Switch up your usual potato routine and whip up these mashed sweet potatoes! It only takes five ingredients and about 20 minutes before you have this rich and creamy dish ready to go. Softened sweet potatoes, combined with cream, butter, and seasonings come together to make a scrumptious side dish.
The holidays are known for their traditional dishes and many people tend to stick with those traditions. However, I truly believe that everyone loves a good sweet potato mash recipe. You can add lots of salt and butter for a savory sweet potato mash or you can add lots of cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg for a sweeter version.
How To Make
- Prepare potatoes – Peel and slice potatoes into 2-inch chunks. Boil for about 15 minutes or until soft.
- Drain – Drain the potatoes and let them sit to ensure as much water is removed as possible.
- Mash the potatoes – Add the butter to the potatoes and mash well. Add the heavy cream, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mash again and keep adding cream until the right consistency is reached. Enjoy!
Top Tips For The Perfect Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Use your milk preference – You can use whatever milk suits your needs. Coconut milk, whole milk, oat milk, almond milk, etc. All of these options will work just fine.
- Make it vegan – Replace the cream with almond milk and use vegan butter to make these mashed potatoes vegan-friendly!
- Omit the cinnamon – Although cinnamon compliments sweet potatoes super well, you can remove it if desired. The cinnamon gives it a hint of sweet potato casserole, but not as sweet and strong.
- Add syrup – If you want to make the potatoes sweeter, you can always add a bit of maple syrup or honey to the mixture when mashing.
- Use a food processor – Don’t want to mash potatoes by hand? No problem, just drop the cooked potatoes and other ingredients into a processor and blend until smooth. Save your arm a bit of work.
- Add fresh herbs – If you want to add even more flavor to this sweet potato side dish, you can mix in some fresh herbs to compliment the flavor. Rosemary, parsley, sage, or thyme would all be great choices.
- Are they gluten-free? – You’re in luck! These mashed sweet potatoes are naturally gluten-free. If you go the vegan route, they’ll be dairy-free as well!
- Make them lumpy – Some people love their homemade mashed potatoes to have some lumps involved. If that’s the case, just don’t mash them as much or use a food processor.
- Topping ideas – You can serve these mashed potatoes sprinkled with fresh herbs, a pat of butter, cooked mini marshmallows, or crispy bacon on top. Of course, you can go a more classic route and eat them with gravy as well.
Do You Peel Sweet Potatoes Before Boiling Them?
Yes, you definitely do. The skin of a sweet potato is different from your average russet potato (or similar). It’s a lot tougher and doesn’t cook down well. For this reason, you’ll almost always want to peel your sweet potatoes before using or cooking them. Especially for recipes like this one that calls for mashing down or using the whole potato. A baked sweet potato or a similar recipe would be the only time leaving the skin on a sweet potato would work out ok.
Storage and Reheating
If you have any leftovers, you can place it in the fridge or freezer.
- Fridge – Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezer – Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating – Reheat using the microwave or a small pot on the stovetop.
Serving Suggestions
These mashed sweet potatoes pair beautifully with chicken fried steak with gravy or honey roasted chicken. Simple grilled chicken or fried shrimp would go amazing with these too!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 4 lbs sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ground
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into 2-inch chunks. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
- Drain the potatoes and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Add the butter to the sweet potatoes and mash in a large bowl using a potato masher.
- Add the heavy cream and cinnamon, season with salt and pepper generously. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!
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