This Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe will help you achieve the most perfect caramelized and soft sweet potatoes. Plus, I share fun ways you can turn these sweet potatoes from a side dish into a full and hearty meal.
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes {Sweet & Savory}
I come with another vegetarian recipe for all of my people out there! 🙂 I had a strong request for a baked sweet potatoes recipe this fall and I absolutely LOVE this one because of how much of a MEAL it can be! This is more than your average sweet potato. It's topped with toasted chickpeas, fresh herbs, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and more altogether for an absolute Mediterranean explosion in your mouth!
You don't have to go my route here. You can build these Baked Sweet Potatoes up however you want! The goal of this recipe is to help you achieve that perfectly roasted, soft, and caramelized sweet potato. And I provide some fun suggestions below on how you can dress them up! 😉
Perfect Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes: I just love how you can dress these up and turn them into a full meal. This recipe calls for 3 medium sized sweet potatoes.
Chickpeas: A great source of fiber and protein. They also get nice and crispy in the oven and add wonderful texture to our soft sweet potatoes.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Adds great flavor to our potato. You could also use an olive oil spray.
Paprika: A little smokey flavor goes a long way here.
Dill: The earthy, citrusy flavor pairs well with our potato and chickpeas. We'll be using both fresh dill and the ground seasoning in this dish.
Butter: Wonderful flavor and fat. As a result of including butter, we get a nice caramelization.
Salt + Pepper: We'll add to taste.
Truffle Salt: Such a fun way to top off our flavors.
For garnish: I recommend tzatziki sauce, feta cheese crumbles, fresh dill, spicy honey, and roasted chickpeas. However, you can use whatever you want!
Kitchen equipment you'll need
To make this Baked Sweet Potatoes recipe, you'll need a 5-qt or larger Dutch oven, cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler, measuring cups and spoons, strainer, mixing bowl, baking sheet, and parchment paper.
How to make the best baked sweet potatoes
- First, let's prepare the crunchy chickpeas. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas in warm water. Place a bowl underneath the strainer and let the chickpeas soak for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After soaking, it's time to remove the skin. You can eat chickpeas with the skin on, but a lot of people prefer them with the skin off. To remove it, hold each chickpea between your thumb and index finger. Then, pinch the skin off with your thumb and index finger on your other hand.
- Place skinned chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, coat with cooking spray or olive oil and toss with paprika and dill seasoning.
- Bake for 25 minutes, mixing them up 2-3 times to prevent burning.
- When the chickpeas are finished, set aside and lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Next, we'll prep the sweet potatoes. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and use a vegetable peeler to scrape off any blemishes.
- Heat up water in a 5-qt Dutch oven over high heat. Once boiling, place the sweet potatoes in the water.
- Boil the sweet potatoes for 10 minutes on high. Then, turn the stove off and let them sit in the pot for another 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and cut them ⅔ of the way through. Then place a tablespoon of butter in each slit.
- Grab your baking sheet and place the sweet potatoes on it. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are caramelized and the potato is soft on the inside. You can use a fork or knife to determine this.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooked, use a spoon to fill each one with roasted chickpeas.
- Then, garnish them with your toppings of choice. I used feta cheese, truffle salt, diced cucumber, tzatziki sauce, fresh dill, and spicy honey.
Let's talk garnish
This baked sweet potatoes recipe is the perfect blank slate to play with a variety of toppings! What you put on top really influences the type of dish you'll end up with.
For example, I went a Mediterranean route by adding tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, cucumbers, and dill. These bright and citrusy flavors pair so well with the sweetness of the potato.
However, there are a variety of other ways you can garnish these potatoes for a delicious meal. Here are a few ideas:
- Taco Sweet Potatoes: Top your sweet potatoes with ground beef, chicken, or turkey seasoned with taco seasoning, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions for a Tex-Mex inspired meal.
- Buffalo Sweet Potatoes: Stuff your sweet potatoes with shredded buffalo chicken, sprinkle with bleu cheese crumbles, and drizzle with ranch or bleu cheese dressing. You can even enjoy celery and carrots on the side.
- Pizza Sweet Potatoes: Add tomato sauce to the slit in your sweet potatoes and top with shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese. You can also add mini pepperoni or crumbled sausage.
