Easy Baked Sweet Potatoes

This easy Baked Sweet Potato recipe, made with potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper, is the PERFECT addition to any dinner and is ready in under 60 minutes!

We’re always searching for easy Side Dish Recipes around here, and some of our absolute favorites are Baked Mac and Cheese,  Easy Mashed Potatoes, and Roasted Green Beans.

This recipe is a healthier alternative to my Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe. They still pack a ton of sweetness and flavor without all the sugar. I like to serve these during the holidays because sweet potatoes are a traditional flavor, but they’re perfect for serving all year.

Usually, baked potatoes are made with russets, but if you’re looking for a change, sweet potatoes are naturally more nutritious and work just as well. Like russets, sweet potatoes have tough skin, so they are ideal for this kind of recipe.

How to Bake

I usually bake the potatoes on the middle rack of the oven. If you’re in a rush, you can pierce the outside of the potato skin and microwave the potato for 5 minutes at a time until it’s cooked through, usually about 10 minutes for a large potato. You can also wrap the potatoes in foil and grill them for 35-40 minutes or until they’re soft.

Another option is to bake the potatoes in the slow cooker if you need the oven. Just clean and salt the potatoes, pierce the skin, and wrap them in foil before placing them in the pot. Then cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the potatoes are soft.

How to tell when your potato is fully baked:

The potatoes are done baking when a fork easily penetrates the center with little resistance. If you can’t get the fork through, the potato is undercooked; let it cook for longer.

Do you have to wrap the potatoes in foil?

Wrapping potatoes in foil before baking them has benefits, but you don’t have to. The foil helps them stay warm once they come out of the oven and keeps the skin softer by trapping moisture to steam them. If you want the skin roasted and crispy, avoid using foil in the oven and wrap it afterward to keep it warm. When I make potatoes in the oven, we eat them immediately, so I don’t worry about using foil.

If you grill the potatoes, foil keeps the flame from burning the outside. It can also slightly increase the cooking time.

Can they be made ahead of time?

You can prep a baked potato side dish by washing the potatoes the night before, but wait to cook them until the day you’re serving them. To keep them fresh, don’t wash the potatoes more than a day or two in advance.

I recommend prepping the toppings the night before and refrigerating them, then setting the slow cooker in the morning so the potatoes will be ready just as you set the dinner table.

Baked potatoes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Try these Toppings:

• Browned Butter or Olive Oil
• Cinnamon or Paprika
• Sour Cream and Chives
• Brown Sugar and Pecans (did you see yesterday’s Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes?)
• Mini Marshmallows
• Honey or Maple Syrup
• Black Beans and Salsa or Chopped Onion

 

Baking Tips:

• Make sure your potatoes are all about the same size. Otherwise, they’ll finish baking at different times, and you’ll end up with over- or undercooked potatoes.
• Rubbing wet potatoes with coarse salt helps make the skins crispy and adds flavor when baking.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil when salting to make the skin of baked sweet potatoes extra crispy.
• Add the butter while the potatoes are still warm so they can melt. While the butter is melting, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and an optional dash of cinnamon for extra flavor.
• I like to line my baking sheet with tinfoil because sweet potatoes leak juice when baking. Don’t add them directly to your oven rack, or you will have to clean up sticky potato juice on the bottom of your oven.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, or you may need to add more cooking time.