Garlicky Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Garlicky smashed sweet potatoes are thick rounds of sweet potato roasted until tender, smashed flat with a fork, brushed with a garlic and thyme butter, then finished under the broiler until the edges crisp. They land somewhere between a creamy roast and a crunchy chip, and they come together with a handful of everyday ingredients. If you want an easy side dish that tastes far more impressive than the effort it takes, this is the one to make.
This recipe is for all my potato lovers out there. I’m sure you already know how much I love potatoes! I love fries, I love hasselback potatoes, I love potato fritters and, most of all, I love sweet potatoes. These garlicky smashed sweet potatoes are extremely easy to make, and they were probably one of the best things I ate at the beginning of 2021, and that says a lot. What shocks me is that they are SO simple.
Everything You Need for This Side Dish
There are two little mixes here, and both take seconds to stir together. Here is what each ingredient brings to the plate:
- Sweet potatoes, thick sliced — cut into rounds roughly half an inch thick so they roast evenly and hold their shape when you smash them.
- Olive oil — coats the tray and the disks so the bottoms turn golden instead of sticking.
- Salt and pepper — a first seasoning before the potatoes go into the oven.
- Fresh thyme — whole sprigs roast alongside the potatoes, and a little chopped thyme goes into the topping for a second layer of flavor.
- Butter, melted — the base of the garlicky topping. Use vegan butter if you want to keep the dish plant-based.
- Garlic, minced — stirred straight into the melted butter so every disk gets brushed with it.
- Sea salt and white pepper — season the cheesy topping without leaving specks of black pepper on top.
- Nutritional yeast — adds a savory, cheesy, nutty note and makes the topping taste rich even without dairy.
- Grated cheese (optional) — an extra melty finish. Use a vegan cheese if needed, or skip it and lean on the nutritional yeast.
How to Make Them Step by Step
Start by heating your oven to 200C. Stir the melted butter together with the minced garlic in one small bowl, then mix the nutritional yeast, chopped thyme, sea salt and white pepper in another and set both aside. Line a baking tray with parchment, brush it with olive oil, and lay the sweet potato rounds out in a single layer. Give them another light coat of oil, tuck the thyme sprigs around them, and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until a fork slides in without resistance. Now the fun part: press down on the middle of each disk with a fork to flatten it. Brush every smashed round with the garlic butter, then return the tray to the oven and broil for about 2 minutes. Finish with the savory nutritional yeast topping and the optional grated cheese, then serve them warm.
Tips for the Crispiest Edges
- Slice the rounds evenly. Discs of the same thickness finish cooking at the same time, so none are raw while others fall apart.
- Roast before you smash. Baking first turns the inside soft and creamy, which is what lets the disks flatten instead of crumble.
- Smash for more surface area. Flattening each round opens up more edges to crisp under the broiler and gives the garlic butter more places to soak in.
- Keep them in a single layer. Crowded potatoes steam instead of roast, and you want dry, golden edges.
- Watch the broiler. Two minutes is usually plenty, and the tops can go from golden to burnt quickly, so stay close.
Making Them Fully Plant-Based
The recipe is written so you can go either way. As listed, it uses butter and a little grated cheese, but both come with a built-in swap. Reach for a good vegan butter in the garlic topping, choose a plant-based grated cheese or leave it out, and let the nutritional yeast carry that cheesy flavor. Nothing else in the dish changes, and you get the same creamy, garlicky result.
What to Serve Alongside
These work as a side next to almost any hearty main, but they also shine on a potato-lover’s spread. A cool dollop of homemade vegan yogurt whisked with a little garlic makes a lovely dip for those crisp edges. For a bigger sweet potato feast, set them next to loaded sweet potato skins or a comforting mashed potato bowl. It’s up to you how you mix and match, but once you take these little bits of heaven out of the oven, you’ll unleash a world of deliciousness.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three or four days. To bring back the crisp edges, reheat them in the oven or an air fryer rather than the microwave, which tends to soften them. You can also get a head start: roast the disks ahead of time, then smash, brush with garlic butter and broil right before serving. If you end up with more sweet potatoes than you know what to do with, turn them into sweet potato cakes or a warming sweet potato soup with ginger.
If you smash a batch of these, come back to the comments and leave a star rating with a quick note — I want to know how crisp you got those broiled edges and whether you went with real butter or the vegan route. I’m so curious if you loved them!
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Garlicky Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 2 sweet potatoes thick sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 handful fresh thyme
For the garlic butter:
- 2 Tbsp butter melted (use vegan, if needed)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- ¼ tsp sea salt
For topping:
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp white pepper
- optional – grated cheese use vegan, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- In a small bowl mix all the garlic butter ingredients. Set aside
- In another small bowl, mix the topping ingredients, set aside.
- Like a baking tray with parchment paper and spray with ½ tbsp olive oil.
- Place the disks on your baking sheet, in a single layer, spray with another ½ tbsp of olive oil. Lay on the fresh thyme sprigs and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until tender.
- Smash the baked sweet potato disks, in the middle, with a fork.
- Brush each disk with garlic butter mix. Return to the oven and broil for about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
As written, the recipe uses melted butter and an optional grated cheese, so it is vegetarian by default. It is very easy to make fully vegan: swap in vegan butter, use a plant-based grated cheese or skip it, and let the nutritional yeast carry the cheesy flavor.
Aim for rounds about half an inch thick. That is sturdy enough to hold together when you smash them with a fork, yet thin enough to roast through in roughly 20 minutes.
The recipe does not call for peeling, so it is up to you. Sweet potato skin is edible and adds a little texture, so scrub the potatoes well if you leave it on, or peel them if you prefer a softer bite.
Smashing flattens each disk and opens up much more surface area. That means more edges crisp up under the broiler and there are more grooves for the garlic butter to soak into, so every bite gets flavor.
Nutritional yeast gives the topping a savory, cheesy, slightly nutty flavor without any dairy. It is what lets you keep the dish rich-tasting even if you skip the grated cheese or make it plant-based.
Yes. Roast the disks in advance, then smash, brush with garlic butter and broil just before serving so the edges stay crisp. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three or four days and reheat best in the oven or air fryer.
Flavorful and extremely easy to make. Thank you for the recipe!