Microwaved sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile. Serve them as a quick and easy side dish, load them up with toppings for a filling dinner or add butter and cinnamon sugar and they make a sweet and cozy breakfast.
For everyone else, let’s chat a little more about sweet potatoes…
How long to microwave a sweet potato?
After poking holes in a medium sweet potato, cook for 2 1/2 minutes per side. For each additional sweet potato being cooked at the same time, add 1 minute per side.
Choosing Sweet Potatoes
When choosing sweet potatoes at the store, select ones that are firm, without blemishes or soft or wrinkled spots. If you plan on cooking more than one sweet potato at a time, try to pick ones that are roughly the same size so they cook in the same amount of time. Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) away from apples and onions.
How to Prep Sweet Potatoes for Cooking
Scrub and dry your sweet potato. Then take a fork and pierce it on all sides, 5 or 6 times total. This will allow steam to escape while the potato cooks and prevent it from exploding in your microwave.
How to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave
Can you microwave more than one sweet potato at a time?
Yes! To microwave more than one sweet potato at a time, arrange them in the microwave so they are not touching and add 1 minute per potato per side.
For 2 sweet potatoes microwave: 3 1/2 minutes per side For 3 sweet potatoes microwave: 4 1/2 minutes per side
Can you eat the skin of a sweet potato?
Yes, you can eat the skin of a sweet potato! Just like regular potatoes, the skin of a sweet potato is edible and it is packed full of vitamins and antioxidants.
Is it bad to cook a sweet potato in the microwave?
No, it’s not bad to cook sweet potatoes in the microwave. Some people worry that cooking food in the microwave destroys all its nutrients, but this is simply not true. According to the USDA, microwaves “generally do not destroy nutrients in food” and in fact microwaved foods retain more water-soluble vitamins than foods cooked using other cooking methods. So not only is cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave the fastest and easiest cooking method, but it’s one of the healthiest too.
What’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
I went more in-depth on this topic in my roasted sweet potatoes post, but here’s a quick summary. True yams and sweet potatoes are completely unrelated plant species, but here in the US, we frequently label sweet potatoes as yams in the grocery store. True yams are native to Africa, Asia, and parts of South America and the Caribbean, and have rough, bark-like skin. They are uncommon in large US grocery stores. Sweet potatoes have smoother skin and sweeter flesh. If you’re buying it in a US chain grocery store, you’re almost certainly buying a sweet potato even if it’s labeled “yam.”
What to serve with microwave sweet potatoes?
Serve microwave sweet potatoes on their own with butter and salt and pepper as a side for things like:
Roasted Tri-tip Marinated Steak Roasted Chicken
Or top them with toppings like you would a baked potato or with chili or chopped chicken and beans and they’ll make a filling main dish.
More Easy Microwave Recipes
How to Steam Broccoli in the Microwave How to Cook Corn in the Microwave How to Steam Green Beans in the Microwave How to Steam Cauliflower in the Microwave How to Steam Carrots in the Microwave Microwave Mashed Potatoes
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