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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Very nice.
Fabulous! So easy-so delicious. I had some smoked maple syrup which really made the dish even more special. A real key is baking the potatoes rather than boiling them. Five stars!!!
Hi Jenn, I have made so many of your recipes and love them! My guy bought the light yellow sweet potatoes which are not my favorite as the taste isn’t as deep as the orange/red ones. However, I would like to try them in this recipe if you think it will work. Thank you! I look forward to your recipes every Thursday and it’s the first thing in my email that I read 🙂
So glad you like the recipes, Nancy! And, yes, I think the lighter sweet potatoes will work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Can this dish be frozen?
Hi Marie, Generally potatoes don’t freeze very well (freezing affects the texture), so I wouldn’t recommend it
Do you think this could be made with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes?
Hi Vicky, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Dear Jen, is it possible to make this ahead? Are there reheating suggestions? Is it possible to substitute the maple syrup with honey or brown sugar instead?
Hi Gayathyiri, You can reheat them in the microwave or on the stove (and add a little milk if they need thinning out). And it would be fine to replace the maple syrup with honey. Enjoy!
I had all these sweet potatoes that i needed to use, so hopped on your website and searched on sweet potatoes. This recipe was easy and delicious!! I loved that you instruct us to roast the potatoes first, rather than peeling and boiling like so many other recipes. That one step made it much easier for prep time and clean up, and i think the potatoes taste better too. What a treat!!!
Simple and delicious! My children had three servings each and they are not potato/sweet potato lovers.
I just made these this morning, for Thansgiving with just me and my daughter. They were truly the best sweet potatoes I remember in over fifty years of good eating. The only change I made was adding chopped pecans, which honestly did not add anything to the dish. In fact, I ate for breakfast what wouldn’t fit in the container I’m taking there! This is a keeper.
This is probably one of the most delicious versions of sweet potatoes I have ever eaten. Made a half batch, since there were just two of us, and served with roast beef tenderloin and sauteed swiss chard (garlic, red onion, lemon juice and grated parmesan). I made the potatoes about 90 minutes before the rest of the meal, and kept warm in a pyrex bowl over simmering water in a dutch oven. They stayed perfectly moist and flavorful until the rest of the meal was ready. I was a little concerned the maple syrup might make them overly sweet, but they were perfect. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs, and always seems to go well with root vegetables.