Learn how to cook whole sweet potatoes in the microwave, ready in just 10 minutes compared to your normal 1 hour in the oven! The microwave makes cooking sweet potatoes quick, simple, and energy efficient. Add your microwave cooked sweet potatoes to virtually any meal to bulk it up and for some extra sweetness!

The simplest method for cooking sweet potatoes is in the microwave. Cooking sweet potatoes or any potato in the oven can be a hassle, but with this cooking method you will have whole cooked sweet potatoes in 10 minutes without turning on your oven.

All you need is a fork, a microwave safe plate, and a sweet potato. 

Why This Microwave Sweet Potato Recipe Works

• Microwave cooking is more energy efficient because it sends nearly all of its energy into the food, resulting in a quick 10 minute cook vs. a 1 hour bake in the oven. 
• The clean up is quick! All you need is a fork, a plate, and any sweet potato. 

Our recipe testers say:

• • “I will never cook another sweet potato in the oven again! This has saved me an incredible amount of time. “
  • “Dare I say they are actually SWEETER cooked in the microwave?! Well they are!”

Ingredients For Microwaved Sweet Potatoes 

• Sweet Potato of your choice: Jewel (orange), Hannah (white), Purple, Japanese, Garnett (orange)  
• Butter, salt, black pepper, and minced herbs for seasoning (see below for more ideas)

What kind of Sweet Potatoes to use?

• Jewel Sweet Potatoes – A little orange, a little cooper in color on the outside with a deep orange flesh. These are mildly sweet. 
• Hannah Sweet Potatoes – These are cream colored with a fairly smooth skin. They are pretty sweet and more firm than others when cooked. 
• Garnett Sweet Potatoes – Similar to the Jewel sweet potato in taste, but has a more of a reddish exterior.  
• Japanese Sweet Potatoes – Light color purple with a pretty smooth skin and are generally more round than a regular purple sweet potato. They are also very sweet! 
• Purple Sweet Potatoes – Not very sweet at all, but really beautiful purple skin and purple flash. They are also a fairly dry potato that is elongated and skinny.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Microwave 

1. Use a fork to poke many holes all over your sweet potato and then place it on a microwave safe plate or pyrex dish.
2. Place it in the microwave for about 7 minutes to begin. The time will vary on the size of your sweet potato and the voltage of your microwave.
3. Remove the sweet potato from the microwave and poke it with a fork to check to see if it is fully cooked through.
4. If the sweet potato is still slightly undercooked, rotate it and continue cooking in 1 minute intervals.
5. Check with a fork again to see if sweet potato is cooked through. Your fork should easily pierce it right into the center. 
6. Use a knife to either make a deep slit in the middle of your sweet potato or cut them into cubes and season them up with one of our favorite flavor combinations below! 

Tools Used in This Recipe

• The best: Pyrex Dishes with Lids – all microwave safe! 
• Eco friendly: Bamboo Cutting Board that I use everyday. It’s large and reversible! 

Great Flavor Combinations

Cinnamon and Sugar. Add a pat of butter to your open sweet potato and top with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Sometimes we like to add a nut butter and pecans on top too! 

Salt and Pepper. Keep it simple with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Kosher salt is definitely best here!  

Garlic and Herbs. Drizzle your split sweet potatoes with olive oil and add any minced herbs such as thyme, rosemary, chives, and basil! Grate some garlic over top for a spicy kick that is unbeatable. 

Spicy Chipotle. Sweet potatoes are the perfect backdrop for something a little more spice forward. Since they are so sweet, adding some cayenne and chipotle powder along with garlic powder and butter will be just the kick you are looking for! 

FAQs

How long to microwave whole sweet potatoes?

This will depend on the size of your potato. A medium sized potato took me about 7 minutes with a higher voltage microwave. If you have an extra large and more round potato, you may need up to 10-12 minutes.  

Can you cooked cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave?

Definitely! Just keep a close eye on them as they cook quick and dry out faster. You can also cover them up a damp paper towel to help them stay moist. 

Can I use this microwave method to cook regular white potatoes?

Absolutely and I highly recommend you giving it a try if you haven’t before. You can cook them the exact same way, just cut down the cooking time by a couple of minutes. Start with 5 minutes and check.