How to Bake Yams

Yams are native to Africa and Asia, and have a bouncier and drier texture than sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are more common in the Americas and Europe. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Library of Congress Go to Source} Whether it’s a yams or a sweet potato, one of the easiest and most convenient ways to prepare it is to bake. This is also a very delicious way to prepare yam and is extremely healthy. Baked yams are ideal for Paleo or clean eating diets. To bake yams, you can follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Basic technique of baking yams or basic sweet potatoes

Yams or sweet potatoes
Foil and baking tray
2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or vegetable oil

Paleo yams or baked sweet potatoes

Yams or sweet potatoes
Coconut oil
Cinnamon or nutmeg powder
Coconut Butter

Sweet potatoes or baked sweet potatoes cut into cubes

4 yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm . cubes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or other oils)
1/4 cup honey (sweet)
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder (sweet)
2 tablespoons brown or white sugar (sweet)
Freshly ground salt and pepper (spicy)
Paprika (spicy and salty)

Sweet potatoes or baked sweet potatoes cut into sticks

4 yams or sliced sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzle
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon garlic, curry powder, cumin, paprika (optional)

Yams or sweet potatoes baked in the microwave

Yams or sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Butter
Vegetable oil or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Brown sugar or white sugar

Basic baked yam or sweet potato

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Preheat the oven to 218 degrees Celsius. Sweet potatoes and yams are both easy to cook, so you can bake at any temperature between 190 and 232 degrees Celsius. That means you can put the potatoes in the oven. while preparing other dishes. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Line the bottom of a baking tray or baking dish with foil. Sweet potatoes are often molten and difficult to clean. You should line the baking tray with foil to make cleaning easier.

Do not wrap potatoes in foil; you just need to put the potatoes on the foil.

Wash and prick the potatoes. Gently scrub the potato under cold running water. Use a fork or sharp knife to poke each potato 4-5 times, then place in a baking dish.

You can drizzle olive oil or vegetable oil over the potatoes if you like. Rub the olive oil all over the potato skins. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
With a Paleo or clean eating diet, you can use coconut oil to rub on the skins of potatoes. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Bake the potatoes for about 1 hour. Flip the potatoes once during the baking process. When the potatoes are soft, they are done. You can wear kitchen gloves to touch the potato to test its softness. Use a knife to poke the middle of the potato; If it’s easy to prick, it means the potato is done. Continue baking if the potatoes are not cooked. ^{[5] X Research Source} Another way to tell if a potato is ripe is to look at the skin; When the potato skin is darker, it means the potato is ripe. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Baking time will vary depending on the size of the potato. Larger potatoes will take longer to bake. Yams usually take 45-75 minutes to bake.

Enjoy. Remove the potatoes from the baking pan and cut the potatoes in half with a knife. Serve the baked yam with some butter.

For a Paleo or clean eating diet, you can drizzle with coconut butter and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Another healthy option is a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
Add brown or granulated sugar and pumpkin pie seasoning for a sweeter taste. Season with salt and pepper, paprika, or cumin for a salty, spicy taste. Blend chili with butter for extra flavor. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Baked yams or sweet potatoes in cubes

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Preheat the oven to 204 degrees Celsius. Sweet potatoes can be baked at any temperature between 190-232 degrees Celsius.

Peel and cut potatoes. Select 4 yams, peel and cut into small squares about 2.5 cm each side. Spread the potato slices on a baking tray.

Another way is to wash the sweet potato, leave the skin on and cut into slices of arbitrary width. ^{[8] X Research Source} Sweet potato skins provide additional nutrients and aid digestion, but you must wash them thoroughly if you want to eat the skins.

Flavoring. First, drizzle olive oil over the potatoes. ^{[9] X Research Source} If you don’t want to use oil, you can spread butter over the potatoes. ^{[10] X Research Source} Decide if you’ll make sweet, savory, or a combination of the two.

If you like it sweeter, you can drizzle honey, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the potatoes, or substitute with brown or white sugar.
For a savory sweet potato dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika powder.

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Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender or the edges are curled. You can start testing the potatoes once they’ve been baked for 15 minutes.

Bake sweet potatoes or yams in stick shapes

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Preheat oven to 218 degrees Celsius. Stick-cut sweet potatoes can be baked at any temperature between 190-232 degrees Celsius.

Wash and cut potatoes. Since the potato has the skin on, you will have to wash it thoroughly. Cut potatoes into thin slices.

If you prefer triangles instead of sticks, you can cut them into 8 pieces.

Flavoring. Place the potatoes in a large bowl or plastic bag. Toss potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil.

You can also add other seasonings to the potatoes. Try garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder, curry, or a combination of salt and any other seasoning. ^{[11] X Research Source}
To make Paleo or clean eating baked potatoes, replace olive oil with coconut oil. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Put the potatoes in the baking tray. Spread the potatoes on the baking tray. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, flipping at least once during the baking process. Depending on the type of oven, the baking time may be faster or longer. Bake until the potatoes are crisp and golden. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Don’t stack the chips too close together or stack them too high to keep them crisp.

Bake yams or sweet potatoes in the microwave

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Bake whole yams. If you want to bake a whole yam or sweet potato in the microwave, poke holes all over the potato. ^{[14] X Research Source}

If you want to bake more sliced potatoes, you can peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces about 2.5cm wide and put them in a microwaveable bowl.

Flavoring. If you want to spice it up, season it before you put it in the microwave. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons selected oil.

If you prefer sweet potatoes, you can add 2 tablespoons brown sugar, white sugar, or maple syrup, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or powdered cinnamon and nutmeg.
If you want the sweet potato to taste salty, add salt and pepper.

Turn on the microwave on high power. Cover or cover with cling film on a plate of potatoes. Bake the potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes. Check the tenderness of the potatoes after they have been baked for 5 minutes. Continue to bake 2 minutes in batches until the potatoes are tender.

If you’re baking whole potatoes, you’ll need to flip them once halfway through the baking time. If you’re baking sliced potatoes, shake the baking dish to spread the potatoes evenly.

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Completed.

Advice

Drizzle vegetable oil, olive oil, or coconut oil over the oven-baked yams to keep the outside crispy.
Try rolling yam in bacon before grilling for a satisfying snack.
Baking more than an hour usually doesn’t cause problems with yams; a little time and extra heat will usually be fine.
Sweet potatoes and yams are natural superfoods. They are rich in good nutrients. 1 cup of sweet potatoes can meet 65% of vitamin C and 700% of vitamin A daily intake. They also contain high levels of calcium, fpate, potassium and beta-carotene, and have a low glycemic index (GI).
Bake lots of sweet potatoes or yams at once, store in a plastic bag or container, and store in the fridge for quick lunch or dinner snacks throughout the week. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Things you need

Foil and baking tray
The dish can be used in the microwave