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These Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes are easy to make with a handful of ingredients, so creamy, and perfectly smooth and delicious. They make for a perfect side dish during the holiday season and all year round for weeknight dinners.
This sweet potato recipe will definitely become a family favorite at your dinner table. Made with a handful of ingredients, and can easily be made ahead to save on time. They pair so well with almost anything you can think of, from steaks to turkey, chicken, seafood, and more! Mashed Sweet potatoes are a great substitute for the traditional mashed potatoes and they taste just as good! Creamy smooth and so satisfying with every bite. The sweet potatoes were boiled in the making of these healthy mashed sweet potatoes but can also be cooked in your instant pot ahead of time.
why this mashed sweet potato is so good
- So easy to make: All you need is 4-5 ingredients to make these mashed sweet potatoes. Ingredients you most likely already have and you just need to grab some sweet potatoes.
- Healthy: No butter or oil needed to make this recipe. Cream cheese used instead of half and half for a healthier twist.
- So good! Easy side dish thats so creamy and delicious. It will become a family favorite thats requested all year round.
Ingredients needed to make these sweet potato mash
These are just a list of ingredients needed to make these healthy mashed sweet potatoes. Full measurements are listed down below.
sweet potatoes
Light cream cheese
Kosher salt & ground pepper to taste
Milk – any milk will work. 2% or almond milk
Fresh thyme or rosemary
How to make mashed sweet potatoes
- First, prepare potatoes: Wash the potatoes under cold running water to remove any dirt or contaminants. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove any bruised spots. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Next, cook the sweet potatoes: In a large pot of boiling water, add potatoes and a pinch of salt. Let it boil for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until ready to handle.
- Combine all ingredients: Meanwhile whisk cream cheese, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Now peel and mash the sweet potato with a potato masher, add milk, and mash again to your desired consistency. Add cream cheese mixture and mix until well combined.
- Serve: Finally, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
Tips and substitutes
- Use fresh sweet potatoes and not frozen
- We prefer using cream cheese over Greek yogurt. Cream cheese works great in place of half and half. Use light or fat-free if possible. You may also sub this with sour cream
- For a vegan option, use dairy-free yogurt or skip completely
- Milk: Any milk of choice will work. Use almond milk for a vegan option.
- Add a bit of flavor with a dash of cinnamon
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge
- You may drizzle a bit of olive oil over the mashed potatoes or add about a tablespoon of melted butter.
FAQ’s
No. You do not need to peel sweet potatoes before boiling them. You can cook or boil them with their skin to retain its nutrients as much as possible and then peel later once cooled. The skin of sweet potatoes is actually edible. You can peel sweet potatoes if you plan on adding them to soup.
You can store leftover mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Yes you can . To freeze leftover mashed sweet potatoes, place in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge the night before and reheat in the microwave at 30 second increments when ready to serve. You may also place it in an oven safe dish and reheat in a preheated oven for 10 minutes or so.
The skin of a sweet potato is very safe to eat and is actually left on in the making of many recipes. They are rich n fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients to help support gut health and increase the feeling of fullness.
Other recipes with sweet potatoes to try
- Chicken thighs with maple sweet potatoes
- Roasted Smoked Sweet potatoes
- Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Twice Baked Sweeet Potatoes
- Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
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Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened, light or fat-free
- Kosher salt & ground pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup milk
- Fresh thyme, or rosemary
- optional drizzle of olive oil or melted butter
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes under cold running water to remove any dirt or contaminants.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully remove any bruised spots. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In a large pot of boiling water, add potatoes and a pinch of salt. Let it boil for 12 to 15 minutes until tender.
- Drain and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until ready to handle. Meanwhile whisk cream cheese, salt, and pepper into a bowl.
- Now peel and mash the sweet potato with a potato masher, add milk, and mash again to your desired consistency.
- Add cream cheese mixture and mix until well combined. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
Notes
- Use fresh sweet potatoes and not frozen
- We prefer using cream cheese over Greek yogurt. Cream cheese works great in place of half and half. Use light or fat-free if possible.
- For a vegan option, use dairy-free yogurt or skip completely
- Milk: Any milk of choice will work. Use almond milk for a vegan option.
- Add a bit of flavor with a dash of cinnamon
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made these a few times! They are really tasty. It’s become a go to for Thanksgiving.
Hmm I wanna give this recipe a try but in my personal foodie lifestyle I don’t consider low fat or fat free cream cheese to be healthy, we go for all natural healthy fats, I think I’ll opt for the plain Greek yogurt and coconut pairs great with sweet potatoes! Well see how it’s goes! Thank you for the ideas!
Hi Tonya. I love the substitutes you have in mind. I also love full fat but sometimes some prefer to go low fat on certain ingredients. Either way they can easily be substituted. I hope you like it if you do decide to make it.