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Our garden produced a ton of sweet potatoes last year, so I had to get creative to find ways to use them. We fried them in tallow, baked them in the oven, and even grilled them on low heat on the grill.
We used them as the “noodles” in homemade lasagna (it was delicious!) and made dozens of different breakfast hash brown recipes with them.
Sometimes, the simplest recipe is the most delicious and my kids love them just baked in the oven and topped with butter and salt. On busy days when we are running errands or working outside I often forget or don’t have time to throw them in the oven an hour before dinner.
Did you know that it is possible to cook sweet potatoes (and regular potatoes) in the slow cooker and have them ready on a busy night?
This has been my go-to method of sweet potato cooking lately and it works incredibly well!
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes?
A friend had mentioned cooking sweet potatoes in her Crock-Pot. She might have meant actually peeling, cutting, and putting spices on them, but I decided to try it with the whole sweet potatoes … and it worked … really well!
This is great if you like sweet potatoes for breakfast because you can cook them overnight. I’ll often slow-cook sweet potatoes overnight and top with leftover chicken or sausage in the morning for a super fast and nourishing breakfast.
I feel bad even calling this a ‘recipe’ because it only has one ingredient and one step, but I was excited to be able to cook sweet potatoes in the Crock-Pot and wanted to share in case it is helpful to you!
If you love sweet potatoes as much as we do, give this simple version a try!
Crock Pot or Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
For Instant Pot Method Add:
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Wash the sweet potatoes well, but don't dry.
Slow Cooker Method
- Place the sweet potatoes in the Crock Pot, put the lid on, and turn on low.
- Cook for 6-7 hours or until tender.
Instant Pot Method
- Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add 1 cup of water.
- Place the potatoes on the trivet.
- Put on the lid, set the vent to "Seal", and cook at high pressure for 16-18 minutes, followed by a 10-12 minute natural pressure release.
- Release the remaining pressure, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
More Slow Cooker Recipes?
If you’re a Crock-Pot-aholic like me, check out my soups and stews recipes for some other great slow cooker ideas!
Better than a slow cooker?
I recently got an Instant Pot, an electric pressure cooker that often works better than a slow cooker. I haven’t mastered whole sweet potatoes in it yet, but we use it for many other recipes like slow cooked meats, stews, and chopped sweet potatoes.
Update: Since first writing this post I’ve done some experimenting and figured out how to make whole sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot. Perfect for when we’re working outside until evening and need to make dinner in a hurry. Check out the instructions in the recipe above.
Check out my full Instant Pot review here and this super simple pot roast recipe that you can prepare in an hour in an electric pressure cooker! Worried about nutrient loss with a pressure cooker? This post explains how a pressure cooker may actually concentrate the nutrients in food, but there is one trick you need to know to preserve the nutrients in your food.
Ever slow cooked sweet potatoes? What is the easiest thing you’ve ever cooked in a Crock-Pot?
Cumin Coriander and Fennel Tea for Digestion
Since I found this “recipe” a few months ago, the only way I’ll EVER cook sweet potatoes again is in the crock pot. I’ve also discovered that red and russet potatoes cook better than any other method I know. I use a 1 1/2 quart crock pot because I’m widowed and retired, so it’s just me. I’ve even combined sweet and red potatoes in the same pot… 2 small sweets and 2 or 3 small reds, cook on high for 4 hours and make a meal! Split the potatos open, put on some butter or margerine and a little cinnamon on the sweets, lightly salt and enjoy. I eat the shins of the reds but discard the skins of the sweets unless I can find organic ones (only around Thanksgiving). Also eat the skins on the russets and other white potatoes. Really glad I found this “recipe”!
Random passer-by here, just wanted to say thanks for the ‘recipe’! We’re new to using the crock pot and happened to be looking for an easy way to prep our sweet potatoes.
Thank you!
Wow! So easy and delicious. The skin was easy to peel. I added cinnamon and slow baked pecans.
We also grew sweet potatoes this year and I have baskets full and I still have more to dig!! So, I’ll be using this one a lot! I’m a big crock pot cooker! Thanks….
Since there are only two in our family, we use the microwave for sweet potatoes. But if I decided to cook several of them I would certainly use the crock pot and I know they would be delicious. I know someone who cooks many sweet potatoes in her crock pot and takes a couple to work to eat at room temp for her lunch.
Crock pot is way better then microwave.
thanks this looks great, I did not know you could do sweet potatoes in a crockpot! i was wondering if you tried white sweet potatoes in a crock pot? the ones with purple skin? my family prefers those to oranges ones.
I’ve done this what sweet potatoes and white potatoes. It’s my preferred method. I put 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the crockpot when cooking mine. They turn out great every time.
I always am nervous about cooking dry things in the crock pot. I know lots of people do it, and I’ve been told it works really well, but it just seems so bizarre to me! But I do love sweet potatoes, maybe I can overcome my fear for them.
It is a fabulous idea. I just picked some from my garden, and am looking for something pre- morning workout to eat. Perhaps this will work good?
Fabulous idea!!