Just three ingredients needed for this incredibly easy and delicious Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe! This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and refined sugar free -- it's time to learn how to make mashed sweet potatoes!
I'm gonna be honest with you. It kinda feels like cheating to write a whole post for this mashed sweet potato recipe.
But, then I remember how awesome these mashed sweet potatoes are and how you need these in your life.
I started making these about 8 years ago and I get requests for them ALL the time. Every so often, I get the urge to toy with this recipe and add some orange zest, chopped pecans, nutmeg or cinnamon, but I just can't do it because, well, it's just too good the way it is.
How To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Okay, so let's talk how to make mashed sweet potatoes. What do you need to make these mashed sweet potatoes RN? Just three simple things:
- fresh sweet potatoes (or yams)
- pure maple syrup (can sub with raw honey or coconut sugar)
- ground cinnamon
See? I told you: E.A.S.Y.
Then, just (1) steam or boil the sweet potatoes, (2) combine it with pure maple syrup and ground cinnamon, and then (3) mash them into mashed sweet potatoes. So simple!
How To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes Healthy
The good news is that it's extremely easy to make healthy mashed sweet potatoes. The trick? Use the sweetness of the sweet potato! Yep: sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and buttery so no need to add a ton of butter and refined sugars in the mix.
Instead, I like to add just a touch of cinnamon (which also helps to make it taste sweeter!) and a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup. If you wanted, you could replace the syrup with either raw honey or coconut sugar OR if going completely sugar free, can just leave it out entirely.
Do You Have To Peel Sweet Potatoes?
I also like to keep the skin on the sweet potatoes to add in additional fiber and nutrients. Believe it or not, there is a lot of good stuff in the skin so leave it in! If you really don't like the texture, you could puree the sweet potatoes in a food processor to blend it up more.
Big bonus for NOT peeling the sweet potatoes? One less step to worry about! That means not having to slave away at removing the peel from the sweet potato. The skin is completely edible and a great addition to the recipe.
Can You Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes Ahead?
Mashed sweet potatoes reheat perfectly from the fridge so they are a great side to make ahead.
How To Freeze Mashed Sweet Potatoes
To freeze your mashed sweet potatoes, follow these easy peasy steps:
- Allow the mashed sweet potatoes to cool completely (placing in the fridge once cooled to room temperature will help).
- Pack the sweet potatoes into freezer safe bags or containers. If using freezer bags, flatten and remove as much air as possible
- Place into the fridge (if using a bag, you can freeze flat on a rimmed baking sheet, and then store upright once solid.
- Freeze the mashed sweet potatoes for up to 12 months.
How To Reheat Mashed Sweet Potatoes
To reheat frozen mashed sweet potatoes, allow them to thaw in the fridge until no longer frozen. Then, reheat in the microwave, stirring occasionally, for 2-4 minutes until heated through. You can also reheat in a pan on the stove by heating over medium-high heat and cooking, covered until heated through, stirring occasionally.
How To Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes For A Baby
Mashed sweet potatoes make great baby food, too, and couldn't be easier. They're naturally sweet and make a good introduction of complex carbs. If you're making mashed sweet potatoes for a sweet baby, there are a few changes I'd recommend. Assuming your baby is just starting out on solid foods, you'll want to remove all skin from the sweet potato. You'll also want to leave out the pure maple syrup and cinnamon at first, until your baby gets more acclimated to foods and shows she or he is tolerant of more combinations of foods.
For making mashed sweet potatoes into baby food, I’d recommend also pureeing the mashed sweet potatoes using a food processor or blender so all chunks are throughly removed. If your baby us used to eating solids and can handle a few chunks here and there, you can later start to mash by hand and even keep the skin on, but that’s not safe for the lil’s.
How To Mash Sweet Potatoes
Whether you're making mashed sweet potatoes into baby food or for a Thanksgiving dinner, I mash my sweet potatoes using any of the following tools:
The high speed blender and food processor will make it so all chunks are throughly removed, which is perfect if you're looking for a puree or you like whipped potatoes. It also works perfectly for baby food since it makes sure there are no large pieces. If you can handle a few chunks here and there, you can also mash by hand.
Have fun!
What To Serve With Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This mashed sweet potato recipe is equally welcomed at our table on Thanksgiving or any weeknight because it makes a great side to pork, lamb or turkey. Plus, they add a nice color and texture to a plate. Here are my favorite recipes that go great with mashed sweet potatoes:
- Garlic Roasted Pork Chops
- Pan Roasted Steak
- Pan Roasted Salmon
- Pork Tenderloin
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes skin on, diced into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup (can sub raw honey or coconut sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- raw pecans, crushed (for topping)
Instructions
- Steam the sweet potatoes until very tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. No need to remove the skin.
