Name: Oven Baked Sweet Potato
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 1 5 potatoes
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 to 5 sweet potatoes (large or medium)

Making anOven Baked Sweet Potatois the best way to to get soft and sweet insides and a skin that’s easy to remove.

Four baked sweet potatoes with butter on them in a white baking dish with blue speckles.

This simple guide forhow to bake sweet potatoeswill get you a perfectly roasted potato ready for your favorite toppings or primed to mash as a tasty and healthy side!

Turn a simple baked sweet potato into a meal by adding grilled chicken taco meat and fixings on top or use them as a side to Crock Pot Pulled Pork or Slow Cooker Chicken Legs. They are also perfect inSweet Potato Casseroleor to top a Shepherd’s Pie!

A baked sweet potato with butter on it on a white plate with a fork and three baked sweet potatoes in the background in a white and blue speckled baking dish.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Versatile veggie:You can use baked sweet potatoes in casseroles, soups, and even some desserts.
Delicious:Theyadd a subtle sweet factor to any dish.
Healthy:Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients.
Accommodating:They are dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

🍠Streusel topped sweet potato casseroleis a family favorite recipe that uses these perfect roasted sweet potatoes!

Recipe Ingredients

Sweet potatoes:Try to get sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they bake about the same amount of time.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Four raw sweet potatoes in a blue and white speckled baking dish.

How to Make Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes

Step #1.Wash the sweet potatoes and cut off both ends,
Step #2.Poke each sweet potato with a fork about 12 times.
Step #3.Place them in a baking pan.
Step #4.Bake the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for about 50 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

How long do I need to bake sweet potatoes?

I typically bake sweet potatoes for 45 to 55 minutes in an oven that’s at 400 degrees F. How long you cook them will depend on the size, so just pay attention to them toward the end of the bake time!

How can I tell if the sweet potatoes are done?

Sweet potatoes are done baking when you can easily pierce them with a fork or the internal temperature is between 205 and 212 degrees F in the thickest part of the potato on an instant-read thermometer.

Can I eat the skin of a baked sweet potato?

Absolutely! While some people don’t like the taste or chewy texture of sweet potato skin, it’s packed with fiber and potassium. Eating sweet potato skins adds valuable nutrients to your plate.

Are sweet potatoes the same as yams?

Nope. Yams’ skin is tough, brown, and bumpy and looks a bit like tree bark, but sweet potatoes have a more red-brown skin. But yams are a different root vegetable than sweet potatoes; they’re similar in flavor and texture to russet potatoes or yucca.

Top view of baked sweet potatoes in a white and blue speckled baking dish next to a butter knife and stick of butter.

Expert Tips

Look for sweet potatoes that are firm, smooth, and free of blemishesor soft spots. They should also feel a bit heavy for their size.
Try to use sweet potatoes that are similar in sizeso that they need about the same amount of baking time.
To turn baked sweet potatoes into mashed sweet potatoes, remove the skins and add a little butter, salt, and garlic powder before you mash them.