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These creamy and fluffy roasted, mashed sweet potatoes are among the best side dishes to put on your holiday table! They are buttery and smooth and pack the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Best of all, they only require four simple ingredients to make!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Easy to prepare. You only need four simple ingredients to whip up this easy and tasty recipe. The best thing about this recipe is that since the sweet potatoes are roasted, you will never end up with a watery consistency!
- So versatile. These mashed sweet potatoes are rich and creamy and pair well with almost any main course. Serve them as a side with vegan chicken, Wellington, or your plant-based meat of choice for a hearty and warming meal!
- A flavor explosion. Combining roasted sweet potatoes with the ideal amount of butter, salt, and pepper creates the perfect sweet and savory dish. In fact, I believe this dish tastes even better than regular mashed potatoes!
🍠 Ingredient Notes
Here is what you will need to prepare these mashed sweet potatoes:
- Sweet potatoes – Choose medium sweet potatoes that are firm and have a smooth skin. Stay away from potatoes that tend to be soft or have cracks.
- Butter – For richness and creaminess. You can use store-bought vegan butter or homemade vegan butter. If using salted butter, make sure to reduce the amount of salt.
- Salt and pepper – To season. I like to use ground black pepper for a hint of earthiness, but white pepper will work as well.
- Milk – Optional. A couple of tablespoons of unsweetened plant-based milk help give the purée a smoother consistency.
🥣 How to Make It
Roast the potatoes
Instead of boiling the sweet potatoes, we are going to roast them. This process has two advantages. First, the flesh is dryer, resulting in a thicker consistency. Secondly, the roasting process inputs a deeper flavor to the mashed potatoes. The only downside is that it takes longer to roast whole sweet potatoes than boiling them in chunks. To roast the sweet potatoes:
- Wash them. Start by cleaning the potatoes under cold water to remove any possible dirt. Drain them and pat them dry.
- Prick with a fork. Prick each sweet potato 5-7 times using a fork or a thin knife. This will create steam vents and allow the sweet potatoes to bake evenly.
- Roast until tender. Roast the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes or until the flesh is soft and melty. Next, let the sweet potatoes cool for about 20 minutes.
Mash the potatoes
- Add to a food processor. Scoop out the sweet potato flesh, leaving the skin behind, and transfer it to a food processor. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher if you don’t have a food processor.
- Process until smooth. Process for 20-30 seconds or until smooth. I like my mashed potatoes smooth, but if you prefer a chunkier texture, you can just pulse them a few times.
- Combine with butter. Once the sweet potatoes are smooth, transfer them to a saucepan and stir in the vegan butter.
- Heat until combined. Heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and fully combined with the sweet potatoes. At this point, if you want a creamier consistency, stir in a few tablespoons of unsweetened milk or plant-based cream.
- Season. Finally, season with salt and pepper and serve!
📔 Tips
- Season properly. No one likes bland mashed potatoes, so do not hesitate to taste them a few times and adjust the saltiness to your liking.
- Do not omit the butter. Butter brings creaminess and richness and helps enhance the overall flavor, so I do not recommend omitting it.
- Adjust the texture. Depending on the type of sweet potatoes used, you may have to adjust the consistency by using more or less liquid. If your mashed sweet potatoes appear too dry, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened milk and stir to combine. Conversely, if they appear too liquid, cook them over low heat, stirring constantly, to remove excess moisture.
🥔 Variations
- Use a mix of sweet potatoes and white potatoes: Mashed sweet potatoes tend to be softer than regular mashed white potatoes. Use half sweet potatoes and half white potatoes to balance the sweetness and texture of this dish.
- Add spices: Add extra flavor with a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon!
- Add fresh herbs: For freshness and a more earthy aroma, stir in fresh parsley, oregano, or sage.
- Make it smoky: Add a few drops of liquid smoke or a teaspoon of smoked paprika for a hint of smokiness.
🍗 What to Serve It With
Mashed sweet potatoes can be paired with practically everything! From vegan meatballs to Frankfurter sausages, vegetable wellington, and burgers.
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: These mashed sweet potatoes will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: You can keep these mashed sweet potatoes in the freezer for up to 5-6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat: You can gently reheat these mashed sweet potatoes on the stove over low-medium heat, stirring regularly to prevent browning, or in an oven. For the oven option, transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven.
💬 FAQ
Yes, this recipe works with white sweet potatoes as well. Be aware that you might have to increase the amount of liquid a little.
Yes! Once fully cool, transfer the mashed potatoes to a large bowl or baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
To ensure your sweet potatoes are fully cooked, slice them in halves and check the flesh. It should be very tender and very easy to mash.
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes about 2 pounds
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 2-3 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash the sweet potatoes. Start by cleaning the potatoes under cold water to remove any possible dirt. Drain them and pat them dry.Prick each sweet potato 5-7 times using a fork or a thin knife. This will create steam vents and allow the sweet potatoes to bake evenly.
- Roast until tender. Roast the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes or until the flesh is soft and melty. Next, let the sweet potatoes cool for about 20 minutes.
- Add to a food processor. Scoop out the sweet potato flesh, leaving the skin behind, and transfer it to a food processor. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher if you don’t have a food processor.
- Process until smooth. Process for 20-30 seconds or until smooth. I like my mashed potatoes smooth, but if you prefer a chunkier texture you can just pulse them a few times.
- Combine with butter. Once the sweet potatoes are smooth, transfer them to a saucepan and stir in the vegan butter. Heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and fully combined with the sweet potatoes. At this point, if you want a creamier consistency, stir in a few tablespoons of unsweetened milk or plant-based cream.
- Season. Finally, season with salt and pepper and serve! These mashed sweet potatoes will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Season properly. No one likes bland mashed potatoes, so do not hesitate to taste them a few times and adjust the saltiness to your liking.
- Do not omit the butter. Butter brings creaminess and richness and helps enhance the overall flavor, so I do not recommend omitting it.
- Adjust the texture. Depending on the type of sweet potatoes used, you may have to adjust the consistency by using more or less liquid. If your mashed sweet potatoes appear too dry, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened milk and stir to combine. Conversely, if they appear too liquid, cook them over low heat, stirring constantly, to remove excess moisture.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
I just try it. Very tasty recipe. Thank you for sharing Thomas.
You are welcome Emy!