Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These mashed sweet potatoes are sweet and creamy with a hint of cinnamon! They're easy to make and taste great as leftovers. Kid-friendly and nutritious!

Why You'll Love it:

Mashed sweet potatoes are a staple in my house. My five year old gobbles them up like its his job! They're naturally sweet, sinfully creamy, and require minimal effort. A slam dunk IMHO.

• Meal prep: Mashed sweet potatoes reheat well! You can make a double batch on Monday and enjoy them all week.
• Quick: While sweet potatoes take a while to bake, the actual hands-on time for this recipe is less than 10 minutes!
• Nutritious: Sweet potatoes are a great source of beneficial antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, and anthocyanins.

This mashed sweet potato recipe is liable to become a staple in your house too! (Or try these sliced baked sweet potatoes instead!)

Key Ingredients:

• Sweet Potatoes - Try to buy sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate. If the sweet potatoes are small, I'd grab 5 instead of 4.
• Unsalted butter - I always buy unsalted butter so I control the amount of salt. If you only have salted butter, don't add any extra salt.
• Maple syrup - You can customize the amount to suit your tastes! I found three tablespoons to be perfect.
• Kosher salt - A little bit of salt enhances flavor and sweetness.
• Cinnamon - Totally optional, but adds a warm cinnamon flavor!

Instructions:

This sweet potato mash is so easy to make! The hardest part is waiting for the sweet potatoes to bake.

Bake the sweet potatoes

This is an important step!

You might want to boil the potatoes to speed up the process, but I don't recommend it. Baked sweet potatoes taste sweet and caramelized, while boiled taste somewhat bland.

• Cover the pan with aluminum foil. No cleanup necessary! Once they're done, fold up the aluminum foil and throw it away.
• Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork or knife. This allows steam to escape while they cook.
• Bake until soft and tender. Don't rush this! A fork should effortlessly slide into the potato without resistance. If the potatoes are on the medium/large side, this could take up to 70 minutes. If they're smaller, it may be less.

Mash and serve

• Let the sweet potatoes cool until you can touch them without burning your fingers.
• Use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a large bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Enjoy!

Expert Tips:

• Try to bake the sweet potatoes until they're sweet and tender but not overcooked. They should be easily pierced with a fork but not excessively shriveled. Underbaked sweet potatoes taste bland, while overbaked sweet potatoes get a bit too liquidy.
• If possible, use room temperature butter. It effortlessly mixes into the potatoes!
• Feel free to double the recipe! Just use a large enough sheet pan.

Storage & Meal-Prep:

• Store leftover mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• You can double this recipe! It's easy to reheat in the microwave which makes it a great two-for-one side dish. I like to double it and enjoy it for dinner later in the week.

Can I boil sweet potatoes for sweet potato mash?

Technically, yes, but I don't recommend it. Boiled sweet potatoes taste bland and less creamy! When a sweet potato bakes, it's natural sweetness intensifies and caramelizes. Baked sweet potatoes make the best mash!

Sweet Potato Recipes:

• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Maple Butter & Pecans
• Roasted Green Beans & Sweet Potatoes
• Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Roasted Sweet Potato Slices with Candied Pecans