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!
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 medium sized sweet potatoes
- A 6-quart or larger slow cooker
Instructions
- Wash sweet potatoes well, but don't dry.
- Put on the bottom of the Crock-Pot, put lid on, and turn on low.
- Cook for 6-7 hours or until tender.
- Serve with butter and salt or as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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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.
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?
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sweet potato fanatic—Thanks!
This has been my go-to method of sweet potato cooking lately and it works incredibly well!
I had perpetual bone broth in my slow cooker and decided to put a sweet potato in it. I ate the whole large sweet potato all by myself. Skin and all. It was so good and probably even added some flavor to my broth. Great blog, always so many ideas.
I have a low setting and a high setting. Would you suggest 6 hours on high or low?
Low.
Have you found a slow cooker that has either a stainless steel or glass inside? I don’t want to use the ceramic since I’m not sure what it is leaching into the food.
Thanks for sharing this easy recipe! I’m trying this for Easter this year!
OMG! I just did white sweet potato’s in the slow cooker. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. So rich and creamy. They don’t need a thing on them.
This is the only way I cook sweet potatoes (since finding the information on this site). If you can get hold of some Asian Sweet Potatoes, you will have yet another treat!
I make sweet potatoes, yams, like this ever since I saw this on your blog. It works out great every time with just water on the potatoes. I then take them out of the skin, cut them in half, put them at the bottom of a buttered large casserole, put one large can (partially drained) black beans with a little brown sugar, ketchup mixed together stirred in. I put some butter on top. And then put it in the oven at 350F for about 45 min (covered). You can also add some spices if you have favorites with black beans. Then I serve a salad with this.
Genius!! No microwave in our house and I hate turning on the oven unless I’m using it for multiple things. Will have to do this instead for the potatoes!
Will this help in a small crock pot? If I only do one at a time and then take it to work and reheat in the microwave for lunch?