Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar
This right here is the way I’ve always loved sweet potatoes, mashed smooth, a little butter, and just enough brown sugar to make the flavors pop. If you want a side dish that never fails, mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar is it. I've been sharing my recipes online for nearly a decade, my Southern cooking never fails and the flavor is always on point!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 152kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2- 2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or sweetener
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and dice them into 1-inch cubes. Add the potatoes to a large pot along with cold water. Use enough water to completely cover 1 inch above the potatoes.
- Place the pot on the stove on High and allow the water to come to a boil. When the water reaches boiling, reduce to medium-high. Cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Pierce with a fork to check.
- Drain the excess water from the pot.
- Add the butter, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar or sweetener, nutmeg, and salt to the pot. Stir until well combined.
- Serve.
Notes
You can boil, air fry, or make the sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. I like the Instant Pot method because it's quick and eliminates guessing.
For the Instant Pot method, you will need to add the sweet potatoes to the pot along with enough water to cover the potatoes. Pressure cook for 15 minutes.
For the air fryer method, you will need to cook the sweet potatoes for 35-50 minutes on 400 degrees.
To boil them, add the sweet potatoes to the pot along with enough water to cover them by an inch. Boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until tender.
- Leave the skin on the potatoes if you wish.
- When slicing the sweet potatoes into cubes, try to make each slice as even as possible. This will allow all of the potatoes to cook evenly and consistently.
- Larger cubes will require a longer cook time. I like to stick to 1 inch.
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or sweetener will result in mild sweetness. If you like them really sweet, taste repeatedly, and add more as necessary. If you don't like them very sweet, start with a teaspoon of sugar or sweetener. Continue to build from there. Refrain from adding 2 tablespoons because you can't take that back once it's added.
- You can use whatever type of brown sugar or sweetener you wish in this recipe. I use the brown monkfruit sweetener from Lakanto. It's a 1:1 replacement for brown sugar and contains zero net carbs and zero calories. You can always use the exact same amount that is called for in a recipe that uses sugar.
- If using sugar, and contemplating dark brown sugar vs light brown sugar, the difference in the two is simply the amount of molasses each contains. They are typically interchangeable. Dark brown sugar is sweeter and has a deeper flavor.
- For really creamy potatoes you can add ¼ to ½ cup of heavy whipping cream or milk of your choice.
- The best way to avoid watery potatoes is not to use any water at all. You can air fry or bake the potatoes, but it does take a lot longer. If you are going to use a pressure cooker or boil them on the stove, your cook time has to be on point. If you overcook the potatoes they will result in watery mush.
- Be sure to drain the water from the potatoes, completely, once cooked.
- You can thicken up watery potatoes using ¼-1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon of flour, or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
- If your mashed potatoes are lumpy, they weren't cooked long enough. They were undercooked while mashing and therefore aren't going to incorporate easily. Make sure you check your potatoes and poke them with a fork before removing them from the heat.
- Nutrition facts assume brown monkfruit sweetener is used. Feel free to calculate the nutrition on your own using the calculator of your choice taking into account the ingredients you personally use in the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g