Soy-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

These soy-glazed sweet potatoes are a delicious and healthy side dish, packed with flavour and easy to make. Nutrient-dense sweet potatoes get a savoury upgrade with a rich, umami-packed soy glaze that becomes caramelized and irresistible as the potatoes bake. You will love that these sweet potatoes are mostly hands-off, baking in their glaze while you finish with the rest of dinner. This recipe is naturally gluten-free. If you are looking for a quick weeknight dinner addition or a crowd-pleasing veggie side, this recipe delivers with minimal effort. I promise this may become your new favourite way with sweet potatoes.

Looking for more sweet potato recipes? Check these out:

• Sweet Potato Frittata
• Caramelized Sweet Potatoes with Smoked Cheddar
• Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chilli

Why this recipe works

• Salty and savoury flavours highlight the sweetness of the sweet potatoes
• Mostly hands-free, simple prep. These potatoes bake in the oven while you do something else
• Leftovers are just as good, if not better!

The magic in this recipe is in the soy glaze.

This glaze is everything. Everyone will ask, "What smells so good?" as the whole house will fill with a sweet, umami aroma.

The secret is this soy glaze:

• toasted sesame oil
• brown sugar
• soy sauce (regular or reduced sodium). To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure you choose a gluten-free and wheat-free variety.
• Mirin - a sweet rice cooking wine. You can also use sweet sherry
• garlic
• and a bit of water to thin it out

The glaze will look thin and runny as is. The magic happens as the potatoes bake in the glaze, releasing some of their starch. Once the potatoes are tender, we bake them uncovered until the sauce has thickened into a sticky, caramel-coloured glaze.

Prepping the sweet potatoes

In this recipe its best to leave the skins on the sweet potatoes. The skins will help hold everything together, without you may end up with mush.

Prep the sweet potatoes by giving them a really good scrub under cool running water with a vegetable brush to remove all dirt and debris. Trim off any roots or hard ends.

Slice the sweet potatoes into fat spears. If thin, cut each potato in half. For larger potatoes, cut them into quarters. I quartered mine since they were on the larger size.

Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in a large baking dish. Use two baking dishes if necessary to prevent overlapping.

Simply pour the glaze over the sweet potatoes and tightly cover the baking dish with foil. Bake at 400 degrees until the potatoes are mostly tender. Poke them with a fork or thin knife to test for doneness. This will take 50-60 minutes, depending on the thickness of your potato wedges.

Remove foil and continue to bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes, basting the potatoes in all the dark, caramelized juices in the bottom of the baking dish several times while baking. Bake until these juices have reduced to a thick sticky glaze.

Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter, scraping all the sticky glaze onto the potatoes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Serving ideas:

• I love these sweet and fragrant potatoes for a holiday meal. The potatoes cook themselves as you prepare other things, making them perfect for Thanksgiving or Sunday family dinners.
• I often serve next to a whole roasted chicken or pork loin.
• Leftovers reheat wonderfully - just warm on the stove top in a non-stick skillet until warm and sticky again.

📖 Recipe