These creamy whipped sweet potatoes are easy to make and even easier to customize! This side dish is at home on a busy weeknight as well as holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. They're wholesome, full of nutrients, and can work in both sweet and savory recipes.
My craving for sweet potatoes intensifies as the weather gets colder, and they're especially a favorite around Thanksgiving time. As we get ready for the holidays, I wanted to share a side dish recipe with you that is both delicious and incredibly easy to make. We're talking about whipped sweet potatoes!
This recipe uses only five ingredients and is ready in about 30 minutes. Its creamy, rich tasting, and good with gravy or on its own. Give it a try, and I guarantee it won't be the last time!
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Garlic powder
- Nutmeg
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to make whipped sweet potatoes
- Add sweet potato cubes to a large stockpot and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain.
- Return the empty pot to the stove and add the butter and cream. Heat over medium until the butter is melted. Remove from heat.
- Return the sweet potatoes to the pot along with the garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Using a hand mixer, mix everything together until creamy and smooth. There shouldn't be any lumps remaining.
- Serve with an extra pat of butter and a sprinkle of fresh parsley or thyme.
Top tips
Cook the sweet potatoes until soft
There's nothing worse than hard lumps in your smooth, whipped sweet potatoes, so make sure they're fully cooked and softened before draining and whipping. You can check this by using a slotted spoon to remove a piece and piercing it with a fork or small, sharp knife.
Vegan whipped sweet potatoes
To make this recipe vegan, simply use vegan swaps for the butter and cream. Its already naturally gluten-free!
How to store
Whipped sweet potatoes can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. They can be reheated in an oven safe dish in the oven or in 30-60 second bursts in the microwave, stirring in between.
Tips for customizing whipped sweet potatoes
- Steam or bake the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them
- Add a head of roasted garlic before whipping
- Add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar or maple syrup for sweeter mashed sweet potatoes
- Top the finished sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows and broil until brown for more of a sweet potato casserole
- Swap the heavy cream for half and half or your favorite milk or non-dairy milk
FAQ
A pinch is literally whatever you can pinch between your pointer finger and thumb. You could also just do a dash from the jar if it has small holes in the lid.
There's no need to get too technical here, it's a small amount that is less than ⅛th of a teaspoon, which makes it difficult to measure traditionally. Adjust using more or less to taste.
Yes, this recipe would be great with regular potatoes as well. I would recommend using Yukon gold potatoes, omitting the nutmeg, and adjusting the other seasonings as needed.
Absolutely! You can still make these with a stand mixer (affiliate link), food processor, or potato masher, although it may not have the same whipped consistency as using the hand mixer.
The biggest difference between mashed and whipped sweet potatoes is the amount of air and creaminess than whipped potatoes have. Mashed sweet potatoes are compressed until smooth, while the whipped variety has air whipped in, giving it lots of volume and a very smooth texture.
Yams and sweet potatoes are often confused for one another, but they're easy to tell apart. Sweet potatoes have a thin skin while yams have a brown, almost bark-like skin.
While sweet potato flesh can be orange, white, red, or purple, yams only come in white or purple. Yams also have a dry, fluffy texture similar to a russet potato while sweet potatoes have a creamy texture when cooked.
More side dish recipes
- Mashed Potato Bake
- Mashed Potatoes without Milk
- Cheesy Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberries
- Air Fryer Shoestring Fries
- Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
- Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing
- Simple Vegetarian Stuffing
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Oven Baked Potato Wedges
- Oven Roasted Carrots with Thyme
- Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
- Creamy No Mayo Coleslaw
- Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add sweet potato cubes to a large stockpot and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain.
- Return the empty pot to the stove and add the butter and cream. Heat over medium until the butter is melted. Remove from heat.
- Return the sweet potatoes to the pot along with the garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Using a hand mixer, mix everything together until creamy and smooth. There shouldn't be any lumps remaining.
- Serve with an extra pat of butter and a sprinkle of fresh parsley or thyme.
Notes
Tips for customizing
- Steam or bake the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them
- Add a head of roasted garlic before whipping
- Add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar or maple syrup for sweeter mashed sweet potatoes
- Top the finished sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows and broil until brown for more of a sweet potato casserole
- Swap the heavy cream for half and half or your favorite milk or non-dairy milk
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