Super Easy Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes
Looking for a delicious side dish? Or maybe just a jumping off point for an easy, healthy dinner? Try Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes! Minimal prep, just one ingredient (sweet potatoes!) and done baking in about an hour, these fluffy + perfectly cooked sweet potatoes are perfect to enjoy in so many ways.
I deeply love and adore veggies that are easy to make for meal prep and can double as a side dish or the star of the show at dinner! And whole baked sweet potatoes are exactly all those things.
I have been reaching for Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes as a veggie jumpstart to dinner for as long as I can remember. I have been literally baking sweet potatoes this way since I’ve had a kitchen to call my own and I love this method for cooking them because it requires the most minimal prep. Seriously, just wash those dirty potatoes, poke a few holes in them, and pop them in a hot oven. BOOM. Dinner is well under way! Then, once they are done baking to perfection in about an hour (depending on how big your potatoes are), you cut them open and stuff them with whatever you desire. I highly suggest roasted broccoli, black beans, cooked chicken, sour cream, salsa, or sautéed bell peppers as a potato stuffing. However you stuff your sweet potato, it’s budget friendly and an easy start to dinner.
And they make the most amazing part of meal prep! Because again, minimal prep, but they also store like a dream in the fridge for days and easily reheat in the oven or microwave. Having a nutrient dense sweet potato cooked and ready to go can make veggie-loading that much easier! Plus, baked sweet potatoes are wildly versatile. Enjoy them whole with eggs at breakfast, slather them with butter and salt for a quick side, or mash them up for a side or as a topping on something like shepherd’s pie. You can even add cooked sweet potato to a smoothie or to muffins! And since sweet potatoes are so budget friendly, pair beautifully with so many different proteins, and have a nice long shelf life, they are a wonderful food to stock up on so you can easily veggie-load a meal on the fly.
Tip: Love the idea of keeping cooked sweet potatoes on hand but need a method that doesn’t involve the oven? Try making whole sweet potatoes in the slow cooker or Instant Pot!
How to make Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes
Good to know….
“Yams” and “sweet potatoes” are often used interchangeably here in the United States, but they are actually very different vegetables. (source).
This method of cooking was developed for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes with dark brown skin. While this oven cooking method might work for the white-fleshed, reddish-purple skinned sweet potatoes, I have not tested it with that particular vegetable and cannot speak to how or if this recipe needs to be modified.
How to store and freeze cooked sweet potatoes
Once cooked, let your whole sweet potatoes cool completely. Place in an air-tight container to enjoy within 4 days. Or to freeze, wrap each baked sweet potato in foil (this will prevent them from sticking together) and place wrapped baked potatoes in a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 4 months.
To reheat, thaw frozen sweet potatoes in fridge overnight. Place thawed baked sweet potatoes in your microwave for 30 second increments until warmed through. You can also rewarm your potatoes in an oven. Place baked sweet potatoes on a baking sheet (so that their natural juices don’t drip all over your oven) and warm in a 350℉ oven for about 20 minutes.
Suggested toppings
- diced avocado
- cooked black beans
- sautéed bell peppers
- fresh cilantro
- cooked shrimp
- sour cream
- salsa
- butter + salt
Recipes that use cooked sweet potato
Sweet potatoes are a delicious side, but you can add your Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes to so many recipes, too. Since these oven baked potatoes are unseasoned, you can add them to sweet or savory recipes during the week, like….
- Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Blondies
- Sweet Potato Banana Bread
- Moist Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
- 5-Minute Sweet Potato Smoothie
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Muffins
Did you try these sweet potatoes and now you’re hungry for more?
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Super Easy Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes, or however many you want to bake
topping suggestions
- diced avocado
- cooked black beans
- sautéed bell peppers
- fresh cilantro
- cooked shrimp
- sour cream
- salsa
- butter + salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Scrub the sweet potato well under running water. Since they are a root veg, dirt can linger and we want to get that all off! Once potatoes are clean, pat them dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
- Pierce the sweet potato with a fork or sharp knife in several places, about about 6 times. This will allow steam to escape from the potatoes while they bake.
- Place your clean (and jabbed) sweet potatoes on the prepped baking sheet. Pop it in the oven and them cook for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your sweet potato. You'll know they are done when your sweet potatoes are tender enough to pierce with a fork. Also, if the natural sugars from the sweet potatoes have started to bubble out, that is another sure sign that your potatoes have been baked to perfection.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool just a bit so you can easily handle them. Enjoy them warm and get creative with your toppings. I suggest: avocado, sour cream, sautéed bell peppers, beans, cooked shrimp or chicken, cilantro, or keep it classic with a little butter and salt.
- To store your baked sweet potatoes, let cool completely. Wrap individually in foil and place in an air-tight container to enjoy within 4 days. Or place wrapped baked potatoes in a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.
