Cinco De Mayo

Easy Baked Sweet Potatoes 

Easy Baked Sweet Potatoes 

This is the simplest and fastest way to serve baked sweet potatoes at home. Slice them in two, sprinkle with salt, and roast in the oven until soft, rich, caramelized and irresistibly melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Take a look at my sweet potato stacks, baked sweet potato slices and salt-crusted baked potatoes next.

Why you will enjoy this recipe

This method is quick, straightforward and truly difficult to get wrong! Halving the sweet potatoes cuts down the cook time and gives you a larger area that caramelizes. Their natural sweetness comes through beautifully, and honestly, they’re so good that you won’t really need to add butter

You only require three basic ingredients: sweet potatoes, olive oil, and salt. No foil, no complicated steps, and hardly any hands-on time. This recipe is ideal for hectic weeknights.

Enjoy them as a side dish, top them with your favorite toppings, or savor them as a wholesome snack or light meal. You can apply this technique to orange, white, Japanese, or purple sweet potatoes as well. Cooking time may shift a little depending on the size and variety you choose.

What you will need

Sweet potatoes: You can use any kind of sweet potatoes here, but you may have to tweak the cooking time.

Salt

Olive oil: You can also go with extra virgin olive oil for extra taste. Still, any other neutral oil will work great on these potatoes, too.

How to make baked sweet potatoes

Warm up the oven to 400F/200C and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper

Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes until clean, then dry them fully with a kitchen towel.

Cut them carefully in half lengthwise. Brush the cut side with olive oil and season with salt.

Set the potatoes on the parchment, cut side down, then drizzle the skin with oil.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they’re fork-tender and beautifully caramelized along the edges. You’ll know they’re ready when they turn soft as you press them.

Plate them and enjoy!

What to serve with baked sweet potatoes

These baked sweet potatoes are incredibly flexible and go with almost anything. You can serve them just like jacket potatoes—pair with any protein and toppings you enjoy most. I like serving them with ground chicken and chickpeas curry, turkey chili, savory mince, sausage and baked beans casserole or firecracker beef. They’re absolutely fantastic! You can also serve them alongside a salad or simply eat them as a tasty, wholesome snack.

I don’t add butter to baked potatoes anymore, because they’re soft and sweet enough on their own, though you can include it if you’d like. Add cheese, cottage cheese, avocado, or drizzle with hot honey. The choices are endless!

Tips For The Best Baked Sweet Potatoes

  • Pick sweet potatoes that are close in size so they cook evenly.
  • Don’t skip the oil, since it helps the edges caramelize nicely.
  • The skin is fully edible and turns tender in the oven, so be sure to scrub it well before baking.
  • More oversized sweet potatoes might need a few extra minutes in the oven

Watch how to make it