This mashed sweet potatoes recipe is a savory-sweet and deliciously buttery side dish. Fresh herbs and cinnamon kick up the flavor even more!
Love sweet potatoes? Try my Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup or this cozy Turkey Sweet Potato Chili.
This is the perfect side for sweet potato lovers or if you feel like trying something a bit different to your usual mashed potatoes/go-to side dish. I feel like the only time people really think about mashed sweet potatoes is during Thanksgiving/fall, but that doesn't have to be the case. They're available year-round for most of us, and mashed potatoes of any variety go down a treat any time of year.
How to make mashed sweet potatoes
Start by cooking the sweet potatoes (I explain two ways to do it in the recipe card below. Baking them is my favorite method). Warm the butter/cream/herb mixture on the stove when they're just about ready. As it warms, the mixture gets infused with the fresh herb flavors. You then scoop the mashed potatoes out of their skins, add them to a pot along with the cream mixture, and mash 'em with hand-held potato masher. That's it!
I hope these savory mashed sweet potatoes will make it to your dinner table sometime soon. 🙂
Recipe notes & tips:
- Sometimes you'll find sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" at the grocery store.
- You'll have the best results if you chop the herbs very finely - the little bit of extra time it takes to do this is worth it.
- I strongly recommend using fresh herbs as it does make a difference. However, if you need to use dried herbs, I'd start with 1/2 teaspoon each of rosemary and sage, and then taste and add more as necessary.
- You'll get good results either way you decide to cook the sweet potatoes (baking or boiling), so don't worry too much. If say your oven is occupied, you may want to choose the boiling method. I do find it easier to just throw them in the oven vs. peeling them raw.
- I haven't tested subbing the cream for anything else, but you could probably sub it in this recipe for half-and-half or whole milk if need be.
- Make-ahead tips:
- You can make these a day or two ahead of time. Warm them in a covered pot over a low heat, and add a splash more cream or milk and re-mash them as needed.
- You can keep these warm in a Crockpot (using the "keep warm" setting), but if they're sitting there for hours, you may need to add a touch more liquid and re-mash.
More delicious side dishes:
- Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mashed Butternut Squash
- Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Questions about this easy mashed sweet potatoes recipe? Ask me in the comments below!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (needles only) chopped finely
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat your oven to 425F. Move the rack to the middle position. Place whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Carefully prick potatoes all over with a knife. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until very soft.
- Meanwhile, when the sweet potatoes are about ready, add the butter, cream, sage, rosemary, cinnamon, and salt & pepper to a small saucepan and warm over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise (to let the steam escape), and let them cool for a few minutes until they're cool enough to handle. Scoop out the flesh and add it to a pot.
- Pour the warm cream mixture into the pot and mash the sweet potatoes with a hand-held potato masher until smooth.
- Transfer them to a bowl and serve immediately. For the garnish in the photos (optional), I added about a teaspoon of cream + a couple tablespoons of butter and microwaved it until melted. I then poured it over the mashed sweet potatoes.
Notes
- Sweet potatoes vary so much in size, so that's why I suggest a weight. I had 5 small-medium sweet potatoes in the 3 pounds for this recipe.
- If you prefer, you can boil the sweet potatoes instead of baking. To do this, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1" (or so) pieces. Add them to a pot, cover with water, and boil until tender.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
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