Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
These incredible mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with herbs, butter and sour cream. No marshmallows or brown sugar in this mashed sweet potatoes recipe!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
I’m on a mission to stock this food blog with all the holiday recipes you might need, and it’s about time I shared a mashed sweet potato recipe. The problem with most mashed sweet potatoes is that they’re made even sweeter with brown sugar and marshmallows. Sweet potatoes are already plenty sweet on their own!
So, I added savory ingredients to my mashed sweet potatoes to balance out that inherent sweetness. Finely chopped fresh parsley and green onion combined with some sour cream and butter are all you need for incredible savory mashed sweet potatoes.
I don’t know why these basic ingredients create such a stellar flavor combination, but they do. These mashed sweet potatoes took a cue from my baked rosemary Parmesan sweet potatoes (another simple holiday side option) and the quinoa-stuffed sweet potatoes in my cookbook.
Watch How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
More Sweet Potato Recipes to Enjoy
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Perfect Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Chickpea Soup
If you’re looking for regular mashed potatoes (and by regular, I mean my family’s favorite), meet Lucille’s Mashed Potatoes. Here are more Thanksgiving recipes.
Please let me know how these mashed sweet potatoes turn out for you in the comments! Your feedback means so much to me.
Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
These incredible mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with herbs, butter and sour cream. No marshmallows or brown sugar in this mashed sweet potatoes recipe! Recipe yields 6 to 8 side servings.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 7 small-to-medium), peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- ⅓ cup finely sliced green onion, mostly green parts (from 1 bunch)
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 small-to-medium garlic clove, pressed or minced
- ¼ cup sour cream*
- 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and add enough water to cover by about 1″. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender (in other words, it’s easy to slide a fork in and out), about 9 to 12 minutes.
- Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the sweet potatoes to your desired consistency.
- Promptly add almost all of the green onion and parsley, reserving a small amount of each for garnish. Add the garlic, and stir to combine. Then stir in most of the sour cream (reserve roughly 1 tablespoon for garnish), all of the butter, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Season to taste with additional salt (I usually add another ¼ to ½ teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper.
- Transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving bowl and swirl the reserved sour cream onto the top with a spoon. Sprinkle with the reserved green onion and parsley, drizzle the top lightly with olive oil, and finish with a sprinkle of pepper.
- Serve promptly. Leftovers will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for 3 to 4 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: I believe you could replace the sour cream with vegan sour cream (recipe also available in my cookbook, page 217). Instead of butter, stir in extra-virgin olive oil, to taste.
*Sour cream alternative: Many are asking if Greek yogurt will work, and yes, I think it will! I just prefer sour cream in savory applications like this.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
What sort of animal would add sugar or marshmallows to potatoes of any kind? Certainly not something we do on this side of the Atlantic!
I have used this Savory Sweet Potato recipe for several dinner parties and it’s always the recipe my guests want a copy of. I don’t make any alterations b/c it’s perfect the way it is. I forgot the teaspoon of olive oil once and I noticed, so I won’t make that mistake again.
I kind of hate parsley. Is there another herb you would use instead? Hoping to make these for Thanksgiving this year!
Hi! You can omit, if you prefer.
Chives would seem to be a decent alternative given the flavor profile of this dish.
I decided to use some leftover thyme.
I used rosemary—and because I didn’t have green onions, I used dehydrated leeks—it was amazing!
I think sage would go really well with this
Can i make this the night before? Will it just be as good as the day of?
I like these best right away, but they can make ok left overs. My Lucille’s Mashed Potatoes make great leftovers!
I plan to make this for Thanksgiving. What kind of sweet potato works best? I see a lot of nice looking garnet yams at the store but not sure if that counts as a sweet potato?
Hi! Garnet will work great. Let me know what you think!
Splendid!
Can’t wait to try this! Would it work well if I roasted the sweet potatoes instead of cubing and boiling?
Hi, I find boiling works best.
Why do you prefer boiling over baked?
Hi David, I find it provides a better end result with texture, moisture and flavor I’m looking for in a mashed potato recipe.
I just did it, and I roasted them. It came out great.
Glad to hear this. I over roasted some foil- wrapped sweet.potatoes (I blame the recipe) that were supposed to eventually be glazed;, but I’m going to try and salvage them and use them in this recipe. (I have a back up plan if they don’t turn out great.) Should have started at C&K to begin with!
Wow this is such a great combo. I substituted chives in place of parsley. I will definitely be making this when craving savory!
Do you ever bake the sweet potatoes or always boil with this recipe?
