Easiest Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Oct 27, 2022 (last updated Jun 2, 2026) 
Nearly effortless to prepare, slow cooker sweet potatoes are an easy side dish for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or for the holidays. This is my absolute favorite way to cook whole sweet potatoes, with just one ingredient and 3-hours!
Baking Whole Sweet Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
Yes, you can make perfect baked whole 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.
This version 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. And 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. 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. And once you make these, you’ll want to use the cooked sweet potatoes to make my crock pot sweet potato casserole!
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Easiest 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.
Notes
- This technique works for 1-8 sweet potatoes (for example, I was able to fit 7 medium sweet potatoes in my slow cooker). If cooking 1-2 sweet potatoes, place them in the center of the slow cooker.
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!
Thank you
It was great
Angela, I’m so glad you enjoyed these sweet potatoes, thanks so much for taking hte time to share your thoughts!
Will this work in a mini crockpot, cooking 1 at a time.
Cynthia, I haven’t tested in a mini crockpot, but it should. You’ll likely need to cut the sweet potato and reduce the cook time by a bit, so keep on eye on things the first time you make it.
I did four sweet potatoes on high in a 7-quart oval slow cooker. I checked at about 2 hours, 50 minutes, and they were done! Absolutely perfect and delicious. I have seen many different ways to do this online. Yours is the easiest and the result was perfect. Thank you!
Pam, I’m so happy to hear these sweet potatoes were a hit for you, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and leaving a review!