These creamy vegan mashed sweet potatoes are the perfect sweet and savory side dish! They're rich, creamy, easy to make and pair well with any main course, especially during the holiday season.
If you're a fan of sweet potato recipes, then this vegan sweet potato mash is too good not to make! It calls for only a handful of ingredients and the stove takes care of most of the work for you. They have creamy texture and sweet yet savory flavor.
They're truly the perfect side dish to add to your holiday table (you can even make it ahead of time) alongside vegan mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, cornbread and more. Holidays aside, it's so simple, comforting, and flavorful that you'll find yourself making it for weeknight dinners too!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Perfect side dish: whether you're preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas or a nice dinner at home, these easy mashed sweet potatoes make the perfect sweet & savory side dish.
- Quick & easy: this sweet potato recipe is made in one pot, in 30 minutes, using 7 simple ingredients!
- Make-ahead friendly: if you plan to make this for the holidays, you can easily make this recipe a day or two ahead of time to free up your stovetop day of.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
- Masher: to mash the potatoes! You can use also use a fork or, if you want them really smooth, an electric hand mixer, food processor or immersion blender.
- Vegetable Peeler
- Chef's knife & cutting board
- Colander
- Measuring cups & spoons
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: I used three pounds of fresh orange sweet potatoes in this recipe! Be sure to utilize the scale in the produce section at the grocery store. Regular or organic sweet potatoes both work perfectly.
- Non-dairy Milk: you can use any plant-based milk you like as long as it's plain and unsweetened. I recommend soy milk, full-fat coconut milk, oat milk, or almond milk because they're naturally a bit thicker.
- Maple Syrup: to help bring out the sweet potatoes' naturally sweet flavor! For the best results, I recommend using 100% pure maple syrup, rather than the ultra processed pancake or table syrups.
- Vegan Butter: for a richer flavor! Be sure to use vegan butter sticks rather than the tubs. For even more flavor, you can brown the butter.
- Salt & Pepper: we'll be using kosher salt to salt the water that the potatoes are boiled in and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season the mashed potatoes.
- Fresh Herbs: I like to use fresh thyme and fresh sage as a garnish. They're listed as optional, but I love the earthy depth of flavor they add to this recipe.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead of maple syrup.
- Leave the skin on the sweet potatoes for a more rustic mash!
- Top with browned butter for added flavor! You can also use brown butter in place of regular butter entirely by browning it before adding the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- For a sweeter mash, skip the thyme and top with a dusting of cinnamon or nutmeg instead.
- For a more savory mash, reduce the maple syrup to 2 tablespoons and add in 2 minced garlic cloves, a sprig or two of fresh thyme to the warmed milk mixture, a dollop of vegan sour cream and even a dash of nutritional yeast.
- Fold in ¼ cup to ½ cup of vegan sour cream, cream cheese or coconut cream for richer mashed potatoes.
- Roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. Prick each sweet potato 3 to 4 times with a fork. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 1 hour, turning the potatoes over halfway through baking, or until tender. Let cool for about 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle before halving and scooping out the flesh, discarding the skins.
- Use a steamer basket! Instead of boiling the potatoes, pour enough water into a large pot to cover an inch of the base. Insert the steamer basket and place the sweet potatoes on top. Cover with a lid and steam on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.
- For an ultra smooth and creamy consistency, use a hand mixer, immersion blender, food processor or potato ricer instead of a potato masher or fork. Be careful, there is a fine line between a purée and a perfectly mashed potato! If you overwork the potatoes, you'll end up with gluey texture.
This recipe has not been tested with any other substitutions or variations than the ones listed above. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Instructions
- Place the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot or dutch oven and cover with cold water. Stir in 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside.
- Return the empty pot to the stove and melt the vegan butter over medium-low heat. Add the maple syrup, dairy-free milk, salt and pepper, whisking to combine. Cook for only 1-2 minutes, until warmed through.
- Remove from heat then add the cooked sweet potatoes to the pot and mash until smooth and well combined. Season to taste and serve topped with more butter and fresh thyme leaves!
Serving Suggestions
During the holiday season, vegan mashed sweet potatoes are a great addition to your holiday meal! They pair well with a variety of mains and sides like a vegan turkey loaf, vegan mac & cheese, cranberry sauce, stuffing, cornbread, roasted veggies, brussels sprouts, and so much more.
Outside of the holiday season, mashed sweet potatoes taste great alongside your choice of protein, quinoa burgers, hearty salads and more.
Expert Tips
- Put the potatoes in the pot with cold water THEN bring to a boil. Bringing the potatoes and water to a boil together allows for more even cooking.
- Warm the milk mixture. Warm butter and warm milk absorb more easily into hot potatoes, allowing for a smoother, fluffy texture. Cold milk doesn't absorb properly and can lead to overworking the potatoes, which results in a gluey or lumpy texture. Plus, who wants to eat cold potatoes?!
- Don't overmash! It's surprisingly easy to overmash/over work the potatoes, especially if you decide not to mash by hand. You may end up with a super smooth mash but you run the risk of getting gluey potatoes.
How to Store & Reheat
Refrigerator: These mashed sweet potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Allow the mashed sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or oven.
Reheating: Reheat leftover sweet potato mash in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals until heated through. You can also reheat the mashed potatoes in the oven at 350°F in a covered baking dish for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.
FAQ
Of course, add ¼ cup of dairy-free milk at a time, until your desired consistency is reached!
In general, sweet potatoes are considered 'healthier' than regular potatoes due to their higher vitamin A content, lower glycemic index, and greater antioxidant properties. However, it truly depends what you plan to add them that makes the difference!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch Oven or large pot
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 (3 pounds) medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) vegan butter plus more for serving
- ½ cup (125 g) soy milk or any unsweetened dairy-free milk
- ¼ cup (80 g) maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- fresh thyme leaves or sage leaves to garnish
Instructions
- To a large pot, add sweet potatoes and kosher salt. Cover with cold water by 1 inch.3 or 4 medium sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
- Return the same (now empty) pot to the stove and melt vegan butter over medium heat. Add dairy-free milk, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and heat for 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through.4 tablespoons vegan butter, ½ cup soy milk, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the cooked potatoes back into the pot and use a potato masher to mash until combined and desired consistency is reached.
- Season to taste and serve warm topped with more butter, fresh thyme leaves, and cinnamon, if desired. Enjoy!¼ teaspoon cinnamon, fresh thyme leaves or sage leaves
Margaret says
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were huge hit!!! Nobody even knew they were vegan. My friend made them with regular milk and butter and also said it was delicious
Lauren Casolaro says
Hi Margaret, thank you for your review!! So glad everyone loved these 🙂