Hi, for this recipe I find boiling works best.
My friend made me these a couple times and I always wanted the recipe and she would just say ‘it’s so simple… just add sour cream and butter and green onion’ but when I made them the ratio never seemed right. I am so happy to have an actual recipe now and they turned out so great! Thank you
I’m happy you have the actual recipe now too! Thank you for your review, Jules.
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner today and it was dope. My husband doesn’t like sweetened sweet potatoes so this fit the bill perfectly. Just made one substitution – chives for green onions – because the bougie grocery store I went to last minute only had some overpriced bundles of Japanese spring onions fertilized with gold dust and picked by baby foxes or something.
Otherwise, followed this recipe to a T. I loved it and recommended it to my sister for their dinner (we’re 13 hours ahead of them over here, so I can report all the hot Thanksgiving news early).
Anyway, thanks, girl! Favoriting this one!
Happy Thanksgiving, Mimi! I’m glad you loved it.
“…picked by Baby foxes or something.” :) :) :D Thanks for the laugh!
Oh! Definitely my new favorite sweet potato recipe. Thank you!!
Ok now I seem like a stalker. lol But I made two of your recipes for Thanksgiving, your coconut kale salad and this, and loved both! I’m not sure I’ll ever do the sweet version of sweet taters again. This was magic!
I’m glad to hear two C+K recipes made your Thanksgiving menu! I appreciate your review, Abby.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I was nervous because we always do sweet versions of sweet potatoes. After this dish, no one wants to go back. Thank you!
Thank you for your review, Jenna! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I’m never good at following recipes. I approximate everything typically. I browse recipes for ingredients I like. Made these for thanksgiving. Forgot the olive oil. Substituted butter with Earth Balance natural buttery spread and vegan sour cream by Tofutti. They were quick easy and delicious. Been trying to incorporate more sweet potato in my diet because they are high in Vitamin A.
Wonderful recipe. Made this last night, first time cooking sweet potatoed. Guests adored it! Thank you
That’s great to hear, Nick! Thank you for your review.
Wonderful recipes! Can’t wait to try them.
Absolutely delicious!
putting pinches of goat cheese while hot really makes this recipe yummy too!
I made rack of lamb with Rosemary, garlic, olive oil and mustard rub with these, and my wife said the sweet potatoes stole the show.
I always prefer savory or sweet when it comes to sweet potatoes, since they are already sweet, adding sugar is just redundant to me.. This recipe was perfect !!! I didn’t have any sour cream, so I replaced it with some Neufchâtel cheese (low-fat cream cheese) that I had on hand… I also didn’t have any parsley but I bumped up my green onions and olive oil and I think that any version of savory sweet potatoes over marshmallows and brown sugar is a winner in my book everytime !!!
I’m glad this one was perfect, Gerrad! I appreciate your review.
I always prefer savory or sweet when it comes to sweet potatoes, since they are already sweet, adding sugar is just redundant to me.. This recipe was perfect !!! I didn’t have any sour cream, so I replaced it with some Neufchâtel cheese (low-fat cream cheese) that I had on hand… I also didn’t have any parsley but I bumped up my green onions and olive oil and I think that any version of savory sweet potatoes over marshmallows and brown sugar is a winner in my book everytime !!!
Oh my gosh, these were delicious. My son said that they tasted like sour cream and onion chips. I agree.
I love it, Melanie! Thank you for your review.
This is a wonderful recipe – I typically make them in advance and reheat for about 15-20 minutes in the oven right before we eat and it works well. As someone who doesn’t love overly sweet – sweet potatoes – this is a real keeper recipe – touch of sweetness very nicely balanced by a creamy taste with a hint of garlic and onion. We fix these regularly in the fall and winter – delicious!
Can yellow onion be used instead of green?
Hi Danielle, I prefer this as written. I hope you can try it!
These are the best mashed sweet potatoes I have ever had! I didn’t peel the potatoes and used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, those were the only changes I made. I’m not even a huge fan of fresh parsley but, wow, this will be my go-to sweet potato recipe moving forward!! Thank you!!
Best ever! I’m delighted you think so. I appreciate your review and comment, Sarah.
These are the bomb! I made them to serve with teriyaki pan seared salmon and it paired perfectly. The salmon was good too :-)
This was a wonderful recipe , thank you. I mixed yams/sweet potatoes/acorn squash , also sub’d cilantro for parsley and followed the rest. Everyone loved it and it was relatively easy.
Amazing
A very simple tasting recipe so much nicer than the normal sweet potato mash.
Love this recipe so much, will never go back to traditional mashed sweet potatoes again!
