If you are looking for a kid-friendly gluten free vegetable side dish, these pan-fried sweet potatoes with leeks and honey are so good! This savory-sweet dish goes with so many entrees.

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Today is all about simplicity.
Do you ever need an easy recipe that is simple to make? Our family loves sweet potatoes. No matter how picky my kids are, this is the one vegetable they will always eat.
Pan-fried sweet potato rounds are easy to make, and because they are sliced thinly, they cook really quickly too.
Why This Recipe is Great:
- There are no long ingredient lists, complicated steps, or hard-to-find ingredients. Just an easy sweet potato side dish recipe that is perfect all year round.
- This pan-cooked sweet potato dish is paleo, vegan, and totally kid-friendly.
- All you need is four simple ingredients, yet these four ingredients yield a wonderful flavor. The honey caramelizes to create a glaze on the sweet potatoes.
- This side dish is a tasty accompaniment to any dish, including spicy foods. It is really easy to cook sweet potatoes on the stove. I use a cast-iron skillet because it gets hot and makes the sweet potatoes a little crispy.
Dinner is always best with two or more sides, so here are some additional gluten free side dishes to choose from :-).
Substitutions:
- Substitute sweet yellow onions for the leeks.
- Substitute pure maple syrup for the honey.
- Add in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon for more flavor.
This is a great vegetable slicer. I love the handle so that you don't cut your fingers!
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Step 1: Slice your sweet potatoes thinly or in thicker slices.

Step 2: Slice your leeks thinly. They will caramelize as they cook, adding a delicious flavor to your sweet potatoes.
Step 3: Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add your leeks or onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they are softened.
Use coconut oil or another high-heat oil. Do not use olive oil in the pan. Olive oil is not made for high heat and can add an off taste if you use it in this recipe.
Step 4: Add the sweet potatoes and continue to cook them until they are almost softened. Drizzle on the honey and cook until they are soft enough to pierce with a fork.
It takes about 15-20 minutes to pan-fry sweet potatoes, depending on how crispy you like them.
If you love sweet potatoes, try my Sweet Potato Nachos recipe. If you are looking for a fun side dish to serve with these potatoes, try these baked tomatoes with cheese too.

Storage:
Store these sweet potatoes in an airtight container, and they will keep fresh for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQ:
It is one of my favorite ways to cook sweet potato rounds.
Of course...yams have a very similar flavor profile to sweet potatoes.
This recipe uses coconut oil, which is a healthy fat. Sweet potatoes are full of nutrients, as are leeks. You will find this recipe is much healthier than regular potatoes.
You can easily air fry these sweet potatoes. Place into an air fryer basket. Cook at 375º F for 10 minutes. You will want to drizzle the honey on when they are cooked because the baked honey may be hard to clean from the basket.
Serve With:
Serve one of these delicious gluten free recipes with these pan-fried sweet potatoes with honey for a great family dinner.
- Gluten Free Fried Chicken - This is the best gluten free fried chicken.
- Herb Roasted Chicken - If you love the flavor that roasts in, this roasted chicken is juicy and tender.
- Grilled NY Strip Steak - This grilled steak is perfect for making at a cookout.
- Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon - Use your air fryer to make this salmon quickly.
📖 Recipe

Sweet Potato and Leeks with Honey
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes sliced
- 2 leeks sliced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil on medium heat.
- Add sweet potatoes and leeks.
- Cook until done. (The sweet potatoes will be soft if you stick a fork in it.)
- Turn heat to low.
- Drizzle with honey.
- Toss to coat.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an old July 2104 post with better recipe details.
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Dawn
I just picked up a sweet potato last night, I think I will make it like this!
Sandi Gaertner
I hope it turned out great 🙂
misty
It might be iffy to get my toddler to eat it, but she likes fried potatoes, so maybe if I start by mixing the two for her.
Sandi Gaertner
That sounds like a great idea Misty!
Kelly @ Tasting Page
Love the simplicity of this, but never thought about adding leeks to sweet potatoes, but now I will!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Kelly 🙂
Jillian Babbel Mendioro
Sandi - these look soo delicious. We don't often eat sweet potatoes, but if I do these sound like the perfect recipe to make!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Jillian.
Melanie | Melanie Makes
Love this idea - can't wait to try it!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Melanie 🙂
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
Love finding new ways to eat sweet potatoes!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Julie. I found some interesting Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes yesterday. Have you cooked with those?
Michelle
This dish is 100% up my alley. Sweet potatoes and leeks with honey. YUM!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Michelle. My kids love this dish, but getting the cooked honey off my cast iron pan took a little bit 🙂