Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Hawaiian Style)
Hawaiian-Style Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – Learn the easy steps to cook perfect baked sweet potatoes in the oven (or air fryer) before loading them with tasty toppings like bacon and ham, cheese, pineapple, and a drizzle of tangy barbecue sauce.
Why We Love This Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Fall is the perfect time for sweet potato dishes in every variety. One of my favorite simple sweet potato-based dinner concepts is stuffed sweet potatoes. Because sweet potatoes have such a rich sweet flavor, they can stand up to all sorts of fillings and toppings.
I love to bake the potatoes in the oven. This method isn’t necessarily the fastest, but it is pretty hands-off and effortless… And they come out beautifully fork-tender throughout! But here we’ve also included easy steps to cook sweet potatoes in the air fryer as well, just in case you are in a bit of a hurry.
Although you can stuff them in many ways, including cowboy style, pizza style, Mexican or taco style, etc. we love Hawaiian stuff sweet potatoes best of all. Load them up with ham and pineapple, plus jalapeno peppers and barbecue sauce, for a flavor explosion of sweet and tangy goodness!
Ingredients You Need
- Sweet potatoes – choose ones that are uniform in size for even baking
- Bacon – cooked and chopped
- Ham – thin slices or Canadian bacon
- Cheddar cheese – shredded
- Canned pineapple tidbits – drained
- Jalapeno – thinly sliced
- Barbecue sauce – your favorite kind
- Salt and pepper – just a pinch of both to season
How to Make Hawaiian-Style Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place 4 to 6 sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Try to select sweet potatoes that are a similar size. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 to 60 minutes, until a fork can be plunged deep in the center of the largest sweet potato.
Meanwhile, prep the Hawaiian-style fillings. Cook the bacon strips, then break them into pieces. Chop the deli ham into small slivers. Shred the cheese. Drain the pineapple tidbits. Slice the jalapeño into very thin rounds.
Once the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, carefully cut a long slit in the top of each sweet potato, end to end. Carefully open the sweet potatoes up to make room for the fillings. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over each open sweet potato.
Then sprinkle a small amount of cheese in each sweet potato, reserving some for the end. Pile in sliced ham and bacon pieces.
Next, add pineapple tidbits and sliced jalapeño.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of each potato.
Get the Complete (Printable) Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Place the baking sheet back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and is toasty around the edges.
Drizzle BBQ sauce over the top of each potato before serving.
Other Good Toppings for Sweet Potatoes
- Barbecue – Load on pulled pork or chicken, shredded cheese, chopped onions, and BBQ sauce.
- Mexican-style – Stuff the potatoes with taco meat and cheese. Then add fresh taco toppings like pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and pickled jalapenos before serving.
- Pizza – Use shredded mozzarella cheese and load with favorite toppings like pepperoni, olives, and cooked crumbled sausage. Drizzle on pizza or marinara sauce to finish.
- Cowboy-style – Pile in a mixture of cowboy caviar AKA corn salad, black beans, ground beef (or ground turkey or ground chicken), bell peppers, and onions for a hearty vegetarian stuffed potato. You can also include other taco-like toppings such as sour cream and avocado.
How to Cooked Stuffed Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer
No time to bake? No problem! Air fry the sweet potatoes in about half the time as baking.
Set the air fryer at 390°F. Prick the potatoes with a fork and place them in the fryer basket. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until fork tender.
Then follow the recipe as directed in the card below.
Serving Suggestions
These stuffed beauties are truly a meal on their own! The potatoes themselves are a veggie and starch, and then you get lots of yummy protein from the cheese and meat. All-in-one perfection!
For a heartier dinner, you can pair the Hawaiian-style potatoes with your favorite side dishes, like Macaroni Salad or even a simple green salad. They’re also great as a side dish alongside Spam Fried Rice with Kimchi, grilled BBQ Chicken, and juicy burgers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope, there is no need to soak sweet potatoes before cooking.
Use your favorite plant-based meat alternatives, or feel free to skip the ham and bacon altogether. If you use dairy-free cheese alternative this recipe is also vegan.
You can bake the sweet potatoes a day or so ahead of time. However, I suggest assembling and baking with the cheese just before serving.
Stuffed sweet potatoes will keep well for up to 3 days. Let them cool before transferring them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator.
Yes, as long as your barbecue sauce gluten-free, the entire recipe is GF.
Looking for More Delicious Dinner Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Chicken Pot Pie Stuffed Peppers
- Spicy Mesquite Twice Baked Potatoes
- Maple Glaze Prosciutto Wrapped Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- BBQ Sauce Glazed Pineapple Ham Picks
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes or 6 smaller sweet potatoes
- 4-6 cooked bacon strips
- 2-3 slices of ham
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar blend
- 4 ounce can pineapple tidbits drained
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place 4 to 6 sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Try to select sweet potatoes that are a similar size. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 to 60 minutes, until a fork can be plunged deep in the center of the largest sweet potato.
- Meanwhile, prep the Hawaiian style fillings. Cook the bacon strips, then break into pieces. Chop the deli ham into small slivers. Shred the cheese. Drain the pineapple tidbits. Slice the jalapeño into very thin rounds.
- Once the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, carefully cut a long slit in the top of each sweet potato, end to end. Carefully open the sweet potatoes up to make room for the fillings. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over each open sweet potato. Then sprinkle a small amount of cheese in each sweet potato, reserving some for the end. Pile in sliced ham, bacon pieces, pineapple tidbits, and sliced jalapeño. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of each potato.
- Place the baking sheet back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and is toasty around the edges. Drizzle BBQ sauce over the top of each potato before serving.
My kids love Hawaiian pizza so I knew they would like this recipe. They were a hit! Thanks for sharing.
Yum! I love the combination of flavors in here. This has become a weekly staple because they are so easy and delicious.
These potatoes are literally the best things that I have ever made! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Ok ok ok, new favorite!! The combo of the pineapple and the bbq sauce is my fave!
WOW!! This is such a brilliant idea- and a great way to get my kids to eat sweet potatoes! Everyone loved these.
We can’t get enough of these stuffed sweet potatoes! They’re packed with flavors and were a hit! I’m keeping this recipe!