Question: Do you just mix in the raw minced garlic to the hot mashed potatoes?
Hi, yes see step 3. I hope you enjoy them!
This is an amazing side dish. I really had some reservations about making this but I am so glad I did. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome, Danielle!
Delicious thanks for sharing!
hi, wondered if I could use this recipe to stuff the sw. potato skins
Hi, I haven’t tried it, but I like the concept! If you try it, Cathy. Be sure to let me know.
Made this recipe tonight, and it is fantastic! My husband hates sweet potatoes because they are always too sweet. He said he loves these! Definitely a keeper recipe for us!
I’m glad he enjoyed this version, Marie! I appreciate your review.
So i over cooked my sweet potatoes by accident and they were VERY watery. To fix (i thought) i added a few tablespoons of corn starch. Big mistake! My sweet potatoes ended up tasting like starch. I had to throw the whole pot away. Sad because I was looking forward to this. Any suggestions on how to fix watery sweet potatoes?
Oh no! Did you try to drain any excess water as it set?
I did not. But lesson learned. I did find out throu a search that i could reheat the potatoes until it absorbed. Still, it was upsetting
This was delicious. I swapped the sour cream for whipped cheese and chive cream so yummy.
I’m glad you made this work for you! Sounds delicious, Fiona.
I kind of cowboyed my way through this recipe — more garlic and green onions, greek yogurt because that’s what I had, no olive oil because I forgot — and they are FANTASTIC. I’ll have to try again following the recipe more closely. But thank you so much for posting this. Awesome.
That’s too funny. I don’t think I’ve heard that one before. I’m happy it ended up working out!
My family now always asks if I will be making this for holiday meals! The answer is always yes. I couldn’t envision the combination of all the ingredients being so perfectly delicious. This is a go-to recipe!
Wonderful, Joy! This is a great recipe for holidays. Thanks for your comment and review!
Made this today and it was great.. 5’s. Will definitely be making it again. .
I’m happy to hear that! I appreciate your review, Tansy.
I made this with the vegan sour cream (simply because I had cashews and no actual sour cream, no parsley either) and It. Was. To. Die. For.
Will definitely make again, thanks so much!
That’s great to hear, Tina! Thank you for your review.
Can you freeze this recipe
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, sorry!
I steamed my potatoes till tender, then roasted them with diced white onions snd coconut oil. I didn’t add the olive oil because I’d already added coconut oil to roast them. Added everything else but the garlic and they turned out delicious!
I also added a 1/4 cup of bacon bits and a 1/4 cup of shredded white cheddar, and doubled the sour cream to make it extra creamy. Love this recipe!
Thank you for your review, Annie!
Hubby and I absolutely loved these potatoes. I recently had to go on a Candida overgrowth prevention diet and the ingredients are all on the second stage of the Kaufman diet. It was delicious. Paired it with steak. Thank you so much.
I’m glad you loved them, Melonie! Thank you for your review.
I can’t believe I’ve never had sweet potatoes prepared this way. Total game changer. It is such a perfect complement to roast meats and vegetables. We eat a lot! of sweet potato fries, but this recipe is comfort food and an excellent alternative to mashed white potatoes. We will be adding this to our regular rotation. Thank you Kate for another winner
I’m glad you loved them! Thank you for sharing.
Hi I am making this recipe tonight but I don’t have green onions or chives, would onions work. Thank you
Hi Joanne, you can omit them. What did you end up doing?
I’ve made this recipe several times now and I continue to hear high praises for it! I love the fresh herb addition – it’s such a nice balance between the sweetness of the potatoes and creaminess blended in. I like to follow the NOTES and substitute Greek Yogurt for the sour cream for an added protein kick!
Thank you for your feedback, Heather! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
So good! For dinner tonight I made a sweet potato beef stew that called for adding sweet potatoes at the end. Instead of cooking the sweet potatoes in the stew, I made these mashed sweet potatoes and poured the stew over the potatoes. It was delicious! Highly recommend this recipe!
Hey! Sort of used this as a base and ran with it. Did about 1/2 scale. Went for a sweet route. Used heavy whipping cream + milk, butter, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, hint of maple syrup, and a dash of black pepper. Super great contrast!
A new family favorite.
I like how the ingredients in this recipe add something special to everyones favourite comfort food :)
Hosting Thanksgiving this year and wondered if I could make this dish night before, warm dish day of and then swirl in sour cream and any remaining garnish?
Hi Jennifer, you could try it, but I don’t know how well it will incorporate. I like it best right away.