Looking for the best way to cook sweet potatoes or yams? This fool-proof method to make baked yams and sweet potatoes is a game changer! Meal prep a bunch of them and store them in the refrigerator so you can grab one whenever you get a craving for something naturally sweet!
Table of Contents
The best way to bake sweet potatoes
The folks at Cooks Illustrated write in their ever-so-modestly titled tome The Best Vegetable Recipes that the best way to make baked yams and sweet potatoes is to lightly coat them in vegetable oil, pierce ‘em multiple times with a knife, and stick them in a 400°F oven for 45 minutes to an hour. I follow their same technique, but I use paleo-friendly fats in place of the vegetable oil!
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (garnet yams)
- Avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or melted coconut oil/ghee/rendered animal fats
- Optional toppings: ghee, toasted almonds, pomeganate arils, aged balsamic vinegar, etc.
How to make baked sweet potatoes (yams)
Heat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Grab the sweet potatoes/garnet yams and pierce them all over with a sharp paring knife.
Brush on your paleo-friendly fat of choice (e.g. avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or melted coconut oil/ghee/rendered animal fats)…
…and pop the sweet potatoes in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife. I rotate the tray 180° and flip the sweet potatoes over at the halfway point to ensure even cooking.
Voila! Perfect baked sweet potatoes – creamy flesh and dry, crispy skin. Not too shabby for 5 minutes of hands-on time.
Add some ghee…
…let it melt…
…and add your favorite toppings, like sliced toasted almonds, pomegranate arils, and aged balsamic vinegar!
Don’t wrap your tubers in foil before you bake them, people! Trust the process!
How to store baked sweet potatoes (yams)
You can store these baked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator in a sealed airtight container for up to four days.
More sweet potato recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Baked Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes garnet yams
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil extra virgin olive oil, or melted coconut oil/ghee/rendered animal fats
- Optional toppings: ghee toasted almonds, pomeganate arils, aged balsamic vinegar, etc.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Grab the sweet potatoes/garnet yams and pierce them all over with a sharp paring knife.
- Brush on your paleo-friendly fat of choice (e.g. avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or melted coconut oil/ghee/rendered animal fats) and pop the sweet potatoes in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife. I rotate the tray 180° and flip the sweet potatoes over at the halfway point to ensure even cooking.
- Voila! Perfect baked sweet potatoes – creamy flesh and dry, crispy skin.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I so often forget the delicious nature of simplicity. Thank you for the recipe and for teaching me how to actually cook these! As Julia Child would say ‘Bon Appetit!’
Super easy and delicious! I’m amazed at how naturally sweet the yams turned out.
Easy and delicious! Thanks for publishing this!
like yams in any way!