Baked Sweet Potatoes In Oven

Baking Versus Instant Pot

Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes – Martha Stewart

When I first created this Instant Pot Sweet Potato recipe I was in awe of how quickly you could cook them by using a pressure cooker.

However, I soon realized that if you want to cook more than 4 at a time, there is another way that simply cant be beat.

So I learned how to bake sweet potatoes in the oven.

Not only can you put up to 15-20 sweet potatoes in the oven at the same time, but they also get a wonderfully crisp exterior the Instant Pot just cant reproduce.

Baked Sweet Potato Toppings:

Want to load your oven baked sweet potatoes up with some fun toppings? Here are a few of my favorite ingredient combos for loaded baked sweet potatoes

Classic loaded baked sweet potato: Top with cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream, and/or green onions.
Chili baked sweet potato: Top with traditional chili or vegetarian chili, plus cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado and/or sliced jalapeños.
Mediterranean baked sweet potato: Top with diced tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, Kalamata olives, hummus or tzatziki, and fresh herbs .
Chipotle salad baked sweet potatoes: I also love topping baked sweet potatoes with this chipotle cheddar chopped salad .
Ranch baked sweet potatoes: We also love roasting up some chickpeas, dicing up some avocado and drizzling my tahini ranch dressing on baked sweet potatoes for easy dinners. The combo is delicious!

How To Bake Sweet Potatoes To Perfection

I could eat a simple, baked sweet potato with brown sugar-cinnamon butter for every meal. But I was always frustrated that I couldn’t replicate the tender, melt-in-your-mouth sweet potatoes you find at steakhouses and other restaurants. What’s the secret to those irresistibly fluffy interiors?

High in nutritional value, and lower in calories than white potatoes, sweet potatoes make an easy side dish for dinner or a light lunch. Read on to learn how to bake sweet potatoes in the oven to bring out their sweetness and achieve that light, fluffy texture we all love.

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Whats The Difference Between A Sweet Potato And A Yam

Sweet potatoes and yams are both root vegetables, but theyre actually quite different. To make matters confusing, most yams sold in supermarkets in the United States are actually sweet potatoes, just marketed under the wrong name yikes.

Yams tend to have brown-ish, rougher skin and lighter flesh. Theyre also starchier and dryer when cooked.

Sweet potatoes have more tapered ends, reddish-orange skin and vibrant orange flesh though they can come in a variety of colors from white to orange to purple. Sweet potatoes are also sweeter when theyre cooked.

The take-away: if what youve bought looks like these photos, odds are its a variety of sweet potato even though it may have been called a yam in the store.

How To Bake Sweet Potatoes

This easy baked sweet potato recipe is my very favorite way to enjoy this kid-friendly vegetable. Whether you take them the savory route with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a slice of butter OR go the sweet route and top them with a little brown sugar and cinnamon AND of course a little butter, you really cant go wrong.

Baking sweet potatoes is incredibly easy but each step is important, so dont skip!

Wash AND dry the sweet potatoes. Drying is super important because we want the skin to crisp up nicely during baking. Can you eat sweet potato skin? YES! And its super good for you. Can dogs eat sweet potato skin? YES! So even if you dont finish your potato, you can give the leftovers to your pup, if thats your kind of thing.

Poke holes all over the sweet potato. I do 4 fork pricks up one side, flip the sweet potato over, and do it again. So 8 pricks total.

Drizzle the sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt.

Give the potatoes a good rub making sure the entire surface is covered with oil and seasoned properly.

Bake the potatoes on a baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or foil to avoid the clean up. Sweet potatoes make a MESS. No joke. See the pictures below if you doubt me.

Serve and enjoy!

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Meal Prep And Storage

To Prep-Ahead: Sweet potatoes are a great meal prep side dish recipe to have on hand for busy weekdays.
To Store: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
To Freeze: Seal baked sweet potatoes in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4-6 months.
To Reheat: It is best to re-warm sweet potatoes in a 275 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or by cutting them in half and heating in the microwave.

How Can You Tell When A Sweet Potato Is Done

Sweet potatoes cannot keep a secret. When theyre done, the whole world will know it.

They start to ooze out their sweet caramelized juice, wrinkle up a bit, and if you want to for sure make sure, just stab one with a fork or knife. The knife should slide in easily when a sweet potato is fully cooked.

How Can You Tell A Sweet Potato Is Done Baking

Sweet potatoes take quite a bit of time to bake, however you will know they are done because when baking they release a sweet caramelized juice and start to wrinkle up. To be sure that they are done cooking just stab it with a knife or fork and if it is done baking it will slide right in with no struggle. If you get some resistance when stabbing it keep baking it for a bit longer.

