A tutorial on how to “bake” a sweet potato in the microwave in under seven minutes.
If you have not already figured it out, I am a big-time sweet potato lover. I love sweet potato fries. I love sweet potato in soups. I love baked stuffed sweet potatoes for dinner and baked sweet potatoes topped with almond butter for dessert. Clearly, I do not have a problem reaching my necessary vitamin A intake.
With this sweet potato obsession, you can only imagine how frequently I am needing to bake up batches of sweet potatoes. Who am I kidding? I never bake up batches of sweet potatoes. In fact, I do not bake my sweet potatoes at all. I am far too impatient to wait 45 minutes to an hour when a sweet potato craving hits. Instead, I “bake” my sweet potatoes in the microwave.
I have had quite a few people ask me over the past year how to turn this:
into a baked sweet potato in under seven minutes.
Lucky for you, I have decided to feature the sweet potato in my next “How To” post. Following is a step-by-step pictorial on how to “bake” a sweet potato in the microwave when you just do not feel like actually baking it.
How to “Bake” a Sweet Potato in the Microwave
Step 1
Begin by cleaning the sweet potato under running water using a produce scrubbing brush. This is especially important if you also eat the skin of the potato like I do.
Your potato will look like this post-washing.
Step 2
Pierce the potato with a fork about six to eight times. This will prevent the potato from exploding in the microwave. Trust me, you do not want to skip this step!
Step 3
Wet a full-sized sheet of a paper towel with cold water. Gently ring out any excess water. Carefully unfold the paper towel and place it onto a microwave-safe plate. Place the sweet potato onto the paper towel.
Step 4
Loosely fold over both sides of the paper towel to cover the sweet potato. Covering the sweet potato with the damp paper towel will provide a “steaming” effect when microwaving the potato.
Step 5
Microwave the potato on high for approximately six minutes, flipping once halfway through. For a medium potato, I normally microwave it for three minutes, flip, and microwave an additional two and a half to three minutes. Smaller potatoes will take less time. Larger potatoes will take more time. Once you experiment a bit, you will find the “right” amount of time for your potatoes.
Step 6
After cooking, unwrap the potato and let it cool for several minutes.
Step 7
Use a knife to cut the potato in half.
Step 8
Admire how pretty your potato looks and then top it with desired toppings. Some of my favorites include: maple or vanilla almond butter, Melt butter, yellow mustard, salsa, avocado, and dippy eggs- don’t worry, not all at once. The topping choices are pretty much endless.
Easy peasy, right?
Whether you are making dinner with sweet potatoes, baking with sweet potatoes, eating sweet potatoes as a side, or eating sweet potatoes for dessert, save yourself a whole ‘lotta time and nuke them in the microwave. This is the lazy girl’s way of cooking!
Side note: This same method works just as well with regular russet potatoes, too!
Other Food How To’s:
What is your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes?
Comments on this entry are closed.
VERY COOL TIP! I never knew (or even thought to) wrap the potato with a damp cloth/paper towel! This is genius! 🙂
It really helps to “steam” the potatoes a bit so they don’t dry out too much!
Nice..I will try this as soon as I get home from work! I used the “45 minute” method yesterday…
I hope it works out well for you. It is great in a pinch!
Your recipe yields a steamed sweet potato, not a baked one. I recommend using the microwave for the first 4 minutes (as described by you), then cooking it in the oven until done; should be about 20 minutes. This will result in a baked sweet potato.
Thank you for your reply. However, it is simply title “baked” to show that you can produce similar results in the microwave than in the oven. I assume most people understand it is not truly baked.
I just did it this afternoon and the potato came out perfect. Thank you. 6 minutes. Bliss.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that!
Sweet potato came out soft and juicy. Bless you, bless you and bless you again!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I cook russet potatoes all the time in the microwave (though I never wrap them in a damp paper towel..thanks for the tip). I too want my food when I want it.
Yes… when you are craving something you need it then, not 45 minutes later!! 😉
This is so helpful, thank you! And it’s perfect timing because the only two things in my house to eat right now are avocados and sweet potatoes 😉
Haha, toooo funny! I happen to like combining the two!
