How to Microwave Sweet Potatoes

This post may contain affiliate links.

If you’re looking for the fastest way to cook sweet potatoes, you’re in the right spot! Learn the secrets on how to microwave sweet potatoes while keeping the inside moist and delicious. It’s the best, easiest, and quickest way to cook whole sweet potatoes!

How to Microwave Sweet Potatoes

There are plenty of reasons sweet potatoes are one of my favorite go-to vegetables! They’re delicious, full of unbelievably good-for-you vitamins and minerals, and they’re truly so easy to cook.

Microwaving sweet potatoes is the fastest way to cook them, and today I’m sharing my fool proof method. You’ll get a fluffy sweet potato in minutes and then you can can pair it with any healthy meal you want.

If you’re meal prepping for Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free or any other healthy eating plans, or if you simply need an easy side dish to serve with dinner, a microwaved sweet potato is a great go-to. You can even save time and energy on a rockin’ recipe like my healthy sweet potato casserole, with this method of cooking a whole sweet potato.

You can add your favorite toppings to make a satisfying side dish, or load it up with protein like pulled pork or Crockpot pulled chicken for a main course. It’s even a wonderful healthy snack to tide you over between meals too! So if you’re ready to have a yummy sweet potato in minutes, let’s get started.

Why You’ll Love this Helpful How-To

If you’re a potato lover, this how to is going to come in handy for sure:

• You don’t have to turn on the oven or finagle some big kitchen appliance to make a delicious side. Learn how to microwave sweet potatoes and then you’re good to go!
• This method works for all different sizes of sweet potatoes. It’s the fastest way to cook up this amazing root vegetable. You can even use them to make a sweet potato breakfast hash!
• No more mushy sweet potato — this foolproof method makes a tender potato every single time. If you’re tired of potatoes with a funky texture, then you’ve gotta give this a shot.

How to Microwave Sweet Potatoes

Ready to learn how to microwave sweet potatoes? Then follow these simple steps below:

Wash each sweet potato well and scrub the skin to remove any dirt. Then use a fork to poke holes in each potato. This will allow the steam to escape without exploding your potato in the microwave.

Wrap a wet paper towel around each potato. You don’t want it to be dripping wet, but it should be much more saturated than a damp paper towel. This helps keep them from drying out in the microwave.

Lay the wrapped potatoes on a microwave-safe plate, spacing them out a little. You can skip the plate and lay them directly on the microwave dish, but then you’ll need to use thongs, potholders, or a clean oven mitt to remove them once they’re cooked (or wait until they’ve cooled and use your hands). 

Cook on high heat for 10 minutes for medium potatoes. You can then test for doneness by poking a sweet potato with a knife. It should easily slide through to the middle of the softened potato.

Remove the plate from the microwave and set aside until cooled enough to handle. Slice open, then add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

How Long to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave

The cook time will depend on the size of your sweet potato! Follow these timelines to cook your sweet potatoes in the microwave:

• Small Potato (2-3 inches thick): 8-9 minutes on high
• Medium Potato (4 inches thick): 10-11 minutes on high
• Large Potato (5-6 inches thick): 13 minutes on high

Storing leftovers

You can absolutely store leftovers, though I do recommend removing the tender filling from the skin before storing. By doing this, you’ll be able to more easily and evenly reheat the leftovers whenever you’re ready to eat! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

What to Serve with Microwave Sweet Potatoes

These sweet and tender, easy microwave potatoes go well with so many main courses. From air fryer grilled chicken and brown sugar pork chops to air fryer turkey meatballs and grilled chicken drumsticks, you can serve a sweet potato with almost anything.

I love to serve this side dish with honey soy marinated pork belly or slow cooker Italian lamb shoulder too. You can also make a loaded sweet potato with pulled pork, cheese, and other tasty toppings.

Toppings for Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are great for savory flavors and sweet. Along with salted butter, here are some more topping ideas if you’re serving this as a side dish:

Savory Toppings

• sour cream
• chives or green onions
• salsa
• black beans
• shredded chicken
• chili
• bacon
• cheese
• buffalo chicken

Sweet Toppings

• maple syrup
• honey
• cinnamon
• marshmallows
• fruit and nuts

Tips for Success

Check out these few extra tips to ensure that you know all of the key steps on how to microwave sweet potatoes:

• If you’re placing the sweet potatoes directly on the microwave turntable, make sure it is fully cleaned before doing so. You don’t want leftover food bits on your potatoes.
• Clean you sweet potatoes very well before cooking. These are root vegetables and often have dirt and debris still on them. So clean the skin of a sweet potato before microwaving.
• Try to microwave potatoes that are similar in size. A medium sweet potato will have a shorter cook time than large sweet potatoes, and so on and so forth. So use equal sizes so that they all finish at the same time.

FAQ

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
• How to Freeze Strawberries
• The BEST Roasted Broccoli
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Aioli
• 10 Whole30 Mini Meals & Snacks