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Home Meal Type Appetizers
5
/5
40 minutes minutes

Sweet Potato Crostinis with Roasted Cranberries

Gluten Free Gluten Free Low Carb Low Carb Nut Free Nut Free Vegetarian Vegetarian
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard15 Comments
Posted: 11/27/15 Updated: 8/28/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These sweet potato crostinis are topped with nutmeg-spiced ricotta and roasted cranberries. Pretty, healthy and a delicious appetizer for your holiday party!

I love appetizers so much I could make a whole meal out of them! While traditional holiday appetizers are often unhealthy and fried, I love a good healthy appetizer. Our favorites include these strawberry spinach spring rolls, these grilled mushrooms with bruschetta and goat cheese, and these tasty little sweet potato crostini!

sweet potato crostini on grey plate

Sweet potato rounds are the perfect healthier vessel for the spiced ricotta and roasted cranberries. Not only are these crostinis healthy, but they are delicious and filled with holiday flavors like cranberries and nutmeg.

They also happen to be easy peasy to make.

Reasons you'll ♡ sweet potato crostinis

  • they are light and healthy (only 43 calories each)
  • they can be made ahead and assembled just before serving
  • they are pretty and taste delicious!

plate filled with sweet potato crostinis

How to make a crostini

Translated from Italian, crostini means 'little toasts'. Traditional crostinis are made with thinly sliced baguette, which is brushed generously with olive oil, toasted, and topped with a variety of things such as meats, cheeses, vegetables and more.

We are taking this tradition and putting our little spin on it, swapping the bread for sweet potatoes, and reducing the amount of oil used. This significantly lightens the recipe up!

The toppings

On top of our roasted sweet potato rounds, we are adding a nutmeg-spiced ricotta mixture, which adds a delicious creamy texture to the sweet potatoes. On top of this is a roasted cranberry mixture, which tastes a lot like cranberry sauce: tart and slightly sweet.

Finish it off with some lemon zest and fresh thyme leaves, and you have yourselves a healthy appetizer that also happens to be easy on the eyes 😉

Variations

Consider this a base recipe that you can play around with to get your perfect crostini!

Cheese alternatives

  • cream cheese or goat cheese
  • melted brie (add during the last 1-2 minutes of cook time)
  • blue cheese
  • pesto
  • roasted garlic white bean hummus

Cranberry alternatives

  • pomegranate seeds
  • caramelized onions
  • roasted tomatoes
  • pear slices
  • smoked salmon

side angle of a sweet potato crostini topped with spiced ricotta and roasted cranberries

Prep ahead for easy assembly

No one wants to be slaving over the stove when their guests are arriving. You can avoid spending all your time in the kitchen prepping these sweet potato crostinis by prepping certain components ahead, then assembling just before serving:

  • roast your sweet potatoes + cranberries the day before
  • stir together the spiced ricotta mixture the day before

More party food

  • 17 Healthy Holiday Appetizers
  • Crispy Sesame Shrimp Appetizer
  • Zucchini Caprese Roll Ups
  • Jalapeno Smoked Gouda Puff Pastry Pinwheels
  • Smoked Salmon Cucumber Roll Ups

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

close up shot of sweet potato ricotta and cranberry crostini

Sweet Potato Crostinis with Spiced Ricotta and Roasted Cranberries

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Print Rate
These sweet potato crostinis are topped with nutmeg-spiced ricotta and roasted cranberries. Pretty, healthy and a delicious appetizer for your holiday party!
24

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Crostini

  • Sweet potatoes cut into 24 ¼ inch rounds
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Roasted Cranberries

  • 2 ½ cups cranberries fresh or frozen
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 springs fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Spiced Ricotta

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
  • Toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil. Arrange on cookie sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 15 minutes.
  • While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the cranberries: in a medium baking dish, toss the cranberries with the sugar, lemon zest and thyme. *you may want to line the baking dish with foil, as these cranberries get sticky as they cool!*
  • After 15 minutes of cooking, turn the sweet potato rounds over and return to the oven, along with the cranberries.
  • Cook for another 10-15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are cooked through (this will depend on how big they are, mine were ready after 10 minutes) and cranberries are soft (for frozen cranberries you will probably need at least another 5 minutes).
  • While they are cooking, stir together the ricotta with the nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
  • Serve immediately.

Tips:

  • These appetizers can be made the day ahead with each component stored separately.
  • Just prior to serving, crisp up the sweet potatoes for 10 or so minutes in a 350°F oven!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1crostini, Calories: 43kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 27mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Holiday

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Reader Interactions

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. N2020 says

    Posted on 11/29/24 at Posted on 11/29/24

    5 stars
    OMG! These were fabulous...GIRL! I prepared the components the day before, re crisped the potatoes before serving. Awesome!

    Reply
  2. Tez @ Chile and Salt says

    Posted on 12/22/15 at Posted on 12/22/15

    Denise, these look amazing!! We all need more healthy app`s, especially this time of year!! Love your site!!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 12/22/15 at Posted on 12/22/15

      Hi Tez! Thank-you so much! Healthy apps seem so hard to come by!

      Reply
  3. traci | vanilla and bean says

    Posted on 12/2/15 at Posted on 12/2/15

    Oh my what a great idea! So many delicious flavors in these little crustiness and I love how you used sweet potato as the base! No doubt, a perfect appetizer for this time of year. I'm just rediscovering ricotta and all the delicious ways it can be enjoyed. Thank you for this creative recipe my dear!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 12/2/15 at Posted on 12/2/15

      Thanks so much, Traci! I rarely use ricotta, but it's so creamy! I need to use it more often.

      Reply
  4. marcie says

    Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

    Denise, these are so up my alley! I love sweet potatoes, and I love the sound of the roasted cranberries with ricotta. I actually like how mellow ricotta is, and wouldn't change a thing about these!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

      I like it too...it's just kind of creamy and a blank canvas for all of the other flavors. Thanks, Marcie!

      Reply
  5. annie says

    Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

    These look so good, I'll just have them for the appetizer AND the meal. I love the addition of thyme to the cranberry sauce.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

      Thanks so much, Annie! I will admit to having eaten far too many appetizers lately, but at least these ones are a little healthier 😉

      Reply
  6. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

    Posted on 11/29/15 at Posted on 11/29/15

    I saw the roasted cranberries and my heart skipped a beat. I would love these and they're beautiful to look at too!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

      Thank-you so much, Maureen! I absolutely had to buy those purple sweet potatoes when I saw them...too pretty!

      Reply
  7. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

    Posted on 11/29/15 at Posted on 11/29/15

    These crostini are so elegant! Obsessed 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

      Thanks, Medha!

      Reply
  8. Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen says

    Posted on 11/27/15 at Posted on 11/27/15

    Yep, it's time to move on from Thanksgiving side dishes towards all things Christmas! I'm definitely on the search for healthier appetizer recipes, and these crostini look like a perfect combination of flavors! That spiced ricotta sounds wonderful!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/30/15 at Posted on 11/30/15

      Thanks, Kristine! I have been making SO many appetizers already this month...I could eat them for dinner!

      Reply

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