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These Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes are such a great balance of sweet, savory with a kick. Sliced and pan fried in a skillet until caramelized with a nice char. Perfect side dish to serve with virtually anything.
Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables. Not only are they sweet and tasty, they are so versatile. They can be cooked in many ways and served with just about anything. These Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes are our latest obsession and we just can’t get enough of them.
These Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes are such a great balance of sweet, savory with a kick. Sliced and pan fried in a skillet until caramelized with a nice char. Perfect side dish to serve with virtually anything.
Ingredients needed to make Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes:
- Sweet Potato– Use a large sweet potato or 2 small/medium ones.
- Coconut Oil– I like using refined coconut oil as it has less of a coconut taste. It won’t overpower the sweet potato taste and that of the other spices.
- Spices– Pink sea salt, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and cinnamon.
Equipment needed to make Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes:
- 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet– Use a well seasoned cast iron skillet or a non-stick pan.
- Tongs– To carefully flip sweet potato slices over.
- Large Mixing Bowl– To toss sweet potatoes with spices.
How to make Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes:
- Step 1– Rinse and pat dry sweet potato. Peel and cut in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices. Set aside.
- Step 2– Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet on stovetop and turn to medium heat. Add coconut oil to skillet and bring to a heat. Once coconut oil has melted and spread through the whole skillet, add sweet potato to heated skillet.
- Step 3– Pan fry sweet potatoes for 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip to the other side and pan fry them for 3-4 minutes on the opposite side again.
- Step 4– Transfer pan fried sweet potato to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in pink sea salt, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and ground cinnamon. Give pan fried sweet potatoes a good toss making sure they are well coated with spices.
- Step 5– Serve while still warm. Enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions:
- Slice sweet potato into similar sized slices– This will allow them to cook evenly on the pan as they pan fry.
- Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices– You want them to be thick but not too thick. If your slices are too thin, this will cause them to get too crispy. If they are too thick, they will be undercooked.
- Soak sweet potato slices before hand– I you have time, soak sweet potato slices in water for about 20 minutes. Drain and pat them dry before pan frying them. This will reduce the starch in the sweet potatoes allowing them to get crispier when pan frying them.
- Substitute for coconut oil– Avocado oil is great too.
- Switch up your sweet potatoes– Use other type of sweet potatoes like purple sweet potatoes or Japanese sweet potatoes. You can also try this recipe with butternut squash or pumpkin.
Variations:
- Make them spicy– Omit cinnamon and add a dash more of cayenne pepper.
- Make them sweet– Omit cayenne pepper and smoked paprika. Add more cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup.
- Switch up your sweet potatoes– Use other kinds of sweet potatoes such as Japanese sweet potatoes or purple sweet potatoes.
- Use other vegetables– Other than sweet potatoes you can also use regular potatoes such as russet potatoes. Or other vegetables such as butternut squash, or pumpkin.
How to serve Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes:
These Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes are tasty and so versatile. You can serve these as a side dish to just about any main dishes. We love to serve these with ground turkey, roasted chicken, steak, even seafood or fish. They are also great to serve for breakfast or brunch along with some eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.
What to serve Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes with:
- Instant Pot Roasted Whole Chicken
- Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausages
- Best Homemade Turkey Burgers
- Buffalo Chicken Burgers (with Blue Cheese Dressing)
- Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Cod
- Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings
- Honey-Lime Sriracha Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts
Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes FAQ’s:
Do you need to peel sweet potatoes?
No. You do not need to peel sweet potatoes. The skin is edible and adds texture to your sweet potato when cooked. I personally prefer my pan fried sweet potatoes without the skin, however you can certainly leave it on.
How long to cook diced sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes usually take about 3-4 minutes to pan fry per side when diced or sliced. You want to make sure all pieces are cut into the same size to make sure they all cook evenly.
Is it better to fry or boil sweet potatoes?
Depending on how you are serving your sweet potatoes. If you are serving them as a side dish, pan frying them would probably be better. If you are using your sweet potatoes to make another dish such as mashed sweet potatoes, boiling would be better.
Why are sweet potatoes so hard to get crispy?
Sweet potatoes contain a great amount of starch in them. This can prevent sweet potatoes or any other vegetable with a high content of starch from getting crispy. Soaking your sweet potatoes in water for about 20 minutes will reduce their starch content. Allowing them to get crispier when being cooked.
Meal Prepping it:
These pan fried sweet potatoes are great for meal prepping. They make for a great side dish as they can be served with virtually anything. Make a batch or two and keep them refrigerated. Serve with anything from chicken, ground turkey, streak, etc.
How to store and reheat Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes:
Place pan fried sweet potatoes in an airtight container to keep fresh. Keep them refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. You can reheat them by placing them back on stovetop or in the microwave.
Can Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes be Frozen?
Yes. Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes can be frozen. Once your sweet potatoes have completely cooled-off, place in a freezer friendly container or freezer bag. Keep sweet potatoes frozen for up to 1-2 months. To reheat, thaw sweet potatoes in the fridge overnight. Reheat on stovetop or microwave.
Did you like this Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes recipe? You may also like these other sweet potato recipes:
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Home Fries
- Sweet Potato Waffles
- Sweet Potato Apple Bites
- Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Looking for more easy side dishes? Check these out:
- Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes (With Herbed Butter)
- Garlic Parmesan Parsnip Fries
- Honey-Ginger Roasted Carrots
- Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes
These Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes are such a great balance of sweet, savory with a kick. Sliced and pan fried in a skillet until caramelized with a nice char. Perfect side dish to serve with virtually anything.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp pink sea salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
-
Rinse and pat dry sweet potato. Peel and cut in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices. Set aside.
-
Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet on stovetop and turn to medium heat. Add coconut oil to skillet and bring to a heat. Once coconut oil has melted and spread through the whole skillet, add sweet potato to heated skillet.
-
Pan fry sweet potatoes for 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip to the other side and pan fry them for 3-4 minutes on the opposite side again.
-
Transfer pan fried sweet potato to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in pink sea salt, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and ground cinnamon. Give pan fried sweet potatoes a good toss making sure they are well coated with spices.
-
Serve while still warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
-
- Slice sweet potato into similar sized slices– This will allow them to cook evenly on the pan as they pan fry.
- Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices– You want them to be thick but not too thick. If your slices are too thin, this will cause them to get too crispy. If they are too think, they will be undercooked.
- Soak sweet potato slices before hand– I you have time, soak sweet potato slices in water for about 20 minutes. Drain and pat them dry before pan frying them. This will reduce the starch in the sweet potatoes allowing them to get crispier when pan frying them.
- Substitute for coconut oil– Avocado oil is great too.
- Switch up your sweet potatoes– Use other type of sweet potatoes like purple sweet potatoes or Japanese sweet potatoes. You can also try this recipe with butternut squash or pumpkin.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
