This savory sweet potato mash is a highly requested family side dish! And I don't mind making it often because it just so simple to throw together yet very satisfying.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my roasted sweet potato bites, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Easy to Make - You don't need any special tools or fancy chef techniques to make this savory sweet potato mash recipe. Just roast, mash, and mix!
Are mashed sweet potatoes healthy? - This is a light yet filling side made with wholesome ingredients. Naturally gluten free, low in sugar, and vegan, it's a great alternative to heavier traditional sides.
Customizable Flavor - I incorporate a blend of savory and sweet spices into this dish for flavorful mashed sweet potatoes that are earthy, warming, and smoky. And it's simple to adjust the spices and their levels to your liking.
👉🏾 You're in the right spot if you like potato dishes as much as I do! Check outmycreamy sweet potato soup, mashed red potatoes with garlic and parmesan, Soul Food potato salad, slow cooker candied yams, and crispy sweet potato fries, next.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Sweet Potatoes, of course! Using fresh sweet potatoes work best--grab Garnet or Jewel variety for the most robust color and taste--but you can technically make this recipe using canned yams.
Spices elevate this dish from plain sweet potato puree to a proper side dish with layers of flavor. Use the best quality ground spices you can find.
Olive Oil is optional but helps meld everything together nicely and adds an extra touch of flavor, healthy fat, and is a nice finishing touch to drizzle over top. You could also use avocado oil, coconut oil or another oil of your choosing.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Herbs like rosemary, parsley, thyme, sage or cilantro blend wonderfully in this recipe. You can use fresh or dried here.
Butter and Cream - If you want to make this a richer, more indulgent, and creamy sweet potato mash, similar to regular mashed potatoes, add a couple tablespoons of butter, cream or both! Goat cheese and sour cream also work and they'll add a bit of tanginess or you can use coconut milk to keep the recipe dairy free.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes Savory
- Step 1: Carefully prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork or knife.
- Step 2: Roast in the oven until tender then remove the skin, once safe to handle.
Pro Tip #1
Making holes in the sweet potatoes before roasting allows them to release moisture as they heat up in the form of steam. I recommend either placing a sheet pan underneath or wrapping them in foil to catch any drips.
Pro Tip #2
Visually, you'll know the sweet potatoes are well-roasted with the skin has a wrinkly, loose appearance. This is because the potatoes shrink a bit while baking (due to the moisture release I mentioned above) and pull away from the skin. This makes them very easy to peel once they've cooled a bit.
- Step 3: Press and mash the sweet potato flesh to your desired consistency. I like mine a lil chunky!
- Step 4: Mix in spices and olive oil and add any garnishes before serving.
Pro Tip #3
I like to use a mix and mash spatula to make smashing the sweet potatoes very easy, however, you can also achieve the same texture using a firm kitchen spoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make ahead mashed sweet potatoes by up to five days and store in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the microwave or on the stove top.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container. They'll last in the fridge up to one week.
Yes, you can freeze this! Leftover mashed sweet potato lasts for up to three months in the freezer. I recommend flash freezing in ice cube trays or Souper Cubes then transferring to an airtight container for easier portioning later.
How to Serve
Serve healthy smashed sweet potatoes however you enjoy typical potatoes--for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! The versatility makes it perfect to keep in rotation for component meal prep.
At dinnertime, I love it with cast iron chicken thighs and crispy brussels sprouts with maple. Or spread it on toast for breakfast or serve alongside eggs and sausage.
Sweet potatoes are great year-round but get a lot of shine during the fall and holiday season, so savory mashed sweet potatoes are a natural choice for your Friendsgiving menu, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas dinner.
Check out all of my best Thanksgiving recipes for more seasonal greatness!
More Favorite Side Dish Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you and yours enjoy this roasted sweet potato mash soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Savory Sweet Potato Mash
Equipment
- 1 fork or knife
- 1 mix and mash spatula or kitchen spoon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes or 4 cups canned sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to garnish
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika plus more to garnish
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus more to garnish
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- sea salt to taste
- chopped fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use fork or knife to carefully prick sweet potatoes all over then place in oven with a sheet pan underneath and roast for 45 minutes or until the skin is wrinkled and the flesh is tender.2 pounds sweet potatoes
- Allow sweet potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes or until comfortable enough to handle then peel away this skin. Skin should remove easily as a by product of the roasting process.
- Place sweet potatoes into mixing bowl then use spatula or spoon to press and mash sweet potatoes to desired consistency.
- Mix in olive oil, smoked paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and sea salt until uniform. Serve with chopped parsley, another drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkles of smoked paprika and cinnamon.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, sea salt, chopped fresh parsley
Niecy says
My family loved how light this sweet potato dish is but it didn't feel like we were sacrificing taste. A good balance with the heavier dishes I put on the table for Sunday dinner and the flavor is chef's kiss!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Niecy! Thank you for your note, I'm so glad y'all enjoyed this one.