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5 from 1 vote

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes

How to cook sweet potatoes- showing you seven different ways to cook sweet potatoes, how to store them for meal prep, and lots of recipe ideas!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 49kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • Heat oven to 400°F.
  • Wash sweet potatoes and pat dry. Prick with a fork several times.
  • Roast for 45 minutes- 1 hour 30 minutes. Squeeze with oven mitt to determine if they are ready. See * note

2. Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes

  • Heat oven to 425°F.
  • Cut sweet potatoes in ¾ inch cubes. Toss in olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
  • Spread out on a sheet pan, and roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring once halfway.
  • Sweet potatoes are ready when a fork inserts easily.

3. Sweet Potato Fries

  • Heat oven to 425°F.
  • Cut sweet potatoes into fries (about ⅓ inch across and 2-3 inches long). Toss in olive oil, and season with salt & pepper.
  • Spread out on a sheet pan, and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, turning fries over half way through.
  • Fries are ready when a fork inserts easily and they are slightly crispy.

4. Sweet Potato Noodles

  • Spiralize using the ¼ inch spacing spiralizer blade.
  • Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potato noodles and toss to coat in the oil. Cook, using tongs to stir and flip the noodles, for approximately 7 minutes, or until noodles are cooked through (but not mushy).

5. Steamed Sweet Potatoes

  • Peel sweet potato and chop into large cubes (2 inches or so).
  • Add about 1 cm (½ inch) water to the bottom of a 4 quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil. 
  • Add sweet potato cubes, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until a fork inserts easily into the sweet potatoes. Keep an eye and add more water if necessary.
  • Transfer sweet potato noodles to a bowl and mash with seasonings. I like yogurt and garlic salt.

6. Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

  • Scrub sweet potatoes.
  • Add 1 cup of water to the insert of your Instant Pot. Place trivet over water, and sweet potatoes on top. 
  • Cook according to the width of your sweet potatoes: under 2 inches: 15 minutes, 2-3 inches: 25-35 minutes, 4 inches +: 60 minutes.
  • When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, before releasing the remaining pressure.

7. Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

  • Wash sweet potatoes and pat dry.
  • Arrange sweet potatoes in your slow cooker. Place the larger sweet potatoes on the bottom and any smaller ones on top.
  • Cook on low for 8 hours

8. Grilled Sweet Potatoes

  • Heat grill to medium-high. Place a vegetable grilling plate on the grill (see note **)
  • Slice sweet potato into ¼ inch rounds.
  • Toss in olive oil, and season with salt & pepper.
  • Arrange sweet potato slices on the grill, and cook for 8-10 minutes per side, or until cooked though.

Notes

* whole roasted sweet potatoes- find more details here
** this is the vegetable grill plate I use!

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 8016IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg