Roasted Sweet Potatoes Pecans (Print Version)

Tender roasted sweet potatoes paired with crunchy pecans and a touch of maple syrup.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

→ Nuts

02 - 0.75 cup pecan halves

→ Seasonings

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 tbsp maple syrup
05 - 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
06 - 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
07 - 0.5 tsp sea salt
08 - 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato cubes with olive oil, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Spread the coated sweet potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
04 - Roast the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes.
05 - Remove the baking sheet, gently toss the sweet potatoes, and scatter pecan halves evenly over them. Drizzle maple syrup over the mixture.
06 - Return to the oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and lightly caramelized and pecans are toasted.
07 - Remove from oven and serve warm, optionally garnished with extra pecans.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sweet potatoes turn creamy inside while their edges caramelize, and the pecans get toasted until they're almost buttery—no complicated technique needed.
  • It tastes like something you'd find at a fancy restaurant, but honestly takes less than an hour from start to finish and uses just one baking sheet.
02 -
  • Don't skip the initial 20-minute solo roast before adding pecans—the potatoes need time to soften and start caramelizing, or you'll end up with crunchy insides and burnt nuts.
  • Drizzling maple syrup at the very end makes all the difference between candied sweetness and a burnt, bitter mess—I learned this the hard way the first time.
03 -
  • Keep an eye on your oven's personality—every oven cooks differently, so start checking around the 28-minute mark rather than waiting the full 30, because the last couple of minutes can mean the difference between caramelized and overdone.
  • If your pecans are on the larger side, break them in half so they toast evenly and scatter more evenly across the pan instead of piling up in one spot.

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