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baked sweet potato with butter on gray plate with a fork
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5 from 4 votes

How to Bake Sweet Potatoes

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!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 111kcal

Equipment

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.
    oven mit picking up a baked sweet potato
  • 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!

Notes

Storage 
  • 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

Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 18445IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.8mg