My easy mashed sweet potatoes are creamy, garlicky, and not watery (thanks to one trick!). Make them for Thanksgiving or any weeknight dinner!

Are you a sweet potato fan like I am? Here’s a fun way to use this orange root vegetable: puree it into a creamy, delicious pile of mash! Now, sweet potatoes taste incredible roasted or baked, but it turns out that mashing them up can be just as tasty.

You will need one extra ingredient to make sure they’re not watery (keep reading), but they make an easy side dish that pairs with roast chicken, seafood, veggie mains, or a hearty fall dinner. As a cookbook author who’s made sweet potatoes all the ways, I’m smitten with this recipe!

Ingredients For Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This mashed sweet potatoes recipe is a spin on the traditional mashed potatoes recipe, pairing the root vegetable with garlic and chives for a flavor punch. Sweet potatoes are a nutritious superfood, full of potassium and nutrients, and they make for a bright orange-colored mash.

Here’s one important thing to know: On their own, mashed sweet potatoes can have a wet, gooey texture. My trick is to add some Yukon gold potatoes in this recipe help the sweet potatoes stay together with a texture that’s more like what you’d expect from mashed potatoes! You’ll need:

Sweet potatoes
Yukon gold potatoes
Milk of choice (or half and half)
Garlic
Butter or olive oil
Chives
Salt and pepper

Types of Sweet Potatoes

There are many types of sweet potatoes, some with orange flesh and some with white flesh. You can use any type in this mashed sweet potatoes recipe, but you’ll probably want to look for orange-flesh potatoes if you’re looking for that bright orange color.

The two main types of orange flesh potatoes you’ll find at the store are Jewel, which has a light brown-orange skin and Red Garnet, which has red skin and is slightly thinner. We like Jewel sweet potatoes (pictured), but this recipe works with any type of orange-fleshed potato.

How To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These mashed sweet potatoes are a fantastic side dish that works with just about any meal! Here are a few notes on this recipe:

Cut the potatoes into even 1-inch chunks. If you cut some smaller than others, the potatoes don’t cook evenly. You run the risk of small uncooked lumps in your mash.
Boil the sweet and Yukon gold potatoes together! You’ll simply add the sweet potatoes after 5 minutes of boiling the Yukon golds. Cook until very tender, making sure they fall right apart when you prick them with a fork. You’ll also reserve a bit of the starchy cooking water for mashing.
Sauté fresh garlic in butter, then add the milk. Allow the potatoes to steam while you saute the garlic. It will make the kitchen smell amazing and is the essential flavoring for these potatoes. Remove the heat and add the milk, which warms the milk before mashing (which is important for the texture).
Add the potatoes, reserved cooking water and salt and mash with a masher. Use a simple potato masher to mash everything together.

Make Ahead, Storage, And Leftovers

Mashed sweet potatoes last for up to 4 days refrigerated in a sealed container. They taste great rewarmed. We do not recommend freezing them, since it causes the texture to become very runny.

If you have leftover mashed sweet potatoes, the best way to reheat them is on the stove with a splash of milk. Scoop the leftover potatoes into a saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Reheat them with the lid on and let them cook until warmed through, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or so.

Tip: Use Leftovers For Potato Pancakes or Waffles

The best thing to do with leftover mashed sweet potatoes? Make Mashed Potato Pancakes or Potato Waffles! They have incredible flavor and you can serve them either savory or sweet. The linked recipes show traditional mashed potatoes, but you can make them with mashed sweet potatoes for an even tastier end result.

What To Serve With Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These mashed sweet potatoes work served in a variety of ways! It’s an ideal side dish for any fall or winter meal. It’s even more impressive with a savory protein served on top, so you can enjoy bites with both. Here are a few ways you could serve it:

Seafood: Pecan crusted salmon or maple glazed salmon are made for fall, or try it with sautéed shrimp.
Chicken: Serve alongside pan seared chicken breast or baked chicken thighs.
Vegetarian mains: Try vegetarian meatloaf or vegan lentil loaf with a ladle of vegan gravy
Mushrooms: Pile on garlicky sauteed mushrooms.
Thanksgiving: Add green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and roasted Brussels sprouts, or browse all my Thanksgiving side dishes.

Dietary Notes

This mashed sweet potatoes recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use dairy-free milk (like almond or oat milk).