Most sweet potatoes get one job a year: sitting under marshmallows in November. That’s a waste of a cheap, filling vegetable that roasts in 25 minutes and happily goes sweet or savory. These healthy sweet potato recipes put it to work at breakfast, lunch and dinner, with real calories, protein and fiber for each serving.
The quick version: the healthiest ways to eat sweet potatoes are roasted, baked or stuffed, with the skin on and a protein on the plate (eggs, chicken, beans, chickpeas, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt). That turns a side dish into a meal that keeps you full. All six recipes below follow that rule.
Healthy sweet potato recipes at a glance
Numbers are per serving, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the exact amounts in each recipe. Spices, garlic, lime and herbs are left out of the math because they add very little.
| Recipe | Best for | Calories | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet potato and egg hash | Breakfast | 405 | 17 g | 8 g |
| Black bean stuffed sweet potatoes | Meatless lunch | 335 | 18 g | 15 g |
| Sheet pan chicken, sweet potato and broccoli | Weeknight dinner | 360 | 31 g | 7 g |
| Sweet potato chickpea curry | Cozy dinner | 441 | 13 g | 13 g |
| Crispy oven sweet potato wedges | Side dish | 217 | 3 g | 6 g |
| Sweet potato toast with cottage cheese | Snack or light breakfast | 185 | 16 g | 4 g |
1. Sweet potato and egg breakfast hash
This is the one I make on Saturday mornings when the fridge looks empty. Small cubes are the key: they brown in the skillet instead of steaming. Serves 2.
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 400 g), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion (about 110 g), diced
- 2 cups baby spinach (about 60 g)
- 4 large eggs
- Smoked paprika, salt and pepper
How to make it: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato, spread it out and cover for 8 minutes so it softens. Uncover, add the onion and paprika, and cook 6 to 8 minutes more until the edges brown. Stir in the spinach until it wilts, make 4 wells, crack in the eggs, cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes until the whites set.
Per serving: about 405 calories, 17 g protein, 8 g fiber. For more morning protein, add a side of Greek yogurt or see our high protein breakfast meal prep plan.
2. Black bean stuffed sweet potatoes
A baked sweet potato split open and loaded like a taco. It is the highest-fiber recipe here, at 15 g a serving, and it needs no cooking skill at all. Serves 2.
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 400 g)
- 240 g canned black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (120 g)
- 1/2 cup salsa (120 g)
- Cumin, lime juice and chopped cilantro
How to make it: Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake at 400°F for 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance. (In a hurry? Microwave them for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.) Warm the beans with a pinch of cumin. Split each potato, mash the inside lightly, then pile on beans, salsa and a big spoonful of Greek yogurt. Finish with lime and cilantro.
Per serving: about 335 calories, 18 g protein, 15 g fiber, under 1 g fat. If you like hitting big fiber numbers, our high fiber meals roundup has more ideas in the same spirit.
3. Sheet pan chicken, sweet potato and broccoli
The highest-protein recipe on the list, and the one that works best for lunches through the week. The trick is timing: sweet potatoes need a head start, so they go in first. Serves 4.
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- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (454 g), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 600 g), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 400 g broccoli florets (about 1 large head)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- Garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper
How to make it: Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the sweet potato with 1 tbsp oil and spices and roast for 15 minutes. Toss the chicken and broccoli with the remaining oil and spices, push the potatoes to one side and add them to the pan. Roast 15 to 18 minutes more, until the chicken reaches 165°F inside and the broccoli tips are charred.
Per serving: about 360 calories, 31 g protein, 7 g fiber. Pack it into four containers and you have lunch covered; our chicken meal prep ideas explain how to keep the chicken from drying out when you reheat it. More one-tray meals live in our healthy sheet pan dinners.
4. Sweet potato chickpea curry
Sweet potato melts slightly into the sauce here, so you get a thick, creamy curry with only half a can of coconut milk. It is vegan as written. Serves 4.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion (about 110 g), diced
- 3 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 600 g), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about 480 g)
- 1/2 can coconut milk (about 200 g)
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups baby spinach (about 120 g)
How to make it: Cook the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and curry powder for 1 minute. Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, coconut milk and water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes until the sweet potato is tender. Mash a few pieces against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce, then stir in the spinach.
