Simple Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes (1-Ingredient!)
Nearly effortless to prepare, slow cooker sweet potatoes are an easy side dish for weeknight dinners, for meal prep, or for the holidays. This is my absolute favorite way to cook whole sweet potatoes, so if you’re looking for how to cook whole sweet potatoes in the slow cooker, you’re in the right place!
About these Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Yes, you can make perfect baked sweet potatoes in the slow cooker!
By far the easiest, hands-off way to feed a crowd, meal prep like a pro, or whip up an easy side dish for weeknight dinners, these slow cooker baked sweet potatoes are bound to become your new go-to recipe.
Now, I’ll admit I was skeptical when first trying cooking sweet potatoes in my crockpot.
But they really come out so surprisingly fluffy, light & delicious that now it’s my favorite hands-off way to cook potatoes of all kinds – I’m looking at you slow cooker herbed potatoes, slow cooker baked potatoes, and slow cooker parmesan roasted potatoes!
This time-saving meal prep recipe really couldn’t be easier to make, and is now one of my favorite side dishes for busy weeks or fun get-togethers with family & friends.
You can batch cook 6-7 medium sweet potatoes at once, or just 1-2 sweet potatoes for dinner, you choose!
The best part?
You can easily add your choice of protein or toppings to them to turn this into an easy, filling & hearty dinner option too, or use the cooked sweet potato for other recipes, like in this creamy, low sugar sweet potato smoothie.
Tip: Looking for a delicious and easy slow cooker sweet potato casserole recipe? Check out this Crock Pot Sweet Potato Casserole!
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
Yes, this recipe only has one ingredient: sweet potatoes!
Note that “yam” and “sweet potato” are often used interchangeably, but they are actually from completely different botanical families (source).
For this recipe look for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes with dark orange-brown skin.
Simply clean your sweet potatoes and add them to the slow cooker whole and let the slow-cooker work its magic.
After they’re cooked, you can slice them down the middle, add any fun extras that you want, and then you’re ready to dig in!
I love that these crockpot sweet potatoes are cooked without foil because they don’t require any prep beyond a quick scrub.
And, in contrast to traditional oven baked sweet potatoes, you don’t poke holes in these sweet potatoes prior to cooking them.
They require no added water, so don’t add any to the slow cooker or you’ll end up with mushy sweet potatoes, and no one wants that.
If you’re wondering about the final texture, the skins come out moderately crispy, and the insides are fork tender and fluffy.
If you prefer very crispy skins, just pop the cooked sweet potatoes under a broiler for a few minutes until they crisp up, keeping careful watch, of course, to avoid burning them.
Time Saving Tip
Instructions for how to cook this on high for a shorter cook time are also included in the recipe card below to help you keep your options open on busy weeks.
This is the easiest way to cook whole sweet potatoes you will find on the internet.
Visual Guide: How to Make Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Why Make Sweet Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
There are a number of reasons you might want to cook sweet potatoes in the slow cooker rather than the oven.
For the holidays like Thanksgiving, cooking them in the slow cooker can save precious oven space for other dishes.
Cooking in the crockpot also allows you to keep them warm so they’re ready when everyone is ready to eat!
Finally, cooking sweet potatoes in the slow cooker can be handy when bringing the dish to potlucks or to a friend’s house.
How to Store & Freeze
Cooked sweet potatoes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat, microwave in 30 second increments until warmed through, or in a 350F oven for 20-25 minutes.
What to Serve with Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
Sweet and creamy: brown sugar and butter.
Get your greens: steamed broccoli and melted cheese.
Garlic parmesan: minced garlic and grated parmesan cheese.
Chili: topped with vegetarian chili.
Enchilada: topped with enchilada chicken.
I also have two easy dinner recipes where you could use these slow cooker sweet potatoes – slow cooker buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes and vegan black bean stuffed sweet potatoes.
Both make a satisfying and simple meal everyone will love!
Tip: Baked sweet potatoes make the best base for a baked potato bar! Check out this baked potato bar + topping ideas post for how to do it.
More Slow Cooker Vegetable Recipes
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 8 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the damp sweet potatoes in a 6-quart slow cooker in a single layer.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. The size of the sweet potatoes will determine the cook time. Start checking at 3 hours on high, and 6 on low.
These were absolutely perfect. I had 7 potatoes. I was afraid they’d not cook evenly because they were overlapped but that had no affect on them.
Susan, wonderful, so happy to hear and great tip for those who experience some overlap with the potatoes. Thanks so much for sharing a review!