Mashed Sweet Potatoes
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Creamy, buttery, and lightly sweet, these mashed sweet potatoes are the kind of comforting side dish everyone loves to pile high on their plate.
The best mashed sweet potatoes, in my book, start with baked sweet potatoes—not boiled. Baking gives them a light, fluffy texture, while boiling can make them dense. It takes about an hour but is mostly hands-off, giving you time to focus on the rest of the meal or just relax. Once they’re tender, mash them with maple syrup, butter, and a little fresh thyme—it’s all you need to make their flavor shine.
Mashed sweet potatoes pair well with brisket, pork tenderloin, turkey, or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken. They can also be made ahead and reheated in the microwave, making them a stress-free side dish for any meal!
“Truly the best sweet potatoes I remember in over fifty years of good eating…a keeper.”
What You’ll Need To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes: Baking caramelizes their natural sugars, making the mash extra delicious. And don’t be fooled by labels—those “yams” in the store are almost always sweet potatoes!
- Unsalted Butter: Adds that creamy richness we all love in mashed sweet potatoes.
- Pure Maple Syrup: A touch of caramel-like sweetness that takes the flavor up a notch.
- Milk: Makes the mash smooth and velvety.
- Fresh Thyme: A pop of earthy freshness that pairs perfectly with the sweet potatoes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by pricking the sweet potatoes a few times each with a fork. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until they give easily when you squeeze them.
While the sweet potatoes bake, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the maple syrup, milk, salt and pepper.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop the flesh out into the butter mixture. Mash with a potato masher or fork.
Transfer the potatoes to a bowl, add a pad of butter, and sprinkle with thyme.
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds medium-sized sweet potatoes (3 or 4)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (174°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.
- Prick each sweet potato 3 to 4 times with a fork. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until tender, 60 to 75 minutes; turn the potatoes over halfway through baking.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the maple syrup, milk, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooked and cool enough to handle, cut them in half. Holding them in one hand with an oven mitt, scoop the warm flesh out into the pan with the butter mixture. Over low heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with fresh thyme (if using). Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This is an excellent recipe. However, the sweetness of the sweet potatoes doesn’t need any additional sugars in my opinion.
Instead you can omit the maple syrup and use maple extract instead. This provides the essence without additional sugars. Depending on the size and amount of potatoes used, I would start at 1/4 tsp per large potato, tasting to adjust if necessary.
These mashed sweet potatoes are wonderful with roast pork or roast chicken. They make a healthy, flavorful, easy side dish.
I made these sweet potatoes according to the recipe and they are delicious! I microwave the sweet potatoes for 7-9 minutes versus baking them.
Can thes be made in a crockpot ? I’m trying to free up oven space for Thanksgiving
Thanks
Hi Christine, I suspect this may work in a slow cooker, but I hardly ever use one, so I don’t have much guidance to provide. These tips are helpful in converting traditional recipes to slow cooked ones. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Jenn, Thank you so much for your reply and the crock pot tips.
BTW Your website and recipes are my absolute go to for delicious, fresh and relatively easy cooking!
Happy Thanksgiving
Jenn,
Sweet Potatoes are a favorite with our family & I made your recipe the first time I saw it but am sad to say it was not a success at our table.
The Maple Syrup did not appeal however, we did like the fresh Thyme & have since added it to our recipe.
Following your directions, we omitted the milk entirely, adding 1/2 Cup Packed, Dark Brown Sugar to replace the Maple Syrup, 2/3 Cup Fresh Crushed Pineapple. A light sprinkle of Dark Brown Sugar & 1 T. Butter on top, baked in the oven @350 degrees for 20 minutes. The addition of the fresh Thyme made our house a tantalizing, salivating castle! Along with Balsamic Roast Chicken Breasts this is a winner for sure.
This is a fantastic dish. My husband was recently put on a high-fiber diet and sweet potatoes are rich in fiber. I fixed it for the two of us, but plan to have it for company soon. Thanks, Jenn, for another winner.
Do these mashed sweet potatoes freeze well?
Hi Natalie, While you can definitely make the potatoes ahead and refrigerate them, generally potatoes don’t freeze very well (freezing affects the texture).
This is the side dish I was missing for tonight- after a couple weeks of festivities we need some clean eating around here! Glad to have found your blog 🙂
These were so easy to make. I used microwave-ready sweet potatoes that were already washed and wrapped in plastic, all I had to do was pop the wrapped potatoes in the microwave and cook for 12 minutes (I halved the recipe and only used 2 potatoes), While they cooked I prepped the other ingredients. Really tasty and a nice change of pace from our usual potatoes or rice side.
I happened to be baking sweet potatoes when the recipe arrived in my mail. The potatoes are creamy and full of flavour. An excellent way to serve sweet potatoes.