This simple Sweet Potato Mash recipe is delicious despite only needing two ingredients and a little extra salt. The buttery mash has a smooth texture that doesn’t rely on cream or require any fancy equipment. It’s a tasty alternative to regular mashed potatoes, perfect as a side for everyday meals or a roast dinner feast.
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Sweet potatoes really do rival regular potatoes for me and I very often choose them as a preference. They roast brilliantly, can be added to soups, layered in bakes and largely treated exactly as you would a normal spud. But they don’t contain lots of starch like white potatoes and they do make a different kind of mashed potato.
Sweet potatoes can be quite fibrous and if not cooked well, they can have a slightly unpleasant texture as a result. The key to avoiding this is to cook them long enough. And in the case of this recipe, it’s to spend a few extra moments to really make sure that the potatoes are fully broken down and smooth.
Unlike with conventional mashed potato where the introduction of electrical assistance can result in a serving of potato glue, sweet potatoes have no such issues. So a hand whisk or blender can make this recipe extra easy if you wish.
How to Serve Sweet Potato Mash
Sweet potato mash is a very versatile side. It’s as good with a sausages as it is with a quick and easy weeknight meal of pork loin steaks or chicken mini fillets. I’m quite partial to adding some baked beans and a fried egg to all of those meals!
I love it served with sliced roast gammon as a sort of alternative roast dinner with a creamy mushroom sauce and probably a little sweetcorn on the side.
Sweet potato mash is great as a side dish but you can also use it as an ingredient for other meals. Try it in place of regular mash to top a cottage or shepherds pie or use it to make croquettes or even fishcakes.
Mashed Sweet Potato Ingredients
Sweet Potato
There are lots of varieties of sweet potato and they’re popular all over the world. They can be white, orange or even purple fleshed. But by far the most common and popular here in the UK is the brown skinned version with an orange interior. And that’s what I’ve used here.
Their size can vary wildly but you can use any size to make sweet potato mash. No matter what shape or size they start, just make sure to cut them into roughly equal size pieces so they all cook at the same rate.
Butter
It is worth using proper salted butter when making a dish like this. I love to use my Homemade Salted Butter but any store bought option will of course be fine!
If you must then you can use a spreadable butter or margarine. Just make sure that you like the taste of what you’re using as the flavour will be prevalent in the finished mash. If you are using something that is unsalted, be aware that you will need to add more sea salt than the recipe states.
Be Flexible
This sweet potato dish is the definition of a base recipe. There are many ways that you can make additions. There are however less ways that you can vary the base recipe but there are options. For a creamier texture, you can use half sweet potatoes and half regular potatoes. You can cook them together as they do cook in a similar time. You can also switch the butter for olive oil if you prefer that flavour.
As for additions, the options are endless. For a very simple change, you can add fresh herbs or spices. Woody herbs like thyme, sage or rosemary are best added to melted butter and allowed to gently cook and infuse. Garlic or spices will also benefit from gentle fry with the butter so they release their flavour aromas. The flavoured butters can then be used as normal in the mash. Lighter herbs like chives, parsley or coriander (cilantro in the US) can be finely chopped and folded into the finished dish.
You can make a creamier, looser sweet potato puree by adding some warmed double (heavy) cream) along with the butter. Or stir though some crème fraiche or cream cheese to add a tang that complements the sweetness of the potato.
If you want to make something that feels really quite strange to us Brits, trying making an American style sweet potato casserole. Spread the mash in a casserole dish, top with marshmallows and place in the oven or under the grill (broiler) until the marshmallows are toasty and melted. A thanksgiving classic!
Vegetarian or Vegan Sweet Potato Mash
This recipe is vegetarian as written and easy to make vegan. Simply switch out the butter for olive oil or a a dairy-free butter substitute.
Make Allergy Friendly Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is free from egg, gluten and nuts.
Dairy Free: As with adapting the recipe to be vegan, all you need to do to make a dairy free mash is to switch the butter for a dairy free replacement.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Mashing Sweet Potatoes
You only need pretty basic kitchen equipment to make this recipe. I do recommend using a Vegetable (Speed) Peeler as the easiest way of peeling any vegetables with minimal waste. A Potato Masher is the simplest way to make the mash by hand but if you don’t have one then a Silicone Spatula can be used to just smush the potato against the sides of the pan.
If you aren’t into even mild manual labour, you can utilise a Stick (Immersion) Blender, Food Processor or even a Stand Mixer. Do be cautious using electrical assistance if you’ve added any regular potato to the recipe as they can go gluey very quickly.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Get Ahead
You can make sweet potato mash several days in advance. Store in the fridge and then reheat in a saucepan over a medium-low heat whilst stirring near constantly.
You can reheat in the microwave but I find that the butter tends to separate from the potato and leave the finished dish quite greasy feeling. If this happens, beat it well until the butter re-amalgamates.
Leftover Sweet Potato Mash
Sweet potato mash stores very well, both in the fridge for a couple of days and frozen for longer term storage. Make sure to store in an airtight container or bag to prevent freezer burn or from other flavours nearby being absorbed.
It is best to allow it to fully defrost before reheating in the same ways as described above.
Buttery Sweet Potato Mash Tips
This is a simple recipe but following all the small details of the instruction steps will yield the best results. From making sure that the potatoes are more than fully cooked through to making sure they’re steamed fully dry and taking an extra minute to mash them into oblivion, this will give you the best possible outcome.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Potato Recipes
The Recipe
Sweet Potato Mash with Butter (No Cream Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 900 g Sweet Potatoes
- 2 tsp Fine/Table Salt
- 2 tbsp Salted Butter
- Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
- Put a kettle of water onto boil.
- Peel 900g Sweet Potatoes and remove any bruises or eyes.
- Cut the potatoes into rough 1" cubes.
- Put into a medium saucepan along with 2 tsp Fine Salt.
- Cover with boiling water and bring to the boil. A lid will help speed the process.
- Boil for around 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft all the way through. You can use a sharp knife to check.
- Drain the potatoes well and allow them to sit and steam a little dry for a few minutes. This step is extremely important so put the pan over a low heat for a minute or two to help. Don't walk away for a moment or they may burn.
- Use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes directly in the pan.
- Keep going until there are no visible lumps.
- Move the pan onto a very low heat and give the mash a stir with a spatula. Use the spatula to press any little lumps left against the bottom and edge of the pan. Again, don't walk away from the pan as the potatoes on the bottom will burn.
- After a minute, and as the potatoes get hot again, add around 2 tbsp Salted Butter.
- Stir until butter is melted and it has all be incorporated into the sweet potatoes.
- Taste the potatoes and add Sea Salt Flakes a little at a time until you're happy with the salt level. You might not need to add any if using an especially salty butter.
- Serve piping hot!
Lesley says
Simple recipe and it tasted great with the grilled chicken we were having for dinner. A welcome change to regular mashed potato.
Hazel says
We really enjoyed the sweet potato mash with sausages and gravy. It has such a nice taste and everyone really loved it.