Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (2024)

By Martha Rose Shulman

Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
5(657)
Notes
Read community notes

These make a great lunch or snack. If you can wait long enough, they will get sweeter over time in the refrigerator, so bake some extra and cut thick slices to go with cottage cheese, goat cheese, or feta for a quick lunch.

Featured in: Versatile Potatoes of the Sweet Variety

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Ingredients

Yield:: Serves 4

  • 4medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

112 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 72 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce in several places with a sharp knife. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the potatoes on top. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes, until thoroughly soft and beginning to ooze. Remove from the heat.

  2. Step

    2

    If not eating right away, place on a plate or in a dish and allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (they will continue to ooze and sweeten). Serve cold (cut in thick slices and remove the skin) or room temperature, or reheat for 20 to 30 minutes in a 350ºF oven.

Tips

  • Make the recipe through Step 1. Transfer to a baking dish that will hold the potatoes snugly. Allow to cool completely (they will continue to ooze and sweeten). Slit the potatoes lengthwise and douse with the juice of 1 to 2 limes, to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature or reheat for 20 to 30 minutes in a 350ºF oven.
  • Don’t try to save time and use a microwave for this. Your sweet potatoes won’t be nearly as sweet if you cook them this way; they need the time in the hot oven for their enzymes to convert starch into maltose, the sugar (about one third as sweet as table sugar) that makes sweet potatoes sweet.

Ratings

5

out of 5

657

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Bella

Sweet potatoes are even sweeter if you bake them at 350F degrees or lower. It takes longer to cook, but will be well worth the wait!

Eric Rodgers

Doesn't get more foolproof than this. Among my favorite additions to warm sweet potatoes: vanilla yogurt and ground cinnamon. Works equally well as dessert or breakfast.

DMutchler

A baked sweet potato is a delight with (drumroll)...brown sugar, butter, and a good chipotle BBQ sauce. (I'd give the name of my favorite, but I'm not sure that would be permitted.) All are optional, of course, and some BBQ sauces are sweet enough on their own, if not some sweet potatoes. But right out of the oven, slicing the skin from end to end then scooping/scraping the potato out, I slather it with the aforesaid. Who needs anything else?

mimi

In Korea we often eat roasted sweet potatoes with kimchi. Use purple Japanese sweet potatoes (they are whiter inside) to try this!

Jane

This was such an easy dish to prepare ahead of time. I baked the potatoes on one day, let them set with skin still on in the refrigerator overnight. A few hours before serving, I removed the skin, sliced thick and plated on an oven recommended serving platter. Just before serving I put them into the oven for 20 minutes and squeezed lime juice over the slices before serving. Easy and delicious.

Angela

Instead of a knife to pierce sweet potato use a fork pierce 2 times on each side.

Christa

And no need to remove the skin! It's tasty as well as nutritious!

mudyboots

My favorite. I like to eat after baking with cottage cheese. Yummy

Whole Grain

Cooked my potatoes at 350F until easily pierced with a fork or butter knife. Did not bother piercing prior to baking. They usually seem to be done when I can see them oozing juices, which may begin crusting on the pan around them. Very tasty eaten plain right out of the skin or turned into a puree for pie or cheesecake recipes.

mjb

Trader Joe's (at least the one near me) sells bags of sweet potatoes. They tend to be smaller than the ones you can buy individually and you get roughly 8 per bag. I bake all of them at once and store in the fridge. I am on WW purple program and sweet potatoes are considered a zero point food. Having them on hand makes for quick and low point friendly meals and snacks. And I agree with other commenters, keep the skin on. It's delicious.

Stephanie

A warm sweet potato is so good with melted blue cheese on it , can’t get enough lol. Give it a try, you may need to like blue cheese though.

Christa

This is such a simple, healthy, and satisfying lunch and dinner--came home and popped two sweet potatoes in the oven, one for dinner tonight with cottage cheese and one for lunch tomorrow with cottage cheese. Smelled wonderful while it was roasting. Look forward to trying this with goat cheese and feta cheese.

Susan

Ever since I discovered this recipe, this is the only way I make sweet potatoes. I made them again last night and while they cooled, snuggled together in their baking dish, I roasted a couple of pieces of halibut. Delicious, easy, healthy.

Catherine

Melt goat cheese over the potato just before eating. Delicious.

ZGBNM

Use sauce from sweet potato fries

Beth D

This is a wonderful recipe. It is the only way I make my sweet potatoes. Have made various sizes potatoes and adjust the time and temperature accordingly with convection bake. Really appreciate that no oil/fat is used. Wrapping in the plastic wrap once cooled is key. Have 3-4 oz in the morning with eggs as a great starter of the day.

ellen

You can also freeze them after baking, and have a different texture sensation

Victoria

I split mine and sprinkle with rice vinegar, salt and pepper and eat while hot. Yum. Also good: split sweet potatoes topped with hummus and crisp roasted kale.

mjb

Trader Joe's (at least the one near me) sells bags of sweet potatoes. They tend to be smaller than the ones you can buy individually and you get roughly 8 per bag. I bake all of them at once and store in the fridge. I am on WW purple program and sweet potatoes are considered a zero point food. Having them on hand makes for quick and low point friendly meals and snacks. And I agree with other commenters, keep the skin on. It's delicious.

Ron Nemirow

To those who eat this with cottage cheese – do you bake it with the cottage cheese? Or do you add the cottage cheese after it’s baked?

