How to make baked sweet potatoes in the oven and microwave – with tender, fluffy results every time! These easy baked sweet potatoes are a delicious and nutritious side or main!
The classics are classics for a reason – from mashed potato to Super Crispy Smashed Potatoes (With Herbs). Recently, I’ve loved sharing my favorite recipes for the humble spud – and now it’s the turn of the sweet potato with these methods for microwave & oven-baked sweet potato.
Whether you’re wanting it baked, fried, mashed, boiled, etc., sweet potato is a tasty, nutritious substitution for regular potatoes that brings a bit of color and sweet flavor to the dish.
Plus, whole baked sweet potato is also highly nutritional. A single medium potato offers over 700% of the amount of Vitamin A needed daily, over 60% of our daily Vitamin C, and plenty of gut-friendly fiber. Not to mention that they are packed with antioxidants.
Best of all – the process for making baked sweet potato in the oven or microwave is straightforward. So let’s jump straight into it!
How to make baked sweet potatoes
The Oven Method
First, preheat the oven to 240ºC/475ºF. Then, scrub the potatoes well and dry them with a kitchen towel. If the skin is still wet, it will affect how crispy they become in the oven.
Next, poke a few holes into each potato with a fork or sharp knife. This will allow the building up steam to release, so the sweet potatoes don’t explode in the oven.
Place the sweet potatoes on the baking tray. Optionally, you can rub a little olive oil or coconut oil over the outside of the potatoes (to encourage crispier skin).
Bake in the oven for 40-60 minutes, until tender.
The amount of time needed to bake sweet potatoes will differ based on the potato’s size and the oven temperature. However, the general time needed for medium-large sweet potatoes is 40-60 minutes.
To check that the baked sweet potatoes are ready, you can pick one up with an oven mitt and squeeze it lightly to make sure it’s tender. Alternatively, insert a skewer or sharp knife into the center of the potato. It should feel tender and slide through easily.
Once ready, remove the potatoes from the oven, cool for a few minutes before slicing, and serve with your choice of filling/topping.
The Microwave Method
This microwave baked sweet potato method is great if you want to enjoy your potato in under ten minutes and don’t want crispy skin.
Wash, dry, and prick the potatoes as you did above. Then, dampen paper towels (kitchen roll) with water and wrap 1-2 pieces around each potato (enough to cover the potato fully).
I usually run water over the paper towels then squeeze out the excess liquid, so it’s thoroughly damp but not dripping.
Bake a single potato in the microwave for three minutes on each side. To check if the potato is ready, skewer it with a knife. If it’s not fully tender, then return it to the microwave for a further minute and re-test.
For multiple potatoes, the time will increase. I usually only do microwave baked sweet potatoes if I’m making up to three potatoes. If you’re using 2-3 potatoes, then microwave for 4 minutes on each side before you first test their ‘done-ness’.
This process will take between 6-10 minutes, based on the potato’s size and the power level of the microwave.
Once ready, slice the baked sweet potato and serve with your filling of choice.
How To Store
Once cooked, baked sweet potatoes are best enjoyed immediately for a crispy shell and soft, fluffy interior.
Though, you can keep your whole baked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for between 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 4 months. You can do this in the skin, or scoop the flesh from the skin first before storing it.
To reheat: heat up the potato in a microwave for 2-3 minutes or in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 200ºC/390ºF.
Toppings for baked sweet potatoes
When it comes to topping sweet potatoes, I’ve learned that there are some definite strong opinions on what does and doesn’t count as a ‘good’ topping. For some, it’s only ever sweet, with a sprinkling of sugar; for others, anything goes. Personally, in the UK, we went through a ‘health spree’ a few years back where everyone was swapping out their regular spuds for sweet potato – with no change in how we top them.
That being said, here are some of my favorite baked sweet potato toppings. Let me know in the comments what yours are!
- Homemade butter & a sprinkle of salt or herbs like thyme.