Great tip for a yummy potato! Shared with my dorm-living sister 😀
Oh I bet she will love that! I wish I had known to do this back when I was in college… of course I wasn’t eating so healthy back then 😉
I would be doomed without being able to microwave sweet potatoes. Eleanor and I have them for lunch almost every day! Great photo how-to!
I am so glad to hear that Eleanor is a sweet potato-loving girl! She is a smart cookie 🙂
It seems so simple but I had NO idea you could do that!! Mind blown. 🙂
Awesome, right? Don’t feel bad. I didn’t start making mine this way until about 2 years ago. Before then I had NO idea either!
Now I’m craving a sweet potato! Great post!
That sure is a great craving to have!
I love this. What a great tip!
Thanks Megan! I hope you give it a try so that you can have sweet potatoes FAST! 🙂
Does it taste the same as baked?
Honestly, it has been SO long since I have eaten a sweet potato that was actually baked that I don’t really remember! 😉 I think the microwaved ones might not be quite as soft in the inside and the skin of the potato doesn’t get as crispy.
i do this for my dog for her treats!
Aww, that is so cute!! Next time I am home at my parents’ house I will have to make some for my puppies!
I live on sweet potatoes. Like every night with dinner. I usually cheat the baked potato method by microwaving on the potato setting and not letting it run the entire time and then switch it into the oven at 450 degrees to finish it up quick so the skin gets a little crisp. I also use this cheat method to soften the potato in order to slice it up into wedges to then cook in the oven fast. It works every time and saves so much time!
Those are both awesome ideas! Thanks Meredith 🙂
Never thought of papertowel wrap. I usually do a baked potato putting it in microwave bowl filled with some water on bottom and cut some slits in it then just lay a dry paper towel over it. Then drain water out of bottom of my bowl and it’s moist and taste just like it was baked in oven. Even better.
Very cool! I’ll have to try out that method too!
I went through a sweet potato + almond butter phase for a long time! I almost always made them in the microwave because it was super hot out and I didn’t want to turn on the oven! It’s such a great short cut!! 🙂 Happy Friday!
That is definitely another huge plus to microwaving over using the oven. When it is warm out I have zero desire to turn on my oven! :/
yum! I love sweet potatoes. My mom always made them in the microwave too.
You and your mom are smart women! 😉
Totally agree — 45 minutes is WAY too long. But the sad thing is I do it anyways because I grew up without a microwave and now it just feels strange to use one. I use mine to store my extra pots and pans 😆
That is so funny! I have heard of people storing pots and pans in their ovens, but not microwaves 😉 I have a feeling if I tried the oven method I would burn my apartment down when I went to preheat my oven 😉
Great how to, thank you! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite parts of Fall!
Aren’t they the best?? My Vitamin A consumption is out of control right now 😉
Thanks for sharing this, brilliant very useful
I’m so glad you think so. I hope you give it a try!
Have you tried cooking 2 potatoes at once? How much longer do you need to cook them?
I have not, so I’m not sure. Let me know if you try!
I did try to make 2 potatoes & cooked for the same amt of time as 1 & it worked out fine!
Everyone at my house loves baked sweet potatoes. I use a very large pyrex bowl, wash my potatoes, put them in the bowl with a tablespoon of water (more or less) cover it with a lid or a plate (no plastic) and microwave it. It always comes out perfect.
Whoa! I have never heard of that method. It sounds really easy. Thanks for sharing!
Do yo still puncture the potatoes with a fork
I sure do!
This is exactly how I cook red potatoes. ?
I’ll have to try that next!
This is so helpful for sweet potato hummus! I want hummus in the summer but didn’t want to heat up the house. THANKS!
You are so welcome! Sweet potato hummus sounds fabulous, by the way 🙂
Wow!! 😋 How do you make sweet potato hummus? I need that recipe, please! 🤗 Lvornheder@yahoo.com
Good ole Google is where I find it! You can find quite a few recipes for it!
