How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
Sure, you know how to bake the perfect baked potato, but do you know how to bake sweet potatoes, too?
If you haven’t guessed, I’m here to tell you how to make the perfect baked sweet potatoes! Fluffy inside, crispy skin outside … I love sweet potatoes prepared this way.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Wash the sweet potatoes
Step 2: Rub them with olive oil & salt
Step 3: Line them up on a baking sheet
Ideas for Serving Baked Sweet Potatoes
Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
The Story Behind the Recipe
This is one of those recipes that I’ve been meaning to share forever! It’s not even really a recipe as much as it is a method, but either way, I finally got this one photographed and am looking forward to sharing it with you.
Around here, baked sweet potatoes are a staple. We often stuff them with leftover chili or black beans for a healthy, satisfying lunch or dinner.
I love that they’re full of vitamins and fiber – and they taste great, too!
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes – Also known in the U.S. as yams, sweet potatoes come in a few different colors and sizes. I like to grab sweet potatoes that are orange inside and are smaller in size, for individual portions. But it’s easy to bake any color or size of sweet potato, so grab whatever you want! Note that while yams and sweet potatoes are considered the same thing in the U.S., outside of the U.S., a yam is an entirely different root veggie. So stick with those labeled “sweet potatoes.”
Olive oil – For rubbing on the outside of your sweet potato. This gives you a nice crispy skin!
Kosher salt – Just a little, also for the outside of your sweet potato. Give that crispy skin a bit of flavor!
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
It takes just a few minutes prep and about 40 minutes in the oven to bake sweet potatoes. I love that it’s mostly hands-off – the oven does all the work!
Step 1: Wash the sweet potatoes
First, you’ll want to wash your sweet potatoes. Scrub with a vegetable scrubber, if you have one. Then dry them off with a clean towel.
Step 2: Rub them with olive oil & salt
Rub them all over with olive oil and a layer of kosher salt.
Step 3: Line them up on a baking sheet
Lay them on a baking sheet (I like to use a layer of aluminum foil or parchment paper to catch the inevitable drips). Make sure the potatoes have lots of room so that the skin gets crispy on all sides.
Step 4: Bake
Bake at 400°F for about 40 minutes, until easily fork-tender and the skin looks a bit shriveled.
Step 5: Stuff and serve!
Let them cool for a few minutes, then slice them open and serve!
You can cut them open and fluff them up like a standard baked potato, or cut them in half.
Tips for Success
Dry them well after washing. This is key to crisp skin.
No wrapping! Some recipes call for wrapping baked sweet potatoes in foil, but in my opinion, that’s a no-no. Wrapped sweet potatoes have a moist – not crispy – skin. Best to let them bake in the wide-open.
Poke those holes. It allows excess moisture to escape for the fluffiest interiors (no wateriness!)
Cook them hot. I like to bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit so that the natural sugars caramelize. Yum.
Ideas for Serving Baked Sweet Potatoes
Top with a pat of butter, salt and pepper, and maybe some fresh herbs like cilantro or chives.
Stuff with beans or leftover chili.
Sour Cream & Chive Baked Sweet Potatoes: Drizzle sour cream or Greek yogurt over the top along with a generous sprinkle of chives, salt, and pepper.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Whipped Sweet Potatoes (with coconut milk)
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition
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