Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes (the perfect side dish OR main course!)
These fluffy slow cooker sweet potatoes are a perfect make-ahead side dish OR main course! You can serve them as they are for an easy side dish, or load them up with the toppings of your choice to transform them into a healthy meal (check out the notes below for some of my favorite combos). You can cook as many sweet potatoes as will fit in your slow cooker. Get more slow cooker recipes in my book, Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker, Reinvent the Slow Cooked Meal (Storey Publishing, 2019)!
2-4medium sweet potatoes, depending on the size of your slow cooker
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter or other toppings for serving, if desired
Instructions
Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray or coat it lightly with oil. Wash the sweet potatoes, but don’t dry them (the slight moisture on the skin will help them to cook more evenly). Place the sweet potatoes right into the slow cooker, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
Serve the sweet potatoes on their own with butter as an easy side dish, or load them up with the toppings of your choice for your entree!
Notes
Tips:
You can cook as many potatoes as will fit in your slow cooker (oval models will fit more potatoes than round ones). I can cook 4 medium potatoes in my 6-quart oval slow cooker.
Wash the potatoes but don’t dry them before arranging them in the slow cooker (the damp skin will help them steam).
Some of my favorite loaded sweet potato combos include:
Vegan: Sautéed greens and chickpeas with tahini
BBQ: Shredded pork or chicken with cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce
Fajita: Sautéed peppers and beans with cheese, guacamole and cilantro
Chili: Leftover chili and all the fixings
Greek: Quinoa, parsley, pine nuts, grape tomatoes and tzatziki
Breakfast: Sautéed peppers, onions and crumbled breakfast sausage with yogurt and maple syrup