Roasted Sweet Potatoes baked to perfection in the oven prove to be as simple as they are delicious! Producing a crispy skin and buttery smooth inside, these sweet potatoes will become a new weeknight staple. Top with butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, or fresh herbs to enhance the flavors in the rest of your dish! If you love potatoes as much as we do, be sure to check out How to Bake a Potato, Twice Baked Potatoes, and my Sweet Potato Grits!
Ever head to a steakhouse and order a beautiful ribeye? Typically you’ll get a choice of potato styles as a side and a cooked vegetable. When we’re at home cooking up a romantic dinner or even a family affair, the sweet potatoes are what needs to accompany any good steak! You all know I love a good baked potato, but sometimes you need to shake it up with a vibrant pop of color and sweetness. Plus the kids are more likely to give it a try with that orange color.
How to Roast a Sweet Potato
Roasting sweet potatoes is as easy as roasting regular whole potatoes. Keep the sweet potato whole and puncture with a fork a few times on all sides. Keep the skin on and roast at a high temperature of 425-450F in the oven to achieve a beautifully crispy skin while also achieving a soft, tender inside. The potatoes will be ready to devour in just 1 hour.
Tips for Working With Potatoes
Always clean your produce. That goes for potatoes, strawberries, any kind of produce where you’re going to be potentially eating the “skin”. Scrub the sweet potatoes using a soft bristle brush under cold running water. This will help any dirt be removed.
Add escape routes. We’re talking about steam here. Ever had a potato explode in your oven before? It’s a real thing! The potatoes need to be punctured (typically with a fork) multiple times to give the steam within the potato a route to escape from.
Add oil and seasoning. The skin of potatoes is perfectly safe, and delicious, to eat! Rub the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper, or your choice of seasonings. Don’t worry about wrapping them in foil either. Just set them on a parchment lined sheet pan for easy cleaning, and bake!
How to Tell if Roasted Sweet Potatoes are Done?
Roasted sweet potatoes will be tender when cooked fully. But those babies are HOT! So how else can you tell if your spud is done? If a fork can easily go in and out of the potato or the internal temperature has reached 211F via an instant read thermometer.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Wrap the leftover sweet potatoes in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Store within the refrigerator for about 3 days. Reheating is as easy as popping into an air fryer with butter or in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. If reheating in an air fryer, split the potato in half, add to the basket with the cut side up, top with a pad of butter and reheat at 380F for 5 minutes.
FAQs
Yes! Just like regular potatoes you could dice these sweet potatoes and saute them, make twice baked sweet potatoes, or fried sweet potato skins. The skins are perfectly safe to consume and even good for you! Sweet potato skins are high in fiber and antioxidants.
Yes and no. Both are perfectly healthy in their own rights. However, sweet potatoes have a higher concentration of Vitamin A while regular potatoes are higher in potassium.
Look for red or orange sweet potatoes for the best flavor profile.
Not at all! It does not cut down on time nor does it change the taste. Save yourself the dishes and just roast on a sheet pan.
More of Grandbaby Cakes’ Sweet Potato Favorites
- Sweet Potato Cobbler
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Pie Trifle
- Sweet Potato Chess Pie
How To Bake A Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes medium
- 6 tsp oil
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Begin by scrubbing your sweet potatoes, getting rid of debris and dirt then pat dry.
- Next prick each potato all over with a fork making sure to pierce the inside.
- Rub down each potato with 2 teaspoons of oil or use the olive oil spray to evenly coat the potatoes.
- Sprinkle each potato liberally with salt.
- Add each potato to a wire rack inside of a baking pan then place in the oven for 50-70 minutes or until you can easily push through the surface of the potato into the flesh with no resistance. You can even squeeze it with mitted hands and if it gives easily, it’s ready to eat!
- Cool for 10 minutes then serve them up!
Notes
Nutrition
Sweet potatoes are a family favorite. Used this simple recipe and the sweet potatoes turned out perfect.
My entire family LOVED these sweet potatoes – even the one who doesn’t normally like them! Will definitely make again.
Great how to. Great tips for telling when they are done.
Enjoyed this with diner last night and it did not disappoint! Such a sweet and savory fall recipe; my whole family loved it!
thanks for the microwave tip to get its going faster. It was really wholesome and satisfying