These dairy-free mashed sweet potatoes are a Thanksgiving favorite around here. Sweet potatoes simmered with coconut milk then whipped up thick and fluffy, and drenched with a maple syrup-pecan mix. So special for the holidays, and I just love them so much!
Truth is, I didn’t always adore sweet potatoes.Maybe it was just the specific recipe that graced our Thanksgiving table growing up, but I have, uh, non-fond memories of a sweet potato + brown sugar + marshmallows situation. Probably because I expected marshmallows and brown sugar – not the sweet potato part.
In adulthood, it took me awhile to come around to sweet potatoes. I learned that when sweet potatoes were prepared more on the savory side, they were ohmygosh delicious – and soon enough, I was in love.
For some reason, I’m especially obsessed with them this fall. I recently shared this sweet potato noodle recipe, and I’ve got several more sweet potato recipes in the hopper. Serious sweet potato kick over here. But no marshmallows in sight, thankyouverymuch.
Interestingly (ironically?) though, once I learned I liked sweet potatoes by enjoying them in a more savory way, I also came around to sweeter, er, sweet potato dishes. No, I can confidently say I will never enjoy a marshmallow-and-sweet-potato-bake sans 1980, but sweet potato pie, for instance? That, I can happily do.
These Dairy-Free Mashed Sweet Potatoes are kind of a happy medium between savory and sweet. The potatoes read as mostly savory, but the maple-pecan drizzle adds the element of sweet – in a good way.
We’ve got:
They’re a cinch to whip up (literally)! Simply simmer the sweet potatoes and a few cozy spices in coconut milk until tender.
Then, you whip it all up and serve!
Did you know that one of the problems with mashed sweet potatoes is that a lot of the flavor in sweet potatoes can get leached out into the cooking water, then tossed out? No thank you! Well this super easy method solves that problem, because you just whip the cooking liquid into the whole shebang. So much flavor!
I think these coconut whipped sweet potatoes make the perfect Thanksgiving side. They should pair nicely with just about anything, plus they’re vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, so they cover a lot of bases. Everyone’s happy! Sweet potatoes for all!