Learn How to Bake Sweet Potatoes by wrapping them in aluminum foil and then cooking them in the oven. You can also meal prep this recipe ahead of time for a quick, easy, and healthy vegetarian, Whole30, and Paleo side dish recipe.
Want a few other healthy sweet potato recipes? You may also enjoy these Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and this Sweet Potato Hash.
Baked Sweet Potato – Best Way to Cook Them!
Sweet potatoes are an absolute staple in our house.
Whether we are boiling sweet potatoes, making roasted sweet potatoes cubes, a breakfast sweet potato hash, or these BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes…
They are a canvas for a myriad of flavor combos!
And one of the best ways to cook up this starchy vegetable is as a baked sweet potato.
Baking versus Instant Pot
When I first created this Instant Pot Sweet Potato recipe I was in awe of how quickly you could cook it by using a pressure cooker.
I also love boiling sweet potatoes to use in casseroles, pies, or in a mashed sweet potatoes recipe.
However, I soon realized that if you want to cook more than 4 at a time, there is another way that simply can’t be beat.
So I learned how to bake sweet potatoes in the oven.
Not only can you put up to 15-20 sweet potatoes in the oven at the same time, but they also get a wonderfully crisp exterior the Instant Pot just can’t reproduce.
Rinse, Scrub & Poke
Before we dive into how to cook sweet potatoes in the oven, we will first need to get them ready.
Since these root vegetables are grown underground you will want to make sure you rinse and scrub them thoroughly before baking, especially if you plan to eat the skin.
The skin generally has more fiber than just the flesh and will give you a boost of extra nutrition.
After rinsing and scrubbing, poke holes into the sweet potato with a large fork.
This step enables them to release any excess moisture while baking in the oven.
Cook’s Tip: Sweet potatoes are one of the “dirty dozen” so it is best to buy organic if they’re available.
Wrapping in Foil
After you have rinsed, scrubbed, and poked holes into the sweet potatoes, it’s time to get them ready for the oven.
- Cut a large enough piece of aluminum foil to wrap each potato at least twice.
- Roll each sweet potato in aluminum foil.
- Fold over ends of the foil to completely seal the sweet potato.
- Place wrapped sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet.
How to Bake in the Oven
Now that you have rinsed, scrubbed, and wrapped them in foil, it is time to bake them in the oven.
What Temperature?
The best temperature to cook sweet potatoes in the oven is 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
This temperature is hot enough to cook the potatoes in under an hour while also not being so hot that they burn.
However, you can cook them in an oven anywhere between 350 degrees and up to 450 degrees if you have other dishes you are cooking at the same. Just make sure you adjust the cooking time accordingly.
How Long to Cook?
Bake whole sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife when inserted in cuts the sweet potato easily.
Larger sweet potatoes will take closer to 1 hour to cook while smaller ones can be ready in as little as 40 minutes.
Serve, Store, and Reheat
Sweet potatoes are a great meal prep side dish recipe to have on hand for busy weekdays. They are so flavorful on their own or also make great combinations with a multitude of other ingredients.
Serving: You can serve baked sweet potatoes with BBQ chicken, Mexican taco ingredients, or with a touch of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Storing: This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You can also freeze baked sweet potatoes for up to 4-6 months.
Reheating: It is best to reheat sweet potatoes in a 275 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or by cutting them in half and reheating in the microwave.
Recipe Ideas
There are so many different ways you can use baked sweet potatoes once they are cooked.
A few easy recipe ideas include:
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Cubed in a Sweet Potato Broccoli Quinoa Bowl
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Make a Homemade Sweet Potato Puree and turn it into a Sweet Potato Pie!
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
Learn How to Bake Sweet Potatoes by wrapping them in aluminum foil and then cooking them in the oven. You can also meal prep baked sweet potatoes ahead of time for a quick, easy, and healthy vegetarian, Whole30, and Paleo side dish recipe.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes about 4 medium-sized potatoes
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil optional
- 1 tsp. salt optional
- ½ tsp. pepper optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Rinse and scrub potatoes to remove any excess dirt.
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Poke holes all over potatoes using a large fork.
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Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper if you would like. (optional)
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Wrap potatoes in a large piece of aluminum foil, making sure the foil wraps around the potato at least twice. Secure the ends so no juice escapes the packet.
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Place wrapped potatoes on a large baking sheet.
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Bake potatoes for 45-60 minutes or until they are cooked all of the way through.
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Serve baked potatoes with BBQ chicken or Mexican taco toppings and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Nutritional information is calculated without optional oil, salt, and pepper.
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Denise says
When you bake them wrapped in foil and you are planning on storing in refrigerator or freezer do you leave them wrapped in foil
London Brazil says
You can if you’d like, but I tend to unwrap mine and put them in a container so the oil doesn’t leak out of the foil. Totally up to you though, Denise!
cheri says
Back in the 80s-90s….the instruction booklet for my microwave said to cook the potato(s) throughly but not overly then take them out and wrap in foil until use. I never thought 2x about it. But my girlfriend was all over with excitement and wanted my “secret”. Her husband wouldn’t eat micro’d potatoes , they tasted funny to him. I didn’t know that and served them with dinner. He ate them fine. I told my girlfriend it was all in his mind. So she went home and had a potato tasting contest. Which one was micro’d? He said no contest and picked the one that had not been wrapped in foil afterwards. Truth is they were micro’d together. I asked recently if one wrapped a sweet potato after microwaving in foil…..people thought I was crazy and had never heard of such a thing.
mary steimle says
I am cooking 60 potatoes in the oven. Why do they need to be on a tray with sides? Can they just be placed on the racks?
London says
Hi Mary! Great question. I place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed sheet pan to catch any excess liquid that seeps out of the foil packets (just in case they weren’t wrapped tightly enough.) You can definitely place them directly into the oven but you might have a little cleanup to do afterwards.