These Sweet Potato Recipes are healthy and delicious, and they are more than just a side dish. Try them 3 ways: mashed, fully loaded or baked in the oven!
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How to cook sweet potatoes
You can cook sweet potatoes a variety of ways, but the most basic ways include baking and cooking over the stovetop. You can also cook them in the Instant Pot – check out this easy guide for pressure cooking sweet potatoes here.
A medium-sized sweet potato (about 3 inches in diameter) will take about 45 minutes to cook whole if baking in the oven. If you chop it into bite-sized pieces, then you're looking at 20-30 minutes of roasting in the oven or sauteing on the stovetop. Sweet potatoes will cook in boiling in water on the stovetop in about 15-20 minutes.
Because they typically take at least 20-40 minutes to cook, sweet potatoes are similar to potatoes in the way you can prepare, cook and consume them. However, sweet potatoes provide a number of health benefits because they are highly nutritious.
How to cut and peel sweet potatoes
The skin of a sweet potato is edible and will soften as you cook it. If you are dicing or mashing the sweet potatoes, you will want to remove the skin first. Your sweet potatoes will cook faster after peeling.
Follow these steps to make your job easier:
- Wash the sweet potatoes.
- Peel from root to tip – use a serrated knife or vegetable peeler.
- Make long even strokes and turn the potato as you go.
- Find a flat part of the potato to set on the cutting surface. It’s easier to cut if it doesn’t roll.
- Cut the pieces as evenly as possible so they cook equally.
Sweet potato recipes 3 ways
Sweet potatoes are very versatile. You can cook them a number of ways, including the three recipes below.
- Fully loaded: whole baked sweet potatoes with lots of toppings
- Mashed sweet potatoes: boil the diced sweet potatoes and mash them with a fork or potato masher
- Roasted: diced sweet potatoes roasted in the oven with a few seasonings
Fully loaded sweet potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes
Roasted sweet potatoes
Options for seasonings
There are hundreds of ways to season sweet potatoes, but some of the best flavor combinations are:
- Mexican with black beans and salsa
- Buttered
- Chili powder, cumin and paprika
- Brown sugar
- Herbs de provence
- Coconut
- Rosemary
- Lime
- Cinnamon
Should you serve sweet potato recipes savoury or sweet?
It really depends on your preference if you serve sweet potatoes savoury or sweet. Lots of baked sweet potato recipes give you great options of combining savory and sweet ingredients because they all pair so well with sweet potatoes. Plus, it deepens the flavor.
You’ll notice that these recipes are savoury. Your standard holiday sweet potato dish is very sweet, especially in different regions of the US. But these tubers can be so much more.
For dishes like mashed sweet potatoes where you will be adding cream and butter, savory spices balance out all the sugars.
Adding flavors with a little kick, like salsa and jalapenos makes the sweetness a little edgy.
How do you store sweet potatoes?
When choosing sweet potatoes, pick small to medium sized sweet potatoes. These are sweeter and creamier than the larger potatoes which can sometimes taste more starchy. Find ones that are firm to the touch.
Raw sweet potatoes should never be stored in the fridge. Being exposed to the cold temperature will produce a hard center and a bitter taste. Instead, store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, like a root cellar.
Stored this way, they will last for about two weeks. When they start to shrivel or grow roots, it’s time to get rid of them.
What do you serve with sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are a great side dish. Try them with a protein and a veggie for a complete and nutritious meal.
- With baked chicken
- With a side salad or in a salad itself
- In chili
- In curries
- In soups
- With grilled steak
- With fish
- In tacos or burrito bowls – even as a topping in quesadillas!
Storing and reheating sweet potato recipes
Your storing technique will change depending on how you prepared your sweet potato.
For baked sweet potatoes, when they are completely cooled, you can store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Leave them whole, without the toppings.
That means you can meal prep these recipes. Bake the sweet potatoes in advance and you will only have to make the toppings the day you want to eat them.
You can reheat baked sweet potatoes in the microwave or in the oven.
Roasted potatoes can be stored similarly in the refrigerator. To keep them crispy, reheat them in the oven. These are great for breakfast with eggs. You can just reheat them in the microwave as well but you will be losing some of the crunch.
Mashed sweet potatoes can be stored in a plastic bag or glass meal prep container and reheated in the microwave in the next 4 to 5 days.
Freezing sweet potatoes
Whole baked sweet potatoes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To freeze roasted sweet potatoes, put them in the freezer on the tray first. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. This way they won’t stick together.
To freeze mashed sweet potatoes, put them in a freezer bag and squeeze out all the air. You can freeze them flat to save space. Add a little bit of lemon to the mashed sweet potatoes to keep them from turning brown.
The best way to thaw sweet potatoes is in the refrigerator over night. However, if you need them quickly, you can thaw them in the microwave from frozen or in a bowl of cool water.
More sweet potato recipes
If you're looking for more healthy and easy sweet potato recipes, I've got you covered! Check out my favourites below!
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning sweet potatoes into your weekly lunches.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you're freezing the sweet potatoes in freezer bags
- Get a Y-shaped peeler to peel your sweet potatoes
- Freeze these recipes in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
Sweet Potato Recipes 3 Ways
Ingredients
Fully loaded
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo or salsa
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Sliced jalapeno, for garnish
Mashed
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Roasted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
Fully loaded
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Bake sweet potatoes in oven for 45 minutes until softened. Remove from oven then slice in half lengthwise. Top with cheese, red onion, black beans and corn, then bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with pico de gallo, cilantro and jalapenos, then serve and enjoy!
Mashed
- Peel sweet potatoes, then chop up into 1-inch pieces. Cover with water in a large saucepan, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat then simmer for 15 minutes until sweet potato is fork-tender.
- Drain, then mash sweet potatoes with a potato masher. Stir in butter, lemon juice and salt & pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Roasted
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Peel sweet potatoes, then chop up into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt & pepper.
- Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
*Nutritional info is for fully loaded sweet potatoes
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