Delicious cubes of sweet potato, coated in spices, garlic and lime juice and roasted in the oven for just 20 minutes, these Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes make a delicious side dish for tacos, fajitas and BBQs.
I absolutely adore roasted sweet potatoes – they are one of my favourite side dishes, simple to make, totally delicious and an all round crowd pleaser (my little boy in particular just loves them – he can smell when I’m cooking them and keeps asking me – when’s it going to be dinner Mummy? And there’s a lot of waiting when Mummy also has to take photos – poor boy!)
Actually I used to make these into chip shapes and call them sweet potato wedges or sweet potato chips, but now I prefer to make them cube shaped as it’s even easier and you get a better spice to sweet potato ratio!! I also don’t peel them, which not only makes the prep easier, but also means they are better for you, as much of the nutrition is in the skin.
I was originally inspired to make my roasted sweet potatoes cube shaped on my trip to Wahaca back in October. The sweet potato cubes were one of my favourite parts of the meal. That meal had a big impression on me and went on to inspire me to make these delicious Turkey, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos (you can make them with chicken, if you prefer) and these gorgeous Lamb Tacos with Pomegranate, Avocado and Feta.
In the past I have often made my roasted sweet potato cubes/wedges/fries with just a couple of spices – maybe some paprika or some cumin. But I began to wonder if they would taste good with a fajita style Mexican spice mix…I pulled up my Homemade Chicken Fajitas recipe for inspiration, and adapted the marinade I had created for the chicken fajitas into a Mexican inspired spice mix to coat the sweet potato cubes…it’s a simple but tasty mix of paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, lime and garlic, plus some olive oil.
The spice mix itself is delicious, but smother it on little cubes of sweet potato and roast in a hot oven for 20 minutes and you have yourself something rather wonderful!
Don’t worry about them getting a little dark – that is just the colour the spice mix goes when it’s roasted – your sweet potatoes won’t taste burnt, just a touch on the smoky side – as if they’ve been on the barbecue!
And speaking of barbecues…these would go brilliantly with all kinds of BBQ food…when I made these last week, I served them with Greek Style Lamb Kebabs and my Easy No Mayo Coleslaw – such a simple meal, but totally delicious. Alternatively these gorgeous sweet potato cubes would be a great side dish to all kinds of Mexican style food, such as tacos, fajitas, chilli con carne etc.
Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
Delicious cubes of sweet potato, coated in spices, garlic and lime juice and roasted in the oven for just 20 minutes, these Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes make a delicious side dish for tacos, fajitas and BBQs.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 large sweet potato chopped into 1cm/½inch cubes (ish!)
Method
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Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F.
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Mix together the cumin, paprika, chilli, salt, garlic, olive oil and lime juice in a large bowl.
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Add the cubes of sweet potato and stir to coat thoroughly. (Or use your hands!)
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Place the sweet potato cubes on a large non-stick baking tray, ensuring the cubes are well spread out (use 2 baking sheets if necessary) and in a single layer.
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Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Notes
It’s crucial to ensure the sweet potato cubes are spread out well over the baking sheet - if they are touching each other too much or piled on top of each other they will steam rather than roast…which won’t be half so nice!
I have found that if you use a good non stick baking sheet, the cubes don’t need turning throughout their cooking time, but if you are at all worried do give them a check after 10 minutes and turn them if you think necessary.
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Watch how to make it
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Perfect Eb, as you know I can’t have potato (boy do I miss it) so this is perfect for me, the flavours sound ideal for a BBQ side dish…just need that dun back now…not too hot though, I have my limits!!!
Thanks Rebecca! It’s a great dish to do for a BBQ side…simple to do and you can make it in the oven, so it keeps the BBQ free for other things…having said that, you could probably make it on the BBQ – might have to test that out. I’ve certainly had sweet potato done on the BBQ before – at a friend’s house, though. Never made it myself…it was lovely! Eb x
Oh they look so good! We are a bit obsessed with sweet potato wedges here at the moment which is not a bad thing to be obsessed with I suppose 😉 For some reason I never thought to cube them, I think it is a brilliant idea! How do you find the skin though? I have been always peeling them as find their skin a bit tough. Perhaps it’s not such a problem with cubes as they are smaller? x
The cubes are great – more spice to potato ratio and even easier! The skin is fine – it softens a lot in the cooking process and you barely notice it on these cubes…I like the fact that you get more of the goodness with the skins on and that’s one less job to do, too! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
I much prefer sweet potato fries to normal potato, but I think I am (sadly) a lone voice in this house….. not that that prevents me from making them anyway. These Sweet Potato Cubes very much remind me of a similar dish I make using Butternut Squash instead. There is something about the smaller shape that does make them so much more delicious!
Great recipe (as always) Eb….. xx
Hahaha – I so agree, the smaller shape does make them even more delicious – especially as that means you get even more of the delicious spice mix per cube – sorry to hear your family does not like sweet potatoes as much…I think probably my kids prefer them to normal potatoes…something to do with the sweetness maybe? Eb x
Garlic and paprika flavoured sweet potato as so yummy.
Isn’t it just? Such a fab flavour combination! Eb x
Oh, I love sweet potato and often have it in wedges as alternative to chips. This will be a great alternative. Thanks for sharing #freefromfridays
I used to have it as wedges/chips but then I started doing cubes and now I am not sure I can go back! They are even yummier (IMHO!) and even quicker and easier. Eb x
Hi – what do you serve these with? Do you have vegetarian options for dishes that go nicely with the cubes?
