Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes, a creamy mix of sweet potatoes, cream, and herbs, are perfect to serve on weeknights and special occasions!
Why We Love Mashed Sweet Potato
- This mashed sweet potato recipe is creamy and savory, and the perfect complement to weeknight meals like Salisbury Steak or special occasions like Thanksgiving dinner!
- Mashed sweet potatoes are just as easy to make as regular mashed potatoes, with a filling heartiness that is warm and comforting!
- In this recipe for mashed sweet potatoes, you’ll use a mix of herbs like fresh thyme, parsley, and chives to amplify the savoriness of the sweet potatoes.
- The addition of milk, butter, and sour cream makes this sweet potato mash so incredibly creamy that it ends up being the star of the meal!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Recipe for Mashed Sweet Potatoes
SWEET POTATOES: For this dish, you will need a few pounds of sweet potatoes. You will typically find orange and red varieties at the store, and either will work in this recipe.
DAIRY: Bring all the creamy goodness to this recipe with whole milk, unsalted butter, and sour cream.
HERBS AND SPICES: Season the mashed sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, plus fresh parsley, chives, and thyme.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Fill a large pot with cold water. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into cubes that are roughly the same size. Add the sweet potatoes to the water, swirl them around, and drain the water. Then fill the stockpot back up with cold water until the potatoes are covered.
STEP 2 Place the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat to medium-high and cook with lid on, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
STEP 3 While the potatoes are cooking, add the milk and butter to a small pot and place over low until the butter has melted, then set aside.
STEP 4 Drain the potatoes, place them back into the pot. Let them rest for 5 minutes to allow the excess steam to escape. Add the butter and milk mixture to the pot and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
STEP 5 Stir in the sour cream. Then mix in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
STEP 5 Before serving, stir in the chopped parsley, chives, and fresh thyme. Top the mashed sweet potatoes with more butter and herbs if you like.
Tips & Tricks
- This recipe highlights the savory side of sweet potatoes, so if you like, you can add a hint of sweetness by mixing in 1-2 tablespoons of either maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar.
- You can also change up the flavors by using seasonings such as Creole seasoning, blackening seasoning, BBQ seasoning, or a pinch of nutmeg. Besides the pinch of nutmeg, these seasonings usually include salt, so you may need to add less salt, or you can skip it.
- You can replace the whole milk with half & half or heavy cream. Additionally, if you don’t like or have sour cream on hand, you can skip it.
- Store leftover mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe FAQ
How long do mashed sweet potatoes last in the fridge?
Mashed Sweet Potatoes store beautifully in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
If you find that your sweet potatoes have thickened, add a little melted butter to thin them out. Leftover mashed sweet potatoes are perfect for lunches and for when you enjoy that third Thanksgiving meal!
Are mashed sweet potatoes served sweet or savory?
That’s the great thing about sweet potatoes – you can enjoy them either way! The recipe here creates wonderfully savory mashed sweet potatoes, but other recipes are out there for sweet mashed potatoes that contain ingredients like maple syrup and marshmallows!
Other ingredients that highlight the sweeter side of sweet potatoes are cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, honey, candied pecans, and brown butter. On the other side of the flavor wheel, you can add items like Parmesan cheese, garlic, thyme, rosemary, paprika, chipotle powder, and bacon to play up the savory side of sweet potatoes.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Butter
- Coconut Sweet Potato Casserole
- Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
- Grandma’s Mashed Potatoes
- Brown Butter Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
Instructions
- Fill a large pot about halfway with cold water. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into a medium-dice, doing your best to have them be similar-sized pieces. Place the diced potatoes into the pot of water. Swirl the potatoes around in the water, then drain.
- Pour fresh cold water into the pot until the potatoes are covered. Place the pot on the stove, cover, and turn the burner to high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-high heat, and continue cooking with the lid on the pot, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender, about 25-30 minutes.
- While the potatoes are simmering, add the butter and milk to a small saucepan over low heat. Cook just until the butter has melted. Take off the heat and set aside.
- Drain the potatoes and return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let them sit with the lid off for 5 minutes, so the excess steam can escape. Pour the butter and milk mixture into the pot and mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth.
- Add the sour cream and stir it in. Then add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- When you are ready to serve, stir in the parsley, chives, and thyme. Serve immediately with more butter and herbs for garnish, if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- If you want to bring back some of that sweetness out of the potatoes, you absolutely can. Add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar, taste adjust to your palate. I would not add too much additional sweetness, though, because this isn’t supposed to be a sweet side. Just a hint would be a nice addition.
- Some other seasonings that would be good: creole seasoning, blackening seasoning, bbq seasoning, or a pinch of nutmeg. If you are going to add a seasoning mix, I would add less salt since they normally have salt added.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.