My sis-in-law makes those microwave potato bags. So I tried it. I cleaned, pierced potato (just in case) put it in the bag. Cooked on high for 3 mins turned over potato and bag. Microwaved for 4 mins. Had to add few extra minutes because potato was big. Cut open added 1T butter, cinnamon and sugar and there is supper.
What are the microwave potato bags made out of? It sounds really cool!
Entirely made of cotton including the thread. That is the important part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jIarYmIioc. She does not mention cotton thread but my sis-in-law said use the mercerized cotton. This tutorial appears well organized. Hope this helps you. Enjoy.
Huh, very cool! Thanks for sharing!
Very concise, well done and it works well! Thanks
Found the process somewhat interesting.
If you don’t mind me asking, do they taste the same as baked ones?
They do not taste the same, but are still delicious! I think the microwave version does not get quite as soft as when you bake them. But in a pinch, they work!
a coffee filter wet and wrapped around a small to medium sized one works in a pinch. 🙂
That’s an awesome and super clever idea. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Hannah!
Just got done shoveling 8 inches of snow off the driveway and blood sugar is REALLY LOW! 🙂 Looking forward to that sweet potatoe in a few minutes! Wishing you well and keep up the great posts!
We got snow here too! I hope you enjoy the sweet potato 🙂
Someone said about not as crisp as an oven-baked one. Instead of the damp cloth or paper towel, how about glazing with egg (or similar if eggs are off your menu?).
I bought a sweet potato for the first time today and this is a super idea. I will try tomorrow! :-). Thanks.
Great idea! Let me know how it turns out!
Feedback on: Sweet potato with an egg coating in the microwave.
Mine was a reddish outside with orange innards potato. My microwave (MW) is 700w.
I scrubbed the potato and dried it. I broke an egg over it and lathered it with egg with my (clean) hands.
In the MW 5mins. I scraped off the egg which had puddled (what else to do with the rest of the egg but leave it swimming on the plate!) and ate the egg – It was similar to fried egg.
I turned over the potato and back into the MW.
After 1.5mins I sliced the potato length-wise and opened it. This was to ensure the innards cooked properly.
In the MW 3.5mins.
I cut up the potato into bite-sized chunks and ate (including the skin).
It was OK and I don`t think the egg coating added or detracted from the potato at all.
Next time I may add some veggies or whatever….:-)
Interesting eggsperiment….
It sounds like it was an interesting experiment! Thanks for sharing 😀
Thankyouthankyouthankyou! This is the first sweet potato I’ve ever enjoyed without adding something sweet. It was perfect; and I stopped eating it to share my happiness. Now, back to the potato…
I am SO you are enjoying it! It is a great time-saver!
I tried this out today. The first time, my potato turned to mush. I’m guessing because my paper towel was drenched and I left in the microwave too long.
The second time, turned out fantastic! I added a little cinnamon and butter and it was like eating dessert!
Gotta love when veggies taste like dessert!!
Thanks for the tip. It really works. It tastes like the sweet potatoes were baked in the oven, not shrivelled up from the microwave.
YES! I’m so glad you are enjoying it!
My husband is peeling and cutting sweet potatoes into cubes and then boiling for about ten mins. I said I was releasing him for this chore. I am going to microwave the potato so every bit of vitamins and nutrients don’t end up in the boiling water!
Yes, yes, yes! I hope you enjoyed the method!
Thanks for sharing this! So much easier then cooking them over a long period of time. I am going to try this for lunch today (as soon as I get to the store and back). Always finding new things to eat on my new journey of eating clean.
Sometimes you just need EASY, which is why I love this. I hope you do too!
Thank you! I’m in college and it’s soo rough trying to eat healthy with only a microwave. It’s basically either spending way too much money to eat out or those frozen tv dinners. This is amazing. Life saver!
Yay! I’m so glad you have found it helpful. And good for you for trying to lead a healthy life, even while in college. I wish I had done that!