Whole Grain

Cooked my potatoes at 350F until easily pierced with a fork or butter knife. Did not bother piercing prior to baking. They usually seem to be done when I can see them oozing juices, which may begin crusting on the pan around them. Very tasty eaten plain right out of the skin or turned into a puree for pie or cheesecake recipes.

MarciaF

Definitely agree that the skin is fabulous - especially if you’re eating them hot. The skin and the flesh that clings to it are also denser in nutrients than the flesh alone.

aaliyah

We tried this recipe just this morning. It worked really well. Thank you!

Stephanie

A warm sweet potato is so good with melted blue cheese on it , can’t get enough lol. Give it a try, you may need to like blue cheese though.

Christa

And no need to remove the skin! It's tasty as well as nutritious!

Christa

This is such a simple, healthy, and satisfying lunch and dinner--came home and popped two sweet potatoes in the oven, one for dinner tonight with cottage cheese and one for lunch tomorrow with cottage cheese. Smelled wonderful while it was roasting. Look forward to trying this with goat cheese and feta cheese.

Christa

I make these all the time and have become a sweet potato addict! Whole Foods has a gorgeous display of several varieties, and I keep replenishing my stock. Sweet potatoes are interchangeable with winter squash, and I use sweet potato puree in a number of dishes. This is really too easy to make--all you do is stick it in the oven for an hour, and you can roast them ahead of time. Highly recommended--sweet potatoes have so many varied uses and tasty combinations.

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Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

When baking sweet potatoes should they be wrapped in foil? ›

Wrapping the sweet potatoes in foil ensures that they don't dry out too quickly, and allows you to add aromatics if desired. Unwrapping the sweet potatoes and increasing the oven temperature produces charred, roasted flavors and caramelizes converted sugars.

Why do you soak sweet potatoes before baking? ›

The cold water bath helps rinse the starch off the sweet potatoes so they're a bit more crispy. That said, if you do not have the time, you can still get crispy baked sweet potato fries by using high heat and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Should you poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? ›

Do you have to poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? Typically holes are poked into a sweet potato to prevent a potato exploding in your oven. However, the chance of that happening is low, and according to Lifehacker, sweet potatoes will retain more flavor if you don't poke them.

What temperature is a baked sweet potato done? ›

If you'd like a more precise indicator, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the sweet potato. The internal temperature of a cooked sweet potato should read between 205- and 212-degrees Fahrenheit.

Why is it advisable not to wrap potatoes in foil while baking? ›

Trapping that spud in aluminum foil where the moisture cannot escape results in a wet potato. Over baking the potato in foil cannot be seen (or easy to smell that it is overcooked) so you can end up with dark brown skin on the bottom, tough to eat and giving off a slightly burnt taste.

Should I bake a potato in aluminum foil or without aluminum foil? ›

"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.

Why are my sweet potatoes still hard after baking? ›

The Squeze Test - When you are wondering if your baked sweet potato recipe is done, give the sweet potato a little squeeze (with an oven mitt on!). If your baked sweet potato feels tender, it is likely ready. If it still feels firm, I'd put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Why do you salt potatoes before baking? ›

Q: Why is it common to salt the exterior of a baked potato? A: Chefs started doing this years ago to allow the salt to absorb or draw out the moisture of the potato while baking, which results in a dry, fluffy potato.

What is the healthiest way to eat sweet potatoes? ›

Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.

Can you overcook a sweet potato in the oven? ›

When you bake the potatoes, they get nice and tender without any parboiling. They are also roasted at high heat, making them perfectly crispy and cooked through in just 30 minutes. Can you overcook sweet potatoes? Unfortunately, yes!

What goes well with baked sweet potatoes? ›

Yogurt sauce + legumes

Top your sweet potato and yogurt sauce with crispy lentils or cooked black beans. Add leftover roasted vegetables (especially eggplant), sautéed onions or peppers, or fresh herbs or scallions if you have them. A little green sauce or salsa is nice here too.

How many holes should you poke in a sweet potato? ›

Use a fork to poke 8 to 10 sets of holes in the skins of each sweet potato for ventilation and wrap each tightly in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet to catch the juice that will inevitably leak out. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until soft.

Can you overcook a sweet potato? ›

Mushy Texture: Sweet potatoes contain a lot of moisture, and overcooking can cause them to become mushy and overly soft. Instead of a firm and slightly tender texture, they may turn into a puree-like consistency. Loss of Flavor: Overcooking can lead to a loss of flavor in sweet potatoes.

Is it better to microwave or bake a sweet potato? ›

It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes, and, according to a 2018 study, helps maintain the potato's nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain.

Do sweet potatoes cook at the same time as regular potatoes? ›

However, as a general guideline, sweet potatoes typically take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to bake at 400°F (200°C), whereas regular potatoes may take closer to 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake at the same temperature.

Do you pierce potatoes before baking in foil? ›

It's important to note that not every baked potato will bust open if it is not pierced beforehand, but since you (and we) are unable to predict if a potato is liable to explode, it's a good idea to pierce the surface as a precaution. Extra Tip: we do not recommend wrapping a potato in aluminum foil when you bake it.

Which side of aluminum foil for potatoes? ›

Shiny side wins!

Yes, if the shiny side is touching the potato, it will cook faster, so wrap it right! The shiny side cooks faster because it absorbs more radiation from the oven and reflects more radiation back into the potato due to the difference in emissivity between the shiny and dull sides of the aluminum foil.

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