Healthy Sweet Potato Skins

May 23, 2019 (Last updated Nov 20, 2023) by Hannah Sunderani

Healthy Sweet Potato Skins

These Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins with White Bean and Guacamole is everything you’re looking for in a healthy appetizer or main meal. It’s cozy, flavour rich, creamy, and nutritious. Drizzle with the easy Citrus Tahini Dressing and get ready to dig in! 

This recipe is exactly as described – oven baked sweet potatoes topped with white beans and guacamole. Pretty straight forward, right? There’s no fancy ingredients or tricky methods to perfecting this dish. 

Potato recipes are a recipe staple for a reason: They’re an easy comfort food. And just like my Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and my Loaded Sweet Potatoes, I’ve fancied up this stuffed potato recipe by opting for sweet potato instead of a white potato. I’ve also got a tad creative with the filling ideas. Using white bean and easy guacamole, sprinkling with green onion and drizzling with my signature tahini sauce. 

They’re perfect to prepare for a BBQ, or for an easy weeknight meal. The ingredients are simple, and the prep is effortless! Now, let’s get right to it – so that you can make these healthy potato skins pronto! 

These Sweet Potato Skins are…

• Hearty 
• Healthy
• Husband approved
• A great appetizer or main dish
• Protein-rich
• The ultimate comfort food
• Vegan + gluten-free
• Good source of fiber

Ingredient Notes

You’ll need just 8 simple ingredients to make these healthy sweet potato skins, including my signature Citrus Tahini Dressing! Here are the most important ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes: The best sweet potatoes to use are long and thin as these potatoes tend to bake faster and more evenly. Any variety sweet potato of choice will do! 
• Oil: This is optional, but painting the sweet potatoes with a bit of neutral oil helps to make the sweet potatoes extra crispy and delicious! 
• Avocados: I always recommend making your own homemade guacamole with fresh avocados, lemon juice, and salt. For tips on picking and storing avocados to help them ripen quickly, check out this helpful article from Martha Stewart: How to Pick the Perfect Avocado – and How to Ripen One Quickly. 
• Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens the flavour of the guacamole, and adds acidity to the tahini citrus dressing. For the best flavour, I highly recommend fresh lemon juice as opposed to store-bought. 
• White beans: Beans not only add extra protein to help keep you full, but also make the filling of these sweet potato skins extra creamy and rich. If you don’t like white beans, or don’t have them handy, you can always switch them up for another bean of choice. Black beans would be delicious, as well as chickpeas or lentils.
• Tahini: Adds a lovely creaminess to the dish. I love it combined with the brightness of the citrus, a pinch of salt, and drizzled on just about anything that needs a creamy finishing touch. Feel free to whip up a big batch to last you through the week and use it as a dressing for buddha bowls, or drizzle it on roasted eggplant, falafel, and more! 

Add-ins and Substitutions 

The best part about making loaded potato skins at home is you can truly fill them with any fillings you’d like! Below are a few of my favourite substitutions and add-ins to use when I’m out of the called for ingredients. 

• White beans substitutes: If you don’t like white beans, or don’t have them handy, you can always switch them up for another bean of choice. Black beans would be delicious, as well as chickpeas or lentils. If you have black beans on hand, you might like my Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. 
• Tahini dressing substitute: If the nutty flavour of tahini isn’t for you, try using a vegan sour cream recipe. I like to make a homemade version using my Coconut Yogurt and a bit of water. Try my Miso Sauce using almond butter, or make Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with my Vegan Queso Recipe!
• Oil-free: If you are oil-free, omit the neutral oil and bake the sweet potatoes without the light coating. The sweet potato peel won’t be as crispy, but will still be absolutely delicious! 
• Sweet potato substitute: Replace the sweet potatoes with white potatoes like russet potatoes, if needed. Or, use the regular potatoes to try my Stuffed Baked Potatoes!   

Watch the how to video:

How to Make Sweet Potato Skins

Get the Sweet Potatoes in the Oven

First, prep the sweet potatoes (they take long to bake, but are easy to get roasting in the oven!). Using a fork or sharp knife, poke small holes in the potatoes all the way around the sweet potato, about 1-inch apart. Then, spread the potatoes on a baking tray, and lightly paint the sweet potatoes with oil using a pastry brush or basting brush. This will help crisp up the outsides of the potatoes really nicely and give them a lovely caramelized colour (If you are oil-free, you can skip this step!). 

Transfer the baking tray into a preheated oven and bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. When they are ready they will be fork tender and easy to pierce with a tooth pick without any resistance.

Prepare the fillings

While the sweet potatoes bake, prepare the guacamole, beans, and citrus tahini dressing. In a small bowl, mash the avocado using a fork or potato masher. Add in the lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt and stir to combine. 

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt. Add about 2 tablespoons of water to thin the dressing to your desired consistency. 

Once the potatoes are tender, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Then, cut the sweet potatoes in half and scoop out some of the sweet potato flesh, if desired. Fill the sweet potatoes with white beans, homemade guacamole, finely chopped green onions, and a drizzle of citrus tahini dressing for a final creamy touch. 

Enjoy these loaded potato skins while warm as a main course, hearty side, or game day appetizer. 

Is it okay to eat sweet potato skins?

Absolutely! In fact, my favourite part of baked sweet potatoes is the skin. Because when baked, the skins become crisp and caramelized. Of course, in some recipes like soups, and curries, it’s popular to peel the skin for smooth consistency. But for roasting feel free to keep them on, as they add beautiful taste and texture.

Just be sure that you scrub the potatoes thoroughly with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt. (Although, after reading Eat Dirt, by Dr. Axe, I’m sort of rethinking exactly how clean our veg should be! Turns out, a little dirt never hurt nobody. And may have the opposite effect.)

More Healthy Game Day Snacks You Might Like:

• Cauliflower Nachos (Vegan)
• ​Crispy Baked Cauliflower Buffalo Wings (Vegan) 
• Vegan Ranch Dressing & Dip
• Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos (Vegan + GF)
• Garlicky Smashed Potatoes with Harissa Yogurt

I hope you love this Healthy Potato Skins recipe as much as I do! If you do make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think and check out The Two Spoons App for more wholesome vegan recipes like this! I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have. 

And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations. 

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