Baked Sweet Potatoes: a flavorful, nutritious alternative to baked potatoes

Meltingly soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, baked sweet potatoes are always a winner at the dinner table. Baked sweet potatoes are super versatile and offer more nutritional benefits compared to regular potatoes. They're great as a healthy meal, especially when paired with a side salad, soup, or sandwich, or try serving them alongside your favorite roasts, stews, steaks, and casseroles. All types of protein go great with this tasty tuber – fish, chicken, tofu, beef, pork, and beans.

You can further customize this effortless recipe by adding your favorite toppings to your baked sweet potatoes. Bacon, beans, cheese, lentils, fresh herbs, marshmallows, avocado – the list goes on! Both sweet and savory toppings work. Baked sweet potatoes are excellent to make ahead and are a great option for folks who like to meal prep.

Your Essential Tips for Making the Ultimate Baked Sweet Potatoes

Use a plant-based spread or olive oil instead of butter to make dairy-free baked sweet potatoes.

To make a quick baked sweet potato in the microwave, poke the holes into the sweet potatoes, rub them with some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then microwave for five minutes on the high setting.

Want to make air fryer sweet potatoes? Cook them at 370F for 35 to 40 minutes.

You can make baked sweet potatoes up to two days in advance.

How to Store Baked Sweet Potatoes

Place leftover baked sweet potatoes into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.

How to Make Baked Sweet Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 425F. Line a baking tray with foil and scrub the sweet potatoes well to clean them of any dirt before you get started, then arrange them on the tray.

Using a fork, poke holes all over each sweet potato. Make sure to poke holes in the sweet potatoes before baking them. Poking holes into the sweet potatoes helps release steam and will give them a deliciously crispy skin while keeping the insides tender.

Rub the skins with olive oil.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until fork-tender. Remove the tray from the oven and leave the sweet potatoes to cool slightly.

Slice them open.

Top each with a tablespoon of butter. Season generously with salt and pepper, then serve.