Mashed Sweet Potatoes

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

16 Comments

5 from 6 votes
8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes are sweet and creamy, made with only 4 ingredients and ready in under 45 minutes. Perfect for the holiday season!

I’m sure you’re busy preparing for the holidays, and these potatoes are the perfect Side Dish to go alongside Baked Mac and Cheese and Easy Corn Casserole (Just 5 Ingredients!).

Sabrina’s Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe

Mashed sweet potatoes will make you question why you’ve been mashing russet potatoes as a side dish for your whole life. Classic Mashed Potatoes definitely have a place at the table, but there’s something about sweet potatoes on the holidays that just says family dinner time.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Mashed Sweet Potatoes are sweet and creamy, made with only 4 ingredients and ready in under 45 minutes. Perfect for the holiday season! 
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Top view on place matte with spoon
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 6 sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup butter , melted
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

  • Place a large pot of water on the stovetop and bring to to a boil before boiling the potato chunks for 15-20 minutes (until fork tender).
  • Drain any excess water off the potatoes.
  • Add the milk, butter and maple syrup and blend them until creamy with an immersion blender or in a classic blender.

Video

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 14225IU | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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About This Recipe

This mashed sweet potatoes recipe is a Thanksgiving staple, and your relatives are soon to start requesting them every year. The holiday just wouldn’t be the same without this classic side dish. These are sweet and creamy, plus, they’re so insanely easy to make, that you’re going to want to make them every week!

What to Pair With

Planning your menu for the holidays can be stressful. With so many great options to choose from, there just isn’t enough time to cook them all! While the turkey is the main dish of most holiday meals, who says the sides can’t be the highlight as well? Try serving with Sausage and Herb Stuffing, and Green Bean Casserole.

How to Store

  • Serve: Mashed Sweet Potatoes can be left at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
  • Store: Once cooled, store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze: To freeze the recipe, store in freezer safe containers or bags for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat gently on the stove, adding milk if needed.

Oven Cooking Method

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Thoroughly wash sweet potatoes and poke a few holes in the skin with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and add to oven. Cook for 40-50 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and a fork pokes through easily.
  • Remove potatoes from the oven. Remove skins from the potatoes and add to a large bowl. Use oven mitts because the potatoes will be hot!
  • Add butter, milk, and maple syrup to bowl. Puree with electric hand mixer until everything is combined.

Frequent Questions

How long does it take to boil sweet potatoes to mash?

Sweet potatoes take between 15 and 20 minutes to soften once they’re in boiling water. If you’re mashing potatoes, sweet potatoes are really similar to regular russet potatoes, so you can basically use the same technique to cook and mash them.

Do you peel sweet potatoes before boiling?

Yes, you want to peel the sweet potatoes before adding them to the boiling water. Sweet potato skins are edible, and if you choose to eat them you want to make sure you wash them thoroughly first. But for mashed potatoes, keep the skins out of the recipe to make them as creamy as possible.

Variations

  • Marshmallows: You can add marshmallows to this side dish recipe if you want something closer to a sweet potato casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle mini marshmallows on top. Then broil in the oven for 1-2 minutes, or until marshmallows start to look toasted. You can stir some marshmallows into the potatoes before adding the topping, if you want some mixed in as well.
  • Cinnamon: You can easily add cinnamon to this recipe by adding ½ teaspoon when you’re pureeing the potatoes. You can also sprinkle another ¼ teaspoon on top of the potatoes before serving.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

Potatoes Collage pin image

Photos used in previous posts

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I was introduced to this recipe 50 yrs. ago on a trip to Williamsburg, Va. This is the way the early settlers served sweet potatoes. Been doing it that way since, only way our family eats it. Have made 3 days ahead, frozen and reheated, you name it, I tried it. All worked fine. Our personal preference is using maple syrup. Enjoy

    Reply

  2. Do you drain the existing water from the pot of boiled sweet potatoes before adding milk, butter and syrup?

    Reply

  3. Hi, if I wanted to dress the mashed sweet potatoes up with butter and brown sugar would I just omit the butter & maple syrup? Or do I need to omit the milk too?

    Reply

    1. You can customize the flavorings to your liking. I would recommend using the milk, butter and brown sugar though a hint of maple syrup in there would be fantastic too. Enjoy!

      Reply

  6. I have never liked the traditional holiday sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, but this version sounds delicious. Sometimes simple is better!

    Reply