How To Make This Recipe

BAKED SWEET POTATO | how to bake sweet potatoes perfectly

Its pretty simple. Get your oven preheating . A nice hot oven is essential for crispy roasted sweet potatoes.

Get out a large rimmed sheet pan. My sheet pan is well-seasoned so it doesnt need to be greased or lined with parchment paper. If you like, give the pan a very light coat of cooking spray or oil. If you want a quick cleanup, line it with parchment paper instead. I find that the potatoes dont get quite as crispy when I use parchment paper but sometimes its worth it not to have a pan to wash.

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How To Make The Best & Quickest Oven Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

The secret to creating the best and quickest baked sweet potatoes is to first slice each potato in half. Sweet potatoes are an incredibly large and dense vegetable, in their raw state, which means they take forever to fully cook. When the sweet potatoes are halved, the baking time is dramatically reduced.

But something else happens when the potatoes are halved. The halved potatoes, when cooked flesh-side down, caramelize. Caramelization = incredible flavor and texture.

The end result is the best baked sweet potatoes!

I wont ever go back to the slow method for baking a sweet potato ever again. Give this method a try and tell me what you think.

Perfectly Baked Sweet Potato

4largesweet potatoes
4tablespoonsunsalted butter
1tablespoonextra-virgin olive oil
1teaspoonKosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Wash, scrub, and dry the potatoes thoroughly. Place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Rub oil and salt all over the potatoes.
Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork.
Bake until tender, about 40-60 minutes
Let cool for about 5 minutes, then split the tops open with a knife and gently squeeze it open.
Top with a pat of butter and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper before serving. Enjoy!

Time To Make Baked Sweet Potatoes

Serves 4

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or melted coconut oil/ghee/rendered animal fats
Optional toppings: ghee, toasted almonds, pomeganate arils, aged balsamic vinegar, etc.

Method:

Heat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Grab the sweet potatoes/garnet yams and pierce them all over with a sharp paring knife.

Brush on your paleo-friendly fat of choice

and pop the sweet potatoes in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife. I rotate the tray 180° and flip the sweet potatoes over at the halfway point to ensure even cooking.

Voila! Perfect baked sweet potatoes creamy flesh and dry, crispy skin. Not too shabby for 5 minutes of hands-on time.

Add some ghee

let it melt

and add your favorite toppings, like sliced toasted almonds, pomegranate arils, and aged balsamic vinegar!

Dont wrap your tubers in foil before you bake them, people! You can store these baked sweet potatoes in the fridge in a sealed container for up to four days.

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. Youll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans , Ready or Not! , and Nom Nom Paleo: Lets Go! .

Expert Tips And Tricks

Scrub a dub, dub. Remove all of the dirt before cooking, use a vegetable brush if needed.
Poke some holes. This helps to release the juices when baking so the potato doesnt build up pressure and potentially burst.
Drizzle on oil. If youre going to eat the skin for the tons of fiber add some flavor with oil, salt, and pepper.
Width is what matters. Select similarly sized potatoes so they all cook up at the same rate.
Test for doneness. Always check the largest potato to make sure its cooked through.

How To Roast Sweet Potatoes

When picking out sweet potatoes I like to select the variety that is orange on the inside. These are often called jewel or garnet sweet potatoes or yams.

Sometimes grocery stores label the long, red-skinned sweet potatoes as yams but they are actually just one of the many kinds of sweet potatoes. For perfect roasted sweet potatoes, look for sweet potatoes that feel firm and have unwrinkled flesh.

The basic recipe for both of these sweet potatoes is the same.

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into the desired shape. You can leave the sweet potato skin on if you like, but I prefer peeled.
Toss with some kind of fat, spices and salt
Roast at 400F for about 30 minutes until fork tender. Cooking time will vary based on how large your potato pieces are.

TIP: Be sure to chop the sweet potato chunks in roughly the same size so they bake evenly.

Toppings For Baked Sweet Potatoes

When it comes to topping sweet potatoes, Ive learned that there are some definite strong opinions on what does and doesnt count as a good topping. For some, its only ever sweet, with a sprinkling of sugar for others, anything goes. Personally, in the UK, we went through a health spree a few years back where everyone was swapping out their regular spuds for sweet potato with no change in how we top them.

That being said, here are some of my favorite baked sweet potato toppings. Let me know in the comments what yours are!

