Easy Baked Sweet Potato
Baked sweet potatoes are the perfect choice when I need a quick and easy weeknight supper. You can eat the sweet potatoes as a perfect side dish or use the baked potato as a jumping off point for many other delicious dishes.
With the days getting shorter, I find myself looking for recipes that I can pull together with minimal effort.
My oven (or airfryer) does all the work, while I pull the rest of my supper together.
There is also something so satisfying about eating a warm sweet potato on a dark rainy evening, gathered around my family table.
This baked sweet potato recipe is an easy way to get a nutritious meal to your family, while bringing a dish that tastes like you are eating dessert.
Try a stuffed sweet potato for a filling main dish or like a sweet potato casserole for a thanksgiving classic any day of the year.
The possibilities are endless and the results are delicious.
If you need some other delicious side dishes, be sure to check out my bacon wrapped asparagus, perfectly cooked grilled baked potato, or my Italian pepperoni pasta salad.
What Are Baked Sweet Potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are a super food filled with so many vitamins and antioxidants that you will feel great about serving it to your entire family.
Rich in beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium, sweet potatoes help create healthy gut and brain health.
The bright orange color of sweet potatoes and the sweet flavor are similar to carrots and provide many of the same health benefits.
Next time you are craving a baked potato, try this recipe instead.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This is a healthier alternative to the traditional baked potato, and has a sweeter, more decadent flavor. These potatoes are so flavorful on their own that you only need a bit of oil and salt to make this simple recipe.
- If you need your oven or need to make the potatoes a bit quicker, these are a perfect recipe to make in your air fryer. Just place washed, pierced and oiled potatoes in the basket of the air fryer for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Rotate potatoes and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until fork tender.
- Eat your colors. We are always told that eating foods that are a variety of different colors give us the nutrients we need. The bright orange color of the potato is a beautiful addition to any meal.
- Having this recipe on hand is a great way to make a fantastic side dish with any meal. Serve the sweet potato alongside a piece of steak tenderloin or chicken and a gorgeous side salad for an easy weeknight supper.
- Sweet potatoes are so versatile that you can make a variety of different sides. Try cutting the potato in half, scooping out the insides, mixing with a little heavy cream and butter to make a twice baked potato. Or add some brown sugar and marshmallows for a sweet spin on a classic thanksgiving favorite.
Tell Me About Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Taste– Sweet potatoes have a wonderful sweet flavor that has a warm sugary flavor that is even healthier than a russet or gold potato.
- Texture– When roasted, sweet potatoes have a smooth, buttery texture that will melt in your mouth.
- Ease– With only three ingredients, this recipe is a quick and easy weeknight side that everyone will go crazy for.
- Time– In order for the potato to get nice and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside you will need to bake for an hour or more.
Ingredients for Baked Sweet Potatoes in Foil
- Sweet Potatoes– There are many different varieties of sweet potatoes to choose from. Use whichever you have on hand or a preference for.
- Oil– Olive oil is a great neutral flavored oil, however you can use avocado oil as well. You can even use butter if you prefer the taste.
- Salt– Use a flaky sea salt or kosher salt that can stand up to the heat of the oven without burning.
Make Baked Sweet Potatoes in Foil in 3 Easy Steps
- Prepare Potatoes– Take washed and pierced whole sweet potatoes and rub the skin with oil or butter. Wash the potatoes well with a vegetable brush and dry them with paper towel.
- Wrap with Foil– Sprinkle potatoes with sea salt and wrap each with with a piece of foil. Make sure you fold up the ends of the foil to avoid the liquid draining on the bottom of your oven if you don’t have them on a baking pan.
- Bake– Heat oven to 425° to 450° F. Place them on a foil-lined large baking sheet or directly on the oven rack with foil around each sweet potato. Bake for a cooking time of 50-60 minutes after preheating, rotating every 15 minutes, until tender. Use a hot pad to turn the potatoes so that you do not burn your hands! Each time you turn them, squeeze them a little to see how tender they are. Larger sweet potatoes will definitely take more time to bake. Bon appétit!
Tips for Making Sweet Potatoes in Foil
- Using tin foil ensures that the potato has the perfect exterior without getting burned. If you are out of foil and are just baking potatoes without, make sure you rotate the potatoes more frequently, and check every 15 minutes.
- If you prefer a crispier potato, bake without tin foil and cook the potatoes directly onto a baking sheet.
- If you are short on time you can cut the sweet potato in half and bake using this method. Check the potatoes every 15 minutes and remove once the flesh is fork tender. Just make sure you have them placed in a foil lined pan.
- Serve the sweet potatoes hot from the oven with a pat of butter! Delicious!
- Want to make the sweet potato the main dish? Treat the potato like you would a stuffed pepper and let the ideas flow!
Add-Ins for Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Garlic Butter– You can add garlic butter to the sweet potato flesh because garlic makes everything taste better!
- Sour Cream– You may have only tried sour cream on a regular white potato, but along with a little butter, this creates a delicious side dish!
- Italian Sausage– Add Italian sausage or another favorite protein! Yum!
- Grilled Onions– Onions add that extra flavor to any dish!
- Quinoa– Quinoa would make this a more filling dish.
- Roasted Peppers– Peppers add that extra little bit of flavor!
- Chives– Simple but flavorful, chives are perfect for that extra bit of seasoning.
- Cinnamon and Brown Sugar– These two ingredients make your sweet potatoes taste more like a dessert!
How Do You Store Leftover Baked Sweet Potatoes?
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also wrap potatoes in tin foil or saran wrap and keep refrigerated as well. If you have added toppings to the potato they may make the potato more difficult to reheat, so I would remove before storing.
How to Reheat Baked Sweet Potatoes?
You can reheat sweet potatoes on a foil lined sheet pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Check the potatoes and make sure that they are heated all the way through. Add additional time in 10 minute increments until heated through. You can also reheat in the microwave at 30 second intervals until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
I definitely would if you are placing them directly on the oven rack. Sweet potatoes create a sticky mess in the bottom of your oven if you don’t. Plus, it allows the sweet potatoes to steam inside the foil, creating the perfectly baked sweet potato.
Yes, it helps the sweet potato to free any extra moisture.
Baked Sweet Potato Recipe
Baked Sweet Potato
Equipment
- aluminum foil
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato medium
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Wash potatoes well and dry them.
- Poke the potatoes 4-5 times to pierce the skin.
- Rub the outside of the potato skin with the oil or butter.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and wrap with aluminum foil.
- Preheat oven for 10 minutes to high heat (425 to 450 degrees F).
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating every 15 minutes, until tender.
Notes
- Using tin foil ensures that the potato has the perfect exterior without getting burned. If you are out of foil and are just baking potatoes without, make sure you rotate the potatoes more frequently, and check every 15 minutes.
- If you prefer a crispier potato, bake without tin foil and cook the potatoes directly onto a baking sheet.
- If you are short on time you can cut the sweet potato in half and bake using this method. Check the potatoes every 15 minutes and remove once the flesh is fork tender. Just make sure you have them placed in a foil lined pan.
- Serve the sweet potatoes hot from the oven with a pat of butter! Delicious!
- Want to make the sweet potato the main dish? Treat the potato like you would a stuffed pepper and let the ideas flow!