This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.

Here’s how to make a perfectly baked sweet potato — fast! This trick cuts down the baking time: it’s a total game changer.

Baked Sweet Potato
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Hi there. We’re Alex and Sonja, and we’ve made just about every sweet potato recipe known to man. Yes, we’re obsessed with this healthy vegetable, making into everything from curries to stews to fries. Oddly enough, we’ve never shared our go-to, simple weeknight trick for the perfect quick baked sweet potato. This method lets you bake it less time than the standard: making it feasible for weeknight cooking.

The same method works for russet potatoes! Go to Quick Baked Potatoes.

How to make a baked sweet potato: a tutorial

Making a baked sweet potato is seriously simple: you don’t even really need a recipe. Of course, we’ve got one below. But follow these basic steps and you’ll be baking these up in your sleep. Now, want to hear our time saving secret? Cut the sweet potatoes in half before you bake them. Yes, this simple step seriously cuts down on baking time. Keep reading for more about it.

Step 1: Cut the sweet potatoes in half.

Yep, that’s our time saver to make this a quick baked potato recipe! But it does wonders. Depending on the size, a whole baked potato can take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. It can take even longer if you’ve got one of those massive sweet potatoes. But cut them in half, and it takes just 25 to 35 minutes. That’s an invaluable time savings for a weeknight!

Sweet Potato Recipes

Step 2: Rub with olive oil & sprinkle with salt.

Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil (you can use your hands for this!). Then sprinkle them with kosher salt. Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using parchment paper makes for easy cleanup later.

Step 3: Bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.

The hard part is over! Now all you have to do is bake. Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes at 450 degrees until they’re tender when pricked with a fork. That’s it!

Baked sweet potato

10 ways to serve a baked sweet potato

There are endless ways to serve a baked sweet potato, both as a vegetarian main dish or as a side. In our opinion, the best way to compliment the sweetness of the potato is with savory compliments. So, you won’t see any marshmallows or cinnamon here! Here are the best ways to serve a baked sweet potato:

  1. Mexican-style. Make our Mexican sweet potatoes by topping with black bean salsa and creamy cilantro sauce.
  2. Sour cream & fresh dill. They become a stellar side.
  3. Thai-style. Add Thai peanut butter sauce and tangy pepper slaw.
  4. Tahini sauce. Drizzle with lemon tahini sauce and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
  5. Broccoli cheese sauce. Make our broccoli cheese sauce and drizzle on top!
  6. Lentils & goat cheese. Topping with lentils and goat cheese makes a stunning fall dinner.
  7. Moroccan-style. Top with Moroccan lentils and tahini sauce.
  8. Chipotle sauce. Add spicy chipotle sauce and black beans.
  9. Chili. Make a batch of healthy chili or Instant Pot chili and use it for topping.
  10. Chorizo eggs. Make the chorizo eggs from these 5 minute tacos and top with salsa.
Mexican Sweet Potatoes
Mexican sweet potatoes

Are sweet potatoes healthy?

Indeed they are! This vibrant orange tuber is rich in vitamins, potassium and fiber. The flesh of a medium baked sweet potato has only about 100 calories and enough vitamin A to meet your daily allowance. They’re also a rich source of beta carotene. According to the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, sweet potatoes do have a high glycemic index, but they haven’t been found to be a cause of weight gain and diabetes. Bottom line: yes! Sweet potatoes are a great way to get lots of nutrients into your diet.

More sweet potato recipes

Yes, we’ve got a load more sweet potato recipes outside of baking them! Sweet potatoes are perfect in soups and stews, fries, hash browns, and more. Here are a few of our most popular ways to use them:

Baked sweet potato

This baked sweet potato recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy free.

Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Print

Quick Baked Sweet Potato

Baked Sweet Potato
Save Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 6 reviews

Here’s how to make a perfectly baked sweet potato — fast! This trick cuts down the baking time: it’s a total game changer.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Vegetables

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.
  2. Wash the sweet potatoes and slice them in half. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and rub them with olive oil, just enough to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
  3. Bake until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 25 to 35 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. (Prick with a fork to assess doneness!)

Did you love this recipe?

Get our free newsletter with all of our best recipes!

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

19 Comments

  1. Stephanie Humphrey says:

    Can I bake them in the air fryer? If so what temperature/time do you recommend?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      We don’t have experience, sorry!

See More Comments