We’re officially one week away from Thanksgiving! Do you have your menu finalized or are you still putting on the final touches?
I’m almost ready, I just haven’t decided which pies I’m going to bake yet!
And if you’re not hosting Thanksgiving, don’t worry, I have plenty of sides, desserts and appetizers that you can offer to bring.
Mashed sweet potato ingredients
My final Thanksgiving inspired recipe that I’ll be sharing are these mashed sweet potatoes with a hint of brown butter, pure maple syrup, cinnamon and allspice. They’re an easy recipe to whip up and can even be made ahead of time in the slow cooker if that’s what you prefer. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Roasted sweet potatoes: this recipe starts with roasted sweet potatoes, which is critical to keeping the sweet, creamy and delicious without having to use a ton of excess sweeteners. The good news is that you can roast them ahead of time. They take an hour, so I like to bake them a few days before, then wrap them in foil and place in the fridge until ready to bake. Making them ahead it optional.
- Brown butter: you’ll only need 3 tablespoons of butter in these mashed sweet potatoes, which helps to keep them lightened up and still delicious.
- Pure maple syrup: I love adding pure maple syrup to the sweet potatoes. It’s only 2 tablespoons so you can feel free to use honey if you’d like, but I ALWAYS vote maple.
- Almond milk: a little almond milk helps smooth things out and make the sweet potato filling uber creamy. Feel free to use whatever milk you’d like. I think coconut or cashew milk would also be delicious.
- Spices: add a little cinnamon and a touch of allspice for just the right amount of spice.
How to make healthy mashed sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are incredibly nourishing, sweet on their own and deliciously creamy so you don’t need to add much when mashing them to keep them healthy.
This recipe adds just a touch of pure maple syrup plus spices like cinnamon and allspice to infuse them with cozy flavors. To give them a little bit of additional flavor and creaminess, there’s also a few tablespoons of brown butter added. Instead of heavy cream, I like to use unsweetened almond milk, but coconut milk, cashew milk or regular milk can also be used.
How to make mashed sweet potatoes in the slow cooker
If you prefer, you can make these easy mashed sweet potatoes in your slow cooker, which is a great way to save time and space on Thanksgiving. Here’s how to make mashed sweet potatoes in your slow cooker:
- Peel and cube your sweet potatoes.
- Add peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, milk, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and salt; stir together. Cover and cook on high for 2-4 or low 5-6 hours until sweet potatoes are very fork tender.
- Once sweet potatoes are done cooking, place slow cooker on warm setting.
- Brown butter as directed in the recipe. Add the browned butter to slow cooker, but reserve a half tablespoon for drizzling on top of potatoes when they are done. Use an electric mixer or potato masher to mash potatoes until they reach your desired consistency. If you’d like, you can add a splash or two more milk! I happen to like my potatoes super creamy, so I mash them until they’re completely smooth and add a splash more milk until they’re perfect.
- Transfer to a large warm casserole dish for serving, drizzle with reserved brown butter, sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon on top and serve.
If you’d like you can add additional flavors to these sweet potatoes. I love adding maple glazed pecans or chopped crispy bacon on top. I hope you love these!
If you make anything from AK, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. I love seeing your creations and featuring followers!
P.S. Don’t forget to check out all of our other delicious Thanksgiving recipes here!
Lightened Up Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Creamy mashed sweet potatoes cooked with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and a hint of brown butter. These healthy mashed sweet potatoes can easily be made in the slow cooker, are perfect for Thanksgiving and guaranteed to impress guests!
-
3
pounds
sweet potatoes (about 5 medium sweet potatoes) -
1/2
cup
unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice), plus more if necessary -
2
tablespoons
pure maple syrup -
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract -
½
teaspoon
ground cinnamon -
¼
teaspoon
allspice -
¼
teaspoon
salt -
3
tablespoons
butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash sweet potatoes and use a fork to poke holes in sweet potatoes; about 4-5 pokes per potato used. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast for 45 minutes-1 hour or until very fork tender. Allow potatoes to cool for 10-15 minutes. This step can also be done ahead of time.
Brown two tablespoons of butter: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma.
Cut open sweet potatoes and discard the skin, place sweet potato flesh in a large bowl and add in maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Add the browned butter, but reserve a half tablespoon for drizzling on top of potatoes when they are done. Use an electric mixer or potato masher to mash potatoes until they reach your desired consistency. Add a splash more milk if you want them to be super creamy and mix again.
Transfer to a large warm casserole dish for serving, drizzle with reserved brown butter, sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon on top and serve! Serves 10.
Option to make these mashed potatoes in the slow cooker are in the post.
Nutrition
Servings: 10 servings
Serving size: 1 serving (based on 10)
Calories: 112kcal
Fat: 3.7g
Saturated fat: 2.2g
Carbohydrates: 18.7g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 5.6g
Protein: 1.1g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
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