Loaded Sweet Potatoes

Piled high with toppings, these loaded sweet potatoes are a hearty and filling vegetarian meal for two. Even better, they’re easy to make and endlessly customizable! 

Stuffed sweet potatoes on plates.

While I’m a fan of sweet potatoes in all forms from mini hand pies to salads and wraps, a classic creamy baked sweet potato is pretty hard to beat. It’s easy to make, budget-friendly and tastes fantastic loaded up with delicious toppings.

Below you’ll find a quick step-by-step tutorial for how to bake sweet potatoes plus our favorite stuffed sweet potato recipe (spoiler: it’s got a strong burrito bowl vibe).

How to Bake Sweet Potatoes 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. If using a toaster oven, adjust the cooking rack to the bottom position and select the “BAKE” setting. For a convection toaster oven, you can keep the temperature the same and just check for doneness earlier or lower the temperature to 375°F if your oven tends to run hot. 

Two raw sweet potatoes, ramekin of oil, and fork on a table.

2. Rinse, scrub, and dry the sweet potatoes. Poke each one a few times with a fork. Rub the skins all over with the oil, then place on a rimmed sheet pan. For easy cleanup, I lined our pan with a silicone baking mat.

Oiled sweet potatoes on a lined baking pan.

3. Bake until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. When ready, the potatoes will be browned outside, tender inside, and have juicy syrup bubbling from the poked holes. 

4. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then spit them open and lightly mash the insides. 

Pair of baked sweet potatoes opened and fluffed.

Want to Bake Them Faster?

We’ve got a simple trick that will help you to reduce the cooking time by 15 or 20 minutes. Instead of baking the sweet potatoes whole, slice them in half!

This faster method is pretty simple:

  • slice the potatoes in half lengthwise
  • rub them all over with oil
  • bake with the flesh facing the pan

Because the sweet potatoes are now half as thick, they’ll take just 30 minutes to bake through. For step-by-step photos, check out our tutorial for making the best quick-baked sweet potatoes.

Baked sweet potato stuffed with ricotta and berries.

Fillings For Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are so versatile you can stuff them with anything. Just grab whatever ingredients you have in the fridge, pile them onto your creamy baked sweet potatoes, and dinner is done! Here are some fun flavor combos to try:

Breakfast-Style: Ricotta cheese mixed with cinnamon and orange zest, fresh berries, pomegranate seeds, and a light drizzle of maple syrup.

Hummus and Veggies: Roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and your favorite hummus (a garlic or spicy variety are good options).

Greek-Inspired: Chickpeas, chopped spinach, red onion, bell pepper, and kalamata olives, topped with dollops of tzatziki sauce.

Black Beans and Cheese: Canned black beans, taco seasoning, shredded cheese, green onion, avocado, and Cholula hot sauce. If I’m feeling extra, I’ll add some of our baked tortilla strips and Greek yogurt salsa dip to take things over the top.

For even more ideas check out this roundup of quick and easy sweet potato toppings.

Closeup of a loaded sweet potato drizzled with hot sauce.

More Tasty Sweet Potato Recipes

Sweet potato topped with black beans, cheese, and avocado on a plate.

Loaded Vegetarian Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 2 Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Feel free to eyeball the ingredient amounts and customize this recipe to suit your tastes. Try adding corn, using vegan cheese, or swapping the avocado for guacamole, you really can’t go wrong! 

Ingredients

  • 2 Medium Raw Sweet Potatoes (8 to 9 ounces)
  • ½ teaspoon Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
  • Salt and Black Pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Taco Seasoning (we used a low-sodium variety)
  • ⅔ cup Cooked Black Beans, rinsed and dried if using canned
  • ¼ cup Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese or Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Small Avocado, seeded and diced
  • 1 Green Onion, thinly sliced

Optional For Serving:

  • Hot Sauce, Salsa, Greek yogurt or Sour cream, Crumbled Tortilla Chips, Lime Wedges

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. If using a toaster oven, adjust the cooking rack to the bottom position and select the “BAKE” setting.
  2. Rinse, scrub, and dry the sweet potatoes. Poke each one a few times on each side with a fork. Rub the skins all over with the oil, then place on a rimmed sheet pan.
  3. Bake until fork-tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. When ready, the potatoes will be browned outside, tender inside, and have juicy syrup bubbling from the poked holes.
  4. Let cool for 5 minutes, then spit open. Sprinkle the cooked flesh with salt, pepper, and the taco seasoning. Using a fork, lightly mash the seasoning into the sweet potatoes. Top with the beans, cheese, avocado, and green onion slices.
  5. Top with hot sauce or your favorite extra toppings (like salsa and tortilla chips) and dig in!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1 Stuffed Sweet Potato
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 10.6gSaturated Fat: 2.3gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 71.1gFiber: 14.5gSugar: 1gProtein: 11.1g

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2 Comments

  1. This was great. Wife has lupus and can’t eat regular potatoes. Cooked steak for dinner and we both enjoyed this Definitely will be a regular.

    1. Yay, I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the sweet potatoes! Sounds like you cooked up a lovely dinner 🙂