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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers and Party Food

    Sweet Potato Skins

    Published: Mar 18, 2022 · Modified: Aug 19, 2022 by Elizabeth · Leave a Comment

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    Two images of the baked sweet potato skins.

    These sweet potato skins are loaded with melted cheese, crumbled crispy bacon, and green onions. They are baked instead of fried making a healthy-ish version of the classic restaurant appetizer.

    An image of five sweet potato skins arranged on a gray platter, served with a side of sour cream.

    This recipe is easy to customize, make as many (or as few) as you’d like and adjust the toppings to please your crowd. If you need more appetizers to go with your baked sweet potato skins, try this easy restaurant style salsa and these baked buffalo chicken wings.

    This site contains affiliate links to products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Ingredients

    • Sweet Potatoes – Use medium sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size and shape so that they cook at the same rate.
    • Oil – Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point (we used canola oil).
    • Salt – A coarse salt like kosher salt or sea salt works well.
    • Bacon – Regular cut or thin will cook the fastest but you can use thick cut if you prefer. Use your favorite cooking method, skillet/stovetop, microwave, or oven bacon.
    • Cheese – We use a cheddar Monterey jack blend, use your favorite provided it melts well. Here, we hand shred the cheese because it will melt better than pre-shredded.
    • Garnish and serving – Green onions for garnish and sour cream for serving, if desired.

    You will also need:

    • Baking sheet with a cooling rack
    • Aluminum foil
    • Cooking spray

    Recipe tips

    • You don’t have to wrap the sweet potatoes in foil. The benefit of doing so, is that the foil will keep the skin moist, and it will have a fuller, less wrinkled appearance. For these sweet potato skins, I prefer to wrap them in foil for baking.
    • The cooking time will depend on the size of the sweet potatoes. Always test the largest (fattest) potato to gauge the remaining cooking time.
    • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil to prevent sticking and for easy clean-up. Even if you wrap the potato in foil, it can still leak.
    A close-up image of the sweet potato skins on a gray plate with a side of sour cream.

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 400°F

    Four sweet potatoes arranged on a white table with a light colored kitchen towel on the left side.

    Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes gently and pat dry.

    Four sweet potatoes on a white table the one in the forefront is being pricked with a paring knife.

    Prick them a few times on all sides with the tip of a sharp paring knife to vent.

    making sweet potato skins image 2

    Cut a piece of foil approximately 16-18 inches long. Make it large enough so that you can wrap the sweet potato a few times. Wrap each potato going around a few times and fold in the ends.

    Four sweet potatoes wrapped in foil on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

    Arrange the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet (line with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up). Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until they are tender.

    A cooked sweet potato on a crumbled piece of foil.

    Remove the potatoes from the oven and carefully open the foil to vent. Allow them to cool.

    Sweet potatoes cut in half on a white cutting board.

    When they are cool enough to handle, slice them in half, lengthwise.

    Scooped out potato skins arranged on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack.6

    Use a spoon to scoop out some of the flesh leaving about ¼ to ½ inch on the bottom and all the way around. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Spray it lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the skins on the cooling rack, scooped side up. Preheat the oven to 400°F (if not still on)

    A scooped, halved sweet potato being brushed with oil with a blue silicone brush.

    Brush the inside of each piece lightly with oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

    A blue silicone brush lightly coating the skin side of a halved sweet potato on a cooling rack.ng sweet potato skins image 8

    Turn each piece over, lightly brush with oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

    • Bake the sweet potatoes (skin side up) for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use tongs or a spatula to carefully turn them over (scooped side up). Continue baking for 20 minutes until they are slightly golden on the edges. 
    • Fill each potato skin with 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese and about 1 teaspoon of crumbled bacon. Bake 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. 
    • Garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream if desired. Enjoy!
    An image of the finished appetizer served on a gray platter with a side of sour cream.

    You may also like these appetizer recipes:

    • Sausage Cheese Balls
    • Deviled Eggs
    • Shredded Chicken Nachos
    • Baked Potato Slices
    • Buffalo Chicken Bites

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    Check out this Story for loaded sweet potato skins for a quick visual on making this delicious recipe.

    An image of five sweet potato skins arranged on a gray platter, served with a side of sour cream.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Sweet Potato Skins

    These sweet potato skins are loaded with melted cheese, crumbled crispy bacon, and green onions. They are baked instead of fried making a healthy-ish version of the classic restaurant appetizer.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 25 mins
    cool the sweet potatoes20 mins
    Total Time1 hr 50 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: sweet potatoes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 433kcal
    Author: Elizabeth

    Ingredients

    • 4 Medium Sweet Potatoes roughly the same size and shape
    • 1 tablespoon Oil use a neural oil with a high smoke point (we used canola oil)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste (kosher or sea salt work well)
    • 4 Bacon Slices cooked until crispy and chopped or crumbled
    • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese or cheese of choice
    • 1 tablespoon Sliced Green Onions for garnish
    • Sour Cream for serving optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400°F

    Prepare the sweet potatoes

    • Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes gently and pat dry. Prick them a few times on all sides with the tip of a sharp paring knife to vent.
    • Cut a piece of foil approximately 16-18 inches long. Wrap each potato going around a few times and fold in the ends.
    • Arrange the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until they are tender.
    • Test if they are done by choosing the largest one. Carefully unwrap it and insert a sharp paring knife into the thickest part. If the knife slides in and out easily without any resistance, they are done.
    • If the knife does not slide in and out easily, rewrap the test potato and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes and test again.
    • Remove the potatoes from the oven and carefully open the foil to vent. Allow them to cool.
    • When they are cool enough to handle, slice them in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out some of the flesh leaving about ¼ to ½ inch on the bottom and all the way around. Don’t scoop out too much of the flesh so that they hold up.

    Make the sweet potato skins

    • Preheat the oven to 400°F (if not still on)
    • Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Spray it lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the skins on the cooling rack, scooped side up. Brush the inside of each piece lightly with oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
    • Turn each piece over, lightly brush with oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
    • Bake the sweet potatoes (skin side up) for 15 minutes.
    • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use tongs or a spatula to carefully turn them over (scooped side up). Continue baking for 20 minutes until they are slightly golden on the edges.
    • Fill each potato skin with 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese and about 1 teaspoon of crumbled bacon. Bake 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
    • Garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream if desired. Enjoy!

    Notes

    When baking the sweet potatoes, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper of foil to prevent sticking and for easy clean-up. Even if you wrap the potato in foil, it can still leak.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 746mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 32369IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 270mg | Iron: 2mg
    The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.

    More Appetizers and Party Food

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    • Easy Party Appetizers
    • Mini Beef Pot Pies
    • Sausage Cheese Balls
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    Hi, I’m Elizabeth! welcome to Cook2eatwell. Food is my favorite subject; I like to cook food, talk about food, write about food, and most importantly, eat food. Lucky for me, my husband Eddie feels the same way. 

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