This recipe for Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes is a one of our favorite comfort food side dishes to serve. Sweet potato mash is buttery smooth and full of vitamins and minerals. Ready in under an hour, this dish could not be simpler to prepare. This recipe is kosher, gluten free, pareve, dairy free, and vegan. Take a break from plain mashed potatoes and read on to learn how to make the best vegan Mashed Sweet Potato recipe from scratch.
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We love this recipe because it is
- Easy to make. Put the sweet potatoes into the oven, cut them open, add the seasoning blend, mash. Super simple!
- Only 3 ingredients. Sweet potatoes, spice blend, brown sugar. We experimented with adding butter, olive oil, cream and other fats but we found that none of those improved the flavor. Who would have thought that so much flavor could come from so little.
- Ready in under an hour. The most time intensive part of making mashed sweet potatoes is baking the sweet potatoes. Other than that you are looking at under 5 minutes prep and cooking time.
- Great for people with dietary restrictions. Besides being kosher, sweet potato mash is gluten free, pareve, and vegan. Serve this to almost any guest or family member.
- Not just for Thanksgiving. This delicious sweet potato dish is great at any time of the year. We like to serve it for Shabbat, Purim, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot. Oh yeah, and Thanksgiving.
Health benefits of sweet potatoes
- Rich in antioxidants
- High in Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C
- Rich in Beta Carotene and Potassium
- Thought to have cancer fighting properties
Ingredients used in this recipe
- Sweet potatoes
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Black pepper
- Allspice
- Nutmeg
How to make Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes step by step:
Step 1 - Cook the sweet potatoes
Place the sweet potatoes into a 400º oven for 45 minutes. You don't need to boil sweet potatoes for this recipe. You don't even need to peel them or pre cut them. Make sure that you put the sweet potatoes on to a baking sheet or in a baking dish. The first time I made this recipe I just put the potatoes right into the oven on the rack and one of them exploded. Not fun…
Step 2 - Cool and slice
Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven when they are fork tender and let them cool for 10 minutes. When you take them out they should be soft to the touch (use a fork for this and not your finger…they are really hot). Slice the sweet potato down the middle lengthwise. To peel sweet potatoes just slide the peel off, it's that easy.
Step 3 - Add the seasoning blend
The seasoning is similar to a pumpkin pie spice which we love around here. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper are the spices you need for this sweet potatoes recipe.
Step 4 - Mash and brown
Mash with a potato masher and make sure the pumpkin pie seasoning is well incorporated. No food processor necessary here. Use a spatula to get the sweet potato mash into a baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the mashed sweet potatoes and put under a broiler for 1-2 minutes or until the brown sugar has melted over the top. What you have is a super creamy and delicious mashed sweet potato dish without butter.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, they are very healthy. Please see our discussion about the health benefits of sweet potatoes.
Store them in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. As much as we like to use plastic bags for storage, this recipe does not store well in a plastic bag. If you want to keep the mashed sweet potatoes longer than 7 days, you can freeze them for up to 6 months in the air tight container.
While they have similar flavors they are different plants. In American recipes the names yam and sweet potato are sometimes used interchangeably but are usually referring to sweet potatoes. Yams should also work with the spice blend in this recipe to give you a healthy yam recipe but may require more or less cooking time.
We recommend peeling them for this recipe but you do not have to. Sweet potato peels are loaded with vitamins and are super healthy. If you are going to leave them on, make sure you wash the raw sweet potatoes really well to get rid of all of the dirt.
Yes but be sure to seal in an air tight container before freezing. We like to use a gallon resealable plastic bag. Put the mashed sweet potatoes into the bag and squeeze out all of the excess air before freezing. They should keep for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Serving suggestions
- Turn leftover mashed sweet potatoes into a pie. Add ¼ cup of milk, 3 tablespoon butter, and 2 eggs into the sweet potato mash along with the seasoning blend. Pour into a pie crust and bake for 35 minutes at 350ºF. Savory Mashed Sweet Potato Pie!
- Creative dessert. Mix the fully cooked Healthy Mashed Sweet Potato with some greek yogurt or sour cream for a healthy protein packed snack. Even better, freeze for a super healthy dessert.
- A great side dish. When October or November rolls around, serve alongside your favorite comfort foods such as Chicken Marsala or Slow Cooker BBQ Beef.
- Garnish with fresh thyme.
Recipe Variations
- Make it maple flavored. Instead of brown sugar, use ¼ cup of maple syrup. This works best when you stir it into the mashed sweet potatoes.
- Add ginger. Add ½ teaspoon of powdered ginger to your spice blend.
- Garlic mashed sweet potatoes - add 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic into the spice blend in Step - 3 of the recipe for an extra kick!
- Purple mashed sweet potatoes - use purple potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. The purple potatoes will not be as sweet as the traditional sweet potato but it is a fun variation to try.
- Paleo mashed sweet potatoes - leave out the sugar and this becomes a paleo friendly mashed sweet potato recipe.
- Top Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes with pecans or walnuts.
How to store healthy mashed sweet potatoes
Make in advance and seal in an airtight container.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Freeze for up to 6 months.
📖 Recipe
Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 sweet potatoes 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes
- ½ cup brown sugar to be sprinkled over the top
Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Bake sweet potatoes for 45 minutes at 400ºF.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and mash together with the spice blend.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
Notes
Serving suggestions
- Make it maple flavored. Instead of brown sugar, use ¼ cup of maple syrup. This works best when you stir it into the mashed sweet potatoes.
- Add ginger. Add ½ teaspoon of powdered ginger to your spice blend.
- Turn leftover mashed sweet potatoes into a pie. Add ¼ cup of milk, 3 tablespoon butter, and 2 eggs into the sweet potato mash along with the seasoning blend. Pour into a pie crust and bake for 35 minutes at 350ºF. Healthy Mashed Sweet Potato Pie!
- Creative dessert. Mix the fully cooked Healthy Mashed Sweet Potato with some greek yogurt or sour cream for a healthy protein packed snack. Even better, freeze for a super healthy dessert.
- A great side dish. When October or November rolls around, serve alongside your favorite comfort foods such as Chicken Marsala or Slow Cooker BBQ Beef.
