Description
Tender roasted sweet potatoes topped with a caramelized maple-walnut crunch and fresh thyme sweet, savory, and perfect for holidays or weeknight sides. Easily made gluten-free or vegan, this dish delivers gourmet flavor with minimal effort.
Ingredients
– 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds
– ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted (or coconut oil/olive oil for dairy-free)
– 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
– ½ teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon black pepper
– ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or honey, agave, or sugar-free alternative)
– ⅓ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans/almonds for variation)
– 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
– Optional: crumbled feta cheese for garnish (omit for vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a large bowl, toss sweet potato rounds with melted butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet.
- Roast for 25–30 minutes, or until fork-tender and lightly caramelized.
- While potatoes roast, prepare topping: In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, chopped walnuts, remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and thyme.
- Remove baking sheet from oven. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of walnut-maple mixture over each sweet potato round.
- Return to oven and bake for an additional 8–10 minutes, until topping is glossy and lightly caramelized.
- Let cool slightly before serving. Optional: sprinkle with crumbled feta or pomegranate seeds.
Notes
– For vegan: Use plant-based oil instead of butter and skip feta.
– Nut-free option: Substitute walnuts with sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
– Avoid burning: Keep an eye during the final bake; reduce oven temp to 375°F if topping browns too quickly.
– Make ahead: Roast sweet potatoes and store separately from topping. Assemble and finish baking just before serving.
– Canned sweet potatoes? Drain well and reduce initial roast time to 10–15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about ¾ cup)
- Calories: ~220
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 15mg