Easy Baked Sweet Potatoes in the Oven

These easy baked sweet potatoes in the oven come out soft, sweet and caramelized inside a crispy skin. They're great for topping, stuffing and meal prep.

These oven-roasted sweet potatoes are a simple, hands-off side you can make ahead for weeknight dinners or use in other recipes.

Whether you keep it simple, load them up with toppings, or stuff them for a main dish, they make dinners easy.

And if you'd rather not turn on the oven, try my crock pot sweet potatoes to have them ready and waiting for you when you get home.

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Ingredients you'll need

Sweet potatoes: Look for medium ones, about the size of your hand. Pick ones close in size so they're all done at the same time.
Toppings: Optional, for serving. A little ghee melts into the hot sweet potato and adds buttery flavor. A sprinkle of sea salt balances the sweetness.

Kitchen tools

Baking sheet: Any sheet pan works, as long as it's big enough to keep the sweet potatoes from touching.
Parchment paper: It's important to line the pan. The sugars run out of the sweet potatoes as they bake and stick to the pan, and no one wants to wash that.

How to bake sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes.

Place the sweet potatoes on the sheet so they aren't touching. I don't prick them, I just put them on the sheet pan and put them in the oven.

Bake the potatoes for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until they're soft. You can also bake them anywhere from 375°F to 425°F if you're cooking something else at a lower or higher temperature.

How to tell when they're done

Give them a squeeze before you take them out. (I squeeze them with an oven mitt on, but you can also use tongs.) If they aren't soft, leave them in a little longer. Small sweet potatoes may be done sooner, so start checking those early.

How to serve them

My favorite way is to cut them open, add a little ghee to melt inside, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Serve them next to roast chicken, pork chops or steak, and change them up with different toppings.

• Savory: Add black pepper and chopped chives or other fresh herbs along with the ghee and sea salt.
• Sweet: Drizzle with maple syrup and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and toasted pecans.
• Stuffed: Fill them with pulled pork, chili, taco meat or my crockpot salsa chicken for an easy one-dish meal.

Meal prep and make ahead

Bake a batch, and you have an easy side ready for the next few days.

Baking them ahead is also a good shortcut when you need cooked sweet potatoes for mashing or a casserole. Refrigerate them whole, then peel and cut them into chunks when you're ready to make the recipe. I bake mine the day before for Thanksgiving prep.

Storing and reheating

Let them cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Reheat them in a 350°F oven until they're warmed through. You can reheat them in the microwave, but I think they're better heated in the oven.

More sweet potato recipes

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole - Warm spices and a pecan crumble on top, with no marshmallows.

Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Start with these baked sweet potatoes and add a little maple syrup for an easy make-ahead side.

Cold Sweet Potato Salad - A twist on traditional potato salad, with a chipotle lime dressing that adds a little heat.