Essential for the holidays and a weeknight side dish staple, Mashed Sweet Potatoes are a crowd favorite! With just 6 ingredients, this quick and easy healthy vegetable is one you'll make again and again! Not overly sweet, ultra buttery and creamy, and pairs well with any main course.
A beautiful bowl of Mashed Sweet Potatoes is the perfect addition to your holiday menu! A touch of real maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness while also being gluten-free!
This recipe can be taken a step further by turning your basic mashed sweet potatoes into a Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecan Topping!
The holiday menu needs "something orange" and we also love Mashed Butternut Squash or these Roasted Sweet Potato Slices with Garlic Honey Butter!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sweet Potatoes - We use yams and sweet potatoes fairly interchangeably, but you want 4 large, reddish skin, orange flesh potatoes! This healthy vegetable is naturally sweet and mashes up super creamy! If you love sweet potatoes, try this Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup!
- Butter - A good amount of butter takes this recipe over the top! But, you can adjust it to your liking, start with less butter if you like and give it a taste! Mash some in and let some melt over the top as you are serving!
- Heavy Cream - Helping your sweet potatoes mash up nice and creamy, a little bit of heavy cream adds a nice richness and creamy texture. You can use half & half or whole milk if you don't have it or want to make the dish less rich. You can also add as much or as little cream while you are mashing reach the consistency you like!
- Maple Syrup - A little sweetness from real male syrup intensifies the naturally sweet potatoes. You can adjust this amount based on how sweet you want your sweet potatoes. Brown sugar, white sugar, or honey could be substituted, or leave the syrup out entirely.
- Salt - Salt is important for brightening the flavors in all your ingredients. The amount can be adjusted to your preference.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This dish is super simple, just peel and chop your sweet potatoes, then boil and mash! Rustic and simple yet elegant enough for the holidays!
Step 1 - Wash your sweet potatoes and peel them with a vegetable peeler. Make sure to peel away any black or bad spots.
Cut them in 1 inch slices, then cut the slices in quarters. Add the large chunks to a pot of cold water as you chop.
Step 2 - Cover your potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook until soft and breaking apart, test with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain well in a colander.
Step 3 - Add the heavy cream, 4 Tablespoons of butter, maple syrup and salt and mash well with a potato masher.
Step 4 - Transfer to a serving bowl and smooth out the top with a spoon. Dot with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and serve!
Chef Tips
- Make Ahead - You can peel and chop your sweet potatoes a day in advance and store in the pot of water in the refrigerator. You can even store the pot in the trunk of your car in cold climates if you have a full refrigerator for the holidays! You could also make the recipe completely a day ahead and just rewarm in the oven. You may need to stir in more cream and butter.
- Test your boiling sweet potatoes for doneness with a fork. If they break apart in the water, they're done.
- Drain Well - This is an important step to avoid watery sweet potatoes! Really shake the water out as they sit in the colander. If the colander is sitting over the pot, make sure to empty the bit of water before returning the potatoes to the pot!
- Storage and Freezer - Store leftover mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 4 months.
- Repurposing Leftovers - Mashed sweet potatoes can be used in baking as a substitute for canned pumpkin! You can use it fresh or freeze it in 1 cup portions to use later. It makes a delicious variation to Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins, Pumpkin Waffles or Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins.
- Number of Servings - This is a large batch meant for a holiday crowd. Four large sweet potatoes can easily feed 8 people or more if it's the main side dish. For the holidays when you have lots of sides, it can serve 10 to 14. You can make half the recipe for a smaller weeknight side dish.
- Butter Amount - Use as much or as little butter as you like. Add whatever amount of butter you prefer when mashing and to garnish the top. Really, the same goes for all the add-in ingredients. You can adjust the heavy cream, maple syrup, and salt to be more or less depending on your preference.
What to Serve With
- Main Course - Mashed Sweet Potatoes are delicious with almost any main dish including turkey, ham, beef, chicken or any roasted meat. We love them for the holidays or with a simple weeknight meal.
- Holiday Side Dishes - Mashed Sweet Potatoes are a yummy vegetable side dish, and can even be made into a Sweet Potato Casserole! Pair it with Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts, Green Bean Au Gratin, Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and a Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad.
Recipe FAQs
You can control the sweetness level in these Mashed Sweet Potatoes to suit your own taste. A bit of maple syrup enhances the natural sweetness of the vegetable, but you can add more or less or even leave it out. You could also substitute brown sugar, white sugar, or honey.
Yes! These are gluten-free Mashed Sweet Potatoes, a perfect side dish for serving a crowd for the holidays!
Sweet potato skin is edible, but I prefer to peel them for Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Peeling sweet potatoes often reveals some black spots or bad parts that you'll want to discard. If you don't peel them, you will discover those bad spots later. Peeling also gives you a creamier texture when mashing.
Yes, sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and from there you can adjust to your liking! You can leave them as is, or sweeten them as much as you like with maple syrup, brown or white sugar or honey. You can also add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg for a warm earthy flavor.
More Favorite Side Dishes!
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 4 sweet potatoes (about 5 pounds)
- 6 Tablespoons butter divided
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, removing any bad or black spots. Slice into 1 inch rounds and then chop the rounds into quarters. Add the large chunks to a pot covering the potatoes with cold water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain well in a colander.
- Return the sweet potatoes to the hot pot. Add 4 Tablespoons of butter, heavy cream, maple syrup, and sprinkle with salt. Mash well with a potato masher.
- Transfer to a serving dish and smooth the top with a spoon. Dot with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and serve.
Notes
- Test your sweet potatoes for doneness with a fork. If they break apart in the water, they're done.
- Drain your sweet potatoes very well in a colander, shake it and let it sit a bit!
- Make Ahead - You can peel and chop your potatoes a day in advance and store in the pot of water in the refrigerator. You can even store the pot in the trunk of your car in cold climates if you have a full refrigerator for the holidays!
- Leftover Sweet Potatoes can be refrigerated or frozen in 1 cup portions and can be used in place of canned pumpkin for baking. Delicious in Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins or Pumpkin Waffles.
- Butter and Maple Syrup Amount - The butter and maple syrup amounts can be adjusted up or down to your liking. You can also substitute brown sugar.
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