Mashed sweet potatoes are lower in carbs than traditional potatoes. They’re quick to make, have a naturally sweet taste, and can be topped with fresh herbs and butter.
Sweet potatoes are peeled and chopped, then boiled in water until tender. Next, these are added to a pot with milk and butter and pureed with a potato masher to create the perfect creamy texture. Pair this perfect side dish with holiday turkey, or weeknight dinner with chicken, beef or pork chops.
Sweet Potato Mash
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now. I’ve used it at our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and served it for weeknight dinners with baked chicken legs. I love to top it with fresh thyme and a chunk of salted butter. It’s an easy side dish for a variety of meals.
- These are budget-friendly, using only a few simple ingredients.
- These are cooked in a pot on the stove, freeing up precious oven space during holiday dinner prep.
- An excellent alternative to regular white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are lower carb and have a naturally sweet taste.
- Sweet potatoes are so versatile. They can be cooked and mashed or baked in the skin using our easy baked sweet potatoes method.
- Make this easy recipe for our sweet potato casserole with marshmallows or our healthy sweet potato shepherd’s pie loaded with veggies!
Recipe Ingredients
- SWEET POTATOES: You’ll need 3 lbs of sweet potatoes.
- LIQUID: You can use your favorite style of milk. I used canned coconut milk to make this recipe dairy-free. You can also use water, broth, heavy cream, sour cream, regular whole milk or non-dairy milk (almond, oat, cashew etc).
- FLAVOR: Salted butter (cooking oil or vegan butter), salt and ground pepper are added for simple flavor.
- VARIATIONS: I topped mine with a sprinkle of fresh thyme. This is optional. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, parmesan cheese, or a touch of cinnamon. Drizzle pure maple syrup overtop for extra sweetness.
How To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
The process is similar to regular mashed potatoes. Here’s a quick overview:
- Wash, peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Add to a large pot according to the full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Bring water to a boil, let simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Strain the boiling water.
- Add sweet potatoes back to the empty pot with milk and a little butter. Use a hand mixer, potato masher, potato ricer or food processor to puree. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
More Side Dishes To Serve With
These mashed potatoes are perfect to serve with a holiday meal alongside our wild rice stuffing, the easy and sweet-tasting cranberry jello salad, or with turkey and our cranberry sauce with orange zest (so yummy), easy garlic green beans with bacon, and the roasted balsamic rosemary beets. Leftovers can be served in a turkey leftover casserole.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Taco Bowl is full of beautiful colors and healthy ingredients.
- Cinnamon Sweet Potato and Squash is a tasty side dish to pair with chicken, beef or pork.
- Sweet Potato Spinach Omelette is baked in a sheet pan and one of the fastest ways to cook eggs.
- Sweet Potato Soup is packed to the brim with healthy vegetables.
- Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are very filling and perfect at the dinner table.
- Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet is one of our most popular dinner recipes!
Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes - peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup milk, broth or water - regular milk or non-dairy milk will also work
- 4 Tbsp salted butter - or cooking oil
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme - optional
Instructions
- Wash, peel and chop the sweet potato. Add it to a pot and fill with enough water to cover the tops of the sweet potato.Bring the water to a boil and reduce to let simmer.
- Check sweet potatoes after about 5 minutes by poking with a fork. Potatoes will be soft and tender when they're cooked.
- Drain the excess water, add the coconut milk (or other milk), butter (or oil), and mash. You can use an electric mixer or a hand masher.
- Serve with melted butter and fresh thyme sprinkled on top (optional).
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.