Whole Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe

By Diana Rattray

Updated 01/20/19

Baked Sweet Potato With Cinnamon Sugar
Diana Rattray
  • Total: 55 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 45 mins
  • Yield: 4 Servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
1074 Calories
116g Fat
11g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 Servings
Amount per serving
Calories 1074
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 116g 149%
Saturated Fat 11g 54%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 95mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Protein 1g
Calcium 19mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Do you like your sweet potatoes savory or lightly sweetened and spiced? These sweet potatoes are baked then seasoned with salt and paprika or cinnamon and sugar. See more topping ideas below the recipe instructions.

Unlike white potatoes, sweet potatoes are firm and somewhat grainy. They're closer in texture to a butternut squash or a turnip than a white potato, and so take a bit longer to cook than white potatoes. Their skins can be tough and lumpy, so a good scrubbing is suggested to make the skins palatable.

Try to find sweet potatoes that are uniform in size so they will bake evenly. The skin should be firm and smooth with no wrinkles. Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dark place.

 

Ingredients

  • 4 medium sweet potatoes (uniform in size)
  • 2 cups of vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (or to taste)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • Optional: paprika or cinnamon sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

  3. Place a sheet of foil on the oven rack or line a baking pan with foil.

  4. Scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly and rub vegetable oil all over each potato. Prick each potatoes in several places with a fork to aerate.

  5. Arrange the potatoes on the foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until they are fork-tender. 

  6. Cut a 1 1/2-inch "X" in the center of each baked sweet potato. Hold a potato with a pot holder and press upwards until filling "bursts" up through the cuts. Alternatively, cut the baked sweet potatoes in half lengthwise to serve.

  7. Top with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper or paprika or a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

  8. To make the cinnamon sugar combine 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Blend well.

Tips and Variations

  • Top the finished sweet potatoes with shredded Swiss cheese and cooked crumbled bacon. Put them on a foil-lined baking sheet and place them under the broiler just until the cheese has melted.

  • Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with cinnamon sugar and put a few miniature marshmallows on each one. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and place them under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the marshmallows.

  • Cinnamon Maple or Honey Sweet Potatoes - After sprinkling each buttered sweet potato lightly with cinnamon sugar, drizzle with a teaspoon or two of maple syrup or honey.

  • To give the potatoes a more savory flavor, use coconut oil instead of butter, and sprinkle with a teaspoon each of curry powder and cumin. Replace the sugar with brown sugar.

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