These roasted sweet potatoes in wedges, sticks or cubes are simple to make and perfect for baby led weaning. Of course, the whole family can enjoy them, too! Try this easy and nutritious baby led weaning sweet potato recipe today.

Sweet potatoes are a common first food for babies who are self feeding. They are nutritious, easy to prepare, and the naturally sweet taste is delicious! Roasting is a simple way to prepare sweet potatoes that are great not only for baby led weaning, but for the whole family. Here is how to easily roast sweet potatoes for your little one.
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Are Sweet Potatoes Healthy For Babies?
Sweet potatoes are very nutritious. This starchy root vegetable provides several important nutrients for growth and healthy functioning, including:
- Fiber - good for digestion and a healthy gut
- Vitamin C - helps aid iron absorption
- Beta carotene - an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A, necessary for healthy vision and immune health
- B vitamins - good for healthy metabolism, brain function, and energy production
- Manganese - aids in metabolism, bone clotting, and blood formation
- Copper - aids in development of bones, red blood cells, and other tissues, and aids iron absorption
- Potassium - important for fluid balance, and nerve and muscle functioning
- Choline - a lesser known nutrient important for brain development
- Antioxidants - help the body fight inflammation and chronic disease
Why You'll Love These Roasted Sweet Potatoes for Baby Led Weaning
Roasting sweet potatoes in the oven brings out their natural sweetness and is an easy way to prepare them without having to babysit a pan on the stove. You can easily change up the flavor by adding seasonings and spices, or keep it simple with just a little oil. If you're using a baby led weaning approach, you can easily adapt this recipe to your little one's eating skills, from beginner with a palmar grasp (around 6 months) to more advanced with a pincer grasp (around 9-10 months) by cutting the sweet potatoes into different shapes before cooking. Even better, these sweet potatoes are delicious for the whole family, not just baby!
What You'll Need
For the simplest roasted sweet potatoes, you'll need just two ingredients: sweet potatoes and oil. But you can also add spices such as cinnamon or go more savory with garlic powder and paprika.
Helpful Equipment: a good vegetable peeler, a sharp knife, a large baking sheet, and parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
How To Make Them
I'll share options for wedges, appropriate for beginners (6+ months) and cubes, for more advanced stages (9+ months). For the full detailed recipe, see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
For Wedges
- Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut in half vertically to get two long halves. Then cut each half into wedges, about ¾ to 1 inch thick.
- Add to a bowl with oil and any seasoning and toss to coat.
- Spread sweet potato wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Roast at 400°F (205°C) for about 25-30 minutes or until soft throughout, flipping once halfway through. Cool before serving to baby.
For Cubes or Sticks
- Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut vertically into slices about 1 cm (¼ to ½ in) thick. Then cut each slices into sticks, and then into cubes if you want cubes.
- Add sweet potatoes to a bowl with oil and any seasoning and toss to coat.
- Spread sweet potato wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Roast at 400°F for about 20-30 minutes or until soft throughout, flipping once halfway through. Cool before serving to baby.
Note: These sweet potatoes aren't roasted super crispy. As baby grows and eating skills advance, feel free to raise the oven temperature to 425°F and increase the oil a bit to get crisper sweet potatoes.
Suggested Spice Pairings
While you really only need a little oil for roasting, you can flavor roasted sweet potatoes by tossing with spices before cooking. Feel free to sprinkle on a little salt if the whole family will be eating them. While some don't recommend salt for babies, I think a small amount is fine if you do the majority of cooking at home. Some good combinations are:
- Cinnamon + salt (optional)
- Garlic powder + onion powder + paprika
- Garlic Powder + rosemary
- Oregano + thyme + pepper
- Turmeric + cinnamon
You can eyeball as you sprinkle spices on, or use ½ to 1 teaspoon combined total.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 400°F, on the stove in a skillet, on in an air fryer on the lowest setting.
How To Serve Them For Baby Led Weaning
For younger babies who don't yet have a pincer grasp (6 months to about 9 months) serve roasted sweet potatoes in wedges or sticks, so baby can can scoop one up in his fist and munch on the end.
For babies with a pincer grasp, which usually develops around 9-10 months, you can offer cubes (¼ to ½ inch is best) to practice the fine motor skills involved with picking up small pieces, or continue offering wedges or sticks. You can offer a baby fork for utensil practice starting around this stage if you'd like.
I don't recommend commercial ketchup (or tomato sauce as I believe it is called in some places) because it tends to be high in sugar, but feel free to offer other homemade dipping sauces if they are readily available.
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes for Baby Led Weaning
These roasted sweet potatoes in wedges, sticks or cubes are simple to make and perfect for baby led weaning. Of course, the whole family can enjoy them, too!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: about 4 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Spices, optional (see notes for suggested pairings)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cut peeled sweet potatoes into desired shape. For wedges, cut sweet potatoes in half vertically, then cut each half into about ¾ to 1 inch wedges. For sticks or cubes, cut each sweet potato into about 1 cm (¼ to ½ inch) slices, then cut each slice into sticks or cubes.
- Toss sweet potatoes in a large bowl with oil and any spices.
- Spread onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each piece to encourage even roasting.
- Roast for 20-30 minutes for cubes or sticks, and 25-35 minutes for wedges, or until sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, flipping once halfway through.
- Cool before serving to baby.
Notes
- Leaving the skin: If you're making wedges for younger babies (6-8 months) you can leave the skin on if you'd like, and let baby scrape the flesh from the skin.
- Crispier sweet potatoes: As baby gets older and eating skills advance, feel free to increase the oven temperature to 425°F and increase the oil just a bit for crispier outsides.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, a skillet on the stove, or an air fryer.
- Suggested spices: sprinkle on, or use ½ to 1 teaspoon combined total
- Cinnamon + salt (optional)
- Garlic powder + onion powder + paprika
- Garlic Powder + rosemary
- Oregano + thyme + pepper
- Turmeric + cinnamon
Grace says
Can these be made in an air fryer? It’s currently 101 degrees + where I live and don’t have central AC so I try to avoid using the oven as much as possible.
Kaleigh says
Hi Grace,
I haven't made them in the air fryer before, but I don't see why you couldn't. I would try them on 400°F and check them/flip them every 5 minutes or so until they are done. Let me know how it works out!