Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Creamy and velvety mashed sweet potatoes, perfect for the holidays or a family dinner. Easy to make savory or sweet and customize to you!

Looking for other holiday side dish recipes?  Check out my contest-winning Baked Mac and Cheese, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Honey Dinner Rolls!

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

With the holidays coming in a month or so, I’m starting to get allll kinds of excited about Thanksgiving food.  Specifically, the side dishes.  I can’t get enough!

Normally I whip up a huge batch of my famous Sweet Potato Casserole, but I’ve been wanting to come up with a recipe that served as a base, that you guys can add your own twist on.

A simple, yet deliciously creamy mashed sweet potato recipe that’s fabulous as is, but can be made more savory or sweet, depending on your tastes.

HOW TO MAKE MASHED SWEET POTATOES

You’ll be amazed at how easy these sweet potatoes are to make!  First, you’ll need to cook the potatoes.

I prefer to bake my potatoes, either in my oven or air fryer, but in a pinch boiling works as well.

• Cook sweet potatoes
• Scoop out the flesh
• Add butter and mash
• Stir in the half and half or milk
• Season and enjoy!

COOKING TIPS FOR SWEET POTATOES

• Poke, poke, poke – to ensure even baking and keep the sweet potatoes from exploding in the oven, take a small knife or the tines of a fork and pierce the skin of the potatoes 5-6 times per potato.
• Pick the right sweet potatoes – when it comes to sweet potatoes you want to pick a long, skinny potato, and pick ones that are similar in size so they’ll bake evenly.  Rounder and bulbous sweet potatoes will cook unevenly, which is why I prefer the skinnier ones.
• Room temperature – both the butter and the half and half will mix in more evenly if they’re warmed or at room temperature.

WAYS TO MASH SWEET POTATOES

• Potato Masher – this will give you a more rustic mash, with some chunks and texture.
• Hand Mixer – will give you a mostly smooth texture with a little bit of texture.
• Food Processor or Potato Ricer – this gives you the smoothest texture, with virtually no chunks.

VARIATIONS OF MASHED SWEET POTATOES

• Herbs and Garlic – for a more savory version, add in 2 Tbsp of minced fresh chives, 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley,  and 1 tsp garlic powder.
• Cheesy – reduce half and half to 3-4 Tbsp, add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Top with cracked black pepper.
• Sweet and Spiced – add in 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and 4 Tbsp brown sugar.
• Maple Bacon – stir in 1/4 cup maple syrup and top with some crispy bacon that’s been cooked with some brown sugar.

MAKING SWEET POTATOES AHEAD OF TIME

Mashed sweet potatoes are great to make ahead, which is perfect for the holiday season!

Prepare as directed, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 1-3 days.  Alternately, sweet potatoes can be frozen for 1-2 months.

Reheat on the stovetop on LOW, in the crockpot on LOW, or bake in the oven (350 F degrees) for 30-40 minutes.

When reheating, add a splash of milk to prevent them from drying out.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

• Hand Mixer – this model is a true workhorse in my kitchen!

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

5 from 8 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Calories: 272

Servings: 8 servings

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Creamy and rich, these mashed sweet potatoes are the perfect dinner side dish!

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 lbs sweet potatoes (approximately 8-9 sweet potatoes)
• ▢ 5-6 Tbsp butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 1/3-1/2 cup half and half or milk
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a small knife or tines of a fork. Line a baking sheet with foil and bake at 425 F degrees for 45-50 minutes.
• Slice potatoes in half lengthwise, then scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl.
• Add butter and mash with a potato masher or hand mixer. Mix in half and half a few tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
• Stir in salt and pepper.

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Chef Tips

Alternately, sweet potatoes can be baked in the air fryer or boiled.

To boil, slice raw sweet potatoes into 2" pieces.  Bring a large, salted pot of water to a boil, then add potatoes.  Boil for about 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Drain in a colander, then add back to the hot pot to remove any excess liquid.

Add sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl, then proceed with step 3.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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