No matter who you're serving, these mashed sweet potatoes are guaranteed to be a hit! They're smooth, creamy, and full of sweet and savory flavor.
If mashed sweet potatoes have never made an appearance on your dinner table, now’s the time to change that. They’re just too delicious to not have in your side dish rotation, especially in the fall. These mashed sweet potatoes have a beautifully smooth and creamy texture, and I season them with garlic, ginger, and rosemary to create a rich, warm flavor that’s part savory, part sweet.
But maybe best of all, this mashed sweet potato recipe is SO easy to make! It calls for 8 ingredients, and the oven takes care of most of the work for you. It’s a perfect side dish to serve at a holiday meal (you can even make it a day or two ahead!), but it’s so simple, comforting, and flavorful that I hope you’ll find yourself making it for regular dinners, too.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe Ingredients
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it really lets the sweet potatoes shine. Unlike in a sweet potato casserole or some other mashed sweet potato recipes, you won’t find any marshmallows, brown sugar, or maple syrup here. The sweetness comes from the potatoes themselves. Then, these ingredients add richness and depth of flavor:
- Melted butter – For rich, buttery flavor. Substitute olive oil to make this recipe vegan.
- Milk – I use almond milk because it’s what I keep on hand, but regular milk or another type of plant-based milk would work as well.
- Rosemary – Rosemary and sweet potatoes are one of my favorite cold weather flavor combinations! The fresh herbs make this mash cozy, aromatic, and complex.
- Garlic – For sharp, savory depth of flavor.
- Ground ginger – It adds subtle warmth.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Like in my mashed cauliflower recipe, I don’t actually mash the sweet potatoes here. Instead, I puree them in a food processor to achieve a super smooth, creamy texture. If your desired consistency is chunkier, feel free to use a potato masher instead, but I adore this method:
First, bake the potatoes. When I make traditional mashed potatoes, I boil the potatoes in a large pot (or cook them in the Instant Pot). But when I’m working with sweet potatoes, I bake them. It concentrates their natural sweetness and makes their flesh smooth and creamy…perfect for mashed sweet potatoes!
Wash the potatoes, and poke a few holes in them with a fork. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 60 minutes, or until tender. You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork.
Next, blend! When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel away their skins. Transfer the cooked flesh to a food processor, along with the butter, rosemary, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Pour in the milk, and process until the mixture is creamy. Season to taste.
Finally, eat. Serve the mashed sweet potatoes hot, topped with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or thyme, a pat of butter, and salt and pepper. Enjoy!
These mashed sweet potatoes keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pop them in the microwave to reheat!
More Favorite Side Dishes
Healthy, delicious, and easy to make, these mashed sweet potatoes would be a great addition to any fall or winter dinner (Thanksgiving and Christmas included!). Pair them with one or more of these other side dish recipes:
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mushroom Gravy
- Best Stuffing
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Roasted Beets with Citrus
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Or any of these 50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 large sweet potatoes (3 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, plus a pat of butter for serving*
- ⅔ cups milk
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves or chopped parsley, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Use a fork to poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes. Place on the baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 60 minutes.
- Scoop the cooked sweet potato flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor. Add the butter, milk, rosemary, garlic, ginger, salt, and several grinds of pepper and process until creamy. If you prefer a chunkier consistency, mash with a potato masher. Season to taste.
- Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the thyme. Serve with a pat of butter, if desired.
Play accidentally peeled by sweet potatoes before baking them. Will it’s matter in this recipe or am I fine just covering them in aluminum foil and baking them.
Hi Joni, it’ll still be fine wrapped in foil.
This recipe is why I began to follow Love and Lemons. I had no idea of the potential of sweet potatoes … and it opened up a whole new world for me. After we would pull out the meat of the sweet potato for any one of a few recipes, we would save the skins for our beloved pooch. Those skins are very healthy for dogs … and she could never get enough of them. Thank you L&L.
I’m so glad you’ve been loving the recipes!
I notice that the recipe says use 3 pounds of sweet potatoes no matter if I change the servings from 4 to 6 or anywhere in between.
Hi Peggy, we have this recipe listed as Serves 4.
Do these freeze and reheat well?
Can you make these ahead and reheat?
yep! Just give it a stir before you serve.
I have a couple of sweet potatoes that won’t make it to Thanksgiving, so I’ll try this tonight.
me too- will leave a comment after I make this.
yep, this works for me, all in and not just Thanksgiving!