Easily make Mashed Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot to create a delicious side dish for fall dinners, Thanksgiving and Christmas. These creamy mashed sweet potatoes are made with wholesome ingredients to create a sweet and savory twist on traditional mashed potatoes.
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Making mashed sweet potatoes in your Instant Pot is a breeze. This is a no-drain recipe, so you don't have to worry about lifting a heavy pot of potatoes over the counter or cleaning up any mess.
The potatoes are flavored with maple syrup and yogurt instead of milk or butter and are seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free. It's a quick and healthy way to serve your sweet potatoes this holiday season. You can also use this recipe to make other mashed squashes, such as mashed pumpkin and acorn squash.
Here's how to make mashed sweet potatoes in the slow cooker, too. And if you love this tasty orange potato, check out this roasted herb sweet potato recipe and how to make whole sweet potatoes in your crockpot. We love a sweet potato and chickpea hash for brunch.
Equipment Needed
- Electric pressure cooker: depending on how many servings you make, any size pressure cooker will do. As written, this recipe works in 6, 8 or 10 quart cookers.
- Potato masher: to mash the cooked sweet potatoes to a perfect texture. For extra smooth potatoes, use an immersion blender.
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
To make this Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes recipe you need:
- Sweet potatoes: any variety of sweet potatoes will do, but you'll probably have Beauregard, the jewel, and the garnet most readily available. Sweet potatoes vary in their color, anywhere from orange to purple. The color does not matter. The recipe calls for 2 pounds of sweet potatoes, which makes about 4 cups of mashed sweet potato.
- Maple syrup: for the best flavor and nutrition, use pure organic maple syrup. Substitute with equal amounts of butter or honey if desired.
- Yogurt: use plain Greek yogurt for the creamiest texture. Alternatively, use milk or heavy cream.
- Spices: a combination of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg is the perfect compliment to the sweetness of the potatoes.
- Fresh herbs: herbs are optional, but they add nice color and a little kick to the recipe. I like chives, parsley, oregano and rosemary.
Sweet Potato Size
For the sweet potatoes to pressure cook evenly they should be cut into 1 inch cubes. You can choose not to cut them and pressure cook them whole instead but this will increase the cooking time.
How To Get The Perfect Texture
To achieve the perfect texture for mashed sweet potatoes, you'll want them to be creamy, smooth, and free from any lumps. Choose the right sweet potatoes for this by selecting fresh potatoes that show no signs of spoilage. Go for the fatter and rounder potatoes rather than the long and skinny ones, as these tend to be less stringy. After pressure cooking, let them cool for a few minutes before mashing. Instead of using a potato masher or immersion blender, try blending them in a food processor if you like your mashed potatoes completely lump free.
Tips from the Chef
- To know for sure if the potatoes are done pressure cooking, a fork should easily pierces the potatoes. If it doesn't, pressure cook for a few more minutes. The beauty of mashed potatoes is that you can't really overcook them.
- The size of your sweet potatoes matters to the cooking time, so to ensure they cook evenly cut them into 1 inch pieces before pressure cooking. Cutting the potatoes into even pieces guarantees even doneness and accurate cook time.
- For an extra smooth and velvety texture, use an immersion blender or traditional blender rather than a potato masher.
- For added sweetness, sprinkle with a dash of brown sugar when serving.
Instructions
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins, then chop into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
- Put the potatoes and ½ cup of water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Close and seal the lid. Set to pressure cook or manual on high for 10 minutes.
- Quickly release the pressure. Remove the lid and test for doneness by piercing a potato cube with a fork. If the fork slides in easily, the potatoes are ready to be mashed. If not, set to pressure cook again for 2 minutes.
- Use the potato masher or immersion blender to mash the cooked sweet potatoes to the texture you'd like. Add the yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until smooth, then taste and season more to your preference.
- Serve topped with herbs of choice, brown sugar and an extra dash or cinnamon and nutmeg.
Recipe Variations
- Change sweeteners: rather than maple syrup, go with honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Different herbs: parsley, oregano, and mint are great choices.
- Dairy-free: use a plant-based yogurt such as oat milk yogurt or coconut milk yogurt.
- Make it vegan: swap the dairy yogurt with a plant-based option and make sure to stick with pure maple syrup or coconut sugar as your sweetener.
Make Ahead Instructions
Make mashed sweet potatoes in advance of the holiday cooking rush. They can be cooked and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months in advance of serving. Defrost in the fridge overnight and warm in the oven when ready to eat.
Recipe FAQs
To ensure even cooking, it's best to peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1 or 2 inch cubes. You can cook them whole but you'll need to extend the cook time. Whole sweet potatoes will take 12-18 minutes depending on how large they are. Once pressure cooked, the skins should peel right off. Then you can put them back into the pressure cooker, mash them and mix with the other ingredients.
You can, but there is really no need to. Since this is a no drain recipe, there will be no need to take the potatoes out of the inner pot or drain water.
There is no need to cover the sweet potatoes with water. Just 1 cup of water will work to steam the potatoes while under pressure. Then there is no need to drain excess water from the inner pot when they're done cooking. Just mix in the remaining ingredients, mash the potatoes and enjoy!
Two pounds of sweet potatoes makes 4 cups of mashed potatoes, or roughly 8 servings depending on portion size.
Store in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 6 months in freezer-safe storage bags or containers.
Recipe
Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- pressure cooker
- potato masher or immersion blender
- vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- fresh herbs such as chives, oregano or parsley for serving
Instructions
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins, then chop into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
- Put the potatoes and ½ cup of cold water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Close and seal the lid. Set to pressure cook or manual on high for 10 minutes.
- Quickly release the pressure. Remove the lid and test for doneness by piercing a potato cube with a fork. If the fork slides in easily, the potatoes are ready to be mashed. If not, set to pressure cook again for 2 minutes.
- Use the potato masher or immersion blender to mash the cooked sweet potatoes to the texture you'd like. Add the yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until smooth, then taste and season more to your preference. Serve topped with herb of your choice, brown sugar and an extra dash or cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Serve topped with herbs of choice, brown sugar and an extra dash or cinnamon and nutmeg.
Liz
I made these last year and my family has requested them again. So easy and delicious!!!
Jennifer Howard
I'm going to try these! I've only cooked my sweet potatoes whole in the instant pot.
Kristina
They are great mashed, too, as they are whole! I hope you like them.
Tracy
Will there stay good on Keep Warm for a few hours? Thinking for a make-ahead buffet!
Kristina
Yes, that would work.