Homemade butter& a sprinkle of salt or herbs like thyme.
Butter, cinnamon, and sugar

Note: Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which is a fat-soluble antioxidant. This means that eating the potatoes with some fat will help us absorb the nutrient.

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Perfect Baked Sweet Potato

Ill admit, I didnt start eating sweet potatoes until a few years ago. My mom never made them growing up, so I thought I didnt like them. Then one day I tried these scalloped sweet potatoes and I was hooked. Now I make some sort of dish with them almost every week.

I love a classic baked potato, but if youre trying to eat a little healthier then baked sweet potatoes are a great option. Theyre loaded with fiber and antioxidants and are a great source of healthy carbs. Not only are they great for you, but they also taste delicious too! When baked in the oven, they get super tender on the inside with perfectly crispy skin.

You can make stuffed sweet potatoes with your favorite toppings or keep it simple with a dab of butter, salt and pepper. Add a dash of cinnamon for a little more flavor or even scoop out the insides to make a sweet potato casserole. The options are endless!

How To Cook Sweet Potatoes

How to make Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes (Yams)

Bake, boil, steam and microwave sweet potatoes like a pro.

Twice Baked, Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Melting Butter and Cracked Pepper

Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network

Sweet potatoes are a fixture on Southern menus and Thanksgiving tables nationwide, but theyre also an everyday staple that pack a nutritional punch. With their natural earthy-sweet flavor profile, sweet potatoes are also versatile, lending themselves to different cooking methods to create a variety of dishes, from casseroles to pies to French fries. Whether you want to bake, boil, steam or microwave them, the following how-to primer will answer all your pressing questions.

Easy Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes

Published by Lauren on

Making a perfectly baked sweet potato is easier then you think! With only a few minutes of prep, easy ingredients then baked in the oven. Sweet and fluffy on the inside with the perfectly crispy skin. This baked sweet potato recipe makes the perfect side dish for any occasion, be it a holiday or just a weeknight dinner.

Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

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

You only need 5 ingredients to make these simple roasted sweet potatoes! Deliciously seasoned and perfectly caramelized, these baked sweet potatoes are a healthy side that goes with so many meals.

Need a healthy side dish to go with almost any meal! Youre in the right place.

These easy roasted sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish for so many meals. They are easy-to-make and so versatile. You wont be able to stop making them!

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How To Store And Reheat

Sweet potatoes are a great meal prep ingredient! Bake a few at the beginning of the week to enjoy throughout the week. Theyre super easy to store if you have leftovers.

To store: Place the whole or halved sweet potato, or the scooped out flesh in a storage container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
To freeze: If you have a lot of leftovers, you can freeze them! Just scoop out the flesh into a storage container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Pop the sweet potato in the microwave for a couple of minutes or in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

I Like To Bake My Sweet Potatoes At 400f For About 45 Minutes

The range tends to be between 40 minutes and 1 hour depending on the size of the sweet potato.

I really do try to make sure all of my potatoes are roughly the same size and shape when making oven baked sweet potatoes. This means they will all get done at the same time and we can eat dinner together winning!

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Storage & Reheating Tips

Store roasted sweet potatoes in a covered bowl or resealable bag. Theyll keep in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for a month. They thaw very quickly.

I like to reheat them in my toaster oven. It only takes about 5 minutes for them to get super crispy again its like theyre fresh out of the oven. They can also be reheated in the microwave or with a brief stint in your air fryer.

Are Sweet Potatoes Healthy

Sweet potatoes are a whole food that pack a powerful nutritional punch. In one medium potato, you get over 400 percent of your daily vitamin A requirement. They are also high in fiber and potassium and are a great source of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that gives orange fruits and vegetables their vibrant color.

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How To Boil Sweet Potatoes

Boiling sweet potatoes is one of the best methods for making mashed or pureed sweet potatoes. Cutting your sweet potatoes into cubes first will help them cook faster be sure to cut the sweet potatoes into the same size pieces to ensure consistent, even cooking. You can also boil whole, peeled sweet potatoes, but to minimize cooking time, opt for medium-sized potatoes.

How Bake Sweet Potatoes In The Oven

Sweet Potato Recipe – Oven Baked – Easy, Healthy, Vegan – With Lemon & Honey

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.

Wash the sweet potatoes well and make sure you have gotten off any dirt or debris. You can use a veggie brush to get them clean if you want to.

Take a fork and pierce the skin of the potato 8-10 times.DO NOT skip this step or you will end up with a large mess in the oven.

Place the potatoes on the sheet pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a fork can go in easily to the flesh.

Remove from the oven when done baking, allow to cool for 5 minutes and then serve as desired.

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