I have always been a fan of the humble sweet potato. Often with minimal effort, you have practically limitless ways to incorporate this nutrient-dense, relatively shelf-stable, hearty vegetable into your meals. Microwave a sweet potato as a quick side dish for dinner, jazz up a leftover baked sweet potato (they reheat beautifully by the way!) to make a loaded sweet potato for breakfast, roast them, fry them, mash them… you get the idea. Just please don’t ruin them by putting marshmallows on them!
I am aware though, that not everyone shares my love of the sweet potato. My husband has been in the “don’t prefer sweet potatoes” camp for years. “Too stringy,” he said. But this recipe had him taking a third helping at dinner – yes, you read that right! No, I didn’t disguise them. No, there was no bribery involved. Yes, he knew he was eating sweet potatoes.
I will let you in on my secrets for creating a sweet potato convert. First, I cook my sweet potatoes by baking them in the oven rather than boiling them in water on the stove. This cooking method concentrates the rich flavor of the sweet potato and reduces moisture content, rather than water-logging the veggie pieces by boiling. Also, it’s a lot less work, because there is no potato peeling or chopping! Win, win!
The second trick has to do with optimizing consistency of the mash. To achieve the delightfully luscious texture of my Lazy Girl Sweet Potato Mash, you blend the sweet potatoes. By throwing the sweet potatoes in the blender, there are absolutely no stringy strands of fibrous veggie left. Only velvety, creamy goodness, my friends!
In case you’re not convinced, here are some side-by-side pictures to illustrate my point. The pictures speak for themselves, really. In the first image, the sweet potatoes were mashed with a fork (common instructions given in other recipes). The middle bowl was whipped with a whisk. In the third image, the sweet potatoes were blended.

Fork

Whisk

Blender
My sweet potato mash is tasty paired with any roasted meat or as the base of a “bowl” dish with toppings of your choosing such as roasted vegetables plus a fried egg, shredded meat and/or nuts and seeds.
Next time you make mashed sweet potatoes, you could mash them with a fork or potato masher or even whip them with a whisk. OR you could throw everything in the blender and press a button; then tell everyone how to long you spent mashing out every last tiny lump and wait for their applause 🙂 The only thing left to say is – if you’re not peeling, chopping, and mashing potatoes, how will you spend your extra free time?

Lazy Girl Sweet Potato Mash
Easy-peasy method for achieving the smoothest, most flavorful mashed sweet potatoes. (AIP, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, seed-free, nightshade-free)
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Resting Time15 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350F.
Place washed sweet potatoes on baking sheet into the oven. Bake until a fork very easily slides through the flesh. Cooking time will significantly vary depending on the size and shape of your potatoes. Keep a close watch and check smaller/thinner potatoes first as these will cook faster.
When sweet potatoes are very soft, remove from oven. Allow to cool off enough to handle before removing potato skins.
Add peeled sweet potatoes to blender along with coconut oil, salt, and cinnamon. Blend until completely smooth.
Remove from blender and pour into serving bowl. Optional garnishes include: additional cinnamon, a drizzle of maple syrup, (avoid the following for AIP) grated nutmeg, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pecans.
May be made in advance. Reheats well.