This easy recipe for mashed sweet potatoes uses butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon to enhance the potatoes' naturally sweet flavor.
This 20-minute recipe is ideal for a weeknight dinner or your holiday table. The leftovers are great, too!
Sweet potatoes are amazing. When cooked in the microwave and mashed with tasty ingredients such as butter and cinnamon, they are a real treat.
These tasty additions make the naturally delicious root vegetable even more palatable. The preparation is done entirely in the microwave—can you say EASY?
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Ingredients
You'll only need six simple ingredients to make these mashed sweet potatoes. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Sweet potato: I use an extra-large sweet potato in this recipe. You can use smaller ones if that's all you can find and microwave them for a shorter time.
- Unsalted butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great.
- Whole milk: You can substitute it with heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Maple syrup: Honey works, too, but using it will result in a slightly thicker mash.
- Kosher salt: Just a pinch to highlight the other flavors.
- Cinnamon: Please make sure it's fresh.
Variations
- To make a dairy-free version, replace the milk with well-stirred, full-fat canned coconut milk or plant-based heavy cream. Replace the butter with coconut oil (choose refined coconut oil if you don't want a slightly coconut-like flavor).
- For a savory version of this recipe, omit the maple syrup and cinnamon. Add ¼ cup of grated parmesan and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Both versions are excellent - it's up to you whether you prefer the sweet or the savory one. By the way, if you like your sweet potatoes savory, try these flavorful sweet potato cakes.
Instructions
Making these mashed sweet potatoes is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
You start by piercing the sweet potato with a fork and cooking it in the microwave (microwave sweet potato is an excellent side dish!)
While the potato is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients to a microwave-safe bowl and heat the mixture in the microwave.
Peel the potato and mash it. You can mash it right on the cutting board.
Add the mash to the butter-maple mixture and mix well. That's it! So easy.
Expert Tip
I like a fairly rustic mash, so I use a fork to mash the sweet potato and a rubber spatula to smooth it out. For a smoother mash, you can use an electric hand mixer at the lowest speed.
Recipe FAQs
From the moment you add them to the boiling water, it should take about 15-20 minutes. But you can make your life easier by microwaving the potatoes instead of boiling them. Using the microwave is fast and easy.
This is entirely up to you and depends on the texture you prefer. Sweet potato skins are edible. I like to remove the skin for a smoother texture, but some people like the mash chunkier.
If you leave the skin on, it's best to use your food processor for mashing. If you mash by hand, you'll be left with fairly big chunks of skin.
Yes! Unlike white potatoes, you can use a food processor when making mashed sweet potatoes.
When I started cooking for my young family, one night, I decided to make mashed potatoes. I used the food processor, figuring it would produce fluffier results. To my surprise and dismay, my mashed potatoes turned into glue! They became thick, sticky, and inedible.
Quick research taught me you can't make mashed potatoes in a food processor. The quick-moving blades of a food processor will tear the starch molecules. The released starch will then mix with the liquid in the cooked potatoes, and the mash will turn into a gummy paste.
But sweet potatoes don't have as much starch as white potatoes, so it's okay to use a food processor when making a sweet potato puree.
Simply add small amounts of creamy dairy (such as butter and whole milk). It doesn't take much because sweet potatoes have a naturally creamy texture.
Serving Suggestions
This versatile side dish goes with so many main dishes! I often serve it with one of the following:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
This is one of those recipes where the leftovers taste almost as good as the freshly made dish, unlike regular potatoes, which are best eaten fresh.
You can also freeze this mash for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. Once it's thawed, reheat it in the microwave.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
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Recipe Card
20-Minute Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato extra-large, unpeeled, washed and dried (20 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- â…› teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pierce the sweet potato with a fork on all sides. Microwave it on high for about 4 minutes per side until it's very tender and the flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Let it stand for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, milk, maple syrup, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon. Microwave to heat through, 50-60 seconds. Don’t allow the mixture to boil.
- On a cutting board, use your fingers to peel the cooked sweet potato. Roughly mash it with a fork right on the cutting board, then transfer the mash to the bowl containing the warm butter mixture.
- Keep mixing and mashing with a fork (or a hand masher) until the mash is uniform and smooth, about 1 more minute. It won't be perfectly smooth unless you use a hand mixer or an immersion blender. But I like it a bit rustic. When done mixing, I like to use a rubber spatula to smooth it out.
- Transfer the mash to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you can't find an extra-large sweet potato, you can use two smaller ones. Microwave the two of them together for about 3 minutes per side or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. They should be very tender.
- To make a dairy-free version, replace the milk with well-stirred, full-fat canned coconut milk or plant-based heavy cream. Replace the butter with coconut oil (choose refined coconut oil if you don't want a slightly coconut-like flavor).
- For a savory version of this recipe, omit the maple syrup and cinnamon. Add ¼ cup of grated parmesan and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Both versions are excellent - it's up to you whether you prefer the sweet or the savory one.Â
- I like a fairly rustic mash, so I use a fork to mash the sweet potato and a rubber spatula to smooth it out. For a smoother mash, you can use an electric hand mixer at the lowest speed.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze this mash for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. Once it's thawed, reheat it in the microwave.
- This is not a low-carb recipe.Â
Nutrition per Serving
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