Name: Honey Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed); ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (optional); 4 tablespoons butter; 1-2 tablespoons honey; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste); ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ground black pepper (to taste)

This easy mashed sweet potatoes recipe is one of my favorite cozy side dishes! Velvety sweet potatoes simmered until tender, steamed to perfection, and mashed with plenty of butter, honey, and warm autumn spices for a quick dish that feels special but takes zero effort.

Sweet and buttery mashed sweet potatoes are possibly the BEST cozy side dish, if you ask me.

I’m not going to lie, I love a good mashed potato with lots of milk and butter and possibly also sour cream. But then again, I’m all about the sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas, too!

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Baked Sweet Potato Slices – even Sweet Potato Cake! I’ll have it all. And these mashed sweet potatoes right here? Definitely a must on our holiday dinner table, or just during fall in general. I love that they come together in about 15 minutes flat. Truly a major weeknight win!

We start by boiling our cubed sweet potatoes with a little salt, and then – here is my biggest kitchen secret – we pop them back on the stove for a minute to steam off the excess water. This guarantees your mash is beautifully thick and velvety, never watery! Then you just mash in your butter, honey, and warm spices right in the pot. Done!

Blue enamel pot with mashed sweet potatoes on wooden table.

We love these next to a cozy cranberry turkey breast, some baked chicken or pork chops, and they are simple enough for a Tuesday night but delicious enough for a holiday menu. And don’t worry about being too rigid with the spices – make it as sweet or as savory as your family prefers!

Ingredients I use, plus notes

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredients for mashed sweet potatoes with text labels.

Ingredient notes

Sweet potatoes: Fresh taste great here, but I did use frozen sweet potatoes during the “do not leave your house unless absolutely necessary” times and they actually work great if that’s all you have on hand/don’t feel like peeling and chopping.
Thyme: I add this for a savory touch, but if you’re not a fan of sweet/savory combos and want the potatoes to just be sweet and buttery – feel free to skip.
Honey: I love the warmth honey adds to this dish, but you can absolutely use maple syrup instead!
Butter: Please don’t skimp on the butter here – it’s what makes the texture so incredibly rich and velvety.
Season to taste: Cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg bring out the natural sweetness of the potatoes quite wonderfully, but you can change the seasoning if you prefer. If you think adding some chopped parsley or some rosemary and thyme would be a great idea (it actually is), go for it! Or some parmesan. Use maple syrup instead of honey. All your call.

How to make mashed sweet potatoes

Let’s walk through the recipe really quickly so your sweet potatoes turn out perfectly creamy on the first try!

Cutting sweet potatoes on a wooden chopping board. — 1: peel and cut sweet potatoes

Simmering sweet potatoes in a small blue enamel pot. — 1: peel and cut sweet potatoes

Recipe walk-through/kitchen tips

Chopping the potatoes: Try to cut your sweet potatoes into relatively even cubes. This makes sure they all become fork-tender at exactly the same time, usually in just 8 to 10 minutes!
Boiling: Make sure to check the potatoes often, you do not want to overcook them or the mash can turn out watery.
Steaming dry: Do not skip putting the fully drained potatoes back over low heat! Stirring them constantly for a minute steams off the excess moisture. This is the difference between a watery mash and a restaurant-quality, extra-creamy mash.
Make it your own: This recipe is incredibly forgiving. If you want to lean into the savory side, add some grated parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, or a bit of fresh rosemary.

Holiday tips

No space on the stove during a big holiday cooking session? No problem! Just microwave the sweet potatoes like shown here, then scoop the flesh into a bowl and add seasoning, honey and butter to mash.
This recipe is easily doubled or tripled for a large group. Just double (or triple) all of the ingredients and use a large enough pot to comfortably hold all of the potatoes. The cooking time will be about the same.

Serving ideas & leftovers

These potatoes are perfect alongside a hearty main dish. Here is what my family loves to serve them with:

Served next to a juicy grilled or baked pork chop
With a cozy chicken dinner
Topped with extra pecans or walnuts for a little crunch

Leftovers: Mashed sweet potatoes reheat great! Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of milk or an extra pat of butter if they thickened up too much in the fridge.

You can also turn leftovers into a sweet potato casserole if you skipped the thyme… Of course, you may not necessarily want that after Thanksgiving, but I thought I’d mention it anyways. I also really like stirring leftovers into my oatmeal, but again, only if I made them thyme-less 🙂

Drizzling honey over mashed sweet potatoes.

Tried this recipe? A star rating ⭐️ and a quick comment below help others (and me!) know how it went.

Recipe Card

Close up photo of mashed sweet potatoes in a pot.

Honey Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Makes 6 servings

An easy, ultra-creamy side dish recipe for smooth mashed sweet potatoes infused with honey, butter, and warm fall spices.

5 from 8 votes

Tap the stars to add your rating!

Prep Time :15

Cook Time :10

Total Time :25

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Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
▢ 4 tablespoons butter
▢ 1-2 tablespoons honey
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
▢ ground black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Boil sweet potatoes: Place sweet potatoes in medium pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, add salt (and thyme, if using) and simmer until fork-tender, about 8-10 minutes.
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Drain and steam: Drain the potatoes well, then put them back into pot over lowest heat setting. Cook until potatoes look dry, stirring constantly, to steam off any excess water.
Mash: Add butter, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper (and more salt, if desired). Mash with a potato masher until creamy. Check for seasoning, then serve hot.
4 tablespoons butter, 1-2 tablespoons honey, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground black pepper