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These mashed sweet potatoes are baked instead of boiled for a light, fluffy texture, then mashed with butter, maple syrup, and a touch of thyme.
The best mashed sweet potatoes, in my book, start with baked sweet potatoes—not boiled. Baking concentrates their flavor and gives them a light, fluffy texture, while boiling can make them watery or dense. My mashed sweet potatoes recipe takes a little over an hour, but most of that time is hands-off, and once the potatoes are tender, the mash comes together quickly.
They’re a natural fit for Thanksgiving, but they’re simple enough for any fall or winter dinner. Serve them 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, deepening their flavor and making the mash extra delicious. And don’t be fooled by labels—those “yams” in the grocery store are almost always sweet potatoes!
- Butter & Milk: Make the sweet potatoes rich, smooth, and velvety. Unsalted butter lets you control the seasoning, while the milk loosens the mash without making it too heavy.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Adds caramel-like sweetness that complements the natural sweetness of the potatoes. Be sure to use pure maple syrup rather than pancake syrup.
- Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper: Balance the sweetness and bring out the savory side of the dish.
- Fresh Thyme: An optional finishing touch that adds earthy freshness and a pop of color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Bake the sweet potatoes: Bake the sweet potatoes whole until very soft and completely tender—this is key to getting a smooth, creamy mash. A knife should slide easily through the center with almost no resistance. Baking rather than boiling concentrates their sweetness and keeps them from becoming waterlogged.
Warm the butter mixture: While the potatoes bake, warm the butter, maple syrup, milk, salt, and pepper together in a saucepan. Warming the mixture helps everything blend smoothly into the hot potatoes.
Scoop out the flesh: Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, split them open and scoop the flesh into the warm butter mixture. If they’re fully cooked, the flesh should be very soft and separate easily from the skins.
Mash until smooth: Mash the sweet potatoes over low heat until smooth and creamy. A potato masher or ricer gives you the best texture; an electric mixer can make the potatoes slightly gummy. If the mash seems too thick, stir in a splash of warm milk until it reaches the consistency you like. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then transfer to a serving bowl and finish with fresh thyme, if desired.
Make-Ahead Tip: These mashed sweet potatoes are a great make-ahead side dish, especially for holidays when oven and stovetop space is at a premium. They reheat beautifully; see the recipe card below for detailed make-ahead and reheating instructions.
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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.