How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
Bake sweet potatoes with creamy, sweet centers and caramelized syrup on the pan — plus the doneness cues that tell you they are actually done.
Bake Them Longer Than You Think
Most sweet potatoes come out of the oven dense and starchy instead of creamy, because they were pulled the second a fork went in. A fork slides into a sweet potato a good 15 minutes before it is actually done.
A sweet potato is not finished at fork-tender — it is finished at 205F to 210F in the center. That extra stretch of heat is what turns the starch into sugar and gives you the soft, spoonable inside.
Bare Skin, No Foil
Foil traps steam and gives you a wet, bland potato, so bake them naked on a foil-lined sheet and let the pan catch the drips.
400F Is The Number
400F for 45 to 60 minutes is hot enough to caramelize the sugars and slow enough to let the inside go creamy before the skin burns.
Look For The Syrup
When dark, sticky syrup bubbles out of the ends and pools on the pan, the sugars have developed and the potato is close to ready.
Size Them The Same
Pick potatoes of roughly equal thickness, because a skinny one is done 20 minutes before a fat one on the same pan.
The method
- 1
Heat the oven and line a pan
Set the oven to 400F with a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil, because the syrup that leaks out will bake onto bare metal.
- 2
Scrub and dry
Scrub the skins under running water and dry them well. Trim off any stringy tips.
- 3
Prick and set them out
Poke each potato four or five times with a fork so steam can escape. Lay them straight on the foil with space between them, not touching.
- 4
Bake 45 to 60 minutes
Start checking at 45 minutes. Small potatoes may be done then, and thick ones can take 70 minutes or more.
- 5
Check the center, not the skin
Slide an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part and look for 205F to 210F. No thermometer? Squeeze with a towel — it should collapse, not just give a little.
- 6
Rest and split
Let them sit five minutes, then cut a slit down the top and squeeze the ends toward each other to open it up. Add butter and salt while it is hot.
Show what you know
Three quick questions. See if you already cook these right.
Question 1 of 3
A fork slides easily into your sweet potato at 40 minutes. What should you do?
Put it to work
Baking the potatoes whole until the skins crackle and the flesh goes silky is the whole foundation here — split them open and pile in the taco filling.
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Ingredients
- 2 Sweet potato
- Ground meat
- Black beans
- 1/4 cup Bone broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- 1/4 cup Water
- Oregano
- Guacamole
- Pickled jalapeños
- Crispy tortilla strips
Instructions
- 1Start by cooking sweet potatoes, rub them with oil and salt very well! Cook on 425° for about an hour! Be sure to poke holes in the potato so it doesn’t explode.
- 2Now work on the meat, throw in half an onion and minced garlic, cook until fragrant, throw in the ground meat and season to your liking! Add in water and bone broth and cook until absorbed. Add in the beans and let cook for a few minutes.
- 3Once your potato is done, assemble and too with what you like! I topped with guacamole, cream, pickled jalapeños, red onions and some crispy tortilla strips for a crunch!
P.S. Pepper keeps the recipe, the timings and your own notes in one place — so the next time you cook it, you're not starting from a search box.
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