Not sure how to cook sweetpotatoes? Have no fear, the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission is here to help you conquer the kitchen and learn the easy tricks of cooking sweetpotatoes. For many of our “How-To” tips click on one of the tabs below to learn more about choosing your sweetpotato, how to cute, store, bake, grill or microwave!
How to Choose a Sweetpotato
There are hundreds of types of sweetpotatoes ranging from white and mild to deep red and super sweet to purple with a warm nutty flavor profile. Many are grown in small quantities and can be found at local farmers markets. Lucky for you, North Carolina sweetpotatoes are available every month of the year. When selecting sweetpotatoes, it is important that they are firm to the touch and show no signs of decay. For even cooking, choose sweetpotatoes that are uniform in shape and size.
The following are three popular sweetpotato varieties found in grocery stores nationwide. Depending on flavor and texture, certain sweetpotato varieties lend themselves better to certain recipes.
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Covington – A favorite for mashing or roasting, the Covington has rose colored skin and sweet orange flesh. |
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White – These generally have a pale copper skin, almost like a potato, but don’t be fooled. This tater’s white flesh is sweet, creamy and ideal for soups and stews. |
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Oriental – oriental sweetpotatoes have red skin and dry, white flesh. Roast these up with a few of your favorite root veggies for a colorful side dish. |
| Purple – these sweetpotatoes have both purple flesh and purple skin. Their deep nutty flavor lends well for baking and roasting. Try a purple sweetpotato cheesecake. A truly decadent treat to both see and eat! |
Many types of sweetpotatoes are grown in North Carolina. Although some are grown for special uses, the majority are the orange-fleshed, moist, sweet varieties that are widely accepted in the fresh market and for processing. The list of sweetpotato varieties changes rapidly and new varieties with superior qualities are released almost annually. Each variety has certain advantages and disadvantages. For a complete comparison of sweetpotato varieties, refer to our variety table.
How to Store Sweetpotatoes
Now that you’ve found your spud of choice, follow our tips on how to store sweetpotatoes so you can have fresh, sweet and delicious sweetpotatoes whenever your craving strikes.
Follow our proper storage procedures carefully in order to prevent your sweetpotatoes from bruising or spoiling.
- Avoid storing sweetpotatoes in the refrigerator, which will produce a hard center and unpleasant taste.
- Instead, store your sweetpotatoes in a cool, dry, well ventilated container. For best results, store them in a basement or root cellar away from strong heat sources.
Note: Your sweetpotatoes can store for up to two weeks if stored properly.
How to Cut & Prepare a Sweetpotato
Matchsticks, cubes, wedges, planks and more! Sweetpotatoes are versatile and delicious in every way, shape and form! A recent consumer research survey showed that 20% of young adults don’t feel that sweetpotatoes are easy to cook.
To help conquer the sweet tater trepidation, The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission partnered with Jeanine Donofrio of the blog Love & Lemons to show you how to cut sweetpotatoes!
You may have found that larger sweetpotatoes can prove difficult to cut. We recommend using a large knife and gently apply your weight forward to thrust the knife through the sweetpotato. To avoid browning, rinse the flesh with cold water.
Watch our video below featuring Jeanine for a sweetpotato cutting tutorial.
If you’d like to download or print this information, please click here for a downloadable “Sweetpotato 101” resource.
Recipe Inspiration:
- Wedges — Sweetpotato Wedges with Parsley Salad
- Cubes — Roasted Sweetpotato And Poblano Salad
- Diced — Sweetpotato Turkey Hash
- Matchsticks — Crispy Sweetpotato Fries with Blue Cheese Dressing
- Rounds — Spiced Maple Bacon Candy Sweetpotatoes
How to Bake Sweetpotatoes
Baking sweetpotatoes is a simple and delicious way to savor your favorite spud. Easy as popping that tater into a hot oven and 45 minutes later, you have a steamy pocket of sweet, caramelized fluffy goodness.
Butter and a dash of salt is what we like to call “The Classic.” But baked sweetpotatoes leave plenty of room for taste bud creativity. Take that tater up a notch by loading it with your favorite fillings. From chicken chili to thanksgiving leftovers, bacon to kale salad, scrambled eggs to guacamole, baked sweetpotatoes were made to be stuffed.
