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Crispy baked sweet potatoes with melted Parmesan and herbs on parchment paper
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Easy Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

Quick baked sweet potato with garlic butter and crispy Parmesan. Easy, HEALTHY, and fully customizable with your favorite toppings, made in the oven or air fryer.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: Baked, healthy, quick, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 sweet potatoes
Author: Karina Carrel

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potato cut half long
  • 1 cup parmesan shredded

Seasoning (To taste)

  • olive oil spray
  • dry rosemary
  • salt
  • pepper

For Garlic Butter

  • 1 tbsp butter smooth like pomade
  • 1/8 tsp paprika smoked
  • 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove finely minced (1 tsp / ~3 g)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut the sweet Potato in half (long). Season on the skin with olive oil spray, salt, pepper and sprinkle with dry rosemary.
    Raw sweet potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs on a wooden cutting board, ready to be baked
    • Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes before baking. It helps them cook more evenly and prevents them from bursting. Also, it helps the seasoning to penetrate more into the sweet potato.
  • Make garlic Butter mixing butter creamy and combine with paprika, onion powder, black pepper, garlic and salt.
    Garlic butter with spices in a small bowl, ready to spread over baked sweet potatoes
  • Spread 1/2 tsp Butter on each sweet potato (bottom skin).
    Baked sweet potatoes cut open and spread with garlic butter on a wooden board
  • Take a baking tray with parchment paper and spread 4 sweet potato side mounds of parmesan, not too close from each other.
    Baked sweet potatoes topped with grated Parmesan on a lined baking tray, ready to go into the oven
  • Place each half of sweet potato on top of each parmesan mound, skin on top.
    Baked sweet potatoes topped with grated Parmesan on a lined baking tray, ready to go into the oven

Bake

  • This step is on you.
    Oven: Bake at 180°C for 35–40 min
    Air Fryer: Cook in an air fryer at 170°C for 22–30 min
    Baking time is going to depend on the size of your sweet potato.
    Crispy baked sweet potatoes with melted Parmesan and herbs on a lined baking tray
    • Top with whatever you want! Follow the video for topping ideas.

Notes

I like to use medium-sized sweet potatoes for this because they cook more evenly and don’t take forever. Bigger ones work too, just give them a little more time and check the center before serving.
The garlic butter really makes a difference here. Regular butter is fine, but once you try it with garlic, it just hits differently. It melts right into the sweet potato and gives it way more flavor without needing much else.
If you’re going for that slightly crispy edge, don’t wrap them in foil. Let them bake directly and start them cut side down, it helps build that texture.
One thing I always do is gently press the sweet potatoes into the parmesan instead of just sprinkling it on top. It sticks better and gives you that golden, slightly crispy layer.
And if you have leftovers, just pop them back into the air fryer for a few minutes. It brings everything back to life way better than the microwave.
Happy cooking!
If your sweet potatoes are taking too long to cook, slice a thin piece off the bottom so they sit flat and cook more evenly.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 16388IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 350mg | Iron: 1mg