These mashed sweet potatoes are creamy, buttery, and so easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients. Made with sweet potatoes, cream, butter, salt, and pepper, this recipe lets the sweet potatoes’ natural sweetness shine without adding extra sweeteners such as brown sugar or maple syrup. They’re an easy side dish for weeknight dinners, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday meal.
This creamy mashed sweet potatoes recipe is a simple side dish that pairs well with all types of meals. It is my go-to recipe for days when I need a vegetable side but do not want to think too hard about what to make or do too much prep work!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- I love that you only need 3 ingredients plus salt and pepper, and you get a delicious side dish you can serve on a busy weeknight or scale up and have it as part of your holiday spread. It’s versatile despite being so simple! Pair it with anything from chicken to turkey to steak to shrimp!
- It’s pretty easy to make! Boil, drain, and mash. It also stores well, so it’s an easy make-ahead dish that makes mealtime easier.
- Sweet potatoes are generally inexpensive, making it a budget-friendly recipe that you can rely on!
Ingredients You’ll Need
sweet potatoes — you are likely going to find jewel or garnet sweet potatoes at your local grocery store. I like garnet sweet potatoes (dark reddish-orange skin with bright orange flesh) as they’re very sweet and moist, making it ideal for mashes.
butter — with the short ingredients list, I recommend using good-quality butter. I usually use unsalted butter and season to taste. If you only have salted butter, that is fine, simply add less salt to the sweet potatoes after mashing!
milk or cream — this recipe is flexible as you can use milk or cream, whatever you have on hand. Cream will give you a richer mashed sweet potato but I find whole milk to be just as delicious even if not as decadent.
salt and pepper — I always use kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add the diced sweet potatoes to the boiling water, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sweet potato pieces are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. This is key as you don’t want to start mashing half cooked sweet potato. This ensures that you get perfectly creamy mashed sweet potato that is not lumpy.
- Drain the potatoes over a colander. Return the drained potatoes to the pot and mash them with a hand masher.
Carmy’s Tip
If I have the time, I let the cooked sweet potato sit in the colander for a few extra minutes so that as much liquid as possible is drained. I do not like to shake the colander as the diced sweet potatoes will bump into each other and the colander and you end up with the sweet potato flesh smushed to the colander. The extra drain time will help prevent the mashed sweet potatoes from becoming watery when mashed.
To ensure any final lingering water is gone, you can leave the diced sweet potatoes in the warm pot for a couple minutes for the heat to evaporate the water before you start mashing. These are extra steps that I like to do if I am not in a rush!
- Add the butter and milk (or cream). Use the potato masher to mash until everything is smooth and well combined.
- Season to taste and serve topped with more butter and fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- If you have some fresh herbs and want to infuse herb flavors, you can heat up your milk with the herbs! This infuses the milk in one simple step!
- Make sure your milk or cream is at room temperature or heated up. This helps the milk incorporate easily and keeps the mashed sweet potatoes hot compared to using cold milk straight from the fridge. For the butter, make sure they are at room temperature for the same reason.
- Take your time and add the milk slowly until the sweet potatoes are creamy. You can add more if you desire.
- The size of the diced sweet potatoes will determine how long it takes to boil them. Smaller cuts will take less time. Just make sure you cut them as uniformly as possible so they cook through evenly.
- If you want your mashed sweet potatoes to be super creamy, you will have to add richness through fats such as sour cream or heavy cream.
- For a silky smooth texture, you can swap the potato masher for a hand mixer or even a food processor.
Ideal Pairings for Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes have subtle natural sweetness, making it so they go well so with many different proteins. I used to only have mashed sweet potatoes during the holidays but then I had a baby and it was her favorite thing ever (plain mashed steamed sweet potatoes lol), so it has become a staple in our regular meal preps.
I’ve been loving pairing these creamy mashed sweet potatoes with roasted chicken legs, turkey breasts, garlic butter steak, and even almond crusted salmon! You can also serve with turkey thighs, air fryer shrimp, or use it as a base in my easy steak bowls. The options are endless!
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat: you can reheat mashed sweet potatoes on the stovetop or microwave with a splash of broth or water to keep it from drying out. If using the microwave, I reheat the mash in intervals so I can stir inbetween to ensure it is heated thoroughly.
- Freezer: allow the mash to cool before transferring them into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. Store for up to 3 months. I also like to make extra and freeze in individual portions so I can quickly have lunch or dinner ready for myself!
How Much Mashed Sweet Potatoes Should I Make Per Person?
I recommend planning for about ½ pound of potatoes per person when making this simple mashed sweet potatoes recipe.
If you’re serving mashed potatoes as a side dish with other sides (like my crispy fingerling potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts and carrots recipe, or brioche stuffing with rosemary and sausage), use about ½ pound of potatoes per person. For a holiday dinner or if you want leftovers, plan for ¾ pound per person, just in case! I rather have too much leftover than not enough!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch to 1½-inch chunks
- ¼ cup butter, cut into pats, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup milk, or cream, gently warmed or at room temperature
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- potato masher
- large pot
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add the diced sweet potatoes to the boiling water, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sweet potato pieces are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes over a colander. Return the drained potatoes to the pot and mash them with a hand masher.
- Add the butter and milk (or cream). Use the potato masher to mash until everything is smooth and well combined.
- Season to taste and serve topped with more butter and fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Mashed Potatoes Recipes to Try
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