Hot Honey Sweet Potatoes

Bright orange, tender sweet potatoes are one of our favorite fall ingredients. While many of our favorite sweet potato recipes lean into their sweetness, this recipe for hot honey sweet potatoes dials things up—way up. You’re probably familiar with the basic recipe: cubing potatoes and roasting them until crispy and crunchy. But in this instance, we first toss the potatoes in a honey sauce tarted with vinegar and pepper flakes. In the oven, the honey caramelizes, making the potato cubes extra-dark and crisp, with a lacquered sweetness that tastes indulgent. The vinegar and hot pepper add heat and tang, resulting in a complex dish with layers of flavor.

Though it’s an easy side dish, its rich flavor and caramelized exterior are special enough to serve for a holiday. Consider replacing that super-sweet orange Thanksgiving recipe with these lively spuds. Since they’re tasty hot, room temperature or even cold, they’re also a fun no-fuss dish for a holiday potluck.

Ingredients for Hot Honey Sweet Potatoes

Hot honey:

• Honey: You can use any type of honey, but we like to make hot honey with pourable, thinner honeys (versus thicker, grainy honeys).
• Crushed red pepper flakes: Add a pinch of pepper flakes to the honey to add heat. Scale the amount up or down to suit your taste.
• Cider vinegar: A dash of vinegar adds acid that brightens—and puckers up—the sweet honey. It also thins the honey to a saucy consistency.

Sweet potatoes:

• Sweet potatoes: Peel and cube the sweet potatoes (not to be confused with yams!). Look for firm sweet potatoes with unblemished skins.
• Hot honey: Make the homemade hot honey sauce above or use a store-bought variety.
• Olive oil: Tossing a little olive oil with the hot honey makes a sweet and savory dressing for the potatoes.
• Seasonings: The spices are simple: just salt, pepper and garlic powder.
• Goat cheese: Crumble fresh goat cheese over the potatoes, if you like. The creamy, slightly earthy cheese balances the sweet-spicy potatoes deliciously.

Directions

Step 1: Make the hot honey sauce

Heat the honey and crushed red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer for two minutes.

Transfer the honey to a canning jar and stir in the cider vinegar. Let stand for at least one hour before using, or until completely cooled (and slightly thickened). If desired, strain out the crushed red pepper flakes through a fine sieve.

Editor’s Tip: Any leftover hot honey can be covered and stored in a cool, dry place.

Step 2: Season the sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the hot honey, oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Add the honey mixture to the potatoes and toss to coat.

Step 3: Roast

Transfer the seasoned potatoes to a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Roast until tender, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once.

Editor’s Tip: If the edges of the potatoes are browning too quickly, you can cover the pan with foil or turn the oven temperature down by 25 degrees.

Step 4: Serve

If desired, drizzle with additional hot honey and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Hot Honey Sweet Potato Variations

• Try another shape: Slice sweet potatoes into wedges or cut them into sweet potato fries.
• Top with nuts: Sprinkle toasted nuts, such as pecans, almonds or walnuts, over the potatoes along with or instead of the goat cheese.
• Jazz up the flavors: Lean into the sweetness of the recipe and swap in cinnamon, cardamon or pumpkin pie spice for the garlic. Or, commit to the savory flavors and add a shower of fresh chopped parsley before serving.

How to Store Hot Honey Sweet Potatoes

Keep leftover sweet potatoes with hot honey in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How long do sweet potatoes with hot honey last?

The spicy sweet potatoes will keep for up to five days in the fridge. They’ll soften a bit as they sit, but you can crisp them back up when you reheat.

How should you reheat sweet potatoes with hot honey?

We like to reheat hot honey roasted sweet potatoes in the oven or toaster oven. The dry heat crisps the potatoes back up. Heat the oven to 400°. Spread the sweet potatoes across the pan, lining it with foil first if you like. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until hot.

Hot Honey Sweet Potato Tips

What can you serve with sweet potatoes with hot honey?

These hot honey roasted sweet potatoes are a delicious side dish. In the fall and winter, we like to serve them alongside cozy comfort food dinners like roast chicken, meat loaf or beef roast. They also make a creative alternative to sweet potatoes with marshmallows on the holiday table when deciding on Thanksgiving dinner recipes or Christmas side dishes, and they travel well too—so take them along to a potluck.

Though sweet potatoes are a seasonal ingredient during fall, they would make a yummy summer side dish too. In hot weather, we like to serve them as a cold side or salad. Scatter nuts and cheese over the top, and this recipe is substantial enough for lunch.

Can you use leftover sweet potatoes in this recipe?

Yes, you can use leftover cooked sweet potatoes, whether they’re boiled, steamed, sauteed or roasted. Cut them into cubes, then gently toss them with the hot honey and oil mixture. Roast as directed in the recipe, just until the honey begins to caramelize on the outside of the potatoes, 15 to 20 minutes.