Easy enough for a weeknight, but sophisticated enough for your holiday table, these Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter may just be the star of the show. Creamy and buttery with the perfect amount of sweetness, you’ll want to bookmark this recipe to make over and over again.
I love a good sweet potato side dish – if you like it sweet, this BEST sweet potato casserole really is the best ever, this Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon goes with so many dinners, and you can’t go wrong with Scalloped Sweet Potatoes!
The Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes
I don’t think I really need to wax poetic about my love of sweet potatoes again – haha! I’ve mentioned before that I hated them as a kid, but I just can’t get enough of them now as an adult.
Maybe it’s because I never had them mashed like this. With brown butter.
True story – I made these to go along with dinner one night, and heard lots of complaints about having sweet potatoes from my kids. Until they took a bite.
They all loved them. And ate more than one serving.
Even my husband went back for thirds, talking about how good they are.
And while these were perfect for a regular weeknight dinner, these would be fantastic for a holiday, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
Holiday or any other night – this mashed sweet potatoes recipe is going to become a family favorite.
The Well Plated Cookbook
Now, I can’t take the credit for this amazing recipe. It came from the cookbook by Erin Clarke of Well Plated – The Well Plated Cookbook.
This cookbook is filled with healthier recipes of some of your favorites. But the thing that I love the most is that she focuses on real, fresh ingredients. I often struggle with “healthier” recipes because my family just won’t eat them. Or they will complain the whole time. But these recipes are better for you while still being recipes that the whole family will love.
I seriously have so many of them bookmarked!
Plus, there are also lots of desserts along with dinners and sides – it’s a great cookbook to have on your shelf!
You can buy it on Amazon (affiliate link) or at most online book retailers.
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes: I always like to use orange sweet potatoes instead of white sweet potatoes. The texture is a little better and they are a little sweeter.
Butter: Use unsalted butter if possible. If you do need to use salted butter, you want to make sure and taste the potatoes before adding salt so that you don’t oversalt.
Milk: The recipe calls for lowfat milk to cut back on calories and fat, but you can definitely use 2% or whole milk for creamier potatoes.
Maple Syrup: You want real maple syrup here, not pancake syrup.
Salt and Pepper: Seasoning is very important – especially because there are so few ingredients.
How to Make Brown Butter
One thing that makes these mashed sweet potatoes so magical is the addition of brown butter. (My favorite regular mashed potato recipe has brown butter, as well!)
- Start by melting your butter. I find that this is easiest in a light colored pan, just so that you can see the color of the butter.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk or swirl the butter in the pan, cooking it slowly.
- It will start to foam up a bit and may even crackle. Just continue to swirl it, keeping an eye on the butter, as it can get too brown very quickly.
- Once the butter is browned and has a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat.
- If you aren’t ready to use it quite yet, transfer it to another bowl. Do not leave it in the pan as it will continue to cook and will burn.
You can use the brown butter immediately, or if desired, you can refrigerate it for use at a later time.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
These potatoes are super easy to make! Make sure and check out the full printable recipe below for the full instructions.
Cook the Potatoes: Start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into 1-inch cubes. Place them in a large pot and cover them with water. Place over medium-high heat, and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and let the potatoes cook until they are tender, then drain.
Brown the Butter: While the potatoes are cooking, you can brown the butter according to the instructions above.
Mix and Mash: Add the browned butter to the pot with the cooked potatoes, along with the butter, milk, and maple syrup. You can use a hand mixer or a potato masher to start mashing the potatoes and mixing all the ingredients together. Keep mashing until you have your desired consistency.
Season: Taste teh potatoes, and add salt and pepper, as desired.
More Holiday Side Dish Recipes
Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Creamy Baked Asparagus
Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Scalloped Corn and Broccoli
Glazed Carrots
Blue Cheese and Walnut Mashed Potatoes
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk can also use 2% or whole
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook the Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large, heavy pot and cover them with water. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until they are fork-tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot.
Brown the Butter
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. This is easiest if it is a light colored pan so that you can see the color of the butter. Continue to heat the butter, swirling the pan often as it cooks, until it starts to foam and crackle, then golden, and then toasty brown. It will take 3-5 minutes to brown once the butter is melted. The butter will smell nutty when it is finished browning – watch it carefully, as it will go from browned to burnt very quickly.
Mix and Mash
- Once the butter has browned, immediately remove it from the heat and add it to the cooked, drained potatoes. (If your potatoes are not done yet, transfer the butter to a bowl so that it will not continue to cook.)
- To the potatoes and butter, add the milk, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- With an electric mixer (or with a potato masher by hand) beat the potatoes on medium-low speed, mashing them to your preference. If the potatoes are too thick, feel free to add in a bit more milk.
Season
- Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve
- Serve warm.
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