Loaded Sweet Potato Skins (Printable)
Crispy baked sweet potato skins topped with black beans, melted cheese, and fresh garnishes.
# What You Need:
→ Sweet Potatoes
01 - 4 medium sweet potatoes
→ Filling
02 - 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
03 - 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
04 - 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
05 - 2 green onions, sliced (plus additional for garnish)
06 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
07 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
08 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Cheese
11 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Monterey Jack or a blend)
→ Garnishes
12 - 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
13 - 1 small avocado, diced
14 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
15 - Lime wedges (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce each several times with a fork. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.
03 - Allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly. Cut each in half lengthwise, then scoop out most of the flesh, leaving approximately a 1/4-inch border to maintain sturdy skins. Reserve the flesh for other uses.
04 - Raise oven temperature to 425°F. Arrange sweet potato skins cut side up on the baking sheet.
05 - In a medium bowl, mix black beans, corn, red bell pepper, sliced green onions, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
06 - Spoon the black bean mixture evenly into the prepared sweet potato skins. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the skins are crisp.
08 - Remove from oven and allow to cool briefly. Top with sour cream or Greek yogurt, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and additional sliced green onions. Serve with lime wedges if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- They look like you spent hours in the kitchen, but they're genuinely one of the easiest things to throw together on a busy night.
- The combination of crispy skin, creamy filling, and cool toppings hits every texture you didn't know you craved in a single bite.
- You can eat them with your hands, which somehow makes food taste better and cleanup easier all at once.
02 -
- Don't skip the step of leaving that quarter-inch border on the skins—scoop too much and they'll collapse like a sad hat in the oven.
- Increasing the oven temperature for the second bake is what makes the skins actually crispy instead of just soft again; this detail changes everything.
03 -
- Make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it—everything tastes better when the flavors have a few hours to get to know each other.
- If you have leftover scooped sweet potato flesh, don't throw it away; mix it into hash, soup, or even sweet dishes the next day.