Step by step directions showing you how to bake sweet potatoes to tender, fluffy perfection! This guide has photos and tips showing how to prepare and store baked sweet potatoes, plus recipes to use them up in!
Sweet potatoes are delicious, whether you cook them in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or even in the microwave! My favorite method is definitely the classic- in the oven. I love how they get that perfect, fluffy texture every time.
Baking your sweet potatoes whole takes some time, but you're rewarded with the perfect texture- light and fluffy and never wet. You can get them into the oven in under 5 minutes, leaving your hands free to to other things while they roast away.
You are going to love this 'recipe' for it's simplicity: all you need is an oven, a baking sheet, and a sweet potato or two!
Reasons you'll love this Recipe
- the sweet potatoes turn out so tender, fluffy and delicious
- this method is foolproof - it's pretty hard to over-bake them, and we have included cook times for a range of sweet potato sizes
- you can use this baked sweet potato recipe as a base for a number of different recipes!
Ingredient Notes
- sweet potatoes - since they come in all shapes and sizes, it can really change the cook time! I prefer to use medium sweet potatoes (around 2 - 2.5 inches across and 5-6 inches long) as they are a good serving size.
Step by Step instructions
Prepare
Heat oven to 400°F. Scrub your sweet potato and pat dry with a towel. Prick sweet potato with a fork 10 or so times.
Bake
Place sweet potato on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes - 1h 15 minutes, depending on the size of your potato. See the guide below for how long to bake sweet potatoes based on size.
Tip - a good quality sheet pan is a kitchen essential for recipes like this. These are the sheet pans I own and love!
Squeeze Test
Test if your sweet potatoes are cooked through by gently squeezing with an oven mitt. If they are tender, they are ready to serve. If they are firm, return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
Drop
Before serving, drop the sweet potato from around 10 inches above a cutting board or the baking dish.
How long to bake sweet potatoes
The bake time is going to differ by each sweet potato, but this recipe is still really hard to screw up!
The potatoes used for the photos in this post were different in size but were still ready within 15 minutes of each other. If your sweet potatoes are quite small, you may want to even start checking them after 30 minutes.
Here's a rough guideline of how long to bake sweet potatoes at 400°F:
- very small (under 2 inches wide)- check after 30 minutes
- medium (2-3 inches wide)- 6-9 oz or 200 g- 1 hour
- large (3 inches + wide)- 1 lb or 450 g - 1 hour 15 minutes
Tip - weigh your sweet potatoes on a kitchen scale for the most accurate cook time.
How to tell when they're done
The Squeze Test - When you are wondering if your baked sweet potato recipe is done, give the sweet potato a little squeeze (with an oven mitt on!). If your baked sweet potato feels tender, it is likely ready. If it still feels firm, I'd put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Expert tip! Drop your baked sweet potato from about 10 inches above onto a cutting board or the baking pan. We learned this tip from Natalie at Tastes Lovely in her steakhouse style baked potatoes post, and it works great with baked sweet potatoes, too!
Dropping your baked sweet potatoes after baking loosens the insides up and makes it so light and fluffy!
FAQ
Sweet potatoes are a great source of fibre and vitamins A and C. They are low in fat and contain an array of minerals, other vitamins and antioxidants. Sweet potatoes have been found to promote immunity, brain function and stabilize your blood sugars. All in all, I'd say that's a pretty great list of health benefits! Ref
YES! One of our favorite freezer meal prep recipes are these enchilada stuffed sweet potatoes. Not only can they be frozen, but they can be baked in the oven without thawing! How convenient is that?!
Absolutely! We enjoy the sweet potato skin, but some people prefer to peel it off. As you can see from the photo below, this baked sweet potato recipe is extremely easy to peel once baked.
Use Up The Filling
You can also use up the filling (discard the skins) in one of these recipes:
- Smoky sweet potato hummus
- Southwestern sweet potato breakfast burritos
- Freezer sweet potato taquitos
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Tots
Storage
Tip - sweet potatoes are best wrapped in parchment or foil before plastic as the plastic alone can stick
- Fridge - Cool completely. Wrap in parchmnet paper or aluminum foil, then plastic wrap, and place in an airtight container. Store baked sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Frezer - Cool completely. Wrap in parchmnet paper or aluminum foil, then plastic wrap, and place in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat from frozen - Unwrap sweet potatoes, and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with foil or a reusable silicone lid, and bake at 425°F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until potatoes are heated through.
- Thaw and reheat - Thaw completely overnight in the fridge. Unwrap, arrange on baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through.
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
Instructions
- Prepare - Heat oven to 400°F. Scrub your sweet potato and pat dry with a towel. Prick sweet potato with a fork 10 or so times.
- Bake - Place sweet potato on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes - 1h 15 minutes, depending on the size of your potato. See the guide below for how long to bake sweet potatoes based on size.- small- check after 30 minutes- medium (200g/6-9 oz)- 1 hour- large (1 lb/ 450 g)- 1 hour 15 minutes*all ovens are different and this is a rough guideline
- Squeeze Test - Test if your sweet potatoes are cooked through by gently squeezing with an oven mitt. If they are tender, they are ready to serve. If they are firm, return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
- Drop - Before serving, drop the sweet potato from around 10 inches above a cutting board or the baking dish. Dropping your baked sweet potatoes after baking loosens the insides up and makes it so light and fluffy!
Tips:
- Fridge - Cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container. Store baked sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Frezer - Cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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Joe says
We baked some sweet potatoes and they blead some juice onto the bottom of the oven. Is this normal?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Joe! I recommend you bake them on a pan as they do drip some liquid.
Rachel says
This is perfect! I baked my 450g sweet potatoes for 70mins and they turned out glorious!
Denise says
So happy to hear this, Rachel! Thank you so much for coming back and letting us know!
marilyn @family food around the clock says
delicious! thanks for sharing. Great post! 🙂
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed!
Michael Quate says
A plus, thanks Denise, I’m a 68year old man, live to myself and tried your sweet potato and advise on baking three sweet potatoes and my goodness I’ll be eating many more sweet potatoes and maybe try a pie in the future.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Michael! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the baked sweet potatoes. Thank you for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!