How to Steam Sweet Potatoes in the Microwave
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Get ready to learn how to steam sweet potatoes in the microwave. It's easier than you think!
Normally, vegetables are steamed either in a mostly-sealed bag or on a bowl or plate with a cover on it. But potatoes and sweet potatoes steam themselves, with their skin acting as the cover. Pretty neat!
Remember to check out the 3 Common Microwave Problems and Their Simple Solutions article and our general Microwave page for more information about cooking in the microwave.
Let's get steaming!
Supplies needed:
- A sweet potato
- Microwave
- Microwave-safe plate
- Fork
- Plate or bowl to put the cooked sweet potato meat into
- Spices, cream cheese, or other desired toppings
Procedure:
1. Optionally, wash the sweet potato. If you plan to eat the skin or if you plan to use the same plate for your cooked sweet potato as you do for steaming, wash the sweet potato. Personally I do not eat the skin, and I transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to a bowl. So I usually skip this step.
If you wash your sweet potato, I recommend this OXO vegetable scrubber. It's great for root veggies with stubborn dirt.
2. Place the sweet potato on a microwave-safe plate. You can use a plate or a bowl, but a plate will allow for more even cooking. See this article to learn why that is the case and which plate materials are safe for the microwave.
3. Poke holes in the sweet potato. Poke holes in the sweet potato using a fork or knife. The holes should be fairly deep so that the entire sweet potato, including the areas around its core, can vent during cooking. I usually do 2-3 holes on each side.
4. Steam for 5 minutes. Microwave the sweet potato for 5 minutes. Cooktime can vary by sweet potato size as well as the wattage and other specs of your microwave. Experiment with times 30 seconds longer or shorter at a time if you consistently find your sweet potatoes underdone or overdone. But 5 minutes should work well for most situations.
5. Let the sweet potato stand for 1-2 minutes. In other words, do not open the microwave door yet. Allow the sweet potato to sit in the microwave, continuing to cook in the steam inside from when the microwave was on, for 1-2 minutes after the timer goes off.
6. Remove and cut. Remove the sweet potato from the microwave. Cut the ends off. Then cut the entire sweet potato in half. Let the sweet potato cool.
7. Remove the skin. This is optional, so feel free to skip if you enjoy the skin. But after the sweet potato has cooled to a temperature where it will not burn your hands, you can remove the skin and transfer it to a different plate or bowl if desired.
8. Mash and add toppings. Use a fork to mash the sweet potato or to cut it into chunks. Add toppings.
And enjoy! It's that simple.
Want a nifty printable, saveable PDF version of this recipe to save for later? Get it here for free!
