Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by
Did you know that you can cook a sweet potato in the microwave? This method is much faster than baking in the
You get a different texture than if you baked it, but the decrease in cook time is huge. I know a lot people who love baked potato and baked sweet potato but rarely have these because of how long they take and how much forethought has to go into these dishes.
With microwaving, the potato is done in minutes. How long does it take to cook a sweet potato in the microwave? It only takes about five minutes, though some sweet potatoes can take longer.
You get a completely cooked potato that is a joy to eat, and you can eat it using a fork without the need for a knife at all. If done correctly, you can end up with a microwaved sweet potato that is soft and pillowy and just as delicious as if it were baked.
So, how to cook a sweet potato in the microwave? I’ll walk you through this simple process and show you how it is done. Once you know the method, you will see how quick and simple it is and be able to do it on your own without having to look at a guide. I
t’s so easy that it is practically impossible to mess up, making it a perfect dish for anyone who likes to make their own food. You don’t have to be an expert chef to handle this easy cooking method.
How to Bake a Sweet Potato in the Microwave
Let’s get started with the method for microwave cooking. You need to prep your potato first, by poking it with a fork. Use all the tines of the fork to make a series of holes on the outside of the potato.
You can make about three incisions with the fork, giving you about 12 holes in the potato. You don’t need to push the fork in very deep, but these holes are necessary.
What they do is help to vent the steam coming off of the potato and prevent the potato from cooking poorly. If you want your sweet potato to be savoury and light and fluffy, then venting out the steam is essential.
While cooking your sweet potato in the microwave, be sure to turn it over halfway through the cook time. This ensures that the entire sweet potato cooks, both sides getting done properly.
How long to microwave a sweet potato? You only need to cook it for about five minutes. It should be tender then, but check it out make sure, just in case. You don’t want to season your potato and start eating it only to find that it isn’t soft enough yet. Find that out at this stage, right when it comes out of the microwave.
How long to cook a sweet potato in the microwave if it isn’t tender enough yet? Just cook it for 30 seconds at a time, checking each time and continuing to cook for 30 additional seconds until the sweet potato is tender enough.
How do you tell if the sweet potato is tender enough? That comes with practice, of course, but if you want to be absolutely sure when you are first attempting this cooking method, then just cut the sweet potatoes all the way through and check the softness/toughness.
If it feels solid at any point rather than soft and fluffy, then it could go back in the microwave for a bit longer. Now, cutting your sweet potato open like this will damage its appearance, but if you want to be sure the potato is thoroughly cooked, then that may be what you have to do- at least until you get better at assessing when it is entirely cooked.
If you are wondering how long to bake a sweet potato in microwave, then it really depends on how big the potato is and how many you place in there at once.
The bigger the potato, the longer it will take to cook, and the more you have in the microwave at once, the longer they will take to cook as well. How long to cook a sweet potato in microwave depends on both quality and potato size.
Will It Have the Right Texture?
I know a lot of people who make sweet potato in the microwave are worried about the texture and how the potato will come out, and I want to discuss that briefly. When you bake a sweet potato in the oven, it comes out with a crispy, dark outer crust.
This is part of the charm, I think, of
How to cook a sweet potato microwave style so that it has that crispy outer crust? You actually can’t, because it will be soft inside and out. That’s just what microwaving does to the sweet potato, and it is probably the only downside to cooking in the microwave.
How to Season Sweet Potato
I have dealt with the questions of how to cook a sweet potato microwave and how long to bake a sweet potato in microwave, and now I want to tell you how you season your finished potato.
You may already have a preference, and mine is to keep it simple. I suggest just adding butter, salt and perhaps a dash of pepper. I wouldn’t try to load a sweet potato down as much as I would a baked white potato.
That’s because sweet potatoes already have a relatively strong and distinct flavour, and I think you can end up clashing with that or diluting that flavour when you add too many toppings to your sweet potato.
If you want to go beyond the basic additions like butter, salt, and pepper, then you could add a bit of brown sugar glaze for a nice touch.
How to Microwave a Sweet Potato without Drying It Out
One quick tip I want to add about how to bake a sweet potato in microwave- how to make sure it doesn’t dry out. The sweet potato should not dry out if you are cooking it properly in the microwave.
Be sure to poke the potato with the fork and don’t overcook it. The reason sweet potatoes can dry out in the microwave is mostly because of overlong cooking times.
If you are still having problems with your sweet potato drying out, then you may need to wrap the potato in plastic wrap while microwaving it. This helps to keep it moist and juicy, as it traps the water inside the sweet potato as it cooks.
Now you know how to make a baked sweet potato in the microwave and how to make it come out perfect each time. Try this next time you feel in the mood for a baked potato, and I think you will like the results.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!