Hi, Hannah! Thanks for the great post! I’ve never been a sweet potato fan, but want to try to incorporate some in my diet and hopefully learn to love them! Btw, read your short bio and, although you probably do, just want to recommend drinking LOTS of water! So important for both conditions you are fighting! Thanks again!
Thank you! Yes, I drink close to a gallon a day so I’m pretty good about that. I hope you learn to love those sweet potatoes!!
Got my first sweet potato yesterday, so glad I found you. Was wondering how to deal with it and it’s almost lunch time. Many thanks
You are so welcome! I am glad you found your way here, too!
I just Googled “how to make a sweet potato in microwave” and this is the first thing that popped up! Can’t wait to try it tomorrow! One question – have you every microwaved a sweet potato and ate it the next day? Just wondering how that would be.
I have done that for both microwaved and baked sweet potatoes. I generally just warm them up again in the microwave and they taste just fine to me!
Does it take a longer baking time with more than one potato?
I have not cooked more than one at a time, but I imagine it would. I would start by adding two minutes to the cooking time and then more if needed.
I especially like a fairly small potatoe. Scrub and wrap with damp towel, Place in microwave set to 1Potatoe and nuke. Cut an opening and place wedge of butter and a little cinnamon. This is especially good as a snack when you have the munchies. I eat the skin and all.
Sweet potatoes are SUCH a good snack. You are definitely not alone in that. I also eat the skins!
Here’s what I do: With potato and hands wet, I wrap a dry paper towel around potato; wet potato and wet hands take care of the middle, then wetting my hands again I wet and tighten each end. No more undoing a wet, scrunched-up paper towel. Thanks for reminding me to stick the potato with a fork!
You can’t forget that important fork-sticking step! 😉
I tried your microwave pre-wet wrapped paper towel method for my sweet potato and it worked out perfectly. Thanks. Then I mixed some butter, cinnamon, and syrup in a microwave dish, and heated it for apx 30 seconds, and drizzed this hot combo over my sweet potato, and it was excellent. First I ate the flesh of the sweet potato, then drizzled a little of the above condiments, put the skin in the microwave again, for a few seconds, and then enjoyed eating the skin. Par excellence.
You bet! I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Thank You!…on my way to sweet potato heaven now…….
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy the cooking method!
How warm do you set your microwave to?
I leave mine on the “high” setting the entire duration.
I do a monthly cooking column for families where both parents work and for some reason this morning decided to add sweet potatoes as a side to a tuna noodle casserole with enough ingredients in it to sink the Titanic. Then I realized baking a potato is the oven can take an hour so I looked on the internet to see if a sweet potato could be prepared in the oven and, sure enough, there you were with your excellent tips and splendid photos. Thank you for helping and thank you for making my readers happier.
You are so welcome. I hope they all enjoy it!
Is there I different timeframe if cooking more than one (3-4 small/Med).
I have not cooked more than one at a time, but I would imagine you would need to add some additional time- maybe a couple of minutes? Let me know if you try it out!
Great article! Just tried your method and it worked like a dream. I ate my sweet potato with almond butter, which I would have never thought of trying. It was so good! Thank you!!
Isn’t it such a good combo? Almond butter is definitely one of my most favorite toppings for sweet potatoes!
Try making Sweet Potato Jerky for dog treat. Make them for my Labradoodle and his Buds at the dog park. Big hit, easy to make and you can enjoy them for a snack too! Just Google Sweet Potato Jerky for many recipes in oven or dehydrator.
Such a cool idea. I have a soft spot in my heart for doodles, so I love that you have a labradoodle!
We will be trying this tonight as a favorite side to a rack of baby back ribs and a steamed broccoli crown. My wife and I will be 80 this year and since I retired, I have been doing all the cooking. I have been trying to find the utopia of nuked sweet taters and it looks like my quest is over. I have been splitting them open, lengthwise and laying them cut side down in a Pyrex dish with a Tbsp of butter and a little salt and pepper. For our money, butter, salt and pepper are ALL that is needed for a perfect sweet potato.
Later from the far northwest.
Bill
I hope you loved it! It is definitely a favorite of mine!
