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Roasted white sweet potatoes with honey, cinnamon, and fresh thyme. An easy oven-roasted side dish for weeknight dinners or your Thanksgiving table.
These roasted white sweet potatoes are tossed with honey, olive oil, cinnamon, and fresh thyme, then roasted until tender. They’re a little sweet, a little savory, and just as welcome next to a weeknight dinner as they are on the Thanksgiving table.
I love white sweet potatoes, and whenever I spot them at the store, a few always end up in my cart. If you’ve picked some up and aren’t sure what to make, this is an easy place to start!
PRO TIP
Like saving money and having options?
If you have an Asian market near you, be sure to check out their produce department. My local HMart has a ton of different varieties of sweet potatoes and yams. Plus, their prices are a lot cheaper than most grocery stores.
Recipe Breakdown
- White sweet potatoes: whichever variety you can find.
- Herbs and spices: fresh thyme, cinnamon, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Glaze: honey and olive oil.
- How to serve: This side is perfect for holidays, nice dinners, or whenever you crave a sweet little spud.
- Storage and leftovers: Store all leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: the easiest way to reheat is in the microwave. If you heat them in the oven or air fryer, the glaze may burn before the potatoes heat through.
What is a white sweet potato?
White sweet potatoes are sweet potatoes with white or cream colored flesh instead of orange. They tend to have a milder sweetness (I personally think they have a nutty flavor) and a drier, firmer texture than orange sweet potatoes, though the flavor varies.
Once cooked, the inside becomes tender but is usually less creamy than an orange sweet potato. I love them roasted, especially with a little honey, cinnamon, and fresh thyme!
learn all about white sweet potatoes
White sweet potato varieties
The “white” refers to the flesh inside, so don’t let the skin color fool you!
- Hannah: Light tan skin with cream-colored flesh that can turn pale yellow when cooked. These are mildly sweet with a firm, fairly dry texture, a little closer to a regular baking potato.
- Japanese sweet potatoes: Usually reddish-purple skin with white to pale yellow flesh. They can be quite sweet, with a nutty flavor and a dense texture.
- Murasaki: Purple skin with creamy white flesh and a mildly sweet, nutty flavor. These have a drier texture and may be sold alongside Japanese sweet potatoes.
- Boniato: Skin ranges from tan to reddish-purple, with white flesh inside. These are starchy and only lightly sweet, with a subtle nutty flavor.
My Pro Tips
Perfectly roasted white sweet potatoes
- Keep the pieces about the same size. This helps the potatoes cook evenly so you don’t end up with a mix of soft pieces and hard centers.
- Give them some room. Spread the potatoes in a single layer with a little space between them. If your pan is packed, grab a second one.
- Get all that flavor onto the potatoes. Toss well so each piece gets evenly coated.
- Line your baking sheet. The honey glaze gets sticky as it cooks, so parchment paper makes serving and cleanup much easier.
- Turn gently as they roast. Toss the potatoes gently about every 10 minutes to keep the glaze from getting too dark on the bottom. They’ll become more delicate as they soften.
- Check for tenderness, not just color. The honey can brown before the potatoes finish cooking. Try a larger piece with a fork; it should slide into the center easily.
- Expect tender, glazed potatoes. This recipe has a sweet, sticky coating rather than a crunchy crust. Serve them hot for the best texture!
These roasted sweet potatoes are a great addition to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, or something a little less traditional like my Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf. It also pairs wonderfully with my Classic Green Bean Casserole and my Homemade Buttery Herb Stuffing.
More sweet potato recipes
Roasted White Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 4 whole white sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean but skins left on, about 2 pounds
- ¼ cup honey, clover honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet pan liner, and set aside.
- Slice potatoes into ½ inch rounds, and cut the rounds in half to make half moon slices.
- In a large bowl add cut sweet potatoes and add in honey, olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, cinnamon, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss to combine.
- Add to your prepared baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes.
- Every 10 minutes stir the potatoes so they don't burn. Careful while turning the potatoes that you do not break them.
- When the sweet potatoes are fully cooked they should be lightly glazed and fork tender. Serve warm.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Notes
- Find white sweet potatoes at your local market, farmers’ market, or Asian market.
- I prefer a mild honey so it doesn’t overpower the cinnamon and thyme.
- I’m using cinnamon, but in a pinch, you could use pumpkin pie spice.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner so you don’t have to wash off a sticky glaze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yum! I love everything about this!
I was given a large and medium sweet potato and was clueless as to what to do with them and was further surprised that they were white when I peeled them. I tried your recipe but cut back on the ingredients due to the smaller amount of potatoes. DELICIOUS!
How cool you used honey harvested by husband’s co-worker’s. These look fantastic!
Everyone loves roasted potatoes in our family! This is the perfect side dish!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it came out great! Everyone loved it. It was delicious, not overly sweet, just perfect. I always hated the typical sweet potatoe casserole with marshmallows my whole life and was searching for something different and found this. I’m so happy I did!!! Thank you
I was given a large and medium sweet potato and was clueless as to what to do with them and was further surprised that they were white when I peeled them. I tried your recipe but cut back on the ingredients due to the smaller amount of potatoes. DELICIOUS!
How hot should the oven be for roasting—350 degrees?
Hi Carol – yes! I will add it to the recipe now.
Didn’t know what to do with white sweet potatoes and found this recipe. I adjusted it in only one respect–in addition to the pumpkin spice, I added a tiny bit of cardamom….delicious!
@Pam, I love the addition of cardamom!
I made a small batch (one pound of white sweet potatoes, half recipe for the glaze) added cayenne pepper for a subtitle kick… OMG!
You forgot to add the cinamon
Hi Paul – I actually use pumpkin pie spice which includes cinnamon. Feel free to replace that spice mix with the same amount of cinnamon.
Can i make this dish in zdvance & then reheat
Yes! If the sauce gets too thick you can thin it out with a little water.
I didn’t know what to do with the white sweet potatoes I’d picked up, so I tried your recipe and it was amazing!! Thank you so much!