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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)!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy sweet potato recipes, loaded sweet potatoes, slow cooker sweet potatoes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Nicki Sizemore

Equipment

  • Slow cooker

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray or oil for slow cooker
  • 2-4 medium 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