The Perfect Blank Canvas For Every Meal
An oven baked sweet potato offers endless possibilities, and it can really be the hero of your next meal. Pulled directly from the oven with butter, salt, and pepper, or piled high with toppings as in our Loaded Sweet Potato with Chipotle Cashew Cream recipe, we love to bake sweet potatoes in the oven. You can also make Roasted Sweet Potatoes to cut down on how long to bake sweet potatoes, because you’ll start with peeled and cubed sweet potatoes. You’ll still get nice caramelized edges, which is basically why we eat them. We also love making Grilled Sweet Potatoes for the extra flavor from the char of the grill, but also the ease of cooking–about fifteen minutes on a hot grill is all you need. Sweet potatoes are often found in Whole30 recipes because of their versatility and density of nutrients and fiber. You can find them in the Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes recipe that tops our list of 20 of the Best Whole30 Recipes. Like we said, once you start baking sweet potatoes it will be hard to stop.
How To Bake Sweet Potatoes In The Oven
Should I wrap my sweet potatoes in aluminum foil? You definitely can wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil. It makes cleanup super easy, and it’s commonly thought to cut down cooking time, but if you want a seriously delicious sweet potato with a crispy skin and fluffy interior we think the best way to bake a sweet potato is directly on the wire rack of your oven. When you wrap a sweet potato in aluminum foil, it steams as it cooks, changing the texture of the baked sweet potato. How long to bake a sweet potato varies on the size of your sweet potato, but generally takes about sixty minutes.
All About Sweet Potatoes
There’s plenty to love about this vegetable. They’re rich in good-for-you things like beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, fiber, and antioxidants. They’re super versatile in recipes, and can function in both savory and sweet formats. Sometimes sweet potatoes are called yams, but they’re actually two separate vegetables. Yams have a brown (mostly rough) exterior and white interior. When shopping for sweet potatoes look for their orange skin, and if you’re feeling like trying different varieties you can also buy sweet potatoes that have white or purple flesh in addition to the more common orange sweet potato.
How To Bake a Sweet Potato
Set the oven to 400°F.
Wash the sweet potatoes, and then prick them all over with a fork.
Brush the sweet potatoes with olive oil (hands work fine here too!)
Place the sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any juices that drip while they bake.
How long to bake a sweet potato at 400? Bake those potatoes until tender, about 60 minutes!
Tools You’ll Need
A pastry brush is helpful to brush on the olive oil, but hands make great tools here too!
We Have Loads Of Great Sweet Potato Recipes
This many-textured Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Orange Vinaigrette is an all-time favorite.
Sheet pan dinner to the rescue with this recipe for Chili-Honey Chicken & Sweet Potatoes w/ Cilantro Yogurt!
Possibly the gateway sweet potato recipe, our classic Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecan Streusel.
No Wrong Way When It Comes To Baked Sweet Potatoes
We always love to see your kitchen results. Did you make baked sweet potatoes? Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!