Adding sweet potatoes to your diet is an easy and delicious habit to pick up when you're trying to eat healthy—the vegetable is a total superfood, packed with vitamin C and fiber. They're also totally versatile but baking them whole in the oven is arguably the simplest way to prepare them, and they will be the perfect base for all types of toppings. We love them stuffed with barbecue chicken or as a bunless sloppy joe.
If you're really pressed for time, you can always microwave your sweet potato. The results won't be as perfect but it means you'll have perfectly cooked potatoes on the table in minutes.
Check out our easy instructions below for baking the perfect baked sweet potato—because in our opinion, nothing beats one topped with a big pat of butter and some salt and pepper.
1. Wash 'em clean.
The worst way to ruin a sweet potato casserole is with a gritty texture. Scrub the skins lightly to get rid of any dirt and soil.
2. Line your baking sheet with foil.
Sweet potatoes tend to get a little juicy while baking and these juices can caramelize and be a pain to clean up. Lining the baking sheet first insures an easy clean up.
3. So don't wrap them in foil?
Wrapping foil will make the sweet potatoes steam more than bake, we want the potatoes to feel the heat of the oven! Just use a bit of foil underneath to catch any juices.
4. Poke holes!
The pricking technique is always used when baking regular or sweet potatoes—the holes help to reduce baking time and ensure the potatoes won't burst by providing steam vents.
5. Bake until tender.
How can you tell when they’re done? Stick a fork into the thickest part of the potato. If there’s no resistance, it’s good to go.
6. How long does it usually take to bake them?
Depending on your oven and size of potato, it will likely take between 45 and 55 minutes. For one of those enormous potatoes that are almost as big as your forearm, it may even go for over an hour. Just be patient and test with a knife or fork.
7. Keep them dry.
A lot of recipes call for rubbing the sweet potatoes in olive oil after pricking, but we find that it's not necessary—unless you intend on eating the potato with the skin on! Oil will help the skin crisp up a bit during the baking process and develop a more delicious flavor.
Once they're baked you can slice em open, add a big pat of butter and dig right in! Or you can use the roasty, nutty flesh to make any number of dishes like sweet potato pancakes, sweet potato bread or any one of our 50+ favorite sweet potato recipes. Just make sure you mash with a fork or potato masher for the best texture possible.
Made them? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
- Preheat oven to 425º. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork.
- Bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
- Let cool, then split the tops open with a knife and top with a pat of butter.
- Season with salt and pepper before serving.
