Crockpot sweet potatoes whole come out tender and fluffy. The perfect healthy side dish, delicious in a few hours. Stuff inside of these or yams with cinnamon and sugar when done or mash and make Sweet Mashed Potatoes for the holidays.
Crock Pot Sweet potatoes are totally hands off. If you want the tenderest bites ever you need to try this. A great way to bake them during the holidays when the oven is full of other dishes. You can mix and match russet Crockpot Baked Potatoes and these at the same time too! (affiliate links present)
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Crock Pot
Of course you could use your oven to bake Sweet Potatoes at 400 degrees too but especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas time there isn’t any room for that. These pots come in really handy to make dishes like this on the countertop. Another huge plus is once done you just set to warm and they can be made ahead of time that way.
Mashed you can make all sorts of things with the inner flesh though. There are so many to choose from but our Sweet Potato Dumplings are probably the favorite of them all. Make fresh or with leftovers with the skins removed the next day. Since these only take a few hours you can easily start these mid day and have time to make dessert with them after dinner.
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Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
- This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
- I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes Whole
These are cooked whole, and easily served as such but could be diced to make other dishes too. If you wanted to make Sweet Potato Chili this works well with any leftovers cubed up. Since already tender the dish won’t take much time to finish that way. A healthy and delicious dinner idea.
You really don’t need anything other than foil and these but I do like to add a bit of olive oil and salt. Typically when done I will crisp the outside if serving as is so when sliced it holds together a bit better.
Can you eat sweet potato skins?
Yes, you can eat these potato skins, and in fact, they are edible and nutritious. This orange skin is packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so leaving them on when cooked can enhance the nutritional value of your meal. Adding some sea salt though makes them even better.
Is there a difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
There is but they would follow the same directions. They have similar appearances and are both used in similar cooking applications. However, they are different species with some key differences like these are sweeter vs. yams have a starchy, firmer and more fibrous texture.
How to Cook Crockpot Yams
- Wash debris off fresh sweet potatoes. Pat dry. Get out a piece of foil for each potato that is large enough to wrap around each one entirely.
- Lay each one in the middle. Lightly drizzle a bit of olive oil on each potato with a sprinkle of salt.
- Roll each one up in the piece of foil with the ends folded over so it is secured. Lay inside slow cooker overlapping the least amount possible.
- Cover and cook on low setting for 4-5 hours cooking time.
- Amount of time in cooler will depend on their size, test tenderness by sticking a knife into the center. When it slides in easily they are done.
- When making Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, peel skins off, add butter, cinnamon and sugar and mash. Then keep on warm right in the same pot!
- If you want the skins crispy, use a shorter duration from our sweet potato in air fryer directions.
Preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray the skin all over with olive oil and set inside basket without overlapping for 4-6 minutes turning over once. Remove once skins are as crispy as you’d like them to be. Slice and fill with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and a drizzle of maple syrup. Serve with Sweet Potato Cornbread and enjoy.
What is the Best Way to Cook Sweet Potatoes?
If you want them as fork tender as possible the slow cooker is it!! Especially if you are going to peel the outsides off and just mash the middles it is the easiest method of all. Whether you just add butter or make slow cooker sweet potato casserole recipe with sugar and cinnamon it’s easy to do.
Like in our Sweet Potato Muffin Recipe you want to make them smooth. Same goes for our Sweet Potato Spoonbread at Easter time. Yes you can buy a can of yams and mash those but fresh is always best. To save time you can make them the day before, cool, store in freezer bags after peeling off the skins and the next day prep it all to create your dish.
If in a rush you can do the same thing following our Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes recipe here. Quicker with the same results as you see here, both are game changers when it comes to holiday cooking.
That depends on their size but 3-4 hours is typical. You don’t have to use the higher setting though, low for medium sizes works just as well for about the same amount of time, 4-5 hours. You will want to wrap them after poked with aluminum foil first so the skins don’t get wet and soft.
Typically they don’t take quite as long but once again it depends on their size and your preferences. Sweet will get tender to the center a bit faster than russets but in general you are looking at 4-5 hours slow cooked.
Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3-6 sweet potatoes, similar size, washed
- 1 tbsp sea salt, optional
- 1 tbsp olive oil, optional
Instructions
- Wash debris off potatoes. Pat dry. Get out a piece of foil for each potato that is large enough to wrap around each one entirely.
- Lay each one in the middle. Lightly drizzle a bit of olive oil on each potato with a sprinkle of salt.
- Roll each one up in the piece of foil with the ends folded over so it is secured. Lay inside slow cooker overlapping the least amount possible.
- Close lid and set to low setting for 4-5 hours. Timing will depend on their size, test tenderness by sticking a knife into the center. When it slides in easily they are done.
- If you want the skins crispy, preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Spray the skin all over with olive oil and set inside basket without overlapping for 4-6 minutes turning over once. Remove once skins are as crispy as you'd like them to be.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
