Sweet potatoes are a delicious and nutritious vegetable that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Originally from South America, nowadays sweet potatoes become the favorite of millions of people around the word. They can be cooked by boiling, steaming or baking; in which, baking is a great way to wake up their natural sweetness with a soft, creamy texture. The instruction will shows how to make baked sweet potatoes in oven as well as baked sweet potatoes in air fryer.
Baked sweet potatoes in oven vs. in air fryer
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Olive oil optional
- Salt and pepper optional
- Herbs coriander, onion..., chopped nut, cinnamon, cheese, cream cheese (optional
Instructions
Baked Sweet Potatoes in Oven
This is the most classic method that results in tender and creamy sweet potatoes. Especially with jewel or garnet sweet potatoes, a caramelized texture will come up after baking. Let’s follow this step-by-step guide to bake sweet potatoes in the oven:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) in 15 minutes and cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. While waiting, wash the sweet potatoes carefully to remove any dirt or debris, then pat dry with towel. Use a folk to prick sweet potatoes a few times in order to make some holes for the steam to escape while baking and prevents a “boom”. Another way is to slice it into sticks like the image below.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Based on your own tastes, it’s optional to rub olive oil over the sweet potato.
- Bake in 45-60 minutes for the whole sweet potatoes baking or 20-30 minutes for sweet potatoes sticks until all cooked. To check if they are done, pierce them by a folk to see if they’re tender enough.
- Let them cool down for a while. Enjoy your baked sweet potatoes in oven barely or top with salt, pepper, coriander or anything you like such as cheese, butter, chia seeds, chopped nut, cinnamon, etc.
Baked sweet potato in air fryer
- Air fryer has become a popular kitchen tool in many families. It cooks foods by hot air circulating around them, bringing a crispy exterior and a soft interior. Based on its operating principles of air fryer, the way to bake sweet potatoes has been adjusted a little bit.
- The temperature to bake using air fryer should be a bit lower at 375°F (~190°C), preheat time down to 10 minutes, and baking time down to 35-40 minutes for the whole sweet potatoes, or 15-20 minutes for sweet potatoes sticks. Check once after that and decide to bake more or stop depending on the tenderness you want.
- To make the sweet potatoes cooked more evenly, shake or flip them after 15-20 minutes of baking to ensure they are cooked both sides.
Nutrition
Baked sweet potatoes in oven or air fryer is a very simple and flavorful way to enjoy these wonderful vegetables. Beside following the above instruction, also keep an eye on your oven or air fryer at home to adjust the timing a bit. So, pick several good sweet potatoes, preheat your oven or air fryer, and get ready to treat yourself by a healthy and nutritious food of the world!