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Learn to make the perfect Baked Sweet Potato with this simple, foolproof recipe. Find all my tips and tricks, and discover delicious topping suggestions, too!
Perfect Baked Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes can be prepared countless ways, but baking them in the oven is by far the best. A form of dry-heat cooking, baking brings out their natural sweetness and flavor without the need for added syrups, sweeteners, marshmallows, or oils.
The secret is to bake them directly on the oven rack or baking sheet – no aluminum foil and no wrapping. The result is perfectly crisp, puffed-up skin with the most silky-smooth and creamy orange centers.
Baked sweet potatoes incredibly easy to make. Just scrub, dry, and poke a few holes in each potato, then let the oven do the rest! With only about 180 calories per medium-sized potato, they’re both delicious and nutritious! Enjoy them as a cozy side dish or stuff them with all your favorite toppings for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
This recipe is perfect for anyone learning the basics or just brushing up, so be sure to check out all my my tips below!
And, if you love sweet potatoes, try our sweet potato pie and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows!
How Long to Bake Sweet Potatoes
The baking time for sweet potatoes depends on their size and thickness, and oven temperature. Here’s a general guide:
- At 375°F (190°C): 75+ minutes
- At 400°F (204°C): 60-75 minutes
- At 425°F (218°C): 45-60 minutes
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
To begin, scrub each sweet potato under cold running water, then dry completely with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
I prefer baking my sweet potatoes at a higher oven temperature (between 400°F to 425°F) because it strikes the perfect balance between cooking the potatoes evenly, while also enhancing their natural sweetness. It allows the interior to become soft and creamy, without drying out.
Next, line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. If you plan to bake your sweet potatoes in an oven set higher than 400°F, it’s safer to use foil versus parchment paper. Poke each potato 3-4 times with a fork and set them on the baking sheet.
Roast for approximately 30 minutes, then rotate the pan (not the potatoes) 180 degrees. This ensures even cooking. Bake for an additional 15-30 minutes, or until the skin has puffed up and the natural sugars have started to caramelize, oozing from the fork punctures. The potatoes should pierce easily with a fork.
The key takeaway for perfectly baked sweet potatoes, is that I do NOT wrap them in foil. Foil traps moisture, which results in soggy skin and less flavorful flesh. By baking them unwrapped and uncovered, excess moisture is released, the skin crips, and the flavor condenses.
How to Bake in Foil?
To bake sweet potatoes in foil, do the same thing as you would without foil, except here you’ll wrap each potato in foil before baking. You may bake them on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack. Cooking time remains the same.
With Foil or Without – Which is Better? I prefer potatoes that have not been baked in foil. Those that are not wrapped in foil have a crispy skin whereas those that are cooked in aluminum foil have softer skin.
Serving Ideas
My typical weeknight baked sweet potato is pretty straight-forward – just a little butter, salt, and pepper. Maybe a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives if I’m feeling fancy, or maple syrup and brown sugar when I’m craving something sweet. It’s simple, yet delicious, and pairs perfectly with a variety of main dishes from easy oven-baked chicken breasts and tender baked pork chops, to family-favorites like classic meatloaf, baked salmon, or slow cooker BBQ ribs.
When I’m not serving these baked sweet potatoes as a side dish, I like to turn them into a full meal with veggie and meat fillings. Some of my favorite sweet potato ‘stuffing’ ideas include my homemade chili recipe or ground beef taco meat. My family also enjoys filling theirs with homemade carnitas, chile colorado, chicken mole, or this super simple Crockpot pulled pork with (or without) homemade BBQ sauce.
You can also mash and puree leftovers into delicious mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato muffins, or add it to soup!
Storage and Freezing
Storage: Leftover baked sweet potatoes will last in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Transfer to an airtight container or wrap them tightly in foil or plastic wrap.
Freezer: Allow the sweet potatoes to cool completely, then wrap each potato in foil or plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer safe ziplock bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- One reader (thanks, Laura!) shared a great tip for freezing leftover baked sweet potatoes: After baking, mash the sweet potatoes (skin on or off) and spoon the mash into a jumbo muffin tin coated with non-stick spray. Cover with foil and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the frozen portions to a zip-top bag or airtight container for easy storage and future use. For exact storage quantities, try freezing leftovers in silicone storage molds.