Enjoy as a side dish or on its own as a light lunch or dinner, a baked sweetpotato is foolproof deliciousness!
Baking Sweetpotatoes
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- With a fork, pierce sweetpotato skin 5-6 times.
- Place on baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Baked Sweetpotato Recipes:
How to Make Baked Sweetpotato Fries
When it comes to sweetpotato fries, crispy perfection is what we strive for! Don’t worry, our extra crispy sweetpotato fries do not require buckets of oil or deep-frying. In fact, these crunchy bites of heaven are BAKED. Oh yes, Baked Sweetpotato Fries. Dive deep into a hot, crispy batch without an ounce of guilt. Need a visual? No problem! The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission teamed up with Jeanine Donofrio of the blog Love & Lemons to create a step-by-step video showing you how to bake your sweetpotato fries to crispy perfection!
Baked Sweetpotato Fries Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Peel the sweetpotatoes, if desired, and cut into 1/4-inch strips.
- In a large bowl, combine sweetpotatoes, oil and salt; with your hands, toss to coat.
- Spread sweetpotatoes in a single layer on racks or foil without crowding; set aside remaining sweetpotatoes.
- Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Repeat until all the sweetpotatoes are baked.
Sweet Trick: For crisper results, place a metal rack on each baking sheet.
For the official Baked Sweetpotato Fries recipe and video, visit our Recipe page!
How to Grill Sweetpotatoes
What’s orange and creamy with black all over? Grilled Sweetpotatoes! Don’t let our sweet nature fool you – sweetpotatoes can take the heat! Famous for our long-standing appearance on holiday dinner tables, most are surprised to find that sweetpotatoes are actually a year-round vegetable. When the temperature starts to warm up, we love to grill sweetpotatoes. Sweet and creamy on the inside, charred and crunchy on the outside – what’s not to love?
From wedges to rounds, planks to cubes, Grilled Sweetpotatoes come in many forms! Check out the How to Cut Sweetpotatoes tab.
Grilled Sweetpotato Instructions:
- Just before putting on the grill, season sweetpotatoes liberally with salt.
- Place sweetpotato wedges directly on the cooking grate over direct heat; grill until well-marked, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Move to indirect heat. Finish cooking, turning halfway through, until soft and tender, 20-30 minutes. Remove from grill.
Too cold outside? Don’t worry! You can have grilled sweetpotatoes year-round! Here’s how:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- On a rack fitted into a baking sheet, place sweetpotato wedges and season well with salt.
- Bake until tender and browned around the edges, about 30 minutes.
Grilled Sweetpotato Recipes:
How to Microwave Sweetpotatoes
Short on time? Simply ravenous? Just can’t wait another 5 minutes until you have a bite of fluffy sweetpotato in your mouth? Don’t worry, friends, pop that spud into the microwave and your sweetpotato craving will be satiated in a matter of minutes!
Microwaving a sweetpotato is quite possibly the quickest and easiest way to cook your sweetpotato. Without wasting precious time to preheat and bake, you’ll still achieve the sweet, caramelization that an oven-baked sweetpotato is known for. Not sure when your microwaved sweetpotato is ready? The sweetpotato’s thin skin puffs to a crisp finish and inside you’ll discover a sweet, pillowy flesh.
Microwave a Sweetpotato Instructions:
- Pierce the sweetpotato skin 5-6 times.
- Place on a microwaveable plate and microwave for 5-8 minutes, rotating halfway through.
Microwaved Sweetpotato Recipes:
Crockpot Sweetpotatoes
Crock pot sweetpotatoes are easy, convenient and nearly foolproof. Plus, there’s no better feeling than coming home after a long day to a great dinner that is ready to be devoured.
The crock pot is designed to cook for an extended period of time, releasing the intense flavor of the ingredients it withholds. When sweetpotatoes are slow cooked, they release their sweet, caramel flavor while soaking up all of the ingredients’ flavors as they marinate together. We believe the crock pot sweetpotato recipe is the true meaning of comfort food.
For a delicious and stress-free dinner, try out Caribbean Crock Pot Sweetpotato Stew. Simply peel and dice your sweetpotatoes and toss with your favorite ingredients! This recipe calls for chopped onion, garlic, beans, chicken, sausage and many spices. Cover and simmer on low. In a few hours, your sweetpotato masterpiece will be cooked to perfection! For the full recipe, please click here.
