Until recently, I thought you needed oil to do just about any type of roasting. I was wrong. I can now roast sweet potatoes without using any oil. My husband’s friend eats a whole plant-based diet and does not like to use oils. We had him over for dinner one night so began my journey in learning to make tasty food without oils. So far, I’ve tried roasting sweet potatoes without oils, and it was a success.
What You’ll Need:
Sweet Potatoes
Cumin
Paprika
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt
Black Pepper
Although the sweet potato skin contains a lot of fiber and is nutritious, I’m not a big fan of eating sweet potato skin. If you like the skin, leave it on. If you’re like me and don’t like the skin, peel it.
- Dice the sweet potato into 1 to 1.5 inch cubes. Put this into a mixing bowl. This is probably one of the few times when I roast that I don’t directly put the vegetable onto the pan. I’ll explain why later.
- Add the spices onto the sweet potatoes. In general ½ tablespoon of each spice with the exception of salt (less salt for me please) for 2 large sweet potatoes will generally be enough.
- Really rub the spices into the sweet potatoes. Let the mixture sit out in the mixing bowl for about 20 minutes. The reason for the mixing bowl? There’s more spices congealed together to help draw out moisture from the sweet potatoes.
- I pour the sweet potato cubes onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. It’s super important to use parchment paper here instead of aluminum foil because the un-oiled sweet potato will stick to the aluminum foil. And you should definitely line your cookie sheet so that your clean-up later is easier. Spread the sweet potato cubes across the parchment paper so that they’re not clumped together.
- For 2 to 3 large sweet potatoes, bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven. Toss and turn the sweet potatoes slightly with a wooden spatula. Then back in the oven for an addition 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, turn off the oven and let the residual heat cook the sweet potato for another 10 minutes.
- This roasted sweet potato dish is amazing. The spices bring out the natural sweetness of the sweet potato and bring out the natural moisture of the sweet potato. No need to oil. I was amazed and so glad I was able to share a delicious dish with my husband’s friend.