Mastering the perfect baked sweet potato is a great skill for meal prep! Learn how to bake sweet potatoes in the oven, because they are a great option for building gluten free meals around.
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How to Make the Perfect Baked Sweet Potatoes
Without a doubt, sweet potatoes are a food I can’t live without.
They make the perfect canvas for so many meals, and are loaded with tons of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, meaning they help keep you full.
When I want a baked sweet potato, I want one that is baked until ultra-creamy and almost sticky inside. I learned to bake sweet potatoes from my grandma, who bakes them like this on Thanksgiving. I watched her poke at the sweet potatoes, and with patience, hold off dinner, until she was satisfied that they had properly reduced to be sticky-soft inside.
For the perfect baked sweet potatoes, you only need:
- Sweet potatoes – look for some with nice unblemished skins!
- Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
- Parchment paper to line a baking tray (this is just for easy clean up)
You can wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil, but I prefer to just line a baking tray with parchment. This way, you’ll end up with crispy skins, which is definitely a part of the whole experience!
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes in the Oven
Bake sweet potatoes at 400º F. This temperature is hot enough that they won’t take too long, but cooks them slow enough to really soften and sweeten the flesh.
Step 1: Wash sweet potatoes by running them under water and scrubbing away any dirt left on the skins. If there are blemishes or spots that are starting to go bad, cut those out with a knife.
Step 2: Dry the sweet potatoes, and spray or brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt.
Step 3: Place sweet potatoes on a parchment lined baking tray, and pop them in the oven. This should take about an hour, but the actual cooking time will vary between 40 minutes and 90 minutes, depending on how many sweet potatoes you’re baking, and how large they are. If your potatoes are small, start checking them early, if they are big, let them go over an hour before checking them.
It helps to flip the sweet potatoes halfway through baking to ensure they evening bake.
If you forget to flip the sweet potatoes, they will still be delicious!
Helpful Tips – Are they Done?
Do a “poke test” to see if they are ready — they should greatly yield to the touch. The skins will “puff up” around the flesh and an air pocket forms around the reduced flesh.
This takes a bit of practice! They will start to feel this way about 30 minutes before they are really done. Just be patient, and keep baking them.
I like to pull on the skin. If the sweet potatoes are ready, the skin pulls off very easily.
When you cut open the sweet potato, you want it to very easily “squish” and come off a fork very creamy.
If you’re baking a purple sweet potato, the process is slight different, because they are lower in sugar and have a more dry texture.
Meal Prep Baked Sweet Potatoes
Once your sweet potatoes are ready, serve them for dinner, or pack them in meal prep containers ready for the week’s meals.
Top them with protein — like eggs, leftover turkey/steak, beans, or even tuna fish. Add some veggies. I love easy greens like arugula and spinach. Salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, and salad dressings make great toppings as well.
Sweet Potato Meal Prep
After your potatoes are done, get creative with one of these recipes!
- Fajita Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- SW Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Turkey & Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Turkey & Sweet Potato Collard Wraps
If you make this recipe, be sure to share it with me! Find me on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to tag #SunkissedKitchen @SunkissedKitch
Other Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Pizza Crust, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Sweet Potato and Salmon Croquettes, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Sweet Potato Bacon Quiche, by Sunkissed Kitchen
I’d love to connect with you on social media! Find me on Facebook or Instagram where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration.
The Perfect Baked Sweet Potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Wash sweet potatoes, and brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, to taste.
- Baked sweet potatoes for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the flesh has reduced and is very soft. The skin will very easily pull off the potatoes when they are ready.
My family is obsessed with sweet potatoes and this is the perfect recipe for baking them! Thank you!
Sweet potatoes baked to perfection are so delicious, aren’t they?
Absolute perfection <3
I just made roasted sweet potatoes and I wish I’d had your tips — especially about roasting on a tray to catch the sugary goo that seeps out… Next time! Your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks Lisa!
Great advice. I had to scrape sweet potato sticky mess off the bottom of my oven once. Not fun! I always use a sheet pan now 🙂
I’ve done that more than once! The sticky mess you WANT, just not on your oven 🙂
Great tips, from today I’m applying all your amazing tips. Thanks for sharing it with us 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Michelle,
You mention in this website that “Once your sweet potatoes are ready, serve them for dinner, or pack them in meal prep containers ready for the week’s meals.” How do you reheat a sweet potato for the week when it’s all very soft on the inside? Love your website. I have to try the oat blueberry/banana baked in the near future. Looks healthy and delicious!
Hi Michelle, nice to hear from you! I typically will put the sweet potato in my toaster oven for about 15 minutes to warm it up. Sometimes I eat it cold with salad 🙂 I have a recipe for twice bked sweet potatoes with a fajita filling also. Whatever you do, it’s nice to have them already baked to put together fast meals. https://sunkissedkitchen.com/sweet-potato-recipes/
Very helpful advice. Thank you!