- Once tender, transfer to a food processor and puree. Alternatively, you can mash by hand using a potato masher (this won't break up the skin as much, but is still a fine method).
- Once pureed, add the pure maple syrup and cinnamon and mix well. Taste the potatoes at this time to see if you would like it to be any sweeter.
Video
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Jojoh
Thank you, Lacey, for this delicious and healthy recipe. We tried it over the weekend and the kids loved it a lot. It's now one more recipe added to our collection.
Maggie
Is it possible to par cook sweet potatoes then finish cooking later? I baked some super large spuds and pulled them before they were done. (I did NOT want to mash these) when I took them out of the foil they were so not done. So now the oven is in service for another dish. I put them in the microwave for 3 mins They felt softish and in my desire NOT to have them smashed to smithereens, I proceeded to peel and cut. The farther I got the more certain I was they weren’t done enough. I went ahead with the saucey part but they reall need to be more tender. Any experienced tips, or do I toss em and start over.
Lisa
Hi, I have a stupid question. Mt Husband just found out he has type 2 diebities. I'm trying to learn how to cook for him now since pretty much everything he loved and I know how to cook is "all the fat, all the fun, all the flavor" LOL!! Anyway, he was told he couldn't eat regular mashed potatoes but they said he could have sweet potatoes which he likes at Thanksgiving. So I'm trying to make mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes but when I went to the store there were atleast 3 different types of sweet potatoes. I don't know which one to buy to make these mashed potatoes?? What is the best type of sweet potato for Mashed or does it matter?? I know he likes the orange flesh ones but I don't know which one that is. Can someone help me with my STUPID QUESTION???
Marilyn
There is only one kind of sweet potato. Not yams.
Peel sweet potato, cut into cubes, simmer in salted water till just soft, not mushy!! Pour off water, add few T of real butter, small amount half and half and mash with masher or blender. U can add cinnamon if u want.
Morgan
Could you please recheck the nutrition calculations? I know 84 calories per 3/4 cup can't be right because 3/4 cup of raw sweet potato alone is 86 calories. When it is cooked the calories per cup increase, not to mention the addition of syrup. My husband and I are counting calories and it was very disappointing after making this to realize the calories are actually doubled.
Carla
How many fat grams per serving?
Stuart Perry
I wonder if you could get away with calling this healthy if you said add white sugar instead of maple syrup
Kona
Maple
Syrup has actual nutrients
Katie West
OMG! Thanks a lot for sharing such an informative page about healthy mashed sweet potatoes. I have read your valuable page and gotten much information. I have learned a lot from you that I did not know before. I confused for choosing the Baby Foods information what would be the best for everything but now my confusion has cleared by your review. I hope your all information help me for my elder sister's baby. Keep it up………..
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carly
I want to try this recipe tonight, but is the kcal count correct? Only 42kcal for 1 cup? That seems very off.
Mark Pope
Sweet-Pea, this was FULL-TILT!!
The cool thing about this recipe is that it can be used as a side or, make a great dessert. Except, sad to say, I have to melt a few marshmallows on top.......sometimes you gotta be a little bad to be GOOD!! haha!
Thanks, Lacey!
Thais
Like be the recipe except PEEL THE POTATOES. I left the skin on and bad strings from the skin still which I almost choked on. I used my ninja to purée it so it wasn't that. Other than that it's very tasty.
Lacey Baier
lol, sorry about that, Thais! The skin has never bothered me and I like the extra nutrients and texture from the skin...but no one likes to choke...;)
Barb
Was looking for a recipe for puree sweet potatoes that doesn't throw out the most nutritious part (i.e. the skin) for Louisiana Sweet Potato bread for T-Day, your recipe looks like it fits the bill perfectly.
Lacey Baier
Yay! I'm such a fan of leaving in the skin, but it bothers so many people. I'm glad you like it, too! 🙂
Dagný Björg
Yumm - found via pinterest while browsing for a good basic mashed sweet potates to go with my beef meatballs tonight! Will definetly use this recipy! 🙂
Lacey Baier
Woohoo! So glad you found me and you're gonna make this tonight!!
Jennifer
Thank you for this recipe! I am new to sweet potatoes and wasn't sure how to fixed them other than the "sweet potato casserole". I based my recipe off of yours and was pleased! The mashed sweet potatoes were a hit at my Thanksgiving table.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hooray! Happy to help!
