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These mashed sweet potatoes are creamy and delicious! Whip them up for your next gathering and prepare to be amazed.
Are you a sweet potato fan like we are? Here’s a fun way to use this orange root vegetable: puree it into a creamy, delicious pile of mash! Sweet potatoes taste incredible roasted or baked, and turns out mashing them up is just as tasty. They make an easy and versatile side dish that pairs with just about anything, like chicken, seafood, veggie mains, or a hearty fall dinner. As two professional cooks who have made sweet potatoes all the ways, we’re 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.
However on their own, mashed sweet potatoes have a wet, gooey texture. In fact, they’re completely underwhelming! Adding 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. Don’t be tempted to leave out the Yukon gold potatoes here: they really make the dish! 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.
Tips for 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.
Storage for leftover mashed sweet potatoes
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.
More ways to use leftovers
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.
Ways to serve them
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:
- With roasted chicken or turkey (like Thanksgiving!)
- Lemon garlic chicken or garlic chicken
- Chicken thighs
- Baked salmon
- Seared ahi tuna slices
- Seared scallops
- Sautéed shrimp
- Stuffed mushrooms
More sweet potato recipes
These mashed sweet potatoes are a big favorite in our house. Here are a few more top sweet potato recipes you might enjoy:
- Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes or fan-favorite Sweet Potato Wedges
- Go for a good old Baked Sweet Potato or Microwave Sweet Potato
- Make it a meal with Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas, Sweet Potato Curry or Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Bake up Sweet Potato Muffins or Sweet Potato Bread
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).
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
Description
These mashed sweet potatoes are creamy and delicious! Whip them up for your next gathering and prepare to be amazed.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes
- 1½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- ½ cup milk of choice (or half and half)
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes. Place the Yukon gold potatoes in a large pot and cover with 3 to 4 inches of water; add a generous amount of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then add the sweet potatoes after 5 minutes. Boil 10 to 15 minutes more until both types of potatoes are tender. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the water. Allow the potatoes to steam while sautéing the garlic in Step 4.
- When the potatoes are done, melt the butter in the same pot. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned. Remove the heat and pour in the milk, stir for 15 seconds to warm the milk. Then add the potatoes back to the pot.
- In the pot, pour back the ½ cup water to potatoes. Add the kosher salt, chopped chives, and fresh ground black pepper. Mash until the desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.
- Leftovers store up to 4 days refrigerated (or make them into mashed potato pancakes or potato waffles!).
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
1. How many servings does the recipe make?
2. The intro says not to peel the potatoes but the instructions say peel and boil. Which is it?
This recipe serves 6 to 8! Good catch on the peeling: you should peel them here like the instructions indicate. We’ve updated the intro. Thank you!
I’m confused. I don’t see where you added the butter pat and I don’t see where you steeped the garlic in milk?
That’s a typo in the background info, thank you! The recipe is correct so you can follow that. Updated for clarity — thank you!