Baked Sweet Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes are so easy to make and always yield perfect results! This classic tried and true method really never fails. In just a few simple steps, you’ll end up with wonderfully soft and fluffy sweet potatoes every single time!
Baked Sweet Potatoes
There are so many various ways to prepare a sweet potato! While I love to microwave sweet potatoes when I’m running low on time, baking them has always been my tried and true go-to method.
There’s something about popping them in the oven at the right temperature for just the right amount of time that always yields such great results!
When baked just right, sweet potatoes are so fluffy and have just the right amount of moisture. They’re perfect for serving alongside SO many different entrees, or enjoying as a snack all by themselves!
While you can dress them up in about a million different ways, I really love the simplicity of a still warm sweet potato with lots of butter, a pinch of flaky salt and some cracked black pepper.
This rustic recipe is delightfully simple and calls for only a few essential ingredients. The sweet potatoes are enhanced only by olive oil and salt, which you likely already have on hand.
Don’t you just love a recipe you don’t have to create a whole shopping list for? Other than those ingredients, you only need your oven, a baking sheet, a fork and a wire rack to make these potatoes!
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
Once you master this easy method, it’ll be your favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes! It’s a similar method to the one we use for Crispy Oven Baked Potatoes.
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top of your baking sheet.
- Poke the potatoes. Use a fork to poke holes on all sides of the sweet potatoes.
- Coat the potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking rack. Brush them with olive oil or melted butter to fully coat.
- Add salt. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on all sides of the potatoes.
- Bake the sweet potatoes. Bake the sweet potatoes for about 40-45 minutes.
- Rest and slice. Let the sweet potatoes rest at room temperature for about 2-3 minutes before slicing the skin lengthwise.
- Enjoy! Fluff the inside of the sweet potato with a fork and serve it immediately.
If you want a sweet potato even faster, try this easy Microwave method!
Tips for the Best Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Poking holes in the sweet potatoes allows the steam to escape while baking, resulting in fluffier potatoes. The holes don’t need to be deep at all – just enough to pierce the skin of the potatoes.
- You can use olive oil or melted butter to coat the potatoes prior to baking. Either option will work just fine, so feel free to use whichever one you may have on hand.
- Not sure if your sweet potatoes are fully cooked or not? Give one a squeeze! You’ll know the sweet potatoes are ready when they’re soft and will give a little when squeezed. If the potato is still hard, cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- I always recommend rinsing your potatoes with water and patting them dry prior to preparing them. They tend to have dirt and residue on them that can be easily cleaned off.
How to Serve Baked Sweet Potatoes
I think a better prompt here would be how NOT to serve sweet potatoes, since there are an endless amount of ways you can plate them! Here are just a few entrees that I love serving with a warm, buttery sweet potato fresh out of the oven.
You can even stuff your sweet potatoes like we did for a hearty, filling dinner!
Have any extra sweet potatoes on hand?
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Mascarpone and Brown Butter
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup
- Loaded Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Souffle
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Get the Recipe: Baked Sweet Potato Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large Sweet Potato, scrubbed clean and patted dry
- 3 teaspoons melted butter or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
- Using a fork, poke the sweet potato on all sides to create little holes. (The holes allow the steam to escape resulting in a fluffier potato.)
- Arrange the sweet potatoes on the baking rack and brush with the melted butter or olive oil to coat.
- Sprinkle the sweet potato generously with salt on all sides.
- Bake the sweet potato for 40-45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and will give a little when squeezed. If the potato is still hard, cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the sweet potato from the oven and rest for 2-3 minutes.
- Using a paring knife, slice the top open lengthwise. Squeeze the sweet potato between your thumb and forefinger to open it.
- Fluff the inside with a fork and serve immediately.