My go-to skillet sweet potatoes!
I have been making these easy skillet sweet potatoes for YEARS now!!
Why?! Because they are ready in 25 minutes, packed with flavor, only require a few ingredients, and go with just about ANY main dish or dinner!
You can then either serve them up as a side with a sprinkle of green onions or cilantro (my personal fave!)
-OR- add them to these Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos or in these Sweet Potato Enchiladas to make it a full meal.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Sweet potatoes. The variety of sweet potatoes isn’t too important. Check out the difference between Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes here.
- Onion. Both green onions and a sweet or white diced onion are needed. Don’t skip the green onion if at all possible; it helps create an impeccable balance with the skillet sweet potatoes.
- Cilantro. It might sound weird, but again don’t leave it out. Unless you are part of the 10% of the population that thinks cilantro tastes like soap, I will give you a free pass here.
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Prepare the sweet potatoes.
First, peel the sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler and discard the skin. This step is optional, but the texture is better when they’re peeled.
Then, cut the sweet potatoes into ½- to 1-inch cubes. Keep in mind smaller pieces will cook faster.
Sauté the potatoes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced sweet potatoes in a single layer and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring only once to caramelize. Push the sweet potatoes aside, add the remaining oil, sauté onions until translucent (2-3 minutes), then cook garlic for 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant.
Season and serve.
Sprinkle the salt and black pepper over everything in the pan, and mix it all together. Cover the skillet and let the mixture cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. The potatoes should be fork-tender.
Remove the lid and top with the chopped green onions and cilantro. Serve these crispy sautéed sweet potatoes alongside your favorite main course.
FAQs
Whether or not you peel sweet potatoes before cooking is entirely up to personal preference and recipe. Leaving the skin of sweet potatoes on does change the texture, however.
No, you don’t! Unlike regular potatoes, like russet, which are starchier, sweet potatoes can be pan-fried without the need for soaking in water.
Other Easy Sautéed Sides
Cooking vegetables in a skillet is one of the easiest ways to get a tasty and delicious recipe on the table fast. Try another quick side dish next.
Go green with Sautéed Spinach, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, or Sautéed Green Beans.
Or, add some Sautéed Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms or Sautéed Cabbage and Onions to dinner.
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Easy Skillet Sweet Potatoes Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons oil olive or avocado
- ½ onion sweet or white, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons green onions finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare Sweet Potatoes: Peel and discard the skin from the potatoes using a vegetable peeler and then cut into ½-1” cubes. (The smaller the cubes the faster they’ll cook.) You should end up with roughly 5 cups of cubes.1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- Sauté the Potatoes: Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cubed sweet potatoes. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring once halfway through.3 tablespoons oil
- Add the Onion and Garlic: Push the sweet potatoes to the side of the skillet and then add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for another 30-60 seconds, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.½ onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Season and Serve: Add the salt and black pepper and then mix the onions and garlic in with the sweet potatoes. Cover the skillet with a lid and continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.Serve the sweet potatoes with finely chopped green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 3 tablespoons green onions, 3 tablespoons cilantro
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Video
Notes
- Heat: If you would like your sweet potatoes to be slightly crispy you can increase your heat to medium-high during the last two minutes of cooking. Be sure to keep an eye on the sweet potatoes so they do not burn!
- Cutting: To ensure the potatoes cook evenly, be sure to cut them as evenly as possible.
- Garnish: These aren’t just pretty, they add so much flavor.
- Skin: The skin adds some nutritional value so skip peeling if you want.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
You can’t go wrong with sweet potatoes any night of the week. Put another tasty side dish on your meal plan soon.
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato
35 mins
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
1 hr 30 mins
Sweet Potato Hash
45 mins
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
1 hr 15 mins
Inexperienced chef here- made this for a couple with multiple immune and stomach issues. Such a yummy, easy, safe food to prepare for those with sensitive stomach.
How many does this serve?
It serves 5 🙂
Do you think I could do this using a crick pot? Maybe brown or sauté in skillet, then add to crockpot? I’m feeding 50 women (potluck style) TIA , this sounds sooooooo good!!
Hi Hollie! I think you might have better luck roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven! Toss about 4 cups of cubed potatoes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt & pepper to taste (1 tsp / 1/2 tsp) then roast for 30-40 minutes in a 375 degree oven. I do this a lot on huge sheet pans. You can top with cilantro at the end, too!