Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Quick & Easy!)

This Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe is so easy and versatile! It’s great for weeknight dinners or any holiday meal! 

I eat sweet potatoes all year round. They are too delicious to resign to eating only around the holidays. Without a doubt, though, they are most popular around the holidays. Typically, they get sweetened up with things like maple syrup, brown sugar, and marshmallows (<–WHY, though?), especially in things like sweet potato casserole. (I do have a healthy sweet potato casserole recipe that I absolutely love, so I’m not hating on the casserole at all!)

Today, I’m bringing you savory mashed sweet potatoes. Even if you love the sweetened up sweet potato dishes, you’ll LOVE these. They’re perfect for any holiday dinner, from Thanksgiving to Friendsgiving to Christmas dinner, but equally appropriate for a weeknight dinner.

Yes, they are quick and easy. They take up no oven space, making them really great for those holiday meals that are filled with dishes that hog the oven. The hands-on prep time is really minimal, so you won’t think twice about making them your side dish with any protein for everyday dinners.

Why This Recipe Works

There are a lot of different ways to cook a sweet potato for mashing. I use steaming for a number of reasons.

First, sweet potatoes are full of nutrients, and when you boil them, those nutrients seep into the water and then get poured down the drain. No bueno. Their sugar content also means they can get water logged easily, another minus for using the boiling method.

Baking them in the oven isn’t a terrible choice, as it can cause them to caramelize and intensify the sweetness, but it takes a really long time if you leave them whole, and if you cut them into cubes they can lose too much moisture.

Steaming is the perfect answer for these savory mashed sweet potatoes and is the preferred method. It looks them quickly while retaining their flavor and moisture without waterlogging them. I use a steamer basket and steam them on the stovetop, but you can also use your Instant Pot. Check out my Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes for details.

Fresh herbs are heated with the butter to bring out the flavor of both the herbs and the butter. Then it’s added to the steamed sweet potatoes to be mashed by hand with a potato masher.

I recommend mashing these by hand using an old-fashioned potato masher. If you use a food processor, they will have a super smooth, pureed texture, like this butternut squash puree, which isn’t really what we’re looking for with this savory mashed sweet potatoes recipe.

The sweetness of sweet potatoes is enough–so I leave out the sweeteners for this savory side dish. The result is a balance of flavors that is incredible.

Let’s look at the ingredient list and why this is a healthy recipe!

Recipe Ingredients–What You Need

You’ll be happy to see this recipe calls for simple ingredients and you need only 7, including the sea salt and pepper!

2 Sweet Potatoes:

Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They’re especially high in Vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene). We all know how important Vitamin A is for vision health, but it’s also critical for maintaining healthy skin. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that can help protect cells from damage. Sweet potatoes are also a source of prebiotics. Prebiotics are a type of fiber that help feed the good bacteria in your gut. A healthy gut microbiome is associated with all sorts of health benefits, from a stronger immune system to better mental health.

3 Tablespoons Pastured Butter:

I used pastured butter because it’s the highest quality butter you can buy. It’s made from the milk of grass-fed cows and has a higher vitamin and mineral content than regular butter. Pastured butter also contains more conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. CLA is a type of fatty acid that has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including weight loss, reduced inflammation, and improved cardiovascular health. Obviously, any butter will work here, but if we’re going to use butter, we might as well make it the healthiest butter we can, right?

1/2 tablespoon each of Chopped Fresh Thyme and Rosemary

Fresh herbs always bring the best flavor, but if you don’t have fresh on hand, you can use dried herbs. I love the flavor of thyme and rosemary together, but feel free to experiment with other herbs. Sage would be really good in this recipe too.

These herbs also bring health benefits. Thyme is a good source of Vitamin C and manganese. It’s also been shown to have antimicrobial properties, which means it can help fight infection. Rosemary is a good source of iron, calcium, and Vitamin B-six. Like thyme, rosemary also has antimicrobial properties.

1/4 cup Half-and-Half or Milk

Just a touch of half-and-half or milk give your savory mashed sweet potatoes a nice, creamy texture. If you’re making this for a holiday meal, I recommend half-and-half for a little more rich decadence. Making it for a weeknight dinner? Milk will work just fine. Whole milk will be great, but if you have 2% or skim on hand, that will work. Just keep in mind that the fat in the dairy product you choose helps make creamy mashed sweet potatoes.

Salt + Black Pepper

These are there for more seasoning, of course.

Ingredient Substitution Ideas

If you need this to be vegan, I recommend using olive oil in place of the butter and full-fat coconut milk in place of the half-and-half. These are easy swaps that make this effortlessly dairy-free!

How to Make Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

You’ll love how quick and easy it is to make this delicious side dish!

Step 1:

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the potatoes and then cut them into uniform cubes.

Step 2:

Place a steamer basket into a large pot of simmering water. Add the sweet potatoes to the basket, place the lid on the pot, and steam for about 20 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on how big you cut your cubes. 1 inch cubes will cook in about 20 minutes.

Step 3:

Remove the steamer basket from the pot and drain the water. Place the cooked sweet potatoes directly back into the pot.

Step 4:

In a small pan, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat. Add the chopped herbs, salt, and pepper and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, until very fragrant. Turn heat to low and whisk in the half-and-half or milk.

Step 5:

Pour the butter mixture into the pot with the sweet potatoes.

Step 6:

Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Any leftover mashed sweet potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

This easy recipe is one of my favorite side dishes ever! It will work well for your holiday table or the perfect side dish for your dinner table! Serve it with your Thanksgiving Turkey or these Bone-in Chicken breasts. I hope you and your family love it just as much.

I love a good sweet potato recipe. You, too? I have a lot of them! Here are some favorites:

Sweet Potato Wedges

Sweet Potato Soup recipe

Sweet Potato Fritters

Loaded Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Easy Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet Potato Tian

I wasn’t kidding. I love sweet potato recipes!

If you make this savory mashed sweet potatoes recipe or any of my other healthy recipes, please let me know! I’d love to see a photo–share it on Instagram and I’ll feature you. Please leave a comment and star rating below. It really helps other readers know which recipes are tried and true!

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