Easy Microwaved Sweet Potato

Feature image showing a fork fluffing the cooked inside of a sweet potato, showing the fork-tender and perfectly cooked interior.

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Learn how to microwave a sweet potato in under 10 minutes. This method gives you a sweet potato with tender flesh and soft skin, no oven required.

Prep Time1

Cook Time7

Total Time8

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: Serving

Calories: 194kcal

Author: Meredith

Equipment

potato scrubber (helpful, but not required)
kitchen scale (helpful to gauge cooking time needed)
fork or sharp knife
Paper Towels
microwave-safe plate

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato

Instructions

Wash and scrub. Run the sweet potato under water and scrub it well to remove any dirt or residue. You are eating the skin, so give it a good clean.
Poke holes all over. Use a fork (or a sharp knife) to poke holes into all sides of the potato.
Wrap it up. Wet a paper towel, wring it out so it's damp but not dripping, and wrap it snugly around the potato. Set the wrapped potato on a microwave-safe plate.
Microwave and flip halfway. Microwave on high power for half the time required to cook your potato based on the size / weight. Flip the wrapped potato with a tongs or oven mitt, and continue to cook for the additional time required.
*See the timing guide below for how long to cook based on size.*
Check for doneness. The potato is ready when a fork slides easily into the center without much resistance. If it still feels firm, keep going in 30 second increments and check again.

Notes

Potato cooking time guide: Note that the size, shape, and your microwave wattage will all affect the cooking time required, so treat these as a starting point and check for doneness before you pull it out. A short, thick potato will take longer to cook through the middle than a long, skinny one of the same weight.

Small sweet potato (about 6 to 8 ounces): about 3 minutes, flip, then 2 more minutes
Medium sweet potato (about 9 to 12 ounces): about 3 minutes, flip, then 3 more minutes
Large sweet potato (about 13 to 16 ounces): about 4 minutes, flip, then 4 more minutes

Cooking two at a time? You'll need to add an additional 1 to 4 minutes to the cook time. Check to see if they've reached fork-tender, continuing to cook in 1 minute increments until a fork slides in easily.

Storage: Let the potatoes cool completely, then store them whole or scooped into an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Detailed freezer notes above in the blog post if needed.

Nutrition