Per serving: about 441 calories, 13 g protein, 13 g fiber (rice not included). Want more protein? Stir in cubed firm tofu or serve with a spoon of Greek yogurt if you eat dairy.
5. Crispy oven sweet potato wedges
The side dish that converts people who “don’t like sweet potatoes.” Two things make them crisp: a hot oven and space on the pan. Crowded wedges steam and go limp. Serves 4.
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 800 g), skin on, cut into wedges
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (about 20 g)
- Smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt
How to make it: Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the wedges with oil and spices, spread them across two sheet pans with space between each one, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway. Salt again right out of the oven.
Per serving: about 217 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g fiber. Serve them next to grilled chicken, or borrow the hot honey drizzle from our ground beef sweet potato bowl.
6. Sweet potato toast with cottage cheese
Thick slices of sweet potato standing in for bread. They take longer than a toaster slice, but you can cook a batch and reheat them all week. Serves 1.
- 2 lengthwise slices of sweet potato, 1/4 inch thick (about 120 g)
- 1/2 cup 1% lowfat cottage cheese (113 g)
- Everything bagel seasoning or cinnamon
How to make it: Toast the slices on the highest toaster setting 2 to 3 times, or bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, flipping once, until a fork goes through. Top with cottage cheese and everything seasoning for savory, or cinnamon for sweet.
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Per serving: about 185 calories, 16 g protein, 4 g fiber.
Are sweet potatoes healthy?
Yes. Per USDA data, 100 g of raw sweet potato has 86 calories, 20 g of carbohydrate, 3 g of fiber and almost no fat. A medium sweet potato of about 200 g works out to roughly 172 calories and 6 g of fiber. Baked, the numbers barely move: 90 calories and 3.3 g of fiber per 100 g of flesh.
What sweet potatoes lack is protein, about 3 g in a medium one. That is why every recipe above pairs them with eggs, chicken, beans, chickpeas or dairy. On their own they are a side; with a protein they are a meal.
Easy sweet potato recipes for meal prep: storage times
Roasted sweet potato is one of the best foods to batch cook, because it reheats without turning mushy. Cool cooked dishes quickly and refrigerate them in shallow containers. Using the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart:
- Sheet pan chicken: cooked poultry leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or 2 to 6 months in the freezer.
- Sweet potato chickpea curry: soups and stews keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or 2 to 3 months frozen. It freezes well; add the spinach fresh when you reheat if you can.
- Hash with eggs: make it fresh. Roast the sweet potato cubes ahead, then crack the eggs in the morning.
For the full Sunday routine, see our guide to meal prep for beginners.
Tips for better sweet potatoes every time
- Leave the skin on. Scrub it well and roast it. It crisps up and saves you peeling time.
- Cut evenly. Uneven cubes give you burnt corners next to raw centers.
- Go hot. 400 to 425°F gives caramelized edges; lower temperatures just soften them.
- Pick firm ones. Choose sweet potatoes with smooth, tight skin and no soft spots, and store them somewhere cool and dark rather than in the fridge.
- Season both ways. Smoked paprika and garlic for savory dishes; cinnamon and a pinch of salt for sweet ones.
If you are planning a fall menu, sweet potatoes also show up in our healthy fall dinners and healthy Thanksgiving sides. Start with the stuffed sweet potatoes if you only try one recipe from this list: five minutes of work, 15 g of fiber, and dinner is done.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Sweet potato, raw (FDC 168482); Beans, black turtle, canned (FDC 175188).
- USDA FoodData Central values via GetFoodFacts: sweet potato baked (FDC 168483), egg (171287), chicken breast (171077), cottage cheese 1% (173417), spinach (168462), broccoli (170379), onion (170000), coconut milk canned (170173), olive oil (2710186), nonfat Greek yogurt (330137), salsa (174524), chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed (173801).
- FoodSafety.gov: Cold Food Storage Chart
