How to Peel Sweet Potatoes Easily, Safely & Without Waste

Last Updated on 20th July 2023 by

Sweet potatoes are probably the most seasonal of vegetables. It seems like no one really appreciates them until the holidays come around near the end of the year. Then, everyone starts thinking about sweet potatoes.

We are big fans of sweet potato pie and sweet potato soup, but we also enjoy the occasional dish of mashed sweet potatoes and some baked sweet potato wedges. There are so many great ways to make up this vegetable into a tasty food, but before you start, you need to peel the sweet potatoes.

How to peel sweet potatoes easily? We have you covered with a few methods that should work well for you.

How to Peel Sweet Potatoes Easily

There isn’t anything special about peeling sweet potatoes with a peeler. They peel just like regular potatoes do, if you are using this method. So, if you have a peeler, just use that to take off the outer skin.

Before peeling, be sure to wash and dry the sweet potatoes. That makes them clean, of course, and easier to peel.

Hold the sweet potatoes on the sides with one hand and peel from top to bottom. You are peeling lengthwise, taking off long strips with each peeling action. In just a few movements, you will have the entire potato peeled. You can toss those peels away or save them for cooking with.

When you remove the peels, that does take away a lot of the nutritional value of the sweet potato, robbing it of most of its fiber. If you are looking for a healthy sweet potato with as many health benefits as possible, you may want to leave the peel on.

How to Peel Sweet Potatoes without a Peeler

If you don’t have a peeler, don’t want to use a peeler, or just want an easy way to peel your sweet potatoes, try this method. Start by heating them up in the oven. You preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and poke holes in your potatoes while they are raw. Use a fork to make a few lines of holes across the surface of the skin.

Then, warm the potatoes for 45 minutes in the oven. They will get nice and crispy at this point and will be fully cooked through and through. The potatoes will be very tender inside, and on top of that, the potatoes will be super simple to peel.

You can actually peel them by hand once they are properly warmed. Just make a small incision with a knife or pull the peel off completely by hand. Once you start peeling, the entire peel will come off easily. This is not a method for peeling that works with every kind of vegetable, so it’s kind of neat how it works for sweet potatoes.

This may not be a method for how to peel sweet potatoes fast, but it definitely works and it can save you a bit of hassle. You should still wash your potatoes and dry them off before sticking them in the oven.

There is no mess when peeling sweet potatoes by hand, but this method won’t work with raw potatoes. They need to be fully cooked to peel off the skin easily by hand. Anyone looking for a way how to peel sweet potatoes easily might be impressed by how easy this method is.

Which Kind of Peeler to Use?

It’s okay to use any kind of peeler you have on hand, but one is better than the others. A normal peeler will work in a pinch, but it can give you a bit of trouble with sweet potatoes. They can be tougher than white or red potatoes, so a regular peeler can be tough to peel them with.

Instead, we suggest using a serrated peeler. This kind of peeler is very easy to use- much easier on your hands than a conventional peeler. You won’t have to stress and force it so much. This is the tool you use for how to peel sweet potatoes easy.

The serrated peeler will peel faster, giving you smoother cuts that don’t damage the interior of the sweet potato as much. It helps you get thinner cuts that only remove the peel, so there is more delicious sweet potato for you to enjoy.

How to Use Sweet Potato Skins

If you don’t like to eat sweet potato skins or you don’t need them in what you are making (like sweet potato pie or mashed sweet potatoes), then you can use those peels in a way that ensures they don’t go to waste. You know how to easily peel sweet potatoes, and now you should see what you can do with those peels. There is no need to toss them out, because you can make a tasty treat using the leftover peels.

We take the peels and turn them into toasty skins. You just bake them in the oven in a bit of oil and some seasoning and they come out so crispy and delicious. You can fry them as well, but be aware that because they are very thin, they will fry in just seconds. As they change color, they are finished cooking, so don’t leave them in the hot oil for long.

For seasonings, you can keep things simple, with some salt and pepper and maybe a little garlic powder. You can also shred cheese on them or serve them with ketchup. They are like regular potato chips, but healthier.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes

You can make sweet potatoes into so many different dishes, and you should know how to peel and cook sweet potatoes.

The easiest way, we think, is to boil them. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into small pieces. You can cut them in half, then in quarters and then dice those wedges. You will be cooking them in a pot of water on the stove. Put the potatoes in the water once it has reached a boil. You want enough water in the pot to cover the potatoes.

Once you have your potatoes in, cook them for about 15 minutes. The smaller you cut your pieces, the less time you have to boil them for. If you are boiling a whole sweet potato, then give it about 40 minutes to cook. It may need more or less time depending on how big it is. You can check sweet potatoes with a fork to see if they are done. If the fork slides into the sweet potato easily, then they are boiled.

Now you know both how to peel sweet potatoes and how to cook them, and our work here is done. Be sure to check the rest of the site for recipes you can make using your sweet potatoes. We have some really simple and delicious ones for you.

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