How to Microwave a Sweet Potato

It only takes 8 minutes to cook a sweet potato in the microwave. You will have a sweet potato ready to top, smash, or serve for lunch or dinner in no time.

It’s Easy to Microwave a Sweet Potato

We love a good baked sweet potato, but sometimes you just don’t have the time. Keep meal time easy and microwave sweet potatoes for dinner or if you need to soften a sweet potato for sweet potato pancakes or sweet potato burgers.

FAQ

Featured Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients to make these sweet potatoes in the microwave.

• Sweet Potatoes- you can use sweet potatoes or yams for this recipe. Be sure to leave the skin on.
• Olive oil– olive oil keeps the sweet potato moist and aids in cooking the sweet potato in the microwave. We like the taste of olive oil but if you’d like to use a different oil, go ahead.
• Salt + pepper- we kept things simple for this sweet potato recipe. If you would like to add more flavor to these sweet potatoes you can use any flavorful dry rub like fajita seasoning or taco seasoning.

How to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave

1. Prepare the sweet potato. Use a sharp fork or knife to carefully poke holes all over the sweet potato. Drizzle the potato with olive oil and use your hands to massage the oil into the potato. Season the potato with salt and pepper and massage the spices into the potato. 
2. Cook the potato. Place the potato on a microwave safe plate and cook the potato on high for 4 minutes. 
3. Flip the potato. Feel the potato to make sure it isn’t mushy* and then flip the potato and cook on high for another 2 minutes. If after 2 minutes, the potato is fork tender, remove the potato from the microwave. If it isn’t quite ready, cook the potato for an additional 2 minutes. 
4. Enjoy the potato. Remove the potato from the microwave and cut the potato in half. Place the tablespoon of butter in the middle of the potato, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy.

Top Tips

Make sure you poke holes deep enough into the potato. It helps cook the potato a bit quicker as well as any accidental potato eruptions in them microwave. 😉

Remember that the size of your sweet potato will dictate how long it has to be in the microwave. If your sweet potato is smaller, 6 minutes may be enough. If your sweet potato is large you may need to add a few extra minutes to the cook time.

Back-to-Basics Sweet Potato Tutorials

Sweet potatoes are an excellent, versatile veggie to roast, puree, bake with, add to bowls, the list goes on! Check out some of our back-to-basics sweet potato tutorials.

Storage

Let sweet potatoes cool completely. Then, transfer them into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Can I freeze baked sweet potatoes?

To freeze baked sweet potato, let it cool completely. Then, tightly wrap it in tin foil and place it in a freezer-safe gallon-size bag for up to 3 months.