Totally worked! Thank you for the very college-friendly method 🙂
Great! I am so glad it worked for you. This is definitely perfect for someone who only has a microwave!
Hi. Should I set the microwave at medium or high?
It should be on high. I will get the post updated to reflect that!
Thank you this worked really well – I have never been successful with ordinary potatoes. The damp paper towel is clearly the key. OK it is not technically baked and the skin is not crisp but it is far more economical than heating conventional oven for one potato and was very tasty!
I’m so glad you tried it and it worked! Yes, not the same as a true baked potato, but pretty darn good in under 10 minutes!
I will need to cook two or three potatoes for my family. Do I double the cooking time?
You probably won’t need to double the time, but will need to add at least another 2-3 minutes. I’d just try experimenting with it to see what works with your microwave.
I have been making my “baked” potatoes and sweet potatoes this way for years. I did not know about the damp paper towel, I’ll try that. I have put cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar on the sweet potato and it is yummy. Also have tried applesauce with cinnamon.
I definitely think the damp paper towel makes a difference, so you should absolutely try it. Nice idea with the applesauce addition. I’ll have to give that a go!
How about oiling the skin instead of water?
You could definitely try that, but I think the water on the paper towel is important because it helps steam the potato as it cooks.
Yes, I too love the damp paper towel tip, which gives the steaming affect! Totally ingenious, makes total sense! Wish I would have thought of it myself!! Lol 🙂
It’s definitely a good one!
do not like microwaved regular or sweet potatoes because I like crispy skins on them when I eat them so, I’ll keep using the oven. But for those who like the “steamed” kind your post is good
There’s no doubt that baked potatoes are the best, but this is great for when you are in a pinch!
This is the first time I’ve cooked sweet potato but your easy recipe worked a treat! I wasn’t even sure I would like it, but it was really delicious, and I can’t wait to cook another. The damp kitchen towel is genius 🙂 thank you!
I am so glad you found it helpful. It is definitely one of my favorite kitchen hacks!
when the summer is here, too hot to bake my sweet potatoes, thank for the micowave fast enough to cook my sweet potatoes when I wanted to eat, and it turn out yummy, a fast way to cook it. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoy this method!
I have a sweet potato in the microwave right now. It looks delicious. I will let you know later. This is my first time to try your recipe.
Years later and it is still my go-to method!
Congrats to all you living in such luxury to have hours to bake potatoes in the oven and didn’t understand the time saving intent of her post.
Sometimes you just have to do what saves time, right?!
Thanks for sharing this recipe…. I hope these could be helpful to choose the right on to purchase microwave oven among this options.
Hi, there are 3 of us in my family. Could I cook all three at the same time in the microwave or do you recommend one at a time?
WOW, A very nice technic that I liked very much, I used to be very scared now I will get a little cheaper,
WOW, A very nice technic that I liked very much, I used to be very scared now I will get a little cheaper, thank you
WOW, A very nice technic that I liked very much, I used to be very scared now I will get a little cheaper, thank you..
WOW, A very easy technic that I loved it very much, I used to be very scared now I will get a little cheaper, thank you..
Hey there, thanks for sharing this fantastic article on how to make a baked sweet potato in the microwave. As someone who is always on the go and looking for quick and easy meal options, this is definitely going to come in handy. I appreciate the detailed instructions and helpful tips that you provided, especially the reminder to poke holes in the potato to avoid any messy explosions!
One thing I particularly love about this recipe is how versatile it is. Sweet potatoes are such a nutritious and delicious food, and they can be paired with so many different toppings and seasonings to create a variety of flavors. Whether you’re in the mood for something savory, like bacon and cheese, or something sweet, like cinnamon and honey, the possibilities are endless. Plus, the fact that they can be cooked in just a few minutes in the microwave makes them a great option for a quick and satisfying snack or meal.
Overall, I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this recipe and for your helpful tips and tricks. I’m definitely going to be giving this a try the next time I’m craving a healthy and delicious sweet potato. Keep up the great work, and I can’t wait to see what other tasty recipes you have in store!
Another great recipe.
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