These Spicy Miso Sweet Potatoes are absolutely packed with flavor – a little spicy from Calabrian chilis, salty umami flavor from miso, a little sweetness from maple, and some acidity to balance it all out from lime juice. A delicious vegetarian sweet potato side dish that goes great with just about any meal.
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Ingredients
All the ingredients to make these spicy sweet potatoes pack a punch on their own, but are so so so flavorful when they’re combined.
- Sweet potatoes: classic orange sweet potatoes (brown skin with orange flesh) or Japanese sweet potatoes (purple-ish skin with pale yellow flesh) will both work well here. Small/medium sized potatoes are best.
- White miso paste: a mild salty earthy umami paste that brings a ton of flavor. If you can't find this in your usual market, check your nearby asian market.
- Calabrian chilis: either chopped chilis or whole chilis (that you then chop). These are pretty spicy so dial it back if you have a low tolerance to spice. If you don’t have these, you can use Sriracha instead.
- Maple syrup: pure maple syrup, not the processed stuff.
- Lime juice: the acidity helps to balance the dish and lime juice is just particularly delicious with these flavors. Lemon juice or rice vinegar would also work.
- Olive oil: just a bit of olive oil is used to help thin out the sauce.
- Optional garnish: I love to garnish this dish with something fresh like cilantro or green onion, and some toasted sesame seeds for even deeper flavor.
Step by step instructions
These roasted sweet potato recipe is quite easy to put together and most of the time is spent with them cooking in the oven. Full recipe with ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
1. Cut the sweet potatoes. Cut the potatoes into wedges by cutting the potato in half lengthwise and then cutting that 4x to form wedges.
2. Make the miso sauce marinade. In a small bowl whisk together the white miso paste, chopped Calabrian chilis, maple syrup, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper.
3. Combine the potatoes and marinade. In either a zip top bag or large mixing bowl, pour the marinade over the cut sweet potatoes and toss to combine.
4. Roast. Place the potatoes on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet cut side down in a single layer. Roast them at 375°F for 20 minutes, then flip and continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes until fork-tender and golden brown. Serve with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.
Tips and tricks
Check out the notes below for these baked sweet potatoes to nail the recipe or adjust as needed.
- Make the dish less spicy or not spicy at all by skipping the Calabrian chilis.
- Cut the potatoes into any shape you prefer! Rounds, cubes, etc. are all great - just keep an eye on them as cook times will vary depending on their size. Smaller pieces will need less time.
- Try to cut each piece the same size though so they cook at the same speed.
- To test if the potatoes are done cooking, poke them with a fork. If the fork slides in easily, they’re done! If it requires a bit of effort to poke them, they need a bit more time.
- Roasting the potatoes cut-side down helps them get nice and browned on the side that is making contact with the pan!
- Double the sauce and use the additional when roasting any other veg!
How to serve
These spicy miso roasted sweet potatoes are a great accompaniment to a bunch of main course dishes, check out some below.
- Honey garlic tofu
- Pan seared steak with garlic butter
- Simple chicken breast
- Ginger soy steamed fish
- Serve these on top of a large salad with a mild vinaigrette.
How to store and reheat
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat in the microwave for a few minutes until heated through.
FAQs
Miso paste is made out of fermented soybeans. The most common kinds are white miso paste and red miso paste. White miso paste is a bit more mild, whereas red miso paste has a more pungent taste and higher salt content. More on them here.
While both varieties are absolutely delicious, they are different. They have a different color – US being orange on the inside, and Japanese being yellowish on the inside. Japanese sweet potatoes have a slightly nuttier flavor and lighter texture.
They do have a bit of sugar, but they are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and magnesium.
Yes, sweet potatoes are naturally gluten free.
Technically, yam is a different type of sweet potato. However yams are in color more similar to a russet potato (brown skin and pale flesh) and softer in texture.
More sweet potato recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Miso Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1.5 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped or crushed Calabrian chilis in oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- fresh chopped cilantro optional garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉.
- Cut the potatoes into wedges by cutting the potato in half lengthwise and then cutting that 4x to form wedges.
- In a small bowl whisk together the white miso paste, chopped Calabrian chilis, maple syrup, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- In either a zip top bag or large mixing bowl, pour the marinade over the cut sweet potatoes and toss to combine.
- Place the potatoes on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet cut side down in a single layer. Roast them at 375°F for 20 minutes, then flip and continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes until fork-tender and golden brown. Serve with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.
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