- Breakfast Sweet Potatoes: Scramble some eggs with cheese and veggies and stuff them inside your sweet potato. What a delicious way to enjoy breakfast!
Answering your Questions about this Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe
How do I store these sweet potatoes?
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Any tips for success?
A good way to cut down on baking time for sweet potatoes is to boil them in water first. This softens them up, eases the cutting process, and allows for a quicker roasting time.
Can I freeze these sweet potatoes?
I wouldn't recommend freezing these sweet potatoes.
Is this baked sweet potato recipe good for meal prep?
Yes! If you’re preparing these for meal prep, I recommend storing the toppings individually and then assembling the potatoes prior to eating. Doing this will keep the recipe fresh.
Can you eat sweet potato skins?
Yes, they're perfectly OK to eat! They're actually contain large amounts of fiber and vitamins! Because this vegetable does grow in the ground, however, it is important to scrub your sweet potato well before cooking to rid them of any unwanted dirt or debris.
How can I speed up the cooking process?
If you’re in a time crunch and want to skip the boiling step, you can speed up the potato cooking time by using your microwave. Just poke a few spots in the potato with a fork and microwave on high for 2-5 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. This will get them soft enough before transferring them to the oven for the final bake.
I don't like chickpeas. What can I use instead?
Most bean varieties can work here. Black beans and sweet potato are a delicious combo. In fact, my Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Recipe takes advantage of this pairing. However, you could also swap for meat-based protein alternatives like shredded chicken or ground beef.
Other recipes you may love
The Best Mediterranean Salad Recipe
Best Baked Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- 5-qt or larger Dutch oven
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Baking sheet
- parchment paper
- strainer
- Mixing Bowl
- Vegetable peeler
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 1 can chickpeas
- extra virgin olive oil or olive oil spray
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dill seasoning
- 3 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- truffle salt, optional
- tzatziki sauce, optional
- diced cucumber, optional
- feta cheese crumbles, optional
- spicy honey, optional
Instructions
- First, let's prepare the crunchy chickpeas. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas in warm water. Place a bowl underneath the strainer and let the chickpeas soak for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After soaking, it's time to remove the skin. You can eat chickpeas with the skin on, but a lot of people prefer them with the skin off. To remove it, hold each chickpea between your thumb and index finger. Then, pinch the skin off with your thumb and index finger on your other hand.
- Place skinned chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, coat with cooking spray or olive oil and toss with paprika and dill seasoning.
- Bake for 25 minutes, mixing them up 2-3 times to prevent burning.
- When the chickpeas are finished, set aside and lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Next, we'll prep the sweet potatoes. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and use a vegetable peeler to scrape off any blemishes.
- Heat up water in a 5-qt Dutch oven over high heat. Once boiling, place the sweet potatoes in the water.
- Boil the sweet potatoes for 10 minutes on high. Then, turn the stove off and let them sit in the pot for another 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and cut them ⅔ of the way through. Place a tablespoon of butter in each slit.
- Grab your baking sheet and place the sweet potatoes on it. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are caramelized and the potato is soft on the inside. You can use a fork or knife to determine this.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooked, use a spoon to fill each one with roasted chickpeas.
- Then, garnish them with your toppings of choice. I used feta cheese, truffle salt, diced cucumber, tzatziki sauce, fresh dill, and spicy honey.
Notes
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!
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1 serving (with toppings): 49 grams Carbs | 23 grams Fat | 13 grams Protein
**Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
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This recipe is so easy and soooo yummy. We substituted chickpeas for chicken, but used all the same seasoning and it was great. We decided to do cucumbers and tzatziki on ours and it was an amazing dinner. You rock Court 🙂
Oops meant to say substituted chicken for chickpeas!
Okay to start off, thanks for taking my recommendation and turning it into such an amazing recipe. My favorite part is how customizable this is. For anyone who is gluten free and dairy free this recipe is AMAZING. I made it my own but removing the cheese, getting protein from the chickpeas and i added some cranberries and chicken. This never gets old as you can always change it up!
I love this accommodation! Thank you for the wonderful inspiration, XO
I loaded up these sweet potatoes and have never been more satisfied with a meal. Such nourishing toppings that courtney suggests and so so delicious. The extra baked potatoes were also a great vessel for eggs the next day
So so good!!