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.

Oven baked sweet potatoes on a plate, cut open and topped with melting butter and chives.

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 beanscooked 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. 

4 sweet potatoes on a gray striped dish cloth.
Just one ingredient: sweet potatoes!

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

A person scrubbing a sweet potato over a skin with a vegetable brush.
Scrub the sweet potatoes well.
A person using paper towels to pat washed sweet potatoes dry.
Pat dry.
A person using a fork to puncture a sweet potato before baking.
Poke a few holes in each potato so that steam can escape as the potatoes bake.
Washed and prepped sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet before baking.
Arrange on a baking sheet. I suggest lining the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
Oven baked sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet after cooking.
Bake at 425℉ for 45-60 minutes or until your potatoes can easily me punctured by a fork and their natural sugars are bubbling out.

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.

Oven baked sweet potatoes on a white serving plate. They are stuffed with black beans and fresh herbs. There is a napkin and a bowl of salsa next to the platter.
Stuff with veggies, beans, cooked chicken, shrimp or whatever you like for an easy dinner….
Oven baked sweet potatoes on a round white plate. They are cut open and have melting butter, pepper, and chives sprinkled over them.
…or as a side with a little butter, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.

Suggested toppings

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….

Did you try these sweet potatoes and now you’re hungry for more? 

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2 baked sweet potatoes cut open and filled with sautéed bell peppers and sprinkled with green herbs. They are on a white plate with a fork next to the plate.
 
Super Easy Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes served and looking yum
5 from 5 votes

Super Easy Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
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.

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.
    A person washing a sweet potato over the sink with a scrub brush.
  • 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.
    A person piercing a sweet potato with a fork.
  • 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.
    Oven baked sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet after cooking.
  • 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.

Notes

Nutritional information calculated for just sweet potatoes without added toppings. 
Serving: 1potato, Calories: 292kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 0.2g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g, Sodium: 187mg, Potassium: 1146mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 48236IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 102mg, Iron: 2mg