Zandt
Lovely recipe. Quick botany note, though we might hear sweet potatoes called "yams" from time to time, they are two completely different things. True yams are a wholly different vegetable/tuber, belonging to a different botanical family, unrelated to sweet potatoes. Yams are not offered for sale in the USA, to my knowledge.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Very interesting, Zandt. Thanks for sharing 🙂
jennCO
I believe they sell yams, they at least sell cans that say yams on them...but I haven't seen it in the produce department ever....
Lacey Baier
Depending on where you live, they can be referred to as yams or sweet potatoes...
Kim H.
Thanks for the recipe. These turned out AWESOME! yesterday i was test driving new turkey day potato recipes and this one is the winner. i thought mashed sweet potatoes would have been stringy since they're so dense and fibrous to begin with but they were the complete opposite. i never would have guessed these would have been so deliciously smooth and creamy. this is definitley my contribution to our thanksgiving dinner this year!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay! That's so great, Kim! Have a great Thanksgiving!!
marla
Hi Lacey! Love it!! Linking back to this today 🙂
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay! Thanks for the link back, Marla 🙂
Lisa
I just started cooking (I'm 31!!) so I'm excited to try this easy recipe! The sweet potatoes are boiling right now. Can't wait for my boyfriend to try them 🙂 Thanks so much!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
You're very welcome, Lisa! It's never too late to start cooking! 😉
Helen
I found your instructions while preparing my first all-vegetable, no-meat, no-cheese, no-fat lasagne. Recipe calls for mashed sweet potatoes, which I had never made. Most other online recipes have you peel the potatoes first. Since this lasagne recipe is so labor intensive, I opted to use your method and save that one step. Thanks for the instruction, they mashed beautifully. Here's the lasagne recipe, from the Engine 2 diet. It's exquisite:
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianlasagnarecipes/r/engine2lasagna.htm
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Happy to help!
john
Better to start with raw potatoes, cubed and simmered in melted butter, then mashed and brown sugar added. A little milk or cream is good too. They end up drier, not as soupy, than when steamed. Sweet Potatoes are different than potatoes. Yams are not usually available in the U.S. They're much different than sweet potatoes, which come in white and orange. White are drier. Orange are probably better for you.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Thanks for the tips, John.
Rob Davis
I just wanted to say thanks for this article. I came across it looking for a way to cook sweet potatoes, use the skin but not bake them. I give you a "hat tip" in the following article.
http://onefoodie.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/turkey-thigh-spicy-spinach-whipped-sweet-potato-sage-jus/
Thanks!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Thanks so much, Rob! You're very welcome 🙂
Jenny
I'm so excited to try this recipe! I'm a college student who lives with two very picky (and very healthy) roommates and I love to cook. They requested sweet potatoes one day so I googled it, since I'm a bit of an ametuer, and yours sounds (and looks) amazing! I'm boiling the potatoes right now and I'm excited to see how they turn out.
Thanks for the recipe! =)
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Jenny! I hope you like this recipe. It's one of my favorites. It's so simple, yet so yummy. Gotta love google! Thanks for sharing 🙂
jonalisa
Hey SPC,
I jumped on tastespotting to find a recipe for mashed sweet potatoes, as requested for my daughter's birthday tonight, and Bingo - the most appetizing photo linked right back to you 🙂
I don't have a steamer, so what's the best way to steam the potatoes?
Cheers,
Joan
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Jonalisa! Yay, so glad you found me on tastespotting. I use my large soup/pasta pot that has an attachment to steam. I don't have a steamer either However, this recipe is also great if you just boil the sweet potatoes. Or, you can always cover and cook/steam them in the microwave. Good luck!
Gil
I love mashed anything, and your photographs are superb! 🙂
I tend to add a bit of nutmeg heavy cream, too. fattening, I know - but oh, the texture.
For people like me I recommend other recipes, like 1/2 potatoes and 1/2 sweet potatoes, or my favorite -
1/3 potatoes, 1/3 sweet potatoes, 1/3 well-grilled beet. the mash comes out a shiny pink color and the flavor... unbelievable.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Gil! I bet it tastes delicious with some heavy cream! I'm also intrigued by the grilled beet addition. Thanks for commenting!
The Wind Attack
I love me some mashed sweet potatoes.. Well, I love any preparation of sweet potatoes!
I make mine with toasted almond oil and maple syrup.
Great pictures!
Sweet Pea Chef
Thanks for commenting! I've never heard of toasted almond oil, but it sounds like it would be delicious with sweet potatoes. Loving the maple syrup idea as well! Thanks!
emily
These look and sound lovely! Brilliant photos.
Sweet Pea Chef
Hi Emily, thanks! I'm so happy you like the photos!! Thanks for commenting 🙂