- Butter, cinnamon, and sugar
- Sour cream and chives
- Veggie Chili con carne
- Other taco fillings – like seasoned mushrooms or chickpeas
- Your favorite melty cheese – including vegan options like this Simple Smoky Vegan Chedda
- Guacamole and salsa
- Honey (or syrup), cinnamon, and a sprinkle of walnuts/pecans
- Drizzle with a little chili oil for some spice, or use a dash of cayenne pepper with butter.
- Greek yogurt (or coconut yogurt), berries, and nuts
- Tahini sauce
- Pesto
Note: Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which is a fat-soluble antioxidant. This means that eating the potatoes with some fat (be this oil, avocado, butter, etc.) will help us absorb the nutrient.
Recipe Notes
- You can optionally wrap the oven-baked sweet potatoes in tin foil when baking. This will stop the potato from becoming as crispy on the outside but will still yield a fluffy interior.
- Try to select potatoes that are roughly the same size, for even baking that takes the same amount of time.
- For easier cleanup, use parchment paper beneath the baked sweet potato in the oven, as they tend to make a lot of mess.
Related Recipes
If you try this microwave or oven-baked sweet potato recipe, then let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments. I’d also really appreciate a recipe rating and would love to see your recreations – just tag @AlphaFoodie.
How To Make Baked Sweet Potatoes (In The Oven + Microwave)
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
Instructions
The Oven Method:
- Preheat the oven to 240ºC/475ºF. Scrub the potatoes well and then dry them with a kitchen towel. If the skin is still wet, it will affect how crispy it becomes in the oven.
- Poke a few holes into each potato with a fork or sharp knife. This will allow the building up steam to release, so the sweet potatoes don't explode in the oven.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the baking tray. Optionally, you can rub a little olive oil or coconut oil over the outside of the potatoes (to encourage crispier skin).
- Bake in the oven for 40-60 minutes, until tender.The amount of time needed to bake sweet potatoes will differ based on the potato's size and the oven temperature. However, the general time needed for medium-large sweet potatoes is 40-60 minutes.To check that the baked sweet potatoes are ready, you can pick one up with an oven mitt and squeeze it lightly to make sure it’s tender. Alternatively, insert a skewer or sharp knife into the center of the potato. It should feel tender and slide through easily.
- Once ready, remove the baked sweet potatoes from the oven, cool for a few minutes before slicing, and serve with your choice of filling/topping.
The Microwave Method:
- This microwave baked sweet potato method is great if you want to enjoy your potato in under ten minutes and don’t want crispy skin.Wash, dry, and prick the potatoes as you did above. Then, dampen paper towels (kitchen roll) with water and wrap 1-2 pieces around each potato (enough to cover the potato fully).I usually run water over the paper towels then squeeze out the excess liquid, so it's thoroughly damp but not dripping.
- Bake a single potato in the microwave for three minutes on each side. To check if the potato is ready, skewer it with a knife. If it’s not fully tender, then return it to the microwave for a further minute and re-test.For multiple potatoes, the time will increase. I usually only do microwave baked sweet potatoes if I'm making up to three potatoes. If you're using 2-3 potatoes, then microwave for 4 minutes on each side before you first test their 'done-ness'.This process will take between 6-10 minutes, based on the potato's size and the power level of the microwave.
- Once ready, slice the baked sweet potato and serve with your filling of choice.
How To Store
- You can keep your whole baked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for between 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 4 months. You can do this in the skin, or scoop the flesh from the skin first before storing it.To reheat: reheat the potato in a microwave for 2-3 minutes or oven (10-15 minutes at 390ºF/200ºC).
Video
Notes
- You can optionally wrap the oven-baked sweet potatoes in tin foil when baking. This will stop the potato from becoming as crispy on the outside but will still yield a fluffy interior.
- Try to select potatoes that are roughly the same size, for even baking that takes the same amount of time.
- For easier cleanup, use parchment paper beneath the baked sweet potato in the oven, as they tend to make a lot of mess.Â
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