Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (2024)

By Martha Rose Shulman

Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
5(645)
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

645

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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

What's the best temperature for baking sweet potatoes? ›

Preheat the oven to 425°F and place a piece of foil on a baking sheet. Use a fork to poke holes into the sweet potatoes, set them on the baking sheet, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until puffed up and soft inside when pierced with a fork.

Should you wrap a sweet potato in foil before baking? ›

Wrapping sweet potatoes in foil helps in a few ways. It prevents the exterior of the tuber from drying out and overheating too quickly, which would minimize enzymatic activity; it also results in a more evenly cooked texture.

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.

Do you have to poke holes in sweet potatoes when baking? ›

1) Always poke a few holes.

Before baking, use a fork to prick each sweet potato several times. You don't need to jab the fork in deep. We're creating steam vents. Otherwise the pressure in the sweet potato could build up so high in the oven that it explodes—an unlikely possibility but one best avoided!

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

Microwaving jumpstarts the cooking process and cuts down the total cook time by almost an hour, but you will still get the sweet, caramelized flesh and crisp skin that only comes from oven baking. It's the best of both worlds.

Do sweet potatoes get sweeter the longer you cook them? ›

The longer and slower you cook a sweet potato, the more maltose is formed and the sweeter it will taste. So if you want a much less sweet potato try steaming it, or cut it into small pieces and roast on a higher heat.

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.

Do you wash sweet potatoes before baking? ›

They're dirty! Washing the sweet potatoes not only eliminates actual particles of dirt, but it also introduces some moisture to the skin, which prevents it from turning tough or leathery in the high heat of the oven.

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.

What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? ›

Yams and sweet potatoes differ in flavor and appearance, and they are not related. Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, while yams belong to the lily family. Yams aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes, and they are starchier and drier. Their texture and flavor are more similar to potatoes or yuca.

Why is boiling a sweet potato better than baking? ›

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.

Should I put sweet potatoes in water before baking? ›

Give them a cold water bath: Once your fries are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the fries completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

When not to eat sweet potatoes? ›

How to tell if sweet potatoes have gone bad. If your sweet potato is soft in spots, smells rotten, or oozes a mysterious liquid, that potato should be discarded. Another sign that sweet potatoes have taken a turn for the worse is if they start growing stalky purplish sprouts.

What temperature is a baked sweet potato done at? ›

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.

Can you prep sweet potatoes ahead of time? ›

Preparing sweet potatoes in advance for the week is a convenient way to ensure you have a nutritious and delicious meal ready in your fridge.

What is the temperature range for sweet potatoes? ›

Sweet potatoes are a warm-season, frost-sensitive crop that produces best when daily maximum air temperatures are between 85° and 95°F. Temperatures over 100°F are not harmful so long as the plants are adequately irrigated and temperatures drop to below 80°F at night, although growth may be slow above 100°F.

Is it better to bake potatoes on high or low temperature? ›

Use an Oven That's Hot (But Not Too Hot)

Potato baking temperatures range from 350˚ to 450˚F. The sweet spot seems to be at 400˚F, a temperature that cooks the potato all the way through and crisps the skin without singeing it.

How long to bake sweet potatoes at 275 in the oven? ›

After the spuds had spent about 3 hours in a 275-degree oven, their interiors were not just tender but downright plush, and their flavor was concentrated to the point of tasting caramelized, with hints of molasses.

What temperature do you cure sweet potatoes? ›

Curing the roots increases the post-harvest life of the sweet potato. To cure roots, hold them at 85 degrees F with 90 to 95 percent relative humidity (RH) for 4 to 7 days. After curing, reduce the storage temperature to 55 to 60 degrees F at 80 to 85 percent RH.

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