This Microwave Method Makes the Fluffiest, Most Delicious Sweet Potatoes

Whether you want whole baked sweet potatoes or diced or sliced pieces, this is the quickest and best technique.

Plate with three baked sweet potatoes topped with sour cream and chopped chives placed on a light cloth — Credit:
Anna Shepalova

Key Points

Microwaving sweet potatoes isn’t just faster—it enhances sweetness by converting starches into natural sugars more efficiently than baking alone.
For the best flavor and texture, microwave whole potatoes until the center hits 200°F, then finish in the oven for caramelized skin.
Peeled and chopped sweet potatoes cook in just minutes in the microwave, making them an easy base for sides, mashes, or purees.

Fall is the sweet potato's time to shine. Beneath this tuber's unassuming fiber-rich skin lies flesh that is earthy, sweet, and infinitely versatile—a sweet-and-starchy blank canvas for everything from silky soups and classic pies to comforting casseroles. Most recipes begin with one essential step: cooking the sweet potato until it's tender, flavorful, and ready to transform.

While traditional methods like boiling, roasting, or steaming work just fine, the microwave offers a light-speed, fuss-free alternative with minimal cleanup. Here's how to cook sweet potatoes in the microwave, whether you're eating them whole or using them in recipes.

Why The Microwave Makes a Better Baked Sweet Potato

Microwave radiation's longer waves penetrate deeply into the sweet potato, causing water, sugar, and fat molecules inside to vibrate rapidly. This generates heat from within and creates perfectly soft, sweet flesh at warp speed, ready to shine in every dish you dream up. By jump-starting the conversion of starches into maltose (a sugar made of two glucose molecules), it intensifies the potato's inherent sweetness in a way ovens alone can't compete with and significantly reduces the bake time.

How to Make the Best and Sweetest Baked Sweet Potato

Prep the potato: Rinse and scrub your sweet potato. Using a fork, pierce the skin several times to allow steam to escape and prevent a starchy explosion.
Microwave to transform the starches: Place the potato on a microwave-safe plate and cook until the center reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit, 6 to 10 minutes, rotating frequently. This heats the potato to the ideal range (170–200 degrees) for breaking down starches into sugar.
Finish in the oven: Transfer to a preheated 375-degree oven. Bake until the potato is soft all the way through and the skin is slightly caramelized, 45 to 60 minutes.

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Should You Refrigerate Sweet Potatoes?

How to Microwave a Whole Sweet Potato

For an alternative to an oven-baked classic in a fraction of the time, cook it all the way through in the microwave. From there, you're free to enjoy as-is or scoop the flesh to mash or blend into a silky puree for pies, casseroles, or cakes:

Prep with care: Rinse and scrub your sweet potato. Using a fork, pierce the skin several times to allow steam to escape and prevent a starchy explosion.
Cook evenly: Place the potato on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave until fork-tender, 6 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through and checking frequently towards the end of the time range.

How to Microwave Peeled, Diced, or Sliced Sweet Potatoes

For quick sides, golden home fries, vegetable medleys, or a shortcut to mashed or pureed sweet potatoes:

Chop and prep: Peel your sweet potato and cut into chunks, cubes, wedges, or slices. Smaller pieces cook more quickly and evenly.
Set up for steam: Place pieces in a microwave-safe bowl, add a splash of water, and cover with a microwave-safe lid or damp paper towel.
Cook until tender: Microwave until fork-tender, 3 to 6 minutes, stirring or flipping frequently.