How to bake sweet potatoes perfectly in the oven or air fryer. Soft and creamy inside, caramelized outside. Just 3 ingredients. Perfect for meal prep, stuffing, bowls, or eating on their own.
Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands until they are evenly coated in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat the sweet potatoes evenly.
If they are medium to large sweet potatoes poke them with a fork.
Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring them once or twice during cooking, until they are tender and caramelized on the outside.
How to bake sweet potatoes in the air fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F and wash and scrub your sweet potatoes under running water. Pat dry with a towel.
Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the sweet potatoes in the air fryer, making sure they don't touch each other. f they are medium to large sweet potatoes, poke them with a fork.
Cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. Flip them over halfway through the cooking time. Check for doneness by inserting a fork into the thickest part of the sweet potatoes. If they are cooked through, the fork will slide in easily.
Oven
Set oven to 400°F.
Wash, dry, and poke sweet potatoes with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, rub to coat. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake 40 to 60 minutes. Flip once halfway.
Let cool a few minutes before cutting open.
Air Fryer
Set air fryer to 400°F.
Wash, dry, poke with fork. Rub with oil, season with salt.
Place in basket without touching. Cook 20 to 35 minutes.
Flip halfway through.
Check with fork. Remove and cool before cutting.
Notes
Pick sweet potatoes of similar size so they cook evenly.
Always poke with a fork before baking to release steam.
Don't wrap in foil if you want caramelized skin.
Line the baking sheet with parchment to catch sticky drips.
Time varies by size: small ~35 min, medium ~50 min, large ~60 min.
They're done when a knife slides through the center easily.
Store in the fridge up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.