How to Boil Sweet Potatoes

Learn How to Boil Sweet Potatoes that are whole or cubed, peeled or skins still on.  Boiling is an easy and healthy way to cook them before adding to your favorite recipes.

Want a few recipe ideas that use boiled sweet potatoes?  You might enjoy this Sweet Potato Casserole, Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers, these Mashed Sweet Potatoes, or this Sweet Potato Puree.

Boiling Sweet Potatoes for Recipes

Boiling sweet potatoes is an easy way to get perfectly tender potatoes that can be used in numerous recipes.

While you can Bake Sweet Potatoes in the Oven, or make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes…

Cooking them in a pot of boiling water is definitely a foolproof method for an easy side dish.

(You can also learn how to boil potatoes– either whole or cubed!)

Ingredients and Kitchen Utensils

There are only a few ingredients and kitchen utensils that you will need.

Ingredients:

• Sweet Potatoes – If you are boiling them whole, try to find similarly sized potatoes.
• Salt – Add a little salt to the boiling water to add flavor.
• Water – Use filtered water for the best results.

Kitchen Utensils:

• Potato Peeler – You will need this if you are peeling before boiling.
• Knife – A sharp knife helps to cut them into similar sized chunks.
• Pot – A large pot is recommended.  You want to be able to fit the potatoes and enough water to cover them by 1-2 inches.

How to Boil Sweet Potatoes

Once you have your ingredients and utensils gathered up it’s time to start the process of this recipe.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
   • Make sure you have enough water so the sweet potatoes are covered by at least 1 inch of water. It’s best to err on the side of more water rather than not enough.
2. Carefully add whole potatoes or chunks to the water.
3. Reduce heat to Medium-High and keep a slow boil throughout the duration of cooking.
4. Boil sweet potatoes until they are cooked through.
   • Boil large whole sweet potatoes for 40-50 minutes. 
   • Boil small to medium whole sweet potatoes for 30-40 minutes.
   • Boil 1-inch cubes for 12-15 minutes.
   • Boil 2-inch cubes for 20-25 minutes.
5. Drain in a colander and use in your favorite recipes.

Peeling and Cutting

You can speed up the cooking process by peeling and cutting this starchy vegetable into similarly sized chunks.

1. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin.
2. Cut the sweet potatoes into either 1-inch or 2-inch chunks.

Make sure you pick one size and try to make all of the sweet potato pieces the same size.  This ensures that it boils at a similar rate.

Do I Need to Peel Before Boiling?

You do not need to peel sweet potatoes before boiling.

If leaving the peel on, you will need to pierce the skin of the potato with a fork a few times.

Also, boiling a sweet potato with the peel will require slightly more time for it to cook through.

How Long to Boil Sweet Potatoes?

The amount of time you will need to cook depends primarily on the size of the potatoes.

Boiling Whole Sweet Potatoes

Boil whole for 30-50 minutes.  This largely depends on the size of the potato.  Smaller ones will be done faster, larger potatoes may take a bit longer.

Boiling Cubed Sweet Potatoes

Boil sweet potatoes that are cut into 1-inch cubes for 12-15 minutes.

Boil those cut into 2-inch cubes for 20-25 minutes.

Are They Healthy?

Sweet potatoes are full of dietary fiber and antioxidants.  They are also an incredible source of Vitamin A, the B vitamins, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Iron, and Calcium.

Sweet and regular potatoes have a similar amount of carbs and calories.  White potatoes have a little less sugar while sweet potatoes are higher in Vitamins A and C.

Other Sweet Potato Recipes

• Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
• Sweet Potato Hash
• BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Pie
• Sweet Potato Brownies