Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite budget buys, and since we’re smack dab in the middle of sweet potato season, I thought it was time for a quick little tutorial on how to bake a sweet potato. There’s nothing I like more than taking advantage of in-season produce to save money. Once you start thinking outside the box with baked sweet potatoes, you’ll begin to love them for their versatile and filling budget-friendly power!
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“Tasty and easy recipe to follow! This one will work for everyone. I love butter, brown sugar, and a touch of salt.”
Kae
easy baked sweet potatoes recipe
There’s nothing easier to bake than sweet potatoes. With just a simple dab of butter, some salt, and pepper, I can create the easiest and tastiest side dish that pretty much goes with any meal. Perfect for meal prep, I can easily get a few baked and ready to reheat during the week as a side dish, or as a base for a main dish loaded with delicious toppings.
Though this recipe is the perfect way to prepare sweet potatoes as a side, if you’ve never considered sweet potatoes a main dish, you don’t know what you’re missing. I love using sweet potatoes as a base for nourishing toppings like beef, beans, or chicken—turning them from a simple side into a hearty, satisfying meal.
The only downside to baked sweet potatoes is that they can take a while to bake, depending on their size. And, I don’t know about you, but on a busy weeknight, I’m not waiting an hour for a potato to bake. So, sometimes I like to par-cook them in the microwave first. I prick the sweet potato all over with a fork, then microwave on high for 3-5 minutes. I then let it finish baking in the oven. This will cut the baking time roughly in half.
Budget Saving Tip
While you can usually find sweet potatoes in grocery stores year-round, they are in season during the fall and winter months and that’s when you’re likely to get the best prices. So when they drop down to a dollar or so per pound, it’s time to start baking those sweet potatoes!
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Cost $7.33 recipe / $1.83 serving
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes (about ¾ lb. each, $6.88)
- 4 tsp butter ($0.40)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ½ tsp black pepper ($0.03)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash the sweet potatoes, then dry with a towel. Prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork (this allows steam to escape as they bake).
- Place the prepared sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes, then test for doneness (a fork or knife should be able to pierce the potato with no resistance and you should see some of the juices bubbling out the holes). If the potatoes are not soft all the way through the center, bake for an additional 10 minutes and check again.
- After baking, let the sweet potatoes cool for 5 minutes. Slice the potatoes lengthwise, then mash lightly with a fork. Top with butter, salt, and pepper, then serve.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make baked Sweet Potatoes Step-by- Step Photos
Prepare the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash your sweet potatoes well, then pat them dry with a towel. Use a fork to prick the sweet potatoes several times to allow for the steam to escape as they bake, so they don’t explode in the oven.
Place the sweet potatoes on the baking pan: Place the sweet potatoes on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Sweet potatoes tend to ooze their sweet sugary juices while baking, which can make a mess of your baking sheet.
Bake: Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes, then check for doneness. When the sweet potato is fully cooked, a knife or fork should be able to slide into the sweet potato without resistance. You can also check by shielding your hand with a towel and squeezing the sweet potato. It should be very soft. The skin will usually look wrinkled and you should see juices oozing out.
If not done, bake for 10 more minutes and then check again. The total bake time will vary depending on the size of the sweet potato.
Cool: Let the sweet potatoes cool for 5 minutes, then slice them open down the center.
Mash: I like to mash the insides a bit with a fork before topping.
Season: Top with butter, salt, and pepper, or your favorite toppings. Enjoy warm, or refrigerate for later. I find baked sweet potatoes are awesome for meal prep!
How to Serve Baked Sweet Potatoes
The easiest way to serve a baked sweet potato is to just slice it open, top it with a pat of butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simple, sweet, and easy. But why stop there? The possibilities are endless! Baked sweet potatoes make a filling and inexpensive base for meals, so try topping your sweet potato with some of these ingredients:
- Chili
- Walnuts, honey, & feta
- Creamed spinach
- Curried chickpeas
- Cowboy Caviar and sour cream
- Brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon
- Sloppy joe filling
- BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar
- Shredded BBQ chicken
- Almond butter, cinnamon, honey
And that’s not all! After baking, you can scoop out the flesh and use that in soups, sauces, baked goods, casseroles, and more. Try using the mashed sweet potato in any recipe that calls for pumpkin purée. Or, you could go one step further and make twice baked sweet potatoes!
Storage and Reheating
Store baked sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Or, the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating. Note, once frozen and thawed, the texture may be slightly softer.
Sweet potatoes reheat well in the microwave, but if you want to crisp them out, it’s best to reheat them in the oven.
I absolutely love this recipe for baked sweet potatoes! We’re having loaded sweet potatoes tonight for dinner! Topping with chopped beef brisket, green onions, fresh crisp bacon crumbles, sour cream and cheese! Oh yeah, cinnamon butter first while they’re still hot! I make a brown sugar sauce to drizzle on top! Yummo!!!😋😋
Am I the only weirdo who bakes my potatoes entirely in the microwave? It’s so much easier and faster! I just poke some holes in it with a fork first so it doesn’t explode, then microwave until I can stick a knife in it easily. I don’t really track how long it takes, maybe 8 or 9 minutes? Super easy!
Roasted sweet potatoes have become one of my favorite foods! I eat a plant based diet, and they are so healthy. I even roast them on the weekend and put some in my oatmeal every morning. No sugar needed!
I want to try roasting them after cutting in half, as you mentioned. What does the oil do? Is it necessary if using parchment paper? Thank you! I love your vegetarian recipes! More please!
You don’t need oil to roast potatoes, but it does help develop texture and flavor. I’m a parchment superfan because of the easy cleanup, so I will always say yes to that. If I am absolutely too tired to deal with even turning an oven on- I prick the potatoes a few times with a fork and microwave them until they are soft (about 8 to 10 minutes for a medium sweet potato). XOXO -Monti
Love the idea of adding walnuts, honey, and feta! My personal favorite is nut butter, honey, and roasted chickpeas. I personally love roasting rather than other methods because the skin becomes nice and crisp.
I’ve loved baked sweet potatoes since forever–ever since my MIL served them when I was newly married almost 60 years ago. I have always liked mine best with a bit of butter, and a light grind of sea salt, but have lately been adding a generous sprinkle of Tajin, that delicious lime flavored “fruit spice” often found in either the produce section of supermarkets, or with Hispanic ingredients on the dry goods shelves. If I want faster results, I dice them into 3/4 – 1″ cubes and oven roast. While several folks suggest using the slow cooker, it makes steamed potatoes. While those are delicious, they aren’t the same texture as oven roasted. Left over sweets are a handy lunch and also make delicious hash–lots of recipes online, but my fave uses diced bacon to flavor the veggies. Watch sales this month–most years I buy at least10 lbs at about $0.29–they will keep several months in a cool place, like my garage.
Tasty and easy recipe to follow! This one will work for everyone. I love butter, brown sugar, and a touch of salt.
Best way too cook a sweet potato is in a slow cooker( crock pot) on low for 4 hours or there abouts, really large may take a little longer. It does take but one time too find this out
I already do this often. A combo of butter, miso, honey, and green onions is my favorite. I pre cook, then reheat thru the week in the microwave. It’s breakfast on the fly. Smother toppings of choice into the hot potato, eat in the car, be full til noon.
Another tip: FREEZE your sweet potatoes before baking. It enhances an enzymatic reaction and will make your sweet potatoes sweeter. You can bake right from frozen; add an extra 30-40 minutes to your bake time.