Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes

A cozy fall side dish - vegan mashed sweet potatoes. If you plan on doing some holiday entertaining for Thanksgiving or Christmas, these are a MUST MAKE!

You know what always sounds good to me? Mashed potatoes. And, do you know what’s arguably even better than mashed potatoes, though? Sweet mashed potatoes!

This is the absolute perfect side for fall and winter holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a real crowd pleaser—people definitely won’t be worrying about whether or not it’s vegan once they have a bite! And, if you’re like me, this is really a lovely dish to have any time of the year.

This vegan mashed sweet potatoes recipe comes out vibrant in color, is nutritious, delicious, and super simple to make, so don’t be surprised if it becomes one of your staple side dishes!

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes

There are three basic ways to cook sweet potatoes: boiling, roasting, and steaming. At the end of the day, you can even use a microwave. The main thing is that the potatoes are soft enough to easily mash, whether that’s by hand or with a mixer.

• Boiling – In terms of nutrition, boiling may retain the most antioxidants and even enhance the absorption of nutrients. Boiling also results in a lower glycemic index, so less of a blood sugar spike than the other methods. To speed up the boiling process, you may want to peel and chop the potatoes into similar sized chunks first. Leaving the skin on is more nutritious, though if you prefer a smoother mash you can remove the skin.
• Roasting – If you roast “low and slow,” more natural sugars will be brought out. Since sweet potatoes are pretty sweet as is, you may want to go for a higher roasting temperature. To expedite the process, go ahead and cube them. This also means more surface area for caramelization! As with boiling, you can leave the skin on if you like. Nutritionally speaking, baking your sweet potatoes may reduce the Vitamin A levels twice as much as boiling.
• Steaming – To steam your sweet potatoes, simply use a steamer basket and allow them to steam for twenty to thirty minutes, until a fork or knife can be inserted without resistance. You can use whole potatoes of the same size, or simply cut them into similarly sized pieces beforehand (which also reduces cooking time).

All said and done, sweet potatoes are delicious and healthy no matter how you cook them, so don’t fret about the method too much. That said, boiling or steaming and leaving the skin on is your best bet if you want to maximize nutrition.

How to Mash Sweet Potatoes

Ultimately, you need to get your sweet potatoes nice and mashed up. There’s no shortage of ways to do this. Among the most common methods are to use a potato masher, fork, immersion blender/hand mixer, or regular blender.

• Potato masher – Potato mashers are great for having control over the texture. You can leave them as lumpy as you like or keep mashing until they’re as smooth as you like.
• Fork – A fork is similar to a potato masher but will require more effort. In general, mashing with a fork is more likely to produce lumpier mashed potatoes unless you have time and elbow grease to spare.
• Immersion blender/hand mixer – In my experience, an immersion blender works fine for “mashing,” but then again, it isn’t technically “mashing.” Some people are fierce opponents of this method, so you may want to avoid it.
• Blender – As with the immersion blender or hand mixer, using a blender may end up releasing too much starch, which makes your potatoes stickier and “gluey.” That said, this method should be okay if you use the blender gently and aren’t super concerned about producing Michelin-quality food.

There are plenty of other methods as well. Ultimately, it’s up to you which you use based on your preference and what you have at your disposal. Major foodies and chefs may write book-length articles about the importance of texture, but personally, I find that just about anything works just fine.

Ingredients for Vegan Mash Sweet Potatoes

A lot of these ingredients are ones you might already have in your pantry! 