Reheating: Allow leftovers to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through.
More Easy SIde DIsh Recipes
If you make this baked sweet potato recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment section below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more delicious food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Baked Sweet Potato Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy cleanup).
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Wash and scrub each sweet potato and dry thoroughly. Use a fork to poke each sweet potato at least 7-8 times (this will vary depending on the size of your potato). Transfer the potatoes to your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees to ensure even cooking and bake for an additional 15-30 minutes, or until its natural sugars start to caramelize and a fork or knife is easily inserted into the thickest part of the potato.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and allow potatoes to rest for 5 minutes before seasoning with salt, pepper, butter, or maple syrup if desired.
Notes
- Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
- Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 medium potato. See full post for a more detailed calculation of calories and nutrition.
- The best sweet potatoes for baking are the longer, thinner sweet potatoes. They cook faster and more evenly than the big, fat round ones.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container or wrap tightly with foil and transfer to the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You may also freeze for up to 3 months.
- Wash and scrub each sweet potato and dry thoroughly. Use a knife or a fork to stab each sweet potato at least 6-7 times (this will vary depending on the size of your potato).
- Transfer potato or potatoes to a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 5 minutes (for 1 sweet potato) plus an additional 2 minutes for each additional sweet potato (for example, 3 sweet potatoes will take approx. 9 minutes depending on size and shape). Rotate halfway through cooking.
- Your potatoes are cooked when easily pierced with a fork.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What you are displaying are yams although labelled sweet potatoes in US grocery stores to make it easier for consumers who’re not very familiar with the tubers. True sweet potatoes are most often pale in colour such as ecru ( much like unbleached linen) but also can have a light orange hued skin. True Sweet potatoes are much more fibrous inside when baked, steamed or cooked in what ever way the cook or chef had desired so would have to be worked on a bit more to smooth it down more for pie making.
I’m able to buy Yams as well as the ecru coloured sweet potatoes as well as purple Sweet potatoes ( again labeled purple yams in US stores ) which are quite tasty but not as tasty we’d want to eat it that often. Purple sweet potatoes just like regular sweet potatoes are grown underground while yams (with the exception of their offset mini tubers that form underground) , are grown above ground.
We’ve only just started experimenting with trying to make “ube” or purple yam coloured pasta with ube powder that I must say is very overpriced but need to do more work on the ratio’s first.
That said..
Happy yam or sweet potato eating!
Made them last night. Everyone loved them! Thanks for sharing!
My store has them wrapped in plastic u put in microwave very good but baking in oven is prob. Better.
Is the skin good to eat also I put brown sugar,cinnamon,marshmallows! The bomb!
PERFECT 😋😋😋
I made myself 1 yam tonight.
Thanks Eva, I am glad it worked out well for you!
I’m the only one in my household who likes sweet potatoes, so I bake 5 or 6 at a time, skin and mash them, and put the results in jumbo cupcake holders in a muffin tin, top each with a square of aluminum foil, and when they are cool, put them in the freezer.
When frozen, I transfer them to a large plastic box, and I’m set for 3- 4 weeks. I found your recipe helpful in being sure of my timing. Thank you.
If you were to use a meat thermometer, at what temperature would you take the potatoes out of the oven?
Hi Laura,
Good question. A quick google search gave me an internal cooking temperature of 210F for a sweet potato, but not to go over that temperature.
Thanks for the tutorial, the sweet potatoes came out perfecto!
I never did see the explanation of the difference between a yam and a sweet potato.
Hi Mary,
See section halfway through named: “What is the Difference Between a Sweet Potato and a Yam?” 🙂
Great explanation and recipe for a perfect sweet potato… now I just need to procure some real yams!!
Jessica,
Thank you for your candid recipe of baking sweet potatoes. Yes yes YES sweet potatoes are great in muffins making them more moist and flavorful. I highly recommend Martha White’s Honey Bran muffin mix that yields to blueberries, chopped apples and of course sweet potatoes. Keep up the good work gal!
Sweet potato was wonderful thanks a lot
Nice to meet you too !!!