Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These Mashed Sweet Potatoes are flavored with fresh thyme, butter, and just a touch of brown sugar. This one-pot recipe always delivers delicious results, and is a perfect side to work into your weeknight routine.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Sweet potatoes: Use orange, white or purple sweet potatoes. What about yams? At most grocery stores, yams and sweet potatoes are the same. Years ago, farmers renamed the potatoes to “yams” as a marketing schtick. True yams have bark-like skin and much more starch content similar to a Russet potato.
• Thyme: Fresh (or dried) thyme taste great with sweet potatoes. You could also try garlic, parsley, rosemary, or sage.
• Half-and-half: I recommend half-and-half for this recipe, and not substituting sour cream.

Step-by-step instructions

1. In a large saucepan over low heat, add sweet potatoes, water, thyme, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until the potatoes fall apart easily and all the water has been absorbed, about 25 to 30 minutes.

2. Mash the potatoes until just a few lumps remain. Stir in the half-and-half and butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes about 5 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, enough for 4 generous servings, 1 ¼ cups each.
• Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: Peel and cube the raw potatoes up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with water and chill in the refrigerator.
• Freezer: Cool the mashed sweet potatoes completely, then spoon them into a freezer-safe container. Label, date, and freeze for up to 1 month.
• Meal prep: Mashed sweet potatoes make a great side dish for weekly meal prep, if you’re into that (you may want to omit the sugar).
• Peel before boiling: They’ll cook much faster without the peel. Boiling sweet potatoes whole with skin takes a lot longer, and needs more water. I also slice them to speed up the cooking time.
• For chunky, rustic-style mashed sweet potatoes: Use a basic potato masher. A waffle-head masher will mash the potatoes into a smoother consistency, if you like them somewhere in-between.
• For super-smooth mashed sweet potatoes: Use a potato ricer (peeled potatoes) or food mill (unpeeled potatoes). These gadgets make the smallest, finest pieces of cooked potato, which fluff up beautifully.
• Classic mashed potatoes: For the classic version without the secrets, try my best mashed potatoes recipe.
• Garlic mashed potatoes: Toast garlic in a skillet (or roast whole bulbs of garlic in the oven), peel, mince, and add to your mashed potatoes. You’ll need about 1 bulbs of garlic (20 cloves) for every 2 pounds of potatoes.
• Cauliflower mashed potatoes: For a low carb, highly satisfying side dish, try cauliflower mashed potatoes (without a potato in sight).
• Boursin mashed potatoes: Soft-skinned small red potatoes mixed with fresh herbs and a block of Boursin cheese. You don’t even have to peel the potatoes!
• Slow cooker: Once the mashed sweet potatoes are ready, you can put them in a crock pot and heat on the LOW setting to keep them warm and fluffy throughout your feast. I have never found a mashed potato recipe MADE in a slow cooker that I thought tasted good.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These Mashed Sweet Potatoes are flavored with fresh thyme, butter, and just a touch of brown sugar. They make a delicious side dish for your weekly menu or holiday table.

5 from 2 votes

ReviewPrint

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Servings 4 servings (1 ¼ cups each)

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 257

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (about 4 small, see note 1)
• ▢ 1/3 cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (see note 2)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons brown sugar packed
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 6 tablespoons half-and-half warmed (see note 3)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter melted

Instructions 

• In a large saucepan over low heat, add sweet potatoes, water, thyme, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until the potatoes fall apart easily and all the water has been absorbed, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Mash the potatoes until just a few lumps remain. Stir in the half-and-half and butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

1. Sweet potatoes: Use orange, white or purple sweet potatoes. What about yams? At most grocery stores, yams and sweet potatoes are the same. Years ago, farmers renamed the potatoes to “yams” as a marketing schtick. True yams have bark-like skin and much more starch content similar to a Russet potato.
2. Thyme: Fresh (or dried) thyme taste great with sweet potatoes. You could also try garlic, parsley, rosemary, or sage.
3. Half-and-half: I recommend half-and-half for this recipe, and not substituting sour cream.
4. Yield: This recipe makes about 5 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, enough for 4 generous servings, 1 ¼ cups each.
5. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
6. Make ahead: Peel and cube the raw potatoes up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with water and chill in the refrigerator.
7. Freezer: Cool the mashed sweet potatoes completely, then spoon them into a freezer-safe container. Label, date, and freeze for up to 1 month.
8. Meal prep: Mashed sweet potatoes make a great side dish for weekly meal prep, if you’re into that (you may want to omit the sugar).
9. Peel before boiling: They’ll cook much faster without the peel. Boiling sweet potatoes whole with skin takes a lot longer, and needs more water. I also slice them to speed up the cooking time.
10. For chunky, rustic-style mashed sweet potatoes: Use a basic potato masher. A waffle-head masher will mash the potatoes into a smoother consistency, if you like them somewhere in-between.
11. For super-smooth mashed sweet potatoes: Use a potato ricer (peeled potatoes) or food mill (unpeeled potatoes). These gadgets make the smallest, finest pieces of cooked potato, which fluff up beautifully.
12. Classic mashed potatoes: For the classic version without the secrets, try my best mashed potatoes recipe.
13. Garlic mashed potatoes: Toast garlic in a skillet (or roast whole bulbs of garlic in the oven), peel, mince, and add to your mashed potatoes. You’ll need about 1 bulbs of garlic (20 cloves) for every 2 pounds of potatoes.
14. Cauliflower mashed potatoes: For a low carb, highly satisfying side dish, try cauliflower mashed potatoes (without a potato in sight).
15. Boursin mashed potatoes: Soft-skinned small red potatoes mixed with fresh herbs and a block of Boursin cheese. You don’t even have to peel the potatoes!
16. Slow cooker: Once the mashed sweet potatoes are ready, you can put them in a crock pot and heat on the LOW setting to keep them warm and fluffy throughout your feast. I have never found a mashed potato recipe MADE in a slow cooker that I thought tasted good.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.25cupsCalories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 161mgPotassium: 800mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 32366IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 1mg

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