• Sweet potatoes – In this case, size does matter! That’s because you want the sweet potato proportional to the other ingredients. So, go for roughly medium-sized sweet potatoes—they should come out to about three cups when mashed. Sweet potatoes are not only delicious but nutritional powerhouses, with a ton of fiber and Vitamin A in particular.
• Vegan butter – Vegan butter has come a really long way in the past few years! For this recipe, it might be best to find a vegan butter in stick form. Luckily, there are several brands that offer this now, including Miyoko’s and Earth Balance. There’s also Country Crock plant butter, which I’d recommend only if you can’t find the others as it contains palm oil. Any vegan butter should work okay, though.
• Allspice, cloves, cardamom, black pepper – These spices, in addition to their nutritional benefits, are essential because they really help give this dish a nice warm fall/winter feeling.
• Salt – It can be tempting to skip or reduce the salt, especially if you’re health conscious, but a little salt really helps bring out the other flavors.
• Star anise – Star anise comes from a Chinese tree, Illicium verum, and is named for its star-shaped pods. It has a distinctive flavor that is similar to licorice and is used often in Far and Near Eastern cuisines (e.g. in Chinese 5-spice and Indian Garam Masala blends). 
• Orange juice – This ingredient might come as a surprise but it provides a wonderful brightness and a touch of acid that complements the sweet potatoes perfectly! Plus, you’re getting an additional Vitamin C boost.
• Maple syrup – Maple syrup is a delicious sweetener, as we all know from pancakes. That said, it’s a great vegan sweetener in general, and its unique flavor is especially well-suited (in my humble opinion) for fall/winter recipes such as these vegan pumpkin pie bars!
• Coconut cream – Coconut cream may be high in calories but it also contains a lot of nutrients. It also brings a lovely richness and creaminess to these vegan mashed sweet potatoes. If you’re unsure about coconut cream versus coconut milk, it’s pretty similar to dairy cream and dairy milk: they’re made from the same basic ingredients, but coconut cream has a higher fat content and is thus thicker and richer.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First, choose your favorite method to cook your sweet potatoes (roasting, boiling, or steaming). Once the potatoes are fully cooked peel the skin off if desired. Set aside.
2. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the remaining spices (allspice, ground cloves, orange juice, rosemary, salt, cardamom, black pepper, and star anise). Cover and allow the spices to infuse with the butter and orange juice for five minutes.
3. After five minutes, remove the sprig of rosemary and star anise and turn off the heat.
4. Add the potatoes, coconut cream, and maple syrup to the pan. Mash the potatoes until you have your desired consistency.
5. Garnish as desired and enjoy!

Recipe FAQ

How should I garnish these?
However you like, really! Fresh herbs such as rosemary (as listed in this recipe) or parsley are a nice touch.

Can I swap out the coconut cream?
Absolutely! Simply swap in whatever plant milk you prefer or have on hand! You may want to opt for a creamier plant milk though, such as oat milk. You can also use coconut milk instead of coconut cream—it will simply be a bit less rich and creamy.

What if I’d like them a bit sweeter?
Not a problem! Simply add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup if you’d like to bring out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes more.

What if I’d like them a bit chunkier/more rustic style?
An easy way to get that kind of rustic vibe is to simply leave the skin on the potatoes. Doing so is also an easy way to get 10x the antioxidants.

What goes well with sweet mashed potatoes?
Personally, I think just about any vegetable goes really well with these vegan mashed sweet potatoes. My favorites are probably roasted broccoli and brussels sprouts! These would be fantastic as a holiday side dish too for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

How long are mashed sweet potatoes good for?
You can store these in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days without any issue. Any longer than that, you may want to freeze them. They should be fine for 3-4 months in the freezer, and when you’re ready to defrost simply place them in the refrigerator for 24 hours to thaw.

Why this Recipe will be your New Go-To Side Dish

This vegan mashed sweet potatoes recipe will be your new go-to side because it’s super simple, packs solid nutrition, and perfectly captures the fall and winter vibes!

• It’s easy – When it comes down to it, mashed potatoes are pretty straightforward. After all, you’re simply mashing potatoes! (And, of course, adding in some choice ingredients to make them extra creamy and delicious.)
• Sweet potatoes are nutritious –Thanks to the main ingredient—sweet potatoes—this recipe packs a solid nutritional punch. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, as well as important vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
• This side screams fall/winter – Thanks to the sweet potatoes, allspice, cloves, and cardamom, this recipe has a lovely hint of warmth to it that makes it perfect as the temperatures drop.

Let me know if you try these vegan mashed sweet potatoes, and if you do, I would love it if you left a rating and review below! These would make a perfect addition to any holiday meal - Thanksgiving or Christmas. Make sure you are also following along on Instagram and Pinterest for more food inspiration.

Try Other Fall-Inspired Recipes Below:

• Sugar-Free Apple Crisp
• Maple Roasted Carrots
• Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
• Vegan Compound Butter
• Pumpkin Soup
• Beyond Beef Shepherd's Pie
• Creamy Broccoli Leek Soup
• Pumpkin Pie Bars
• Apple Pancakes
• Baked Apple Oatmeal
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Millionaire Shortbread Bars
• Baked Matcha Glazed Donuts

Print

📖 Recipe