising I didn’t love them considering I love all things sweet and sugary, but I’ve definitely come around. I love sweet potatoes now and all the different ways you can prepare them. Put them in soup, add them to a salad, mash them up or roast them like so.

These savory roasted sweet potatoes with the garlic, herbs and parmesan helps balance out and tone down the natural sweetness if you aren’t too fond if it. It just really helps bring some savory flavor to this side dish.

This is an easy side dish that requires minimal ingredients, yet it’s is full of delicious flavors! The only tedious part will be cutting the sweet potatoes. I found it easiest to cut into 1-inch rounds first then to cut into cubes from there.

I also decided to peel half and leave the other half with skins for added nutrition, but do whatever you prefer.

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes on a baking tray

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes Ingredients

These cheesy garlic sweet potatoes require very few ingredients, which makes them the perfect side dish on busy weeknights. For these roasted sweet potatoes, you’ll need:

  • Sweet potatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic
  • Fresh thyme and parsley
  • Salt and pepper
  • Freshly grated Parmesan
  • Melted butter (optional)

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan, Garlic & Herbs

How to Roast Sweet Potatoes

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Stir together olive oil, garlic and thyme.
  • Place potatoes on baking sheet, then toss with olive oil mixture.
  • Roast until tender, tossing once halfway through.
  • Remove potatoes from oven, then toss with olive oil or butter.
  • Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.

Do You Have to Peel the Sweet Potatoes?

No, you can leave the sweet potatoes unpeeled if desired. Just remember to wash the potatoes under warm water before chopping them. Keep in mind the peels aren’t entirely soft so if texturally preferred peel first.

Can I Use Different Herbs in This Savory Sweet Potato Recipe?

Yes, these garlic and herb sweet potatoes would taste delicious with any number of fresh herbs. Rosemary would probably work in this recipe, as would a little oregano.

close up shot of savory roasted sweet potatoes

How to Store Roasted Sweet Potatoes

These savory roasted sweet potatoes keep well in the fridge if stored in an airtight container. To reheat these garlic and Parmesan sweet potatoes, I recommend warming them in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

They won’t be as crispy as they were when first taken from the oven, but reheating them in a skillet should prevent them from being too mushy.

Tips for the Best Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • Make sure the sweet potatoes are distributed evenly on the baking sheet. If you overcrowd the sheet, the potatoes will steam instead of roast.
  • For more golden brown potatoes, broil them for the last 1 to 2 minutes in the oven.
  • If you’d like to fully melt the Parmesan cheese before serving these potatoes, return them to the oven and broil them for 1 minute.

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan, Garlic & Herbs on a plate

More Easy Sweet Potato Recipes You’ll Love:

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

4.86 from 7 votes

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan, Garlic & Herbs

These Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes are ready in under an hour and are topped with Parmesan, herbs & garlic. You'll definitely want seconds!
Servings: 5
Prep15 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes , peeled if desired and diced into 1-inch cubes (about 3 medium)
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil , plus more for serving
  • 3 - 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
  • Melted butter or more olive oil , optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
  • In a small mixing bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic, and thyme. Place potatoes in a mound on baking sheet, pour mixture over potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to evenly coat. Spread into an even layer. 
  • Roast in preheated oven until tender, tossing once halfway through, about 30 minutes total (you can broil during last 1 - 2 minutes near broiler for more golden brown potatoes). 
  • Remove from oven, drizzle and toss with more olive oil, then immediately sprinkle with parmesan (if you'd like to fully melt the parmesan just return to broiler for about 1 minute). Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Make sure the sweet potatoes are distributed evenly on the baking sheet. If you overcrowd the sheet, the potatoes will steam instead of roast. 
  • For more golden brown potatoes, broil them for the last 1 to 2 minutes in the oven. 
  • If you'd like to fully melt the Parmesan cheese before serving these potatoes, return them to the oven and broil them for 1 minute. 
  • Recipe source: Cooking Classy