Hi Donna – thanks for your message! So pleased you like them 🙂 These are such a great side dish to go with any Mexican style recipe. I love serving them with tacos and fajitas – or they would be great as part of a vegetarian burrito bowl. Or you could serve them instead of chips to go with a veggie burger or cauliflower steak. In terms of my recipes…they would go brilliantly with my Vegetable Mole (I’d leave out the sweet potato in the mole recipe, though and maybe substitute with aubergines or mushrooms) or my Quick Beany Chilli, instead of rice. Alternatively you could serve them ‘mezze style’ with a range of my other veggie side dishes, for example my No-Mayo Coleslaw and my Mexican Cauliflower Rice. For further inspiration, check out the Vegetarian and Vegan Section on my website. Hope that helps! Eb x
Oh your little boy’s tastes sound just like mine. He loves sweet potato too and would happily eat a plate of these if I made them for him. And I’d love some too!
My little boy would happily have a plate of these every day…honestly he KNOWS when I’m cooking them and it’s lovely seeing how excited he gets…he’s definitely a little foodie in the making, that’s for sure! Do let me know what your little one thinks if you make them for him 🙂 Eb x
I’ve been making sweet potato chips a lot lately, but I always peel them – just one of those things you do without really thinking about it. It’s a great idea not to peel! Lovely spices on those cubes (also never thought of making cubes rather than wedges before)
It’s funny – I was just the same, until one day I though ‘why am I doing this?’ I never peel regular potatoes if I’m making oven chips with them. So I tried it and it was lovely…never peeled them since. I think they taste even better with the skins, it’s obviously a whole lot easier and you get more nutrition. It’s a no brainer, really! And the cube thing is much the same, you get more flavour, more crispy texture, it’s easier AND quicker – result!! Eb x
I’ve never been a fan of sweet potatoes, but my kids and husband love them, so I’d like to make them more often. This spice mix sounds perfect for all four of us!
Thanks Nicole…I’m hoping maybe this version will change your mind about sweet potatoes??? The spice mix is so lovely, it makes everything taste amazing!! 😀 Let me know what you think if you make them! Eb x
Mmmmm Eb these look and sound so yummy! The perfect side dish for a BBQ x
Thank you Kirsty! Yes, you are right – they go so well with BBQ food and so easy peasy! 😀 Eb x
I love sweet potatoes and this dish looks absolutely awesome!! Thanks for sharing, Eb!
Me too – sweet potatoes are just the best, aren’t they? I absolutely adore them cooked this way – I often vary the spicing, but this Mexican version is one of my absolute faves! Eb x
Hi! I followed your recipe and then used my air fryer instead of the oven. It only took 8 minutes at 400degrees, flipping once halfway through. It was delicious and everyone in my family loved it, thanks!
Hi Emily – thank you so much for this lovely comment. So nice to hear that you and your family enjoyed this recipe so much. And great tip to make them in the airfryer – I LOVE that it only took 8 minutes!! Eb 🙂
Having just discovered this recipe, I am tardy to the party, but so glad I found this! I dislike so many veggies, and it makes it hard to make sure I have enough (I want to like them, I do!). I have never liked sweet potatoes – until now. I made them for the benefit of the rest of my husband and kids and ended up eating more than my fair share. I even had to take a picture to prove it to my family! Thank you! Even if this is the only way I eat them for the rest of my life, I will happily do it.
Oh this comment has made me so happy! For people who generally like sweet potatoes to say they like this recipe is lovely, but for someone who DOESN’T usually like sweet potatoes to say they liked it is AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing this with me – you just made my day! Eb 🙂
Please correct your spelling of Oaxaca. It’s kind of offensive that you spelled in phonetically.
Hi Anica, I’m sorry to have caused you offence. I can assure you none was intended. I was not actually referring to the Mexican city ‘Oaxaca’, but rather the UK restaurant chain ‘Wahaca’, owned by Thomasina Meyers, which seeks to bring authentic Mexican cuisine to a UK audience. Eb 🙂
These look delicious…do you think they would be good with some grape tomatoes and avocado thrown in (kind of like a salad) after they are cooked?
Thanks Jenna. They would go great with those flavours, but I would recommend having them separate on the plate/bowl rather than all thrown in, otherwise I think the cubes would lose their crispness – but buddha bowl style or similar would work really well. You could also roast the tomatoes, since you have the oven on already (though again I’d recommend separate if you want nice crispy sweet potato). Hope you enjoy them – let me know how it works out!! Eb 🙂
Made these last night and they turned out perfectly! I doubled the recipe for four hungry people at a vegetarian meal and they disappeared! So delicious and a great way to bulk up a meatless meal. Thanks for the fab recipe – this one is going in the favorites.
Oh yay! So pleased you enjoyed my recipe 😀 It’s a great favourite in our house too! Eb 🙂
I have made these twice now and they are WONDERFUL! Only one change – I cook them on the stove in my cast iron skillet. It still takes about 25 minutes but really I just cook them until they look burnt; they never taste burnt and they come out perfectly soft and yet crispy. So good!
Oh, yay! So good to hear you like these so much. I love your idea of doing them in a skillet too! Eb 🙂