Easy Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- PREP 10min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 30min
These easy mashed sweet potatoes are on the savory side, but you can add a few extra ingredients for a sweeter version. See our tips in the notes section below for our suggestions.
You can simmer, bake, microwave, or use a pressure cooker to cook the sweet potatoes. Our preferred method is to simmer the potatoes since this takes a similar amount of time when using a pressure cooker and when microwaving them and less time than when using an oven. We have included the steps for cooking sweet potatoes in the oven, microwave, and pressure cooker in the article above.
You Will Need
3 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean (5 to 6 small-to-medium)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 bay leaf, optional or a substitute fresh thyme or rosemary sprig
3 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon or more to taste
3 tablespoons sour cream, heavy cream, milk or half-and-half, optional
Fine herbs and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Cook Sweet Potatoes
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add to a large pot and add enough water so that they are covered by about one inch of water. Add the salt and bay leaf.
Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, and then return the potatoes to the pot. Or if you plan to use a food processor, add them directly to the processor bowl. (A food processor makes extra silky mashed sweet potatoes.)
Mash Sweet Potatoes
Add the butter, cinnamon, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher until your desired consistency. If using a food processor, pulse until your desired consistency.
For extra creamy sweet potatoes, stir in sour cream or a splash of heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half. Serve with extra butter and chopped fresh herbs (optional) on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make Ahead Tips: Mashed sweet potatoes can be made up to 3 to 4 days in advance. Keep them tightly covered in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen up to a month or more (adding a tablespoon of lemon juice will help prevent browning).
- Sweeter Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup to the cooked potatoes before mashing. We also like to increase the cinnamon by 1/4 teaspoon. Serve with a little extra maple syrup on top and